Dear Friends and Families of the Hollys,

As an educator with multiple veterans in my family, teaching students about Veterans Day is very important to me! I want students to understand the true meaning of this holiday, which honors military veterans who have served in the U.S. Armed Forces. Our veterans have defined patriotism throughout history. Students and staff will explore and learn about this holiday and the courageous veterans of our community who possess strong beliefs in truth, justice and freedom.

This year, the students and staff will collaborate on a variety of activities to commemorate Veterans Day! Thursday, November 14 will be our day of celebration.

1. We will have a Veterans Parade from Holly Ridge to Holly Hills at 8:20 am. Students and veterans will walk the streets led by a patriotic motorcade.

2. Veterans Day Assembly at Holly Hills at 8:45am: Color Guard flag ceremony, Noelle Mason and our 4th grade students will have a musical performance, Clarissa Linhardt and the cheer/dance team will perform.

3. We will have our “Veterans Wall of Honor” where we share pictures and information about veterans in our community at each school.

4. Our art teacher, Amy Gilbert, will have patriotic art displayed on bulletin boards.

5. Veterans will be invited to visit classrooms after the assembly. We will have local veterans from American Legion LCW Post 1, as well as veteran family members and friends of the Hollys. All are welcome!

The Hollys are committed to honoring our heroes, the active service members and veterans who have sacrificed to ensure our freedom, our happiness and our safety. We hope you’ll join us in honoring those in our community who have given so much for this country.

On August 12th, the CCSD Board of Education voted unanimously to support the recommended 2024 mill and bond proposal and put both measures on the November 5, 2024 ballot for CCSD residents. I’m thrilled to announce, our voters passed the mill and bond initiatives! The bond package will fund multiple capital construction projects across the Cherry Creek School District to bolster safety, security, innovation, new construction and renovations. Holly Ridge and Holly Hills will get a brand new school to accommodate all students, staff and community members under one roof on the Holly Hills campus! This is so exciting for our community and especially for our students. We are excited to involve students, staff and community members in the design of our new school to promote a sense of ownership and pride. Stay tuned for more details about how to get involved.

Thank you to the citizens of the Cherry Creek School District for investing in our schools, especially the Hollys!

Together in education,

Molly Drvenkar

Principal

Parents and Guardians:

Make sure your contact information is up-to-date in the my.cherrycreekschools Parent Portal so you will receive important weather and emergency updates from CCSD. Verify and/or update your information at my.cherrycreekschools.org.

In the event of a weather delay or closure, parents will be notified via the Blackboard Connect automated message system. We will also post the notification on our district and school websites, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, and notify the news media.

When schools are closed

• Before- and After-School Daycare programs are cancelled.

• All activities scheduled in district facilities are cancelled.

• In-district sports events and team practices are postponed.

When schools are on a delayed start

• Elementary school bus pickup is delayed 60 minutes. School starts at 9:00 a.m.

• Dismissal times will be the same as usual for all schools, including morning preschool programs.

• Before- and After-School Daycare programs will operate on a normal schedule.

• We will monitor conditions throughout the day and make a decision about whether it is safe to hold after-school activities. We will communicate that decision as early as possible before the end of the school day.

Early Dismissal
If serious storm conditions or other emergency situations develop during the day, the district will monitor the situation and advise affected schools and the transportation department as soon as possible, of a decision to dismiss school early. When this decision is made, this information will be sent to parents via the Blackboard Connect automated message system, posted on this website and sent to the media as soon as possible.

Late Dismissal
In case of dangerous weather warnings or other dangerous conditions, a school may hold students past their dismissal time for safety reasons. This information will be sent to parents via the Blackboard Connect automated message system, posted on this website and sent to the radio and television stations as soon as possible.

Important
Parents are urged to make contingency plans for their child(ren) in the event of an emergency. Arrangements should be made for the child(ren) to go to a neighbor's house, or to have access to the home with directions for contacting a parent.
In no case will an elementary school child be released to a person without proper identification and clearance from the school office.
We understand that some parents may make a different decision for their families. If you feel the weather is too severe to send your child to school, please call your school's attendance line and let them know your child will be staying home. The absence will be excused.

Deciding delayed starts and snow days for the Cherry Creek School District:
Deciding whether to delay or close school when the weather gets bad, sets into motion a careful deliberative process that begins with the earliest predictions of bad weather.

The procedure for determining whether schools will start on time, be delayed or closed is as follows:

• The district receives ongoing weather forecasts from local meteorologists, AccuWeather and NOAA.
• If snow is forecast, the superintendent, assistant superintendent of Facility Support and Transportation Department staff wake at 3 a.m., survey their immediate areas and begin driving the district in quadrants.
• Beginning at 3:30 a.m., area drivers report conditions to the superintendent and transportation director.
• The district contacts neighboring districts to share information and recommendations.
• The forecast is reviewed again.
• Before 4:30 a.m., the transportation director and facility maintenance leaders share information and discuss potential recommendations with the superintendent.
• The superintendent reviews all available information and makes the final decision by 5:30 a.m. Once the decision is made, it cannot be changed, even if the weather forecast changes.
• If a delay or cancellation is to be implemented, families will by notified via the Blackboard Connect automated message system, typically by 5:30 a.m. and notifications are sent to local media agencies and posted on the district website and social media channels.
• In rare cases it is possible for the district to make a decision the evening before for a bad weather day. When that happens, families will be notified as early as possible.

Because the Cherry Creek School District is 108 square miles conditions may vary in different areas of the district, and even from neighborhood to neighborhood. What's more, decisions are based on predictions and conditions on the ground in the district before 5 a.m. We know that sometimes, extreme weather conditions arise or worsen as students, parents and community members are already commuting.

CCSD is committed to making the best possible decisions when it comes to closures and delays, and taking every measure to ensure the safety of our entire community. Our number-one priority is making sure that everyone is able to make it to school safely, and this goal steers every step of our process.

Fall Retake Picture Day is coming up on Wednesday, November 13th! This is a great opportunity for students who missed the original picture day, are new to the school, or would like to retake their photos.

To sign up, simply click the camera icon above and use the school code 30016401 to reserve your spot. Hard copies of the form are also available at the front office.

Don’t miss out on the chance to capture these special moments! Sign up today!

With only a couple of days left! Please join us in celebrating the joy of reading and creating lasting memories! 📚✨ See below for volunteer opportunities and important details. We hope to see you there! Don’t miss out on this exciting event! Check the dates and get involved!

Thank you Holly Helpers!

The volunteers are the backbone of our organization. We cannot function without you.

A HUGE thanks to the volunteers who helped make our Fall Festival a wild success.

Special thanks to Heidi Troutman and Katie Connor for leading and planning the event. Bravo!

Thank you to all those who contributed to the Teachers and Staff Conference Dinner this week. Our staff absolutely loved it!

Another special thank you to Andrea Ransom for leading this lovely soup and salad dinner for our hard-working teachers and staff.

Mark your calendar for these upcoming events:

• Monday, Nov 11 - Skate City @ 6-8pm

• Wednesday, Nov 13 - PTCO meeting @ Holly Ridge Library 5:30-6:45pm - Childcare and interpreter available!

• Thursday, Nov 14 - Veterans Day Parade @ 8:15am - Wave your flag and watch the Holly Ridge students parade their way down Leyden St to Holly Hills!

If you'd like to volunteer for our next event, please email your information to hollyhawksptco@gmail.com or come to our next meeting on November 13th.

- Holly Hills and Holly Ridge PTCO

Please note that we have early dismissal every Wednesday. Holly Ridge will dismiss at 1:45 PM, and Holly Hills will dismiss at 1:35 PM.

As the temperatures continue to drop with the arrival of late fall, please make sure to dress your child accordingly for the weather. If you need any assistance or have questions, don’t hesitate to reach out!

There will be no school for students from November 27th through November 29th.