Werner Weekly

Stay up-to-date with the Werner School Calendar

• Sept. 13- PTA Movie Night, 6-8 pm, Playground
• Sept. 18- Picture Day
• Sept. 18- Odyssey of the Mind Info Meeting, 6-7 pm, Media Center
• Sept. 23- No School, Staff Workday
• Sept. 27- Fall Fun Festival, 4:30-6:30 pm

Dear Werner Community,

It's hard to believe that we have had four weeks completed with school already! Thanks for your continued support of Werner and your students. Just a friendly reminder that tonight we have our first event with Movie Night. Bring the camp chairs and enjoy Inside Out with other Werner families on the playground. More details are in this newsletter.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend and enjoy your time with family!

Best,

Hayden Camp

Principal

• Movie Night- Join our Werner Community tonight for Inside Out out on the playground. More details are down below.
• Picture Day- Just a friendly reminder that Picture Day is Sept. 18. More information came home in Friday Folders.
• Spirit Gear- Our wonderful PTA has set up one stop shopping for spirit gear and PTA membership on the website, Givebacks. See the attached flier or go to this link. Orders are due Sept. 20.
• Volunteering and Needs- Please see the communication down below regarding volunteers and current needs.

• Odyssey of the Mind - If your student is interested in a fun and creative team challenge, attend the OM informational night on September 18 from 6-7pm in the Media Center. See the Info flyer and Problem synopses overview for more details. If you have questions, contact Butterscotch Culhane at bculhane@psdschools.org

• Back-to-School Orientation- Check out more of what your students will learn this year through specials and counseling. Information is down below.

• Immunizations & Exemptions- Your student must be up to date on immunizations or have an exemption on file. A Certificate of Medical Exemption or an annual Certificate of Nonmedical Exemption (http://www.colorado.gov/vaccineexemption) must be completed after June 30, 2024 and before November 1,2024 to avoid exclusion from school and ensure that your student is in compliance with the Colorado school immunization law. For more information, or questions, please contact our school nurse, Lynne Ryan at eryan@psdschools.org.

• Werner Fall Festival- Save the Date for Sept. 27!

Bring your lawn chairs/blankets and enjoy Inside Out with our Werner Community outside on the playground. Our 5th graders will be selling snacks $1 as well. In the event of inclement weather, or technology issues, we will shift to the gym for the movie. Student supervision by an adult is required. See you tonight at 6:00!

Dear Werner Families,

I hope you all had a great summer break! For those of you who are new, my name is Coach J. (Doug Julian) and I teach physical education at Werner Elementary and Timnath Elementary.

My teaching focus for PE is social emotional learning. Our first quarter of the school year will be dedicated to fortitude. These PE lessons will be focused on the individual - running, gymnastics, climbing, yoga, jump rope, etc.

More information can be found on my Werner Learning Page. This is where you will find pictures of what we have done, information on grades, and how classroom management works.

We have had a declining enrollment at Werner Elementary and this year I will be at Timnath Elementary on Fridays. With my time split at two schools, here are the changes for this year that are different from previous years:

• No PE on Fridays.
• No 4th and 5th grade Playposit assignments.
• No Coach J. Shows.
• No Morning PE.
• Lunch time activities will happen, but they might be different grades due to the different schedule.

I hope your family has a terrific start to the school year. Let me know if you have any questions by emailing me.

Coach J. - Doug Julian

Dear Werner Families,

Welcome to a new and exciting school year! My name is Mr. Krueger and a I am the music teacher at Werner Elementary School. We have a lot of fun events and programs planned this year.

• 1st and 2nd Grade will have their music program on November 8th @ 5:30 at Fossil Ridge High School.
• 3rd and 4th Grade will have their music program on April 17th @ 5:30 at Preston Middle School Gym/Auditorium
• 5th Grade will have their music program on May 15th @ 5:30 at Werner in the gym
• Kindergartens program will be in May. Date and time TBD

4th and 5th Graders have the opportunity to be a part of the Werner Jazz Cats Choir on Tuesday mornings before school. More information can be found on my Learning Page.

We have had a declining enrollment at Werner Elementary and this year I will be at Bauder Elementary on Fridays. With my time split at two schools, unfortunately I will be unavailable on Fridays.

If you need anything or have any questions, feel free to email me.

Thanks and have a great first day of school!

Mr. Krueger

• Library Checkout is Monday for all students.
• If we have no school on Monday, books will be due the following week.
• You can always turn books in early (put them in the classroom cart), but checkout is always Monday.
• Reading Levels:
• I try to have all grades choose 1 book that is close to their reading level.
• Kinder - 1 pink or yellow book
• 1st - 1 pink, yellow, maybe orange
• 2nd - 1 pink, yellow, or orange
• 3rd - 1 yellow, orange, or blue (they should also know their exact range)
• 4th & 5th - they should know their range
• They may also choose other books that may be a higher reading level.
• All grades can check out up to 3 books.
• If they forget any books (even just one) they cannot check out books.
• It is always our goal to have students check out books.
• I may email you as a reminder that your child has forgotten books to help them get their books back to school.
• If books do not come back for several weeks the reminder may contain a bill to pay for a replacement book. Using School Pay is the easiest way to do this.
• If a book is damaged or ruined please return it and let me know. If it can be repaired it will be. If not you will be responsible for paying for a replacement book.
• Volunteers
• I may need volunteers at some point. I don’t know how it will all feel this year yet and if I will need help.
• I may end up needing help with cleaning books, reshelving, helping students, or book repair.
• Link to my Library Learning Page
  

Julie Flemister

Welcome back to another great school year. For those who do not know me, I am the School Counselor at Werner. My name is Julie Flemister and my office is located just west of the cafeteria. I am fortunate to teach in each classroom social emotional skills, including but not limited to, getting along skills, conflict resolution, bully proofing, mindfulness, and Acts of Kindness.

Every grade level receives lessons on mindfulness (how to calm our brain when we are feeling upset), how to keep our power when dealing with mean people and/or bullies, power of kindness, and then each level is taught a relevant topic based on need and age.

•Kindergarten: Friendship Skills

•1st Grade: Problem Solving Skills

•2nd Grade: Building confidence in school and believing in themselves using the Andrea Beaty series

•3rd Grade: Conflict Resolution Skills

•4th Grade: True Colors to help awareness of who they are as a learner and building confidence in school

•5th Grade: Xello - Werner is one of the few elementaries introducing Xello in 5th grade. The district uses Xello at the secondary level to help students explore interests and post-secondary options. Werner students that continue in the district will be able to reflect on the information from this year for continuous learning in the career exploration field.

I also have lunch with many of the students, so please do not be alarmed if your student comes home and says they had lunch with the counselor. I feel it important to know each student, so if something does come up, they are comfortable coming and talking with me. I also help in crisis, talking with students, and working with parents on helping their child feel successful in school.

Please let me know if you ever need community resources. My email is jflemist@psdschools.org.

Hayley Wells

hramerswells@psdschools.org

Fridays only

This year I will be using Purposeful People curriculum and will be discussing with all grades:

–

–Respect

–Responsibility

–Gratitude

–Empathy

–Perseverance

–Honesty

–Cooperation

–Courage

Creativity

One of the cornerstones of success, for our school, are our volunteers. Our volunteers help support instructional and clerical needs, supervise on field trips, and help plan fun parties for our classrooms. Our volunteers help in so many ways to support classrooms and our whole school.

Over the course of the coming weeks, teachers will be recruiting Room Parents to help support the coordination of their volunteer needs. If you are interested in supporting your child’s teacher with this, please submit this form by August 30. Our Room Parents also help support as a point person for needs from the PTA when coordination with classrooms is necessary.

If you are only interested in serving as a volunteer, stay tuned for communication from your child’s teacher in the future. As we have building-wide needs, we will send out communication and post on our Werner website: https://wer.psdschools.org/about-us/volunteers.

All volunteers must be registered through PSD. This is required for even one day of volunteering. If you have not registered, please go to the PSD website: https://www.psdschools.org/community/volunteers.

Thanks for your support of Werner!

Classroom Volunteer Needs will communicated by teachers in the future. We do have some school volunteer needs for now. If you are interested in helping support in any of these areas, please email Mr. Camp (hcamp@psdschools.org).

• Garden Help- Do you enjoy gardening? We are in need of volunteers to help support the maintenance of our front garden. If you are interested, please email Mr. Camp (hcamp@psdschools.org).
• DAB (District Advisory Board) Representative Needed- The District Advisory Board advises the district on a number of issues and is made up of parent representatives from each school and acts as a link between the community and the district. If you are interested, please email Mr. Camp (hcamp@psdschools.org).
• SAC (School Accountability Committee) Representatives Needed- Our SAC meets about 4-6 times each year to discuss school improvement efforts. School Accountability Committees (SAC), which are made up of parents and staff, offer guidance on academic action plans, budget priorities, safety issues and other areas. If you are interested, please email Mr. Camp (hcamp@psdschools.org).
• Library Volunteers Needed (see flier below)

Paying for school fees and/or lunches is easy using SchoolPay. Below is the link for signing your student up, paying fees and/or adding funds to your student’s meal account.

PSD offers an easy and secure way to make payments to your child’s school on-line with a credit/debit card for fees and other charges as well as your child’s meal account through the District’s payment portal, SchoolPay.* The Pay Fees/Charges web page has information and instructions on paying fees and other charges online or go directly to the SchoolPay website.

Fees may also be paid in person at your child's school, paying with cash or check.

Throughout the year, we ask our community for photos that could be used for our yearbook and/or social media. This relates to school events only (e.g. classroom parties, field trips, school events, spirit days and enrichment opportunities). You can upload pictures to our 2024-2025 Werner Photo Album throughout the year. Please be mindful to not include photos of students that may not have permission.

Save the Date

September 13th- First Outdoor Werner Movie Night- “Inside Out” 6pm-8pm

September 20th- Spirit Wear Order Deadline

Thank you to everyone who attended, either in person or virtually, our first PTA meeting of the year! As we continue to adjust to the new school year, we want to extend a warm welcome to both returning families and those who are new to our school community.

The Werner Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) plays a crucial role in supporting our school, teachers, and most importantly, our students. We are dedicated to fostering a positive and enriching environment where every child can thrive academically, socially, and emotionally.

JOIN THE WERNER PTA

From our annual Fall Festival to this year's Read A Thon, we have some memorable events planned and would love your help. Although membership doesn’t obligate you to volunteer hours or attend meetings, we always love to meet more of our Werner community and have your support in any way you can give it.

• Sign up for the PTA HERE to receive a free Werner yard sign & notifications of upcoming events.
• *****New this year***** Wildcat Spirit Wear is launching with new shirts, hoodies, and stickers! Visit our Givebacks website HERE for a one stop shop for everything your PTA has to offer.
• For any questions please email the PTA at ptawernerelementary@gmail.com

FREE MONEY FOR YOUR SCHOOL! Did you know there are ways to donate money to the school by doing things you already do? - If you shop at King Soopers with a loyalty card they will donate to Werner when you sign up here.

- If you like to eat out, the PTA hosts Werner Dines Out once a month and the restaurants we partner with will donate back to the school anywhere from 10-15%!

- American Warehouse is now offering rewards back to Werner for any purchase you make throughout the whole year. Just mention Werner at checkout!

Your Werner PTA

Follow us on FACEBOOK to stay engaged with school events, Werner families, and see what the PTA is up to!

Your 2024/2025 PTA Board

PTA President | Gladys Kanode

PTA Vice President | Caitlin Papp

PTA Treasurer | Patti Haswell

PTA Secretary | Juliana Potts

PTA VP of Community Programs | Marissa McNulty

PTA Past-President | Nicole Kidd Connect with us at PTAWernerElementary@gmail.com

There Is No Wrong Way to PTA. How Do You PTA?

Thank you for supporting the Werner Elementary PTA!

Sept. 13, 2024

Dear PSD community:

You may have heard about a viral social media trend of people posting about suspected school threats or posting lists of schools with the implication that the schools on the list are targets of a potential threat. This national trend appears to have started after the school shooting last week at Apalachee High School in Georgia and is understandably alarming. Although we are not aware of a specific PSD school explicitly being named in any of these posts, we will continue to monitor posts of these nature, which have impacted schools in multiple states and in neighboring districts.

In these unsettling times, please know that steps have been taken for the safety of our students, staff and buildings. Some reminders about school safety:

• School resource officers and campus security are dedicated across the district to protect the safety and security of everyone on our campuses. You may notice increased law enforcement presence at some schools.

• As always, any visitor is asked to enter a building through its secure front entrance and check in at the front desk.

• If you see something, say something. Reports can be made 24/7 to Safe2Tell, which sends information to our school administration, local law enforcement, and PSD Safety & Security team. You are also always welcome to talk to school administrators or a school resource officer if you have any concerns.

The safety of each student, staff member, and visitor to our schools is a top priority every day in every school. We will continue to take any threats or alleged threats very seriously and investigate them thoroughly. Thank you for your partnership in keeping our schools safe.

Sincerely,

Poudre School District

The first year of Poudre School District's new Strategic Plan was filled with thoughtful planning, hard work and rapid success in the plan’s three focus areas: Literacy, Mental Health & Belonging and Graduate With Options. This article focuses on what has been done to date and what lies ahead with the Strategic Plan.

An update on the Strategic Plan was presented to the PSD Board of Education at their Aug. 27, 2024, meeting. During the update, Superintendent Brian Kingsley praised PSD staff for the efforts that led to the literacy, mental health, and graduation gains and the positive impacts this work has already had on students.

“I cannot find another school district around that has these kinds of results, and I want us to take a moment to thank our teachers, our classified staff, our school and district leaders, for their intentional effort around buying into something bigger than themselves and getting dialed in to make sure that our students are reaching their potential,” Kingsley said.

Year One Accomplishments

Literacy

PSD students in kindergarten through third grade are showing more and more growth on DIBELS early literacy tests, with 74.7% scoring at or above grade level expectations this spring (up from 66.8% in spring 2021).

During the first year of the Strategic Plan, PSD supported Literacy by:

• Implementing new elementary-level literacy curricula
• Removing materials that don’t use current best practices for literacy
• Offering multiple professional learning and coaching opportunities for staff

Mental Health & Belonging

Both PSD middle school and high school students who took the 2023-24 Healthy Kids Colorado Survey were more likely than their peers statewide to say their stress level is manageable most days, they have an adult to go to for help with a serious problem, and they usually feel comfortable talking to a friend about their feelings.

During the first year of the Strategic Plan, PSD supported Mental Health & Belonging by:

• Adding 29 positions that support mental health and starting a partnership with Colorado State University to bring Master of Social Work students and graduate into schools as interns and fellows; Efforts are supported by $13.9 million in grants (See Launch of mental health program with CSU and PSD awarded grant to bolster mental health supports >>)
• Increasing access to community partners
• Aligning mental health services, including cross-training
• Creating communications and materials to increase student awareness of mental health resources and wellness tips (See PSD Mental Health Resources >>)

Graduate With Options

The on-time graduation rate for PSD students has remained above the state average for several years and was 86.9% for the Class of 2023 (most recent data available).

During the first year of the Strategic Plan, PSD supported students to Graduate With Options by:

• Updating graduation requirements to give students more academic options aligned to their future goals
• Updating the diploma processes for students with Individualized Education Plans (IEPs) and Multilingual Learners
• Adding an automotive pathway and a behavioral health pathway at the PSD Career Tech Center (formerly the Futures Lab)
• Increasing student and family awareness of student opportunities to earn free college credit, certifications, and degrees while still in high school

Year Two Goals and Plans

The Strategic Plan work is far from over. Below are PSD’s goals and planned work for year two.

Literacy

Goals - 85% or more of students achieving grade-level achievement benchmarks in both literacy and math by the end of the 2024-25 school year; students with disabilities, multilingual learners, and historically underserved identities making more than a year’s worth of growth in literacy and math in a year’s time.

Plans - Work includes:

• Provide support for curriculum adoptions, including professional development, as PSD implements new curricula for middle school science, eighth grade social studies, and high school language arts, world history, and statistics and probability
• Evaluate the next series of curriculum adoptions
• Review student access to rigorous grade-level instruction and programming
• Develop an instructional coaching support system
• Research and implement accessibility features and supports for all learners

Mental Health & Belonging

Goals - By the end of the 2025-26 school year, PSD aims to decrease the number of incidents of harassment and bullying due to ethnicity, race, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation, disabilities, physical appearance or other protected classes by 10%.

Plans - In order to create affirming environments, PSD will:

• Provide direct education for fourth- and sixth-grade students about fostering positive and respectful school environments
• Train and support staff and students in disrupting and reporting incidents of bias and harassment
• Align investigation procedures, responses, interventions and supports
• Provide additional training for mental health staff on supports for students who report bullying and harassment and provide professional learning about harassment and discrimination investigation and decision-making for school administrators and central office leaders
• Provide equitable leadership practices training for leaders
• Provide professional development on inclusive climates and culture for all staff

Graduate With Options

Goals - Increase overall graduation rates toward 90% and close gaps for students with disabilities, multilingual learners, and those with historically underserved identities.

Plans - Work includes:

• Looking at established career pathways and creating versions for each high school ahead of implementation of new graduation requirements
• Developing and implementing lesson plans and check-ins to ensure students with disabilities and multilingual learners are on track
• Monitoring grades and credits to help students be successful. The path to graduation begins long before high school, so there will also be several years of work put into equitable grading practices, starting with middle schools.
• Attendance has a huge impact on graduation rates, so PSD has the following attendance-related work planned as well:
  • Implement automated letters to families when their student experiences chronic absenteeism or is chronically truant
  • Research and develop student and family assessments for outreach engagement
  • Have a menu or support for students struggling with attendance
  • Review and revise the attendance guidebook.

For more information, visit the Strategic Plan website.

• PSD sends frequent emails to currently registered volunteers, but those are getting lost in some recipients' junk mail folders. If you are registered as a volunteer with PSD, please check your junk mail & mark those sent by "Volunteer Coordinator" as safe to receive.

• For those who are not yet registered to volunteer but want to help in our schools please visit - Volunteer Registration

One of many ways information is shared is through the PSD Now community newsletter, which features timely information about the latest happenings in the district. This is emailed to families and interested community members about every other Thursday.

Here is the most recent newsletter of PSD Now. For archived newsletters and information about how to sign up, go to: https://www.psdschools.org/department/communications.

An award-winning neighborhood school in Fort Collins, Colorado

Email: hcamp@psdschools.org
Website: https://wer.psdschools.org/
Location: 5400 Mail Creek Lane, Fort Collins, CO, USA
Phone: (970) 488-5550

Attendance: (970) 488-5551
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wernerwildcats/

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