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Important Dates Sept 2 – 6, 2024
Mon, Sept 2
Labor Day – School and Childcare are closed for the day
Tues, Sept 3
Tuition is Due – Stacey Petering, secretary, is the contact from the office if staff get questions
5:30 – 7:30 pm – Frederick High School Feeder Superintendent’s Town hall with Dr. Haddad, superintendent
Wed, Sept 4
Late Start for K-12, but NOT FOR PRESCHOOL –PRESCHOOLERS SHOULD ATTEND SCHOOL!
PTO-Sponsored PJ Day – $1.00 suggested donation – Teachers will collect funds from kids when they enter the room. Reach out to Paige if your child is in need of PJs that are appropriate for school — I have plenty.
Thurs, Sept 5
SVVSD Public Education Parade permission slips due for student participants — must be turned in to the office (see information below)
4:00 – 8:00 pm – Q’DOBA PTO Fundraiser – at I-25 and Hwy 119 (11169 E. 125 Frontage Rd) – PTO will receive a percentage of sales… and who doesn’t love queso?!?!?
Fri, Sept 6
Tuition Agreement forms (only for those preschoolers who pay tuition) is due — turn it in to the teacher or front desk (Stacey)
Sat, Sept 7
SVVSD Public Education Parade – AM (see information sent home8/27) – 9:30 am meet up time
Sun, Sept 8
Grandparent’s Day
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What is the Parent-Teacher Organization?
Every Thursday students at Spark! Discovery Preschool bring home a folder with fun activities they’ve worked on in class, and once a month there is a Spark! Discovery Parent-Teacher Organization (PTO) Newsletter added to the folder that has upcoming events and fundraisers listed. But, do you ever wonder what the PTO really is? Who the PTO consists of? If maybe the PTO would be something that you would like to be a part of? P.T.O. stands for Parent Teacher Organization. This group is made up of Spark! Discovery Preschool parents and families, Ms. Paige Gordon, the principal, and teaching staff that alternate joining our monthly meeting to collaborate. It’s a lot like a high school BOOSTER CLUB, but for preschoolers, and it’s a fun way to meet other parents, see what is coming up at our school, and give your ideas/input!
The work of the Spark! Discovery PTO is to support our school’s children, teachers, staff, parents, and families by:
- Creating a welcoming climate and culture, making parent-to-parent connections and fostering networking opportunities
- Facilitating parent and family engagement and involvement across comfort levels
- Promoting connections and collaboration between school and home
- Providing additional funding that supports the vision, mission, values, and goals of Spark! Discovery Preschool
- Creating opportunities for our community to have fun and play together
OUR FIRST MEETING IS TONIGHT, AUG 28, from 6:00 pm – 7:30 pm in the cafeteria, and babysitting is provided.
Spark! Discovery Preschool has a very active Parent-Teacher Organization (PTO), with 501(C3) status, with a governing board, who supports the students and staff of Spark! Discovery Preschool. Would you consider joining the PTO Board for the 2024- 2025 school year? We are currently looking for parent-leaders to be PTO board members and get actively engaged in the PTO. Even though the PTO board has individual duties, we all help each other to accomplish tasks as a team. The following are descriptions of the duties of the PTO Board and our current needs:
Co-Presidents – We’d like two; Heather Ward is currently one of our Co-Presidents.
They preside over meetings of Spark Discovery PTO and Executive Board. They Represent Spark Discovery PTO outside the organization. They serve as an authorized signatory on Spark Discovery PTO drafts from checking and savings. They work to coordinate, with support from other officers and committees so the purpose of Spark Discovery PTO is served. In the absence of treasurers, keep possession of bank account / the books
Secretary – We are recruiting for a secretary
Secretaries maintain a record of all Spark Discovery PTO Meetings. They keep all documents and reports generated for and by the Spark Discovery PTO. They work to create a monthly agenda for Meetings, where notes are taken. They keep by-laws and all amendments current and up-to-date, and they assist with social media. At the close of his/her term, turns over all Spark Discovery PTO documents to his/her successor.
Treasurers – We’d like two; Lauren Gentile-Janner is one of our Treasurers.
They serve as an authorized signatory on all Spark Discovery PTO drafts from checking and savings. They are responsible for the funds of the PTO. They ave possession of Spark Discovery PTO bank account books and statements. They maintain a full and accurate account of receipts and expenditures of Spark Discovery PTO. They help make disbursements as authorized by the PTO Board in accordance with the adopted budget. They present a written financial report monthly and/or when requested. They ensure an annual Internal Revenue Service Form 990 tax return is filed by July 31st (prior to relinquishing their full Treasurer duties to replacement Treasurer) for the following November 15th filing date.
If you have any questions, feel free to contact the current PTO Board at [email protected].
With appreciation — Lauren (current co-treasurer), Heather (current co-president), and Paige (Principal)
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Family Survey for volunteering…
Because this newsletter is posted publicly on our website and Facebook page, where the public can get to the links, Paige Gordon, our principal, will be sending an email via Infinite Campus with an optional survey for families to complete should they like to be included in volunteer options in a variety of scenarios including:
- School-based events: These are events that are sponsored fully by the school.
- Preschool Classroom-based events: These are events that are held during school time and usually organized by the Preschool teacher.
- Parent-Teacher Organization (PTO) based events: These are events that are held in conjunction with the school.
This is not required. Anyone sharing contact information (names, emails, etc.) should know the information will be shared with the PTO and preschool teaching staff.
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Preschool classroom volunteer training…
We are excited to host Volunteer Training at various points through the year in our cafeteria at Spark! Volunteer training is required by the Department of Human Services, as we are a licensed preschool, in order to volunteer in the preschool classroom at our school.
Because this newsletter is posted publicly on our website and Facebook page, where the public can get to the links, Paige Gordon, our principal, will be sending an email via Infinite Campus with a Google Form for families to use to sign up for volunteering within the preschool classroom.
Today are publishing the volunteer training dates for the next three months, which are varied from morning, afternoon, and after school to try to accommodate as many families as possible, while also accommodating for drop off and pick up at our schools and others for families with multiple children.
This volunteer training will include information about the following:
- Purposes and roles of volunteers
- Process of becoming a volunteer
- Confidentiality
- School Policies / Procedures while volunteering
- Sensitivity to physical interactions
- Standard Response Protocol
- Recognizing Child Abuse
- General Preschool policies / procedures
Because of some sensitive topics, this training is best attended by adults (babies are okay to attend). Childcare is not provided during training. If translation is needed, please indicate this on the form. Sometimes parents find out that volunteering in their child’s class causes too much of a distraction for their child or that their child is not able to be independent with a parent there — have no worries! Our front office team always has tasks that need to be accomplished that also support our students, staff, and school.
For parents/family members who were trained during the 23-24 school year, they do not have to complete training again, but will need to complete a new blue-colored form with the teacher for the 24-25 school year. This form is available in the office.
We thank you for your continued support and partnership! If you have any questions, please reach out to me at [email protected] or 720-652-7906.
Best regards — Paige Gordon, Principal — Spark! Discovery Preschool
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FALL TOWN HALL MEETINGS– SVVSD
St. Vrain Valley Schools invites parents, teachers, staff, and community members to join Superintendent, Dr. Don Haddad, for one of our upcoming Superintendent Town Hall meetings.
**Tuesday, 9/3/24 – 5:30-7:30 PM: Frederick High School
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Community Involvement — Join Leadership St. Vrain
Leadership St. Vrain is a program designed to provide parents and other community members the opportunity to deepen their knowledge of our district’s mission, operations and strategic priorities. The program is especially beneficial for those who want to obtain a foundation in district operations and governance and become more active participants in St. Vrain Valley Schools. We are looking for interested parents from the SPARK! community to join this team. Questions? Reach out to Paige Gordon, Principal, at 720-652-7906.
Click here to learn more and apply.
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Coming next time:
**Family Resource Center at Spark!
**How to sign up for Fall Parent-Teacher Conferences
**Family Movement opportunities, sponsored by/funded through the Spark! Discovery PTO, with Ms. Mimi from Anima Arts!