Mesa Weekly News
November 5, 2023
Principal's News
Hello Mesa Families!
This week, we take a special moment to thank all of our Veterans for their service and sacrifice. We are so thankful to be a part of our military community and to have the privilege to work with so many amazing military families. Thank you for all you have given and continue to give in order for us to enjoy so many freedoms!
As the temperature gets colder, Fountain-Fort Carson School District 8 will follow the same closure and delay procedures for inclement weather days that have been used previously. During a closure, neither teaching staff nor students will be expected to engage in remote or virtual learning. During a delayed start, all school and bus schedules will be delayed by two hours for all schools. All notifications for a delay or closure will be sent directly to families via text, phone, and email ā based on information in the student information system, Infinite Campus. It is highly recommended that families log into the Infinite Campus/Parent Portal to ensure the contact information in the database is current. Any updates will also be posted on district social media (X and Facebook at @FFC8schools) and on the district website at www.ffc8.org. We have many coats in our lost-and-found (located in our cafetorium). Please encourage your son/daughter to check for any missing coats - they will be needed in the upcoming weeks.
The Fountain-Fort Carson School District 8 Thanksgiving Food Drive ends on November 9. Mesa has been assigned to bring in cornbread mix packages/boxes. Our classrooms will be competing to see who can gather the largest amount of cornbread mix packages or boxes! (ONLY cornbread mix can be accepted at Mesa.) Thank you in advance for your generosity as we work with all of our district 8 schools to put together as many Thanksgiving dinner baskets as possible for our Fountain community.
Throughout the year, students will practice our Mesa PRIDE (persevere, show respect, be independent, be dedicated to keeping Mesa safe, and empathize with others) expectations across all settings of the school building, playground, and entry/exit areas. Our areas of emphasis for the month of November are dedication to safety, being prepared and on time, and staying on task. Please feel free to share the ways you and your family are practicing dedication to safety and positive character traits with your student's teacher. We love to hear from you and to see our Mesa students practicing these skills outside of school.
Mesa staff utilize the REMIND app as the main tool of communication with families. You are welcome to reach out to teachers via REMIND or email at any time. Please watch for weekly newsletters and updates from each grade level team throughout the school year.
Please be sure to contact us with any needs or questions. We look forward to this school year and the opportunity to work with each of you to help our students to Dream BIG, Work Hard and Make it Happen!!
Megan Oleson
Principal
Drop-Off/Pick-Up Information 2023-2024
***Please let your son/daughter's teacher know your plan for after school pick-up.***
Car Riders (drop-off/pick-up)
Car drop-off/pick-up will take place in the north parking lot in front of our main entry doors. The west lot is not a drop-off/pick-up option for car riders. We ask that parents keep traffic moving as quickly as possible by remaining in their vehicles while students exit. If there is a need for a parent to assist with a student exiting, please park in a visitor spot in the north lot. In the AM, parents should pull as far east (closest to the gym) as possible in the lot. Mesa staff members will be there to open doors and welcome students. Students will then enter the building. In the PM, students will be with their grade level (as indicated in the photo). Parents should still pull as far east as possible. A staff member will check in with you as you pull through the line and will call for your student(s) to come to your vehicle.
If you are using Monterey Way and turning onto Camino Del Rey, please be mindful to not block the entry/exit to the west parking lot (on Monterey Way) as buses will be using this lot and will need enough space to get in and out of the parking lot.
Please reference the photo below for guidance on our drop-off/pick-up procedures this year.
Walkers
Any students who are walking home with a parent will meet on the east playground. Students will be separated by grade level. Parents may approach teachers to pick-up their student(s). Students are also able to walk home without being picked up by a parent. Students walking alone and needing to head west out of the building will be allowed to leave in this direction with the grade-level staff member walking kids out in that direction. Students heading east at the end of the day will be able to access the paved walkway out to Camino Del Rey to then head east towards Fountain Mesa.
Front Office Access:
Our main office is located on the north side of the building. Parents needing to enter the building should do so at our main-entry located at the north doors with a large Mesa paw print.
This week at Mesa:
Essential Skill Focus: K-5 I can complete assignments.
Now-Nov. 9: Food Drive - Cornbread
Nov. 8: Skate City 5-7pm
Nov. 9: last day for Thanksgiving Feast payments
Nov. 10: Veterans Day - no school
Save the Date:
Nov. 14: 4th and 5th grade Math and Literacy Night 5-7pm
Nov. 16: Thanksgiving Feast at lunch
Nov. 17: Morning Meeting with Parents and Mesa Family Forum
Lunch Schedule
Lunch Menu
Grading Information
STEM Lab Items Needed:
School Safety with Officer Geri
What an amazing start to our 2023-2024 school year! Thank you for helping me keep our kids safe! It has been awesome to watch the patience and kindness shown to each other as we process procedures at arrival and dismissal.
Quick reminders:
- we have almost 700 kids now and there is so much traffic. Treat our long lines like a sporting event or concert and take turns, allowing every other car in-we are all going to the same place
- one lane drop off in the morning, two lane pick up in the afternoon
- please remember basic traffic laws - 20 mph in the school zone!!
- remember, if you are close to late or running late, speeding is dangerous, there will be tickets issued
- speed limit is 10mph in a parking lot, even a long parking lot!
- cross walks, driveways and intersections are not to be blocked; If you cannot completely clear those areas....wait
- GOING INTO ONCOMING LANE OF TRAFFIC IS COMPLETELY ILLEGAL AND UNSAFE-DO NOT DO THIS FOR ANY REASON
Thank you for working together to be great role models for our kids.
Ask Nurse Janice
MEDICATION: All medication must be brought into the building and picked up from the building by an adult- students are not allowed to bring medication into the building. All medication must be approved by a prescribing physician with the appropriate forms signed. These forms can be found on the district website or by contacting your school nurse.
FACE MASKS: At this time, masks are not required but certainly allowed. At any time you can choose to send your child to school wearing a mask.
FEVER: Fever is defined as a temperature of 100.4 or higher. Students who have a fever should stay home and rest until they have gone 48 hours fever free without the aid of medication such as ibuprofen or Tylenol. If your child has a fever that lasts longer than 48 hours, please reach out to your school nurse to help problem solve what your next steps might be.
About Us
Email: moleson@ffc8.org
Website: https://www.ffc8.org/Mesa
Location: 400 Camino Del Rey, Fountain, CO, USA
Phone: 719-382-1370
Facebook: facebook.com/MesaElementaryFFC8
Twitter: @MesaElemFFC8