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Garfield 16 was recommended for a BEST grant for the Bea Underwood Elementary School's HVAC project. The project involves the electrical upgrades needed to support a new HVAC system, which will include air conditioning for the school. In addition, the project will include replacing the waste water piping and plumbing systems.

BEST grants are competitive grants with the Colorado Department of Education to support school construction projects that improve the health, safety, and security of the school district buildings. School districts have to match at least 40% of the cost of the project. For many school districts, the BEST grants allow school districts to upgrade their facilities when local funding is not available or sufficient for the projects.

The BEST grant committee recommended Bea Underwood Elementary School's project on May 15, 2024. The next phase in the process is the formal vote for approval from the State Board of Education on June 12-13, 2024.

The total cost of the project at Bea Underwood Elementary School is $8,268,069, and the District will need to fund 50%. The Administration is working with the District's owner's rep, Dynamic Program Management, on the timeline for the project.

Congratulations to the Grand Valley High School Class of 2024!

This year's graduating class had 51 graduates, more than $701,000.00 in potential scholarships, 13 industry certifications from Colorado Mountain College, three students enlisting in the military, 31 students enrolling in college/university, and nine students with 100 hours or more of community service hours.

Congratulations Class of 2024! Fly high Cardinals!

Don't forget, you can order photos of your graduate's big day here: You will receive a link to view and purchase photos 3-5 days after graduation. Any questions please call MJ Thomas Photography 970-241-2467 or toll free 800-219-0199

If you have signed your student up for Summer Programs, please remember to pay the fees before May 31st!

How do I pay?

1. In person at the St. John's Administration Building (0460 Stone Quarry Road, Battlement Mesa, CO 81635) Tuesday - Friday 6:00 am - 4:30 pm; or
2. Call 970-285-5701 to pay over the phone with a credit/debit card.

For more information, visit https://www.garfield16.org/programs/summer-programs

G16 is happy to announce before/after-school childcare with Cardinal Club for the 2024-2025 School Year! We will be hosting in-person registration throughout the summer:

• Beginning July 30th Tuesday-Friday at the Administration Building 7:00 am-4:00 pm
• In-Person Registration Nights:
• CFL Wednesday, July 31st from 6:00-7:30 pm
• BUE, Thursday, August 1st from 6:00-7:30 pm
• CFL Back-to School Night Wednesday, August 7th from 6:00-7:00 pm
• BUE Back to School Night Friday, August 9th from 6:00-7:00 pm

The CFL and BUE Cardinal club is childcare for school-aged children in grades kindergarten through 5. Students must be enrolled in Garfield 16 schools.

Cardinal Club hours at CFL and BUE are Tuesday- Friday 6:30 a.m. to 7:20 a.m. and 3:15 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.

The fees for the CFL and BUE Cardinal Club are per child, and scholarships for reduced rate are available for eligible families. Parent/guardians may choose to pay monthly or bi-monthly. Please visit https://www.garfield16.org/parents/before-afterschool-care for the fee schedule and for more information.

Important Upcoming Events:

• May 28th: GVMS Awards at 2:30 pm.
• May 29th: BUE Awards 8:30 am (2nd/3rd), 9:30 am (4th/5th)
• May 29th: GVMS 8th Grade Continuation 6:00 pm. Students report by 5:30 pm.
• May 30th: CFL Classroom Awards & Field Day (11:30 am - 3:00 pm)
• May 30th: Last Day of School PK-11
• Summer Break: May 31st - August 12th.
• June 1st: Parachute Pond Fishing Derby 9:30 am - 3:30 pm.
• July 15th: Girls FREE Sport Readiness Exams for Students at Grand River Health Battlement Mesa. 4:00 pm - 6:00 pm. See PDF below for required forms.
• July 16th: Boys FREE Sports Readiness Exams for Students at Grand River Health Battlement Mesa. 4:00 pm - 6:00 pm. See PDF below for required forms.
• August 13th: First Day of School grades 2-12
• August 20th: First Day of Preschool

Please also remember to download our new app, Garfield 16 Schools. Our old app, Garfield 16, is no longer active or being updated. Please find all the information at https://www.garfield16.org/communications/new-app-navigation.

Find GVHS summer/practice schedules here.

Find the 2024-2025 School Year Calendar here.

If you have signed your student up for Summer Programs, please remember to pay the fees before May 31st! How do I pay?

1. In person at the St. John's Administration Building (0460 Stone Quarry Road, Battlement Mesa, CO 81635) Tuesday - Friday 6:00 am - 4:30 pm; or
2. Call 970-285-5701 to pay over the phone with a credit/debit card.

For more information, visit https://www.garfield16.org/programs/summer-programs

Cardinal Club (before/after-school childcare) will continue for the 2024-2025 School Year. Please visit this webpage for more information and to see when you can register your child.

For school supply lists, bell times, back-to-school nights, etc., visit this webpage. (Please note, we will be updating this page over the summer. The supply lists, bell times, back-to-school nights, calendars are final. Bus routes, free/reduced lunch applications, student insurance, and new student enrollment forms will be updated soon.

We thank you for giving us the opportunity to teach your child(ren), and we look forward to seeing you next year!

Find the G16 online calendars by clicking this link: https://www.garfield16.org/calendar121

While we've had chilly mornings these past few weeks, the garden beds and migrating birds tell us it's time for the summer season!

Schools across the District have been embarking on their end of year adventures and beautifying their campuses. Here are some of the happenings at the different schools.

CFL students in Kinder and 1st grade have been visiting the Grand Valley Challenge Course to focus on team building and perseverance lessons. Partnering with teachers Sarah Volk and Garrett Cora, kids have been engaging in games designed for challenges and fun by having students working together. This end of year tradition is one the really motivates kids to do their best and not to give up.

Students in CFL and BUE have been working in their garden spaces. CFL students started various flower and vegetable seeds which they took home last week for their own gardens. BUE students used Better Wolds Day on May 8th to clean up their school grounds, prep their garden beds for summer growth and went on neighborhood walking tours.

Also at BUE, 3rd graders visited the Meeker Museum and Paintbrush Park. While the weather did want to cooperate, the kids and teachers made the most of the day by getting to play, explore and learn about Western Colorado history.

Our annual 5th grade camping trip was a huge success again this year all thanks to the collective effort of our teachers, administration and parent volunteers. Students camped the night at Highline Lake State Park with games, campfire smores, BBQ dinners and an archery range. Students got to spend the two day trip exploring the Western Heritage Museum, Grand Junction parks and hike the Echo Canyon trail in Colorado National Monument.

2nd graders also got to explore and hike while learning about how the earth changes. Students and staff visited Rifle Gap State Park where they went hiking and explored the geologic formations that formed the reservoir landscape. They also traveled to the Rifle Fish hatchery to feed trout and learn their lifecycle from egg to river.

At Grand Valley Middle School, students in the Outdoor Ed. PE class got to put their fishing skills to the test with a trip to Parachute Pond. Students got to try different fishing strategies and learn to fillet their catch.

Throughout the community, we have been busy with some events as well. May 18th we held our annual 3D Fun Shoot event, this year at the Rifle Rendezvous. Over 45 participants of all skill levels came out to shoot 3D targets, get some basics training on archery and to mark their best shot on over 18 targets throughout the course.

And for those looking to show off their fishing skills, come on out to our first annual fishing derby on June 1st at Parachute Pond. We will have three categories based on age, to try and catch the biggest Bluegill of the day. We will have casting clinics in the morning, followed by a hotdog lunch from Alpine Bank. And in the afternoon bring the kids out for macroinvertebrate (water bug) sampling, fly casting 101, and crafts. Thank you CPW, Town of Parachute, Alpine Bank, Parachute Library and Garfield County Outdoors for partnering to put on this FREE event for all ages. We will have free fishing rentals for all ages. Anyone is welcome to fish on June 1st regardless of age or licensing but we ask for kids and teens 3-18 to participate in the competition.

We will make sure to keep you updated with summer program happenings throughout the community so stay tuned for all the outdoor education fun. Happy summer break everyone!

On Friday, May 3, 2024, the Resource Center hosted our Second Annual 5K. This year was a Superheroes and Villains themed run. More than 60 participants registered, but the wind prevented many from attending. About 30 participants weathered the storm and ran the 5K from the Grand Valley Mercantile/CoWork/Cheryl & Co building, around Parachute Park Boulevard, through downtown Parachute, and over the catwalk to the Wasson McKay Park. Participants were given shirts and goodie bags at registration and enjoyed snow cones in the park after the run. Thank you to the Town of Parachute, Parachute Police Department, Parachute\Battlement Mesa Parks and Recreation District, Parks Rec, Alpine Bank, Battlement Mesa Service Association, Grand River Health, Garfield County Libraries, Chilled Out, and our amazing volunteers for making this another successful event!

The Resource Center was fortunate to attend the Mental Health Resource Fair hosted by Grand River Health on May 21, 2024. According to Grand River, the fair featured "representatives from various organizations in our community to discover the wide array of mental health services they provide." The Resource Center had a booth with information regarding our services and two Resource Center representatives available to answer questions. Other organizations included Mountain Valley Developmental Services, Lift-Up, River Bridge, Redpoint, Mind Springs Health, Garfield County Department of Human Services, Garfield County Public Health, YouthZone, Suicide Prevention Coalition of Garfield County, La Clinica del Pueblo, Advocate Safehouse Project, Celebrate Recovery, Mountain Family Health Centers, High Rockies Harm Reduction, A Way Out, Aspen Hope Center, Bridges of Colorado, Safe and Abundant Nutrition Alliance (SANA), and Valley View Hospital. The fair also featured Keynote Speaker Sue Ross, a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with more than 25 years of experience providing mental health services to our community. Two mini presentations from Angela Durbin-Garfield APRN, PMHNP-BC and Coty Bourque, LCSW who covered "topics such as neurodivergence and sleep hygiene."

May is Mental Health Awareness month and we were happy to attend this community event, enabling our community to better connect with the resources around them.

Thank you to Alpine Bank and the Town of Parachute for another successful Shred Day! The Resource Center received a few boxes of food and some monetary donations! Alpine Bank was kind enough to donate their time and pay for a shred truck to come to the Parachute Pick-Up. Community members dropped off their documents to be safely shredded, and the Town of Parachute kindly collected donations for the Resource Center as well as Lift-Up.

Thank you to our community for supporting our efforts!

FACEBOOK

WEBSITE

Please do not hesitate to reach out to our School Based Family Resource Center for more information.

CONTACT INFORMATION:

Claudia Flores Cruz

Center Coordinator

970-285-5262

cflorescruz@garfield16.org

Garfield 16 provides all students with counseling services through the school counselors. School counselors work with students to support their academic growth and success as well as their social and emotional development. School counselors work closely with teachers, principals, and parents to support students experiencing issues that impact their learning. These issues can be, but are not limited to, declining grades, poor work habits, organizational skills, distracting behaviors, school avoidance, anxiety, trauma, and transient personal or family issues, such as the loss of a loved one or change in family dynamic. A school counselor may work with a student on an individual basis or as part of a group. In addition, school counselors work with the administration to assess at-risk students.

At the elementary level, school counselors provide direct instruction to all students in social and emotional growth and wellbeing. Topics include social skills, recognizing emotions, problem-solving, and conflict resolution. For students who may be experiencing difficulty with social skills, regulating behaviors, or school counselors provide individual and group coaching.

At the secondary level, school counselors begin to support students with college and career planning and decision making. School counselors work with students on their Individual Career and Academic Plan (ICAP) requirements. School counselors facilitate college and post-secondary career and workforce exploration. At the high school level, school counselors work with students to ensure they are on pace for graduation.

How to contact your school counselor:

CFL:

• Referral Form
• Call 970-285-5702

BUE:

• Referral Form
• Email Mrs. Sherraden
• Call 970-285-5703

GVMS:

• Parent Referral Form
• Student Referral Form
• Email Mrs. Hoyt
• Call 970-285-5707

GVHS:

• Grades 9 and 11, email Mrs. Largent
• Grades 10 and 12, email Mrs. Paine
• Call 970-285-5705

Please review the attached guidance from Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment regarding when to keep your child at home due to an illness.

Garfield County Public Health and Garfield 16 have teamed up to offer a Vaccine and Immunization Clinic in Parachute! The clinic will be offered on the first Monday of every month, as long as appointments are scheduled. Garfield County Public Health will be stationed at the School-Based Family Resource Center from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm, by appointment only. Please call 970-625-5200 to schedule an appointment, stating that you would like to schedule for the Parachute clinic.

Menus can be found by following this link: https://www.garfield16.org/departments/nutritional-services

Our free breakfast and lunch program is a yearly grant process. Our district has qualified again for a free breakfast and lunch program for SY 2023-2024.

• Breakfast Program: All students can receive breakfast free of charge. It is important that your child arrives at school on time in order to have time to enjoy a meal before a long day of learning!

• Lunch Program: All students can receive lunch free of charge. If your child brings lunch from home, please make sure it does NOT need to be heated in a microwave as there are no microwaves available.

Please do not send soda pop in your child’s school lunch. We ask that you send a healthier choice such as juice, water, or milk.

Parents wishing to eat lunch with their child may do so, please call the school office by 9:00am if you would like to order a hot lunch. The charge for an adult lunch is $4.25 and for a visiting child it is $2.75. Please remember that the school only accepts cash or a check for payment.

Menus for the new schools year will be found on our school district Nutrition Website.

Meal Prices for Visitors:

Student Lunch $2.75

Milk $0.70

Adult Lunch $4.25

Our expectations for riding the school bus were revised.

Elementary students should have brought home a hard copy of these expectations last week. Please review this form, sign it, and return it to your student's school.

Middle school and high school parents, a copy is attached. Please review these updated expectations with your student(s). To confirm receipt and the review of these updated expectations, please fill out this google form.

*Garfield County School District #16 is not responsible for, and does not endorse, any statement, sentiment, or opinion published or expressed in this document. This document is not part of, and has not been distributed as part of the District's curricular or extracurricular programs.

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