Explorer Express

The week of November 8th-12th is Parent/Teacher conference week, if you have not signed up for a conference, please click the link below and find the desired classroom. Teachers are offering both in-person and virtual conference options.

All veterans and their families are invited to join the Dry Creek students and staff for a Veteran's Day program on November 11th from 8:30-9:15 am. Rather than a large assembly like past years, we will be hosting student showcases where each grade will be honoring our community's veterans one grade at a time. The event will be held in the library. Masks are required for all visitors. If you are a veteran or have a veteran in your family, please invite them to join us.

We are looking for students to join Dry Creek’s FIRST LEGO League Explore program for the 2021-2022 season. First Lego League Explore is a non-competitive robotics program designed for children ages 6-10. Participants will be divided into teams of up to six students who will work together to build, code, research, and problem solve around the theme of cargo transportation during 12 sessions. We have space for 12 students to participate. See the flyer below for more information and the permission form!

Illness at School and Decreasing the Spread: How Can you Help?

Please keep your student/s home from school if they are feeling sick. If your student has symptoms seen with COVID-19 (regardless of their vaccination status), they should not come to school.

Symptoms of COVID-19 include ANY of the following: Feeling feverish, having chills, temperature of 100.4 F or greater, new or worsening cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, loss of taste and smell, sore throat, runny nose or congestion, muscle aches, headache, fatigue, nausea or vomiting, and/or diarrhea.

We encourage anyone with symptoms to reach out to their healthcare provider and seek out COVID testing.

No-cost COVID testing is available to anyone in the Cherry Creek community who needs a test:

· For current Cherry Creek students and staff: https://www.primarybio.com/l/cherry

· For friends, family and community members: https://www.primarybio.com/l/cdphe

The best way to prevent experiencing severe illness due to the COVID-19 virus or the upcoming seasonal flu (influenza) virus, is to get vaccinated.

COVID-19 vaccines are available throughout the Denver-Metro area: https://www.cherrycreekschools.org/site/Default.aspx?PageID=13483

Seasonal Flu vaccines will be available at most sites after October 1st, but many grocery and drug stores have them available all year.

Information on COVID vaccine clinics and flu shot clinics hosted at CCSD schools will be coming out very soon! Be on the lookout for these clinic dates and time!

Below is a link to a general guide for students experiencing symptoms, when they should stay home and when they can return to school. Please note, if your student has been exposed to someone who tested positive for COVID-19 and is currently experiencing symptoms this leads to an automatic 10-day isolation per (Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE).

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1nhgGIbakyAJY3XJ2TW44sw7btXXqISBR/view

Letter from Superintendent Christopher Smith on 8/31/2021:

Dear Cherry Creek Schools Community,

On Monday evening, Tri-County Health Department issued a new public health order that requires the wearing of a mask by all people age 2 years and older in all school and child care settings.

Due to this new order, the Cherry Creek School District will now require ALL students and staff inside ALL school buildings to wear a mask. This universal mask requirement is for all students, adults and visitors to school buildings and applies to all grades – PreK, elementary, middle and high school. The order goes into effect Wednesday, Sept. 1.

The following is a statement by Tri-County Health Executive Director Dr. John Douglas regarding the new public health order:

“We have reached a point where transmission has increased significantly and is putting our communities at risk. We must now take the statutory responsibility and authority given to us by the Colorado Legislature to reduce the spread of communicable diseases and keep our communities safe. The new mask order will help to protect those who cannot get vaccinated and allow children to continue in-person learning.”

You can read the full Tri-County Health Department press release here.

Thank you for your partnership in following public health requirements that will help keep schools open for In-Person learning. We will continue our focus on supporting the mental health and social-emotional needs of students while providing rigorous learning experiences for all.

I am confident we can continue on a positive path for our students.

Sincerely,

Christopher Smith

Superintendent

Two years ago, Cherry Creek Schools and the Cherry Creek Education Association agreed to dismiss all elementary schools one hour earlier every Wednesday in order to enhance professional development and training opportunities for our elementary teachers. That change was not implemented during the 2020-21 school year because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but it will be implemented starting in August. By having this specific time set aside, there will be less of a need to pull teachers out of the classroom during the day, which creates continuity for students and less of a reliance on substitute teachers. With this change, our elementary schools will still exceed the class time required by the Colorado Department of Education.

Elementary schools will dismiss at 1:45 p.m. every Wednesday. For families who participate in after-school child care, the after-school program will be extended every Wednesday at no additional cost. For families who need care, you can register with our Explorer Club Before and After School Program. Please contact our Director, Julie Cottorone, at jcottorone@cherrycreekschools.org for more information.

We are excited to welcome volunteers and visitors back this year. If you are interested in volunteering or visiting for lunch, please review the information below!

Volunteering: Our classroom teachers have opportunities for volunteers to support the classrooms in a variety of ways. If you would like to volunteer in your child's class, please make these arrangements directly with the teacher. Volunteers will need to follow the masking protocol while inside the school and must check in at the main office upon arrival. Volunteers are also expected to sign the Dry Creek volunteer agreement prior to beginning helping in classroom settings.

Visitors: We welcome parents and family members to come to eat lunch with your child on special days such as birthdays or other occasions. Parents are encouraged to provide his/her own lunch. There are picnic tables outside of the cafeteria that makes a great place to enjoy lunch with your student at school (weather permitting). All visitors are required to wear masks while inside the school. For questions about volunteering or visiting Dry Creek, please reach out the main office at (720) 554-3300.

Once again, we’re skipping our traditional parent volunteer potluck dinner and keeping it covid friendly by ordering in. Please consider making a donation to the Parent Teacher

Appreciation Fund in lieu of your home-cooked cuisine so we can provide dinner for our hardworking teachers on Thursday, November 11th, 2021.

https://dry-creek-teacher-appreciation-fund.cheddarup.com

Dry Creek parents, students, and staff can “Rent the Rock” to recognize a birthday/academic achievement, show school spirit, thank/recognize a teacher or staff member, celebrate a graduation, etc. It’s a great way to spread a positive message, make someone smile and help build our Dry Creek Explorer community spirit. Spirit rock reservations are on a first-come, first-serve basis so make your reservation before your special day is taken! www.drycreekptco.org/dce-spirit-rock

Accountability will meet on the following dates at 6:00 pm:

• January 27, 2022 - Virtual
• February 24, 2021 - In-person
• March 24, 2021 - Virtual

P.A.S.S. will meet on the following dates at 6:00pm:

• November 17, 2020
• January 12, 2021
• February 16, 2021
• April 13, 2021

General Meeting Dates:

• November 10, 2021 at 8:30am
• January 12, 2022 at 6:30pm
• March 9, 2022 at 8:30am
• May 11, 2022 at 6:30pm

Coffee with the principal begins at 8:00 am right after drop-off in the library on the following dates:

• November 30, 2021
• January 25, 2022
• March 29, 2022
• April 26, 2022
• May 24, 2022

Email: kwatanabe@cherrycreekschools.org
Website: https://www.cherrycreekschools.org/drycreek
Location: 7686 East Hinsdale Avenue, Centennial, CO, USA
Phone: (720) 554-3300
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/drycreekelementaryccsd/
Twitter: @DryCreekCCSD

Families who need Dry Creek Elementary communication translated, please contact the liaison listed:

English:

Please contact Kati Brinks at kbrinks@cherrycreekschools.org for support with this resource in your language.

Amharic

እነዝህን መረጃዎችን በተመለከተ በቋንቋዎ ዕገዛን ለማግኘት ከፈለጉ እባክዎን ተሊሌን በዝህ እሜይል ያግኙዋት thirpa@cherrycreekschools.org

Arabic:

يرجى الاتصال بـ (جميعة صباحي أو جاودة العلمي) على (jsebbahi@cherrycreekschools.org أو

jdajanialami@cherrycreekschools.org للحصول على الدعم مع هذا المورد باللغة العربية.

Chinese:

如有需要，请经由ahan10@cherrycreekschools.org，与韩馥联系，以您的语言获得此资源的支持。

Korean:

귀하의 언어로 이 자원에 대한 지원을 원하시면 (리아 리) 에게 (llee6@cherrycreekschools.org) 로 문의하십시오.

Russian:

Пожалуйста, обращайтесь к Ларисе Бака по адресу: lbaca3@cherrycreekschools.org для получения поддержки с помощью этого ресурса на своём языке.

Somali:

Fadlan la xiriir Omar Nur cinwaanka emaylka-onur2@cherrycreekschools.org si aad u hesho macluumaad ku qoran luqadaada.

Spanish:

Si necesita ayuda con este recurso en su idioma, póngase en contacto con Ilse Chavez Maldonado en ichavezmaldonado@cherrycreekschools.org, Rosa Han en rhan4@cherrycreekschools.org, Helena Gognat en hgognat@cherrycreekschools.org o Milagro Nuanes en mnuanes@cherrycreekschools.org

Vietnamese:

Vui lòng liên hệ với Thuý Ngọc tại Lchung2@cherrycreekschools.org để được hỗ trợ về tài nguyên này bằng tiếng Việt.