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Message from Our Principal, Paige Gordon

We look forward to our upcoming Parent-Family/Teacher conferences during the evenings on January 30, February 1, and February 5, 2024. Conferences will be held from 3:30 pm to 7:30 pm these three evenings.  Each conference is scheduled for 20 minutes, and meetings will promptly start and end at the scheduled time. If a family or parents feel more time is needed, another conference could be scheduled at a different time if the conversation needs to continue. Conference appointments will be set up in a software system called “Meet the Teacher.” Please note that students with dual households will receive one invitation for a parent/teacher conference with the Meet The Teacher program we use, based on how Infinite Campus (registration) was set up. If a family needs to have two separate invitations, please call Stacey Petering, principal’s secretary, at 720-652-7906, and she can assist.  “Meet the Teacher” is currently open (and sent to parents 1/18/24 in a private email) to parents to sign up for a conference slot for their child in a first come / first serve manner. I haven’t included the link in this newsletter so that the link stays private to parents of the school (since this is published on our website). Families need to reserve a conference time on Meet the Teacher by Tuesday, Jan 30, at 3:00 pm because the system closes for reservations then. If families don’t meet the deadline, call the office to assist with directions at 720-652-7906, and ask to speak to Stacey, principal’s secretary. We look forward to discussing all the growth we have seen in our students!

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The Tribute to Teachers awards program, sponsored by St. Vrain Valley Schools Education Foundation, provides the opportunity for students, parents, volunteers, fellow educators, school staff and community members to recognize and honor individual teachers at the Pre-K – 12th grade levels in St. Vrain Valley Schools who exemplify excellence in teaching. By paying tribute to teachers who have an extraordinary impact on the achievements of students, the Education Foundation and the community hope to honor the accomplishments of all teachers.

Exemplary St. Vrain Valley Schools Teachers of the Year embody the following 5 characteristics:

• Innovator – Introduces new methodologies or ideas to support student learning
• Goal-Setter – Sets and maintains high standards for learning
• Motivator – Is enthusiastic about teaching and encourages students to excel in learning
• Subject Matter Expert – Understands content and possesses excellent communication skills to deliver classroom topics
• Life Connector – Utilizes real-world examples/current topics in the classroom to emphasize the lesson’s importance

In order to qualify as a nominee, the teacher must be a licensed educator in the State of Colorado and employed at a St. Vrain Valley Schools campus for the current school year. If a teacher won the Teacher of the Year honor for their school the previous year they are not eligible. Click Here to see the 2023 winners. All St. Vrain Valley Schools are eligible for these awards! All nominations must be received electronically no later than Thursday, February 15, 2024 at 11:45pm. 

One teacher from each St. Vrain Valley School will receive the Teacher of the Year recognition for their school. Two other teachers from each school will be honored as Teacher of the Year finalists. The Teacher of the Year for each school will receive a financial gift. The recipients and finalists all receive a certificate of recognition during the Tribute to Teachers event on April 20, 2024. From the school Teacher of the Year honorees, a district wide Teacher of the Year and four finalists will be chosen. More information can be found here —>>>> and families can Nominate a teacher Here!

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Anima Arts Family Movement classes:

We are happy and excited to announce we will continue our on-going family-engagement partnership with Anima Arts (https://animaarts.org/), with Ms. Mimi Ferrie.  We have partnered with Ms. Mimi since 2021, through dance, drama, and family movement. Last year we partnered with her, with the financial support from the Spark! Discovery PTO, to offer FREE Creative Movement Classes for our Families, and we are proud to announce we are partnering with her again for 6 upcoming WINTER classes, again with funding from the Spark! Discovery PTO.

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Infant and Toddler Literacy Night with Local Early Language Development Experts

St. Vrain families with children ages 0-3 are invited to the Infant and Toddler Literacy Night on Wednesday, January 24, from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. The event, hosted by St. Vrain’s Early Childhood Department, will take place at the Timberline PK-8 Library and features local early language development experts Susan M. Moore and Laurene Phillips. Parents can expect practical insights into fostering language skills in young children. Childcare services will be available for children ages 1-5. Learn more >>

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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. A sign up form was emailed to families in a separate communication– please check emails for the link. If unable to find the email with link, please call Stacey Petering, principal’s secretary to confirm your attendance. Because of some sensitive topics, this training is best attended by adults (babies are okay to attend).  Childcare is not provided during volunteer training.  If translation is needed, please indicate this on the form. The dates for volunteer training for the next three months are:

Thursday, January 25, from 4:15 -5:45 pm in the cafeteria.

Thursday, Feb 29, from 4:00 – 5:30 pm in the cafeteria.

Tuesday, March 12, from 8:30 – 10:00 am in the cafeteria (this will be the last offering this school year)

If you have questions, please call (720-652-7906) our principal, Paige Gordon, and she can help you make a reservation if you can’t find the link to sign up.

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LUNCH / SNACK Menus:

Families can now find the monthly Lunch Menu at LINQCONNECT. This online system allows families to filter for allergens and see the Breakfast Menu. Please change between AM snack/Breakfast, Lunch, and SNACK (which is PM snack) in the upper left hand corner. Change the month to reflect this month’s menus.

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Important Dates– Jan 22 – 26

• Transportation STEM Unit: Ms. Marie, Ms. Marie, and Ms. Kelli
• Moving & Grooving STEM Unit: Dance and Fitness – Ms. Julia and Ms. Moira
• Ooh-Ahh Science STEM Unit: Ms. Noreen and Ms. Kaylee
• Drama and Theater STEM Unit: Ms. Kiersten and Ms. Tori
• Life Cycles of Animals STEM Unit: Ms. Blair, Ms. Miranda, and Ms. Amy
• Big Ideas of Early Mathematics: Patterns
• STEM Profile: Reflective
• Fundations letter / letter sound focus: c, o
• Monday, January 22, 2024, 4:45 pm: Anima Arts (Winter) – Families Moving Together – in Gym; must have a reservation with Ms. Mimi
• Wednesday, January 24, 2024, 5:30pm: Infant and Toddler Literacy Night – hosted by ECE Dept., Timberline PK-8 SVVSD
• Thursday, January 25, 2024, 4:15pm – 5:45pm: Volunteer Training – Cafeteria
• Thursday, January 25, 2024, 6pm -7:30pm: PTO meeting, childcare provided for no cost

Important Dates– Jan 29 – Feb 2

• Big Ideas of Early Mathematics: Patterns
• STEM Profile: Reflective
• Fundations letter – a, g
• Monday, January 29, 2024, 4:45pm: Anima Arts (Winter) – Families Moving Together – in Gym; must have reservation with Ms. Mimi
• Tuesday, January 30, 2024, 3:30pm – 7:30pm: Winter Conferences at Spark- Night 1 of 3 — sign up for an appointment electronically
• Thursday, Feb 1 – Tuition is due for February, 2024
• Thursday, February 1, 2024, 3:30pm – 7:30pm: Winter Conferences at Spark- Night 2 of 3 — sign up for an appointment electronically
• February- STEM Profile: Risk- Taker
• February- Big Ideas of Early Mathematics: Measurement
• February- Fundations – d, s

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A message from the Spark! Campus Supervisor, Alicia Hall ([email protected]).

If you’ve recently added a new pickup person to your Infinite Campus, please take a moment to remind them to bring valid photo identification when they come for pickup. Ensuring proper identification is a vital step in our commitment to maintaining a safe and secure environment for your student. We appreciate your cooperation, and if you need to add more authorized pickup individuals, kindly contact the office and speak with Amy, our registrar, at 720-652-7906. As a reminder all authorized pick up people must be 18 years of age or older, as this is a state licensing requirement.  We must keep fire lanes at the front of school clear for the safety of the school. Please park in a dedicated spot and walk children into the school.

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A message from the Spark! Health Clerk, Amanda Rivera ([email protected])

Colorado has cold, dry winters, and for some children that makes eczema flare up. If your student is in need of anything to alleviate symptoms, such as lotion or cream, please contact me before sending anything with your student. We need to have a specific form on file that must be signed by a physician before we can use anything at school.

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A message from the Spark! Attendance/Registrar, Amy Yanez [email protected]

Is my absence excused or unexcused? When calling to leave a message about a child’s absence, please leave a message with your child’s name and why your child is going to be absent. If your child is absent and we have not received a voicemail/email we will be calling to verify the reason for your child’s absence.

Excused Absences: Illness of the student (Dr.’s statement may be required to support such absences), Days of religious observance, Death in the Family, Professional appointment (such as lawyer, doctor, or counselor appointment), Birth of a sibling, and Military deployment of parent, grandparent or sibling

Unexcused Absences: Family Vacation, Family Celebration, Sports Competition, Visiting Relatives, and inclement Weather

Exceptions will be made by building administrator and will be reviewed on a case by case basis.

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SVVSD Equity and Community Engagement:

Our school district’s Native American Family Night in partnership with SVVSD Priority Programs was a huge success.  Please join us next time!

Location: Innovation Center  

Time: 5 pm-7 pm

Dates:  Feb 27th, 2024, and April 30th, 2024

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We invite our families to join us on our social media outlets:

Facebook: Spark-Discovery-Preschool-of-St-Vrain

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sparkdiscoverypreschool/

Twitter: @SparkDPS

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