Dear Redstone Families-

How can 2024 be coming to an end? The year just continues to fly by and we know the six days will be filled with learning, laughs and great memories for our students.

Our students have been busy taking their iReady mid year assessments and we are so excited for the growth and progress they are demonstrating. iReady growth reports will be sent home with students before winter break. While we use this assessment data to monitor students' progress and plan for instruction, it is also just one piece of data in a body of evidence teachers are collecting to ensure all students are making growth. Teachers will also be sharing students’ overall progress towards grade level standards on their Elementary Progress Reports (EPRs) which will be available for parents to view on December 21. We also have our next round of parent conferences coming up the week of February 25th so parents will have the opportunity to connect individually with classroom teachers and specialists to discuss and celebrate students’ progress and accomplishments with their classroom teachers and support staff.

In addition to learning celebrations, December is always filled with lots of opportunities to celebrate and showcase students' talents. We love seeing our students perform in band, orchestra and choir concerts and always enjoy the musical talents of our students.

Our December Leader in Me habit of focus is Think Win Win. Our student assembly team kicked off this new habit during our monthly assembly last Friday. They shared lots of great examples with students about how they can create win-win outcomes in their daily lives and how they can work together with peers to problem solve. We also celebrated all of our students that earned Leader in Me Tickets in November.

This is such a wonderful time of year filled with fun and celebrations. We are looking forward to seeing many of you in the upcoming days as we enjoy the businesses December brings. We hope you all have a wonderful holiday season and enjoy making memories with family and friends. Thank you for being the absolute best community around. We are so grateful for the partnerships we have with our families and for your endless support.

We wish you all a wonderful holiday season filled with family, friends, laughs and wonderful memories. The joy and light in our students’ eyes during this magical time of year is such a gift. Take care and we look forward to reconnecting in 2025.

Happy Holidays from the Moyle family to yours!

💕Amy

Win-win is about constantly seeking mutual benefit in all interactions—about finding solutions that are truly beneficial and satisfying for everyone involved. To go for win-win, we not only have to be empathic, but we also have to be confident. We not only have to be considerate and sensitive, we also have to be brave.

Students will participate in lessons this month to learn how to find win-win solutions in their daily lives at school and at home. Here is a resource you can use to practice creating win-win scenarios as a family at home.

We know that our morning drop off is a very busy time and everyone is trying to get to their next destination as quickly as possible, but we ask that you please slow down and help ensure that we keep our students safe. Our morning traffic is especially heavy on our cold snowy mornings and on our no bus weeks. Our staff crossing guards have shared their concern for a number of driving behaviors they have noticed this week.

Please help us by taking note of the drop off reminders below:

• Kids should only get out of cars when they are in the kiss and go lane in front of the school. Please do not let kids get out when cars are stopped at the 4 way stop or the crosswalk.
• Honor our 4 way stop and take turns going through this intersection. Please follow the crossing guard's directions.
• Do not pull out and block the intersection if you will not be able to get through. This creates further traffic backups.
• On our late start days we will hold attendance until 10:15 so please take your time and give every one a little more grace.
• Please use our kiss and go line as a drop and go. If you want to walk your child up or watch them walk up to the front door, please park in the upper lot. Please be sure your child is ready to go prior to getting to the front of the school so they can jump out quickly.
• Please do not park in the reserved PTO spots. Parents have purchased these spots and appreciate having them available when they arrive.

Pick Up Reminders:

• Pull up as far as possible when picking students up in our car line to allow other cars to pull up.
• Kids should not load in cars passed the crosswalk outside the gym doors. Students should wait until cars pull up past this point to load.
• Cars will be moved once both lanes are safely loaded with students.
• If you are exiting from the upper parking lot, please yield to the cars that are exiting the car line.
• Do not pull into the bus loop. This is reserved for busses and ride share cars.
• Follow the lead of the crossing guards.

Late Start Reminders:

• RSE soft start begins at 10 and students will be marked tardy after 10:15.
• Morning activities are cancelled.
• BASE opens at 8 am.
• If you have a meeting scheduled with a teacher or RSE staff, they will reach out to let you know the plans and reschedule.

Tune in to hear some of Mrs. Moyle's favorite holiday stories on Monday, December 16 at 7 pm. Put on your PJs and join the Facebook link to hear see Mrs. Moyle reading from her family room. Her dog Lambeau might even make a guest appearance. We hope you can join the fun!

We are excited to announce a Speed Stacks fundraiser to support our Physical Education program! Speed Stacks are a fun and engaging way for students to build hand-eye coordination, focus, and teamwork. Proceeds from the fundraiser will directly benefit our PE program, helping us to enhance activities and equipment for all students.

Here’s how you can participate:

1. Visit the fundraiser page: Speed Stacks Fundraiser Link

2. Choose your items:

• Speed Stacks sets (set and stem): $25.00

• StackMat (mat, timer, and gear bag): $30.00

• Pro Series (set, stem, and cup keeper): $30.00

3. Bring your receipt to Mrs. Novy and select from the items she has in stock. Items are available on a first-come, first-served basis.

If this is a Christmas gift, please email me at allison.novy1@dcsdk12.com so I can keep it a surprise for your student.

Thank you for your continued support! If you have any questions, feel free to reach out.

We are looking for a few more folks to become a part of our Educational Assistant substitute pool. This is a group that we reach out to when we need a substitute for one of our educational assistants. The main duties include lunch and recess duty and supporting students in the classroom. Days and hours are very flexible and you can accept jobs as they fit in with your schedule. Please apply using the link below and reach out to amy.moyle@dcsdk12.org with any questions.

We would love for you to join our RSE staff family!

https://dcsd.wd5.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/DCSD/details/Substitute---Educational-Assistant_Req-00073795-1?q=redstone

We are looking for substitute educational assistants (EAs). Our EAs typically help supervise students during lunch and recess and on occasion provide classroom support. We would love to add more folks to our EA pool that we call on when our regular staff members are out. This is a very flexible position and a great way to spend more time at RSE. If you are interested, please use this link to apply and also reach out to Amy at amy.moyle@dcsdk12.org share your interest.

Your child’s Elementary Progress Report (EPR) will be available for you to view on Saturday, December 21 at 8 am. This EPR will give you information about how your child performed on grade level standards in the first semester and also contains personalized comments about your child and their progress.

Your child's report card includes grades for content and work habits.

The following rating system is used to determine your child's level of performance:

Exceeds

Indicates a high level of achievement. It indicates a student has a strong understanding of the content/concepts/skills taught and it implies a student can demonstrate understanding independently and with very few errors.

Meets

Indicates that a student demonstrates an understanding of content/concepts/skills most of the time and with limited support. Students who are meeting standards make few major errors or omissions when demonstrating a concept or skill.

Approaching

Indicates that a student requires moderate support to demonstrate an understanding of concepts/skills. Students' ability to demonstrate their understanding of a concept or skill is inconsistent or infrequent, which indicates a partial understanding of the content, concept or skill. Students demonstrate more frequent errors or omissions.

Does Not Meet

Students who do not meet standards seldom demonstrate an understanding of concepts and skills taught. The student requires considerable support to demonstrate learning and makes frequent major errors when demonstrating his/her understanding.

To access your child’s EPR, please use this link. If you need support to access your EngagED Parent portal, don’t hesitate to reach out to the DCSD I.T. Department by clicking here, or calling 303-387-0001.

Please note the process for accessing the EngagED Parent portal changed last fall. Details are below.

Parents will need to add “@p.dcsdk12.org” to their current user names when logging into EngagED.

For example, when you log into EngagED, if your current user name is absmith, that will be changed to absmith@p.dcsdk12.org.

Your password will remain the same.

Kindergarten registration for students that live in our RSE attendance area is now open. Please remind your friends and neighbors to register as soon as possible so that we can appropriately plan for staffing and sections for the upcoming school year. Here is the link to register: https://www.dcsdk12.org/schools-academics/schools/kindergarten

Please reach out to Mrs. Yeagle at 303-387-7300 with any registration questions.

Did you know that missing just 10 percent of the school year in the early grades can leave many students struggling throughout elementary school? Or that by sixth grade, missing only that much school is strongly linked to course failure and even eventually dropping out of high school? That’s just 18 days of the school year— or two to three days per month. Every school day counts!

A student who is absent 10% or more of the days they are enrolled during the school year is considered chronically absent. This includes all types of absences—unexcused, excused, and suspensions. The chronic absenteeism rate is the percentage of students enrolled who are chronically absent.

It is essential that students are in school as much as possible to create a consistent and cohesive learning experience. When your child is not well, we ask that you keep the home to minimize the spread of illness. We understand absences due to illness cannot be avoided. We encourage families to schedule trips during our planned days off. With our holiday breaks and summers, we have a significant number of days off during the year. Just looking at our spring schedule, families have three 4-day weekends as well as spring break to plan ski trips and other vacations and outings.

Being on time to school each day is also very important. Our teachers begin instruction and learning right away when the tardy bell rings at 8:40. When students arrive late, the miss instruction and this disrupts the start of their day which can leave them feeling rushed and stressed which is not optimal for learning.

We value and appreciate our partnerships with families. Please reach out if you would like resources or support to improve your child's attendance. Most of all, we love and adore your children and we miss them when they are gone!

DCSD has purchased a new resource for schools to support students' social emotional learning. Mrs. Pierce will be using the Wayfinder curriculum as a resource to support her mental health lessons that she delivers to classrooms bi-weekly. The Wayfinder lessons focus on 6 core skills for future ready students. The core skills include: self-awareness, adaptability, empathy, collaboration, agency, & purpose. Here is more information about Wayfinder. The curriculum also has an online component that may be accessed minimally. If you would like to opt your student out of accessing the online component, please fill out and return this letter.

Link to DCSD 24/25 Calendar

Ongoing

• Kindergarten Registration for 24/25

December 11

• Choir Holiday Concert 6:30 at RSE

December 12

• RSE Shopping Night at Kendra Scott

December 13

• Flannel Friday or RSE Spirit Day

December 16

• Holiday Spirit Day-Twin Day

• Spelling Bee-9:00

• 7:00-Holiday Stories with Mrs. Moyle on Facebook Live

December 17

• Holiday Spirit Day-Grinch Day

December 18

• Holiday Spirit Day-Festive Holiday Wear

December 19

• Holiday Spirit Day-PJ Day

• Winter Class Parties

December 21

• Elementary Report Cards Available to View at 8 am

December 20-January 7

• Winter Break

January 7

• School Resumes

January 15

• Junior Achievement Day at RSE
• 6:00-RHMS Information Night for 5th Grade

January 17

• No School-Professional Development for Teachers

January 20

• No School-Martin Luther King Jr. Day

February 4

• Hip Pops Truck at RSE

February 6

• School Accountability Quarterly Meeting 4-5:30-All Welcome

February 7

• Sweetheart Dance

February 10-14

• Kindness Week

February 13

• Classroom Valentine's Parties

February 14

• No School-Professional Development for Teachers

February 17

• No School-President's Day

February 21

• 8:45-Principal's Coffee and PTO Meeting

February 24-28

• Spring Conferences

March 4

• Hip Pops Truck at RSE

March 3-7

• No Bus Week at RSE

March 9

• Daylight Savings-Spring Forward

March 17-21

• Spring Break

March 31

• Class Pictures

April 1

• Hip Pops Truck at RSE

April 2

• RSE Night at Skate City

April 4

• Rockies Spirit Day at RSE

April 10

• SAC Quarterly Meeting 4-5:30-All Are Welcome

April 18

• Principal's Coffee & PTO Meeting 8:45 in Library

April 24

• RSE Night at Chuck-E-Cheese

April 25

• No School-Teacher Compensation Day for Conferences

April 28

• No School-Professional Development

May 6

• Hip Pops Truck

May 23

• Last Day for Students

Check out this amazing story about our very own 3rd grade teacher! Mrs. Emmons and her daughter have connected their classes across the district by being pen pals. This is the perfect way to create an authentic audience for students' writing and to engage them in learning more about a student across the district. We are so proud!

The Redstone Spirit Rock is a fun way to spread any kind of positive message. Rent the rock to help celebrate a student's birthday, thank a teacher or staff member, wish good luck on competitions and tournaments, recognize milestones, etc.

Please note that profanity, advertising, political, and religious messages are NOT permitted. We reserve the right to paint over inappropriate messages.

Rock reservations are on a first come, first serve basis. Reserve the date or dates you want using this sign-up! You may begin painting at 4pm ON THE DAY PRIOR to your reservation. Your rock reservation is from 4pm the day BEFORE you sign up until 4pm the day of event or until the next rock reservation.

You will typically need four cans of spray paint for the base (1 primer/covering coat and 2-3 for base color) and any additional paint for your design. Better brand of paint, better coverage. For more intricate designs, craft paint, foam brushes and stencils may be used. In the case of inclement weather, the rock can be towel dried. The paint will adhere even in the rain/snow, if you want to brave the elements. If painting in the rain or snow is not your thing, revisit the calendar and pick the next available date.

Payment is due at the time of reservations. Cost is $10/per day.

All proceeds go directly into our PTO fund account. These funds support teacher resources, student learning, and community events.

Any questions, please contact Redstone PTO and redstonepto@gmail.com

Click here to reserve the spirit rock

Redstone night at Kendra Scott

Let's shop for a good cause at Kendra Scott at Park Meadows! Get your holiday shopping done and 20% of all purchases goes back to Redstone Elementary PTO!

In-store event: Thursday, December 12th 5-7pm

Stores: Kendra Scott at Park Meadows

Virtual dates: December 12-13Virtual give back code: GIVEBACK-ICYKA

Join us in-store at Kendra Scott at Park Meadows and mention Redstone at checkout for 20% of your purchase to go towards our PTO. Can’t make it in-store? Shop online at kendrascott.com anytime December 12-13 with code GIVEBACK-ICYKA to also donate 20% of your purchase back to Redstone!

PTO Fundraising Opportunities

King Soopers Rewards: Please enroll your rewards card under Redstone Elementary. Click the link below - it will require you sign into your account (or register if you have never done so) and search for Redstone Elementary PTO or use our number YB132 under the Community Rewards Section. https://www.kingsoopers.com/account/communityrewards/

• Box Tops: No more clipping - just scan your receipt. See how at: https://www.boxtops4education.com/

• American Furniture Warehouse - shop online or in store, and use promo code SCHOOL with the school ID RES032

Become Part of the PTO Family for 2024/2025

Redstone Elementary's Parent/Teacher Organization (PTO) wants you! There are opportunities for everyone to get involved. Can you only help from home? Want to spend more time in the school building? We have a spot for you! Please let us know if you are interested in getting involved next year by filling out the form below: Click to fill out PTO interest form

Calendar

Did you know you can automatically sync your calendar with Redstone’s so you don’t miss important dates? Click the link below to import into your calendar: RSE calendar link

Spirit Wear

Show your Redstone pride and make sure you’re ready for Spirit Fridays! You can now shop for Redstone spirit wear year-round here: Shop Redstone Spirit WearPTO Fundraising Opportunities

• King Soopers Rewards: Please enroll your rewards card under Redstone Elementary. Click the link below - it will require you sign into your account (or register if you have never done so) and search for Redstone Elementary PTO or use our number YB132 under the Community Rewards Section. https://www.kingsoopers.com/account/communityrewards/

• Box Tops: No more clipping - just scan your receipt. See how at: https://www.boxtops4education.com/

• American Furniture Warehouse - shop online or in store, and use promo code SCHOOL with the school ID RES032

Become Part of the PTO Family for 2024/2025

Redstone Elementary's Parent/Teacher Organization (PTO) wants you! There are opportunities for everyone to get involved. Can you only help from home? Want to spend more time in the school building? We have a spot for you! Please let us know if you are interested in getting involved next year by filling out the form below:

Click to fill out PTO interest form

Please do not hesitate to reach out any time with questions or concerns. Here are a few ways to connect:

• Email: amy.moyle@dcsdk12.org

• Redstone Website

• Follow us on Facebook-Redstone Elementary School

Our Colorado weather always keeps us on our toes; especially during afternoon dismissal time.

When lightning is in the area (8 miles from the school or less), we are not able to release students as we normally would. Our procedure is to move to a delayed dismissal. During this time, parents can come into the building to sign students out and take them at their own risk, but we are not able to release students until the storm passes. As a school and district, our first priority is always the safety of our students and staff members.

During a tornado watch, we are keeping a close eye on the weather and continuing with learning and business as usual. During a tornado warning, we move to a shelter in place. During this time parents are not able to sign students out from the building until the weather safely passes and the warning is expired.

Lightning Dismissal Procedures

Distance and Danger

A lightning delay will be called when lightning is within an 8 mile radius and students cannot be released safely from school. Students will be released and the delay will be lifted when there is no longer lightning in the area for at least 15 minutes.

Pick Up & Drop Off Procedures

While we cannot release students to leave on their own during a lightning delay, parents/guardians or other adults over the age of 18, who have been given permission in Infinite Campus, may pick up their children/younger siblings during a lightning delay at their own risk.

If lightning is within 8 miles close to our departure time and students cannot be safely released, we will call a lightning delay. Parents will receive notification through our Infinite Campus messenger system via text, email and a phone call. Once you receive this notification, you can come to the front door and go directly to your child’s classroom to sign them out.

For safety, parents are also welcome to come into the building and seek shelter until the storm passes. Siblings under the age of 18 coming to pick up a younger sibling will be asked to stay in the building and will NOT be released until the weather has passed.

Departure From School

Once conditions at the site are considered safe, walkers and bus riders will be released. We cannot guarantee the lightning in relation to all students’ final destinations and parents are encouraged to call and/or come pick students up if they do not want them released.

Communication Plan

We will try to make a decision about a delay as soon as possible; however, as you are aware the weather changes very quickly in Colorado and at times we may need to make a last minute call to keep our students safe. In the event of a weather delay, we will send an IC message by text, phone and email. Once the message is received, parents are welcome to come into the building and begin to sign students out. When the storm has passed and students are released, we will send another message to let you know.

While we love to see your sweet furry friends, our district policy is that animals are not brought on school grounds. We have many children with allergies and animals can also act in unpredictable ways when they are scared or surrounded by many people. If you want to bring your pet when you pick up your students we ask that you stay on the sidewalk above our parking lot and have your child walk up to meet you.

Please help us teach and model safety when crossing paths or intersections. At places where we have a staff crossing guard, we ask that all traffic including parents wait to be directed by the staff member.

Just a reminder that our soft start time this year is 8:30. We do not have staff supervision outside before this time so please do not leave students unattended until you see the front doors open at 8:30. Students seem to be arriving very early after being dropped off, riding bikes or walking. We will be asking students who arrive early to come and call parents for pick up as it is not safe for students to be out front unattended. Thank you for helping us to keep students safe in the mornings by not leaving them before 8:30. Our BASE program is a great option for parents who need to get to work and drop off before 8:30.

If your child arrives at school after our tardy bell at 8:40, please walk them to the front door to sign them in. This additional security layer is to be sure students get into the building and staff are aware they have arrived.

Drop off and pick up is a very busy time of day at Redstone. We need your help to ensure that our drop off/pick up runs safely and smoothly. Please review the items below:

1. Please stay in your car. Do not get out to open the car door for your child. Our staff members will help children in and out of cars.

2. Pull all the way through the crosswalk and as far up the Kiss ‘n Go lane as possible before stopping.

3. Do not let your child exit your car on the driver's side.

4. Please do not drive through our bus lane or do u turns in the school zone.

5. If you need to get out of your car for any reason (to give your teacher a note, to talk to a bus driver, to help your child put their backpack on), please park in the upper parking lot and walk your child through the crosswalk.

6. Have your child/ren ready to exit your car quickly (coat on, backpack ready, shoes on…)

7. If your child is unable to exit your car independently, please park in the upper parking lot.

8. Do not motion for your child to walk unattended through the crosswalk to the upper parking lot.

9. Walkers, please wait for the crosswalk attendant to acknowledge you before crossing.

10. For our students and staff safety, please stay off your cell phone while driving on school property.

11. Thank you for cooperating and being respectful to our staff who work so hard everyday to make sure your children are safe and our Kiss 'N Go Lane moves efficiently.

Please pass this message on to grandparents, babysitters, siblings etc….

1. Cars arriving for pick up in the afternoon will form two lanes in the kiss and go lane. Cars will not be released until all cars in both lanes are loaded with students.

2. Please put your car tag with your family name on your rear view mirror. You can pick up a car tag at meet and greet.

3. Please stay in your car and wait until staff motion you to pull away. Again no cars will be released until both lanes are loaded.

4. If your child is a car rider, please remind them to come quickly out to the front pick up area when the afternoon bell rings so traffic is not delayed. Students will line up on the red dots on the sidewalk to wait for their car to arrive.

**If you will be using the car lane for afternoon pick up, please get a car tag to hang on your mirror to help our staff quickly identify families.

Having our students at school on time and for full days is always a priority. Classroom routines are in place and learning is happening from the moment students arrive until the end of the day. Scheduling appointments outside of the school day when you are able to is always ideal. If students are arriving late or being checked out early, please follow the procedures below.

• For late arrival-Students after 8:40 parents must walk students to the door and ring the bell. Our Campus Security Specialist, Mr. Dave, will have a sign in for students.

• For early dismissal, please call the front office (303-387-7300) when you are on your way to pick up your students. The office staff will call them out of class. When you arrive, you can call to ask your student to be released or ring the buzzer to let them know. Office staff will walk students to the door and make sure they connect with their parent. Parents are asked not to come into the building to check students in or out to limit school traffic.

• When students are ill or will be absent from school, please call the attendance line (303-387-7302) and leave a message or fill out the Attendance Google Form which is also linked on our RSE website homepage. The office staff will review attendance each morning and make calls home when students have not been called out and are not in attendance. Students’ safety is always our top priority so letting us know when your child is absent helps to make this process go much more quickly to ensure all students are accounted for each day in a timely fashion.

School breakfast and lunch will continue to be free for all students this year through the Healthy School Meals for All program (Proposition FF) in Colorado.

Breakfast

Students who wish to eat breakfast at school can enter through the cafeteria doors starting at 8:15. They will be supervised in the cafeteria by staff and then will head to class at 8:30 when soft start begins. Students will not be able to come for breakfast if they arrive after 8:30 as the tardy bell rings at 8:35.

Lunch

Students are welcome to eat school lunch or bring lunch from home. School lunch consists of at least two main dish choices including a vegetarian option. There is also a harvest bar daily where students are able to access unlimited fresh fruits and veggies. Lunch is free of charge for students. If students want to get a second entree or snacks, these are available for purchase. You can find the daily lunch menu at the RSE Menu website.

Any father figures (or moms) are welcome to sign up to be Watch DOGS. The goals of our Watch DOGS program are:

1) To provide positive male role models for the students, demonstrated by their presence that emphasizes how education and commitment in school is important.

2) To provide an extra set of eyes and ears to school security

Watch Dogs are asked to sign up for a shift from 10:45-1:15. During this time, our WDDs are helping to supervise and interact with students at lunch and recess. We really appreciate the extra set of eyes and hands during this busy time of day and students love playing with our Watch DOGS on the playground.

On your Watch Dog day, dads can bring lunch from home or purchase a school lunch from the cafeteria for $5.00. Don’t forget to bring a water bottle too as the kids will wear you out on the playground 🙂. Please bring your ID and check in at the front office when you arrive.

WDD coordinator- Casey Hall

We love celebrating and recognizing students’ birthdays at RSE. Due food allergies and restrictions, we ask that families not bring in food treats for student’s birthdays. Our priority is always to keep our students safe and it is just too challenging to monitor all of the ingredients in birthday treats.

Students’ birthdays will be recognized and celebrated on our morning announcements and on the outside marquee. Teachers will also recognize birthdays in their classrooms. Teachers will let you know how they recognize birthdays and if you are able to send in non food treats if you choose to do so. Parents are also welcome to rent our PTO spirit rock to celebrate student birthdays.