The Falcon Zone Flyer

Hello Falcon Zone,

This Week's Newsletter Highlights

💫💫💫 Learn more about FHS Teacher Jennifer Hepworth, and her nomination for Personalized Learning Classroom of the Year! 💫💫💫

💫💫💫 Find out how EmpowerFZ allows Julie Platt, Reading Intervention Teacher at FESoT, to offer personalized learning options to her students! 💫💫💫

One more week until Winter Break! We hope you are able to take some time to rest, recharge and spend time with family and friends! We will see everyone back at school on January 7th!

We are excited to let you know that Falcon Zone Community Closet and Pantry has been selected as a December 2024 and January 2025 beneficiary of the King Soopers Fight Hunger bag program. Designed in alignment with the King Soopers Zero Hunger | Zero Waste initiative, the Fight Hunger bag program makes it easy for shoppers to impact local hunger relief efforts by simply purchasing a reusable bag.
Throughout December 2024 and January 2025, we will receive a $1 donation for every $2.50 reusable Fight Hunger bag sold at our Falcon King Soopers!

In Partnership ~

Cari Muresan

FZ Community Liaison

Over the next several weeks, be watching this section for features on our Falcon Zone finalists! Each of these awesome educators have been selected as National Finalists for the National Modern Learning Conference, taking place this coming February. As a finalist, they had to submit a 2-minute video summarizing all that they do to impact teaching and learning in their classrooms and schools.

This week, we feature Jennifer Hepworth, a Social Studies teacher at Falcon High School. Ms. Hepworth is a finalist for the Personalized Learning Classroom of the Year for the high school level. She was one of three finalists selected from numerous applicants across the country! Incredible things take place in this classroom. Students are eager to expand their Wisdom and learn about all of the real world content and events that are explored in her lessons. They Network together on various projects and explorations. Ms. Hepworth instills an incredible amount of Self-confidence in her students through the positive relationships and connections that she builds.

Let's take a step inside Ms. Hepworth's Classroom!

Mrs. Gibe's student worked on chemical reactions during science. Students were excited to mix different substances to see the changes and shared that they knew it was a chemical reaction because it fizzed, got warm, cold or changed color.

Each student had a role and they worked together in teams to mix, make observations and make predictions!

Julie Platt is the Reading Interventionist at FES and she shared how she uses EmpowerFZ in her classroom.

What do you love most about being a reading interventionist?

I love the opportunity to boost students' confidence by tracking their growth and progress!

What is the best part about getting to work with all grade levels?

The best part of working with students from kindergarten through 5th grade is that there's never a dull moment! I enjoy the variety and the opportunity to focus on all the essential components of reading, from phonemic awareness to comprehension.

Your students all need something different in order to grow and make progress! How has EmpowerFZ allowed you to personalize learning for each one of your students?

I create personalized learning plans for my 3rd-5th grade students by selecting reading passages that match their interests and offering a variety of engaging activities. I strive to incorporate both hands-on experiences and interactive online apps to support their growth in reading.

Mrs. Moore uses part of her ELA time for small groups. Her students working independently were working on a variety of centers building words and identifying letter sounds. It was very clear that they knew the SOPs (Standard Operating Procedures) for independent work time and for smooth transitions between activities. These kindergartens are going to be ready for 1st grade before you know it!

Mrs. Packard's students are learning about service projects and ways to help others in their December Unit. They have planned a project to help spread holiday cheer to the teachers and staff at FMS!

On Friday they walked around with a treat cart and teachers chose a beverage and snack. They had coffee, hot cocoa, homemade cookies, and donuts! They also received a special handmade gift from her students! They loved treating everyone to some holiday goodness!

In the Falcon Zone we pride ourselves on having the most incredible staff! We want to give our community a chance to recognize those people that make a difference in our schools and for our students every day! Please let us know who is making a positive impact for your student. Let us know who has gone above and beyond to enhance your experience in our zone. Let us know who is doing an outstanding job!

Every staff member that is recognized will receive a note of recognition and a shoutout in our community newsletter. Staff members include not only teachers but secretaries, administrators, custodial & kitchen staff, paras, etc.

We want to know who is making a difference! Thank you for taking the time to fill out this quick form!

Jennifer Newberg (FHS) - Mrs. Newberg is always going above and beyond for everybody. She is absolutely amazing and always ready to help!

12/20 - D49 3-Hour Early Release (All Schools)

12/23 - 1/3 - D49 Winter Break

1/6 - D49 Professional Development Day, No Students

1/7 - Welcome Back!

1/9 - D49 Board of Education Meeting

Quarter 3 SAC - February 6th @ Falcon Elementary School

Quarter 4 SAC - April 17 @ Meridian Ranch Elementary