Adventure Elementary

**Para traducir este boletín a otro idioma, haga clic en "traducir" y seleccione su idioma.**

**To translate this newsletter to another language, please click "translate" and select your language.**

Dear Adventure Families,

Last week, some brave Adventure students spoke in front of Mapleton's Board of Education and an audience of Mapleton staff and families. They used English and Spanish to share about the reasons they are proud to attend a bilingual school that provides them with opportunities to develop and celebrate being bilingual superheros. Board President Tom Moe and Superintendent Mike Crawford both shared how impressed they were with the students' message. Later during the business portion of the Board meeting, the Board of Education unanimously adopted a resolution reaffirming Mapleton's commitment to welcoming, protective, learning-focused environments. Read more about this resolution below. It was certainly a joyful moment to be a part of!

The Race into Reading Contest ends next Friday, March 14. Keep reading at home and be sure to have your student turn in their reading logs on Monday and again on Friday so we can determine the winner of the ice cream party!

As we head into the final week before Spring Break, I wish each of you some relaxing family time during the week off. When we return, students in grades 3, 4, 5, and 6 will prepare for the annual Colorado Measure of Academic Success (CMAS) tests. While none of us enjoy testing and some of us find tests to be stressful, we encourage students to not put pressure on themselves and to simply do their very best.

Saludos,

Sarah Kopperud

Principal

kopperuds@mapleton.us

Marisa Abreo

Assistant Principal

abreom@mapleton.us

2024-25 Academic Calendar

• March 6 and 7 - no school, PK-6
• March 10 - Adventure's Spanish Spelling Bee, 10am
• March 12 - morning PK to Denver Museum of Nature and Science (no school for afternoon class)
• March 13 - afternoon PK to Denver Museum of Nature and Science (no school for morning class)
• March 13 - Kindergarten field trip, Denver Zoo
• March 17-21- Spring Break
• March 24 - 3rd grade guest speaker
• March 24 - author visit with Lindsay Lackey (grades 4-6)
• March 24 - Author Visit, Lindsey Lackey
• March 27 - Partners in Education meeting, 3:30pm
• March 28 - Class Picture Day
• April 4 - Miner of the Month assembly, 8:15am
• April 4 - 2nd grade field trip to Denver Children's Museum
• April 4 - 3rd grade field trip to Denver Museum of Nature and Science
• April 7-25 - CMAS testing, grades 3-6 (schedule details below)
• April 8 - K, 1, 2 field trip to Mini-Música with the Colorado Symphony Orchestra
• April 14 - 3rd grade guest speaker
• April 17 - Spring Open House for families and Lotería, 4:30-6:30pm
• April 18 - No school

All,

In February, the Board of Education unanimously adopted a resolution reaffirming Mapleton’s commitment to welcoming, protective, learning-focused environments.

The resolution, Affirming Support for All Students, Families, and Staff Members, elevates the belief statements that are central to our mission. It declares Mapleton a Safe Zone, where all students, regardless of their background, can achieve their dreams in caring environments, free of fear, disruptions and discrimination.

To provide a quality public education to every student, regardless of a child or family member’s citizenship/immigration status, Mapleton will:

– Continue to adhere to the Federal Education Rights and Privacy Act, protecting student privacy,

– Assist families in keeping emergency contacts up to date, and

– Not cooperate in any effort to enforce federal immigration law.

The Board also bolstered policies that foster safe, inclusive schools to ensure students and staff feel a true sense of belonging and know they are valued and respected for who they are. To review the recently revised and adopted policies aimed at protecting student rights, safeguarding privacy, and keeping schools safe, please visit Mapleton’s website.

In policy and in practice, Mapleton acts in the best interest of students by keeping student learning at the center of all decision making. As Superintendent, in partnership with the Board of Education, we will continue to champion excellent attendance for every student and uphold the resources, standards and practices that ensure all students receive rigorous and engaging learning experiences every school day.

Additionally, we continue to collaborate with community partners to provide valuable support and resources for families. On our website, we offer information specific to parenting, crisis support, mental health, bullying prevention, immigration resources, housing, and more. To explore Mapleton's comprehensive resource bank, visit Resources for Families.

I would like to thank Mapleton’s Board of Education for their responsiveness to the needs of our community and continued commitment to the safety and success of our students and families.

Our families send their children to school with confidence knowing there are kind and caring adults in every school building, on every bus, and in every department. It is an honor to work alongside each of you, and I am grateful for the community each of you, as a part of the Mapleton team, creates every day.

Thank you for your partnership, and for supporting and celebrating Mapleton’s students.

Sincerely,

Mike Crawford

Superintendent of Schools

Every week, Adventure educators participate in Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) to inform and refine their instructional practices. The current cycle of PLCs includes work on the Dual Language Learning Environment, specifically designed for 3rd-6th grade teachers who are not yet implementing the Gómez & Gómez Dual Language Instructional Program. In this PLC, teachers are learning about one of the important components of the Gómez & Gómez Dual Language Learning Environment, which are Content Boards. Content Boards include (but are not limited to) three essential elements: The Unit Essential Question, Unit Vocabulary, and Student Work. Content Boards are in the Language of Instruction so for example, the Math Content Board will always be in English since Math is always taught in English. Content Boards support students in visualizing their learning and interacting with the Language of Instruction. If you join us for Open House on April 17th, you will be able to see at least one Content Board in most classrooms!

Colorado law requires all students attending Colorado schools and licensed childcare providers to be vaccinated against certain diseases unless an exemption is filed. For more information about vaccine requirements, resources and exemptions, visit the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment’s School Immunization page.

For additional information regarding immunizations Immunization Information for Parents

Parents have the right to exempt their children from school immunization requirements according to C.R.S. 25-4-903. Parents need to submit to the school a statement of personal or religious exemption annually. A medical exemption must be signed by a licensed healthcare provider and only needs to be submitted once. For the latest update on non-medical exemptions please read this letter from CDPHE from April 2017 for clarification on exemptions: Immunization exemptions update from CDPHE (DOC). Non-medical exemptions must be submitted annually. Non-medical exemptions expire on June 30th of each year. Medical and non-medical exemption forms can be found by clicking: www.colorado.gov/vaccineexemption.

• English vaccination letter
• la carta en español

Students who learn how to be accountable for their learning will be able to do the following:

• Recognize their areas of strength and weakness

• Understand their learning style preferences

• Advocate for their needs in appropriate ways

• Feel confident in their work

• Monitor and adjust their behavior

• Set achievable expectations and goals

• Provide feedback to their teacher on ways to build engagement

PREVENTION AND INTERVENTION STRATEGIES

Parents and caregivers should pay attention to their child’s use of technology, keeping an eye out for signs of cyberbullying involvement. Some behaviors that may warrant attention include changes in emotion after online use, attempts to hide online activities from adults, or a tendency to be insensitive or callous toward peers.

There are several preventive measures parents can take against cyberbullying:

• Talk with children early and often about online safety and how to be respectful and responsible in online settings.

• Set clear expectations related to technology use.

• Model safe and responsible online behavior.

• Monitor technology and social media use.

A particular challenge related to cyberbullying is its low report rate––children often hide cyberbullying from their parents for fear of having their devices taken away, among other reasons. Parents should aim to be proactive in supervising their children’s technology use.

Parents and other adults who discover a child is involved in cyberbullying should:

• Provide nonjudgmental support.

• Document incidents of cyberbullying (e.g., save screenshots of harmful posts and text messages).

• Contact authorities in cases of illegal activity or physical threats.

After school programs are in full swing here at Adventure. Throughout the year, we've had some great partnerships with various community partners and with our teachers who have hosted their own clubs throughout the year. Every club has a limited number of participants, so they are placed in the club on a first come first serve basis. We understand that many times there are circumstances where the student is not able to attend a club, but there are many instances where a student is signed up for a club and they never come. Our after-school programming is free to the students at Adventure. If your student does not want to be in a club, please reach out to Ms. Xochitl and let her know so she can take the student off the list and place a student that is on the waitlist in the club.

English Classes for Parents - we are in the planning stages of providing English classes to parents, but we need your input. If you are interested in learning English, please click here to complete a survey to help us program these classes.

Our next PIE meeting is Thursday, March 27 at 3:30pm. Please join us, we're trying an afternoon meeting time this month to see how that works for folks.

Thank you to Paige, Celina, Alicia, Jazmin, and Deja for organizing the Race into Reading contest this month!

Also, our PIE has their own brand new Facebook page! The purpose is for members to communicate and coordinate school projects and events. Please join!

Ms. Navarro began her teaching career on the Western Hills campus almost two decades ago and returned to Adventure a few years ago to support the school's transition to the 50/50 dual language program model. Having taught for 17 years, including dual language elementary grades and AP High School Spanish, she is knowledgeable and passionate about supporting kids' growth in languages. One of her most special points of pride was that she supported 37 high school seniors to graduate with the Seal of Biliteracy on their diploma during her time teaching in Gypsum, Colorado.

Born in Tucson, Ms. Navarro earned a BA in Spanish Literature from the University of Arizona. She taught in Quito, Ecuador for two years before moving to Denver to complete two Masters degrees, one in Curriculum and Instruction and one in Teaching Spanish as a Foreign Language.

Ms. Navarro's role at Adventure is as Dual Language Lead Teacher. She supports teachers and students with the teaching and learning of the three goals of a well-rounded dual language education--content mastery in two languages, bilingualism and biliteracy, and socio-cultural competence. Oftentimes she works behind the scenes helping teachers with bilingual unit plans, facilitating professional learning, supporting students on their Pathway to the Seal of Biliteracy awards, organizing the Spanish Spelling Bee, and many other dual language opportunities for students and families.

Email: kopperuds@mapleton.us
Website: https://adventure.mapleton.us/
Location: 7725 Conifer Road, Denver, CO, USA
Phone: (303)853-1410