Panther Pride STEM School

By Miss Siedler

STEM has been focused on computer science and computational thinking skills for the last few weeks. Kindergarten through 5th grade students have been honing their skills and problem solving in new ways this month. They have become budding computer scientists in their thinking and application of their knowledge in the STEM classroom.

Students spent a few classes working on creating algorithms without technology. They wrote algorithms for Miss Siedler to sharpen a pencil, solved various coding puzzles to practice looking for bugs and problem solving their errors. Then we transferred that knowledge into both computer coding and robot coding. Our older computer scientists have been using code.org to practice block coding. As they have grown in their knowledge, they have begun to use block code with our Sphero robots. Our younger computer scientists have been able to utilize Botley robots, which can follow lines and be coded, to practice their coding skills as well.

One criteria of a student’s success in school is regular and punctual attendance. To report an absence or tardy, please call our attendance line, available 24 hours, at (719) 391-3396.

Compulsory School Attendance

In order to reduce the incidents of truancy, parents/guardians are hereby notified that every child who has attained the age of six (6) on or before August 1 of each school year and is under the age of seventeen (17) shall attend public school for at least the following number of hours.

• One thousand fifty –six (1056) if secondary school pupil;

• Nine hundred sixty-eight (968) if an elementary school pupil in a grade other than kindergarten;

• Nine hundred hours (900) if a full-day kindergarten pupil;

• Four hundred fifty hours (450) if a half day kindergarten pupil;

(Except as otherwise provided in CRS 22-33-104)

The red flags will be hanging on the playground and out front to let parents know that it is indoor morning recess. The guidelines for calling red flag is as follows:

Widefield District 3 will:

• make inclement weather decision(s) based on students’ safety

• collect data at the earliest appropriate time

• make the decision as to whether schools will be open and announce no later than 5:30 am by calling radio stations and TV stations

• not penalize students if parents keep them home or pick them up from school early on questionable snow days.

In the event the decision made earlier is to open schools and the storm worsens unexpectedly, Widefield District 3 will:

• inform the same media as stated above that schools will dismiss students early

• keep buildings open as long as necessary to evacuate all students safely

• announce that if an early dismissal occurs, afternoon activities, and evening events will be cancelled

Parents are expected to:

• be responsible for custody of children

• listen to the news broadcasts on stormy days

• decide whether or not to send children to school on threatening, stormy days

In the event the decision is made earlier to open schools and the storm worsens, parnets are expected to:

• know that students may be dismissed earlier than normal

• listen for an early dismissal announcement

• make sure children know what to do and where to go if dismissed early

• not rely on telephones to make last minute arrangements for their children. (Lines tend to malfunction during storms.)

Your child participates in a program in Widefield School District which receives funding under the Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015. You have the right to know what professional qualifications are held by the teachers who instruct your child. The Act gives you the right to the following information about each of your child’s classroom teachers:

• Whether the teacher is licensed or qualified for the grades and subjects he or she teaches.

• Whether the teacher is teaching under an emergency permit or other provisional status under which state licensing criteria have been waived.

• The college major of the teacher, any advanced degrees held by the teacher, and the subject matter of those degrees.

• What instructional aides or similar paraprofessionals, if any, provide instructional services to your child, and if so, what qualifications they possess.

If you are interested in receiving information of this sort, please contact the Human Resources office at 391-3015.

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), a Federal law, requires that Widefield School District 3 (“the District”), with certain exceptions, obtain your written consent prior to the disclosure of personally identifiable information from your child's education records. However, the District may disclose appropriately designated "directory information" without written consent, unless you have advised the District to the contrary in accordance with District procedures. The primary purpose of directory information is to allow the District to include this type of information from your child's education records in certain school publications. Examples include:

• A playbill, showing your student's role in a drama production;

• The annual yearbook;

• Honor roll or other recognition lists;

• Graduation programs; and

• Sports activity sheets, such as for wrestling, showing weight and height of team members.

Directory information, which is information that is generally not considered harmful or an invasion of privacy if released, can also be disclosed to outside organizations without a parent's prior written consent. Outside organizations include, but are not limited to, companies that manufacture class rings or publish yearbooks. In addition, two federal laws require local educational agencies (LEAs) receiving assistance under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) to provide military recruiters, upon request, with three directory information categories - names, addresses and telephone listings - unless parents have advised the LEA that they do not want their student's information disclosed without their prior written consent. If you do not want the District to disclose directory information from your child's education records without your prior written consent, you must notify the District in writing by September 20th each year. The District has designated the following information as directory information:

• Student's name

• Participation in officially recognized activities and sports

• Address

• Telephone listing

• Weight and height of members of athletic teams

• Electronic mail address

• Photograph

• Degrees, honors, and awards received

• Date and place of birth

• Major field of study

• Dates of attendance

• Grade level

• The most recent educational agency or institution attended

Annual FERPA Notice The Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) affords parents and students over 18 years of age (“eligible students”) certain rights with respect to the student’s education records. These rights are:

1. The right to inspect and review the student’s education records within 45 days of the day the school receives a request for access. Parents or eligible students should submit to the school principal [or appropriate school official] a written request that identifies the record(s) they wish to inspect. The school official will make arrangements for access and notify the parent or eligible student of the time and place where the records may be inspected.

2. The right to request the amendment of the student’s education records that the parent or eligible student believes are inaccurate or misleading. Parents or eligible students may ask the school to amend a record that they believe is inaccurate or misleading. They should write the school principal [or appropriate official], clearly identify the part of the record they want changed, and specify why it is inaccurate or misleading. If the school decides not to amend the record as requested by the parent or eligible student, the school will notify the parent or eligible student of the decision and advise them of their right to a hearing regarding the request for amendment. Additional information regarding the hearing procedures will be provided to the parent or eligible student when notified of the right to a hearing.

3. The right to consent to disclosures of personally identifiable information contained in the student’s education records, except the extent that FERPA authorizes disclosure without consent. One exception, which permits disclosure without consent, is disclosure to school officials with legitimate educational interests. A school official is a person employed by the school as an administrator, supervisor, instructor, or support staff member (including health or medical staff and law enforcement unit personnel); a person serving on the School Board; a person or company with whom the school has contracted to perform a special task (such as an attorney, auditor, medical consultant, or therapist); or a parent or student serving on an official committee, such as a disciplinary or grievance committee, or assisting another school official in performing his or her tasks. A school official has a legitimate educational interest if the official needs to review an education record in order to fulfill his or her professional responsibility. Upon request, the school discloses education records without consent to officials of another school district in which a student seeks or intends to enroll.

[NOTE: FERPA requires a school district to make a reasonable attempt to notify the parent or eligible student of the records request unless it states in its annual notification that it intends to forward records on request.]

4. The right to file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education concerning alleged failures by the school to comply with the requirements of FERPA. The name and address of the Office that administers FERPA are:

Family Policy Compliance Office

U.S. Department of Education

400 Maryland Avenue, SW

Washington, DC 20202-4605