New: Principal's Message
Dear CRES Families,
We are wrapping up CMAS testing and students are getting ready for this week's Student-led Conferences/Celebration of Learning -- we look forward to seeing you here on Wednesday. More info can be found below.
In this Howler I have also included information about next year's teacher grade-level assignments, a parent input form, teacher appreciation week, yearbook updates, safety drills, volunteer appreciation breakfast, and more -- thank you for reading!
As always, thank you for your support of our school -- we appreciate you!
Shine on,
Deon Davis, Principal
NEW: Teaching Assignments for Next Year
I shared in a recent email that, due to staffing reductions, two of our grade levels will be moving from 2-track to 1-track. Based on the size of the students entering those respective grade levels, those changes will occur in 4th gr. and 2nd gr.
This will necessarily require some shifts in what classes our teachers are teaching next year. Because things can change over the summer (spouses get reassigned, family requires extra care, etc.) I typically don't share these assignments until shortly before the school year. The reduction of staffing also means that not all teachers will be able to return next year. I am choosing to share the grade-level assignments for next year because I anticipate that there may be more interest than typical this year.
We are fortunate to have such a talented and dedicated teaching staff. As I do every year, I took their feedback into account as I made my own determination of what would be the best teaching positing for each of our teachers. Our specialists will be the same next year as they are this year.
You can click to view the draft 2025-26 teaching assignments.
New: Student-led Conferences (SLC) are Here!
SLCs are this Wednesday, April 23rd. Please see this SLC Parent Info Letter for all of the information. You should have received a sign-up form from your child's teachers. Please be sure to make time to visit with the "specials" teachers. Their time is more flexible, so please make those visits before or after your scheduled visit in your child's classroom. Please note that Ms. Smeltzer will not be available during SLCs this week due to a scheduling conflict with her other school. Please feel free to reach out to her directly: lori.smeltzer@tsd.org
NEW: Parent Input Form
We will soon begin making class lists for next year. Please use this form to share input about this process. The form will close on May 12th.
NEW: Action Item -- Annual Family Update
Attention Families!
Time is running out to complete Thompson School District’s Annual Family Check-In!
Please complete it by Friday, April 25th.
This yearly update is required for every student enrolled in Thompson School District for the 2025-2026 school year. Parents/guardians in the student’s primary household need to complete the application by reviewing and updating household, emergency contact, student health information and permissions via the link. 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐬 𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐚𝐲-𝐭𝐨-𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐝'𝐬 𝐬𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐥 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐭'𝐬 𝐚𝐜𝐜𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞. 𝐒𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐥𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐭 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐟𝐟 𝐚𝐥𝐬𝐨 𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐢𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐢𝐧 𝐜𝐚𝐬𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐲.
Accessing the Annual Family Check-In Link: https://www.tsd.org/enrollment/afc
1) Follow the instructions on the web page, to log into your Parent Portal account.
2) If you are not able to access your Portal account, please contact your student's school secretary/front office staff to request your username and/or password or contact the helpdesk@tsd.org or 970-613-7777.
If you have any questions regarding this process, please contact your student's school secretary/front office staff. We greatly appreciate your support in ensuring that your students and family's information is accurate and complete.
NEW: Upcoming Safety/Security Drills
Just an FYI that we will be conducting several drills in the next few weeks as part of our regular practice of the Standard Response Protocols.
Monday, 04/28/25 @ ~1:35p: Lockdown Drill
Thursday, 05/01/25 @ ~1:35p: Evacuation/Fire Drill
Wednesday, 05/07/25 @ 9:20a: Shelter-in-place Drill
NEW: Volunteer Appreciation Breakfast is Almost Here
We are so fortunate to have a robust school community that provides immeasurable benefit to our school through volunteerism. All CRES volunteers are invited and encouraged to attend the Volunteer Appreciation Breakfast on Monday, April 28th from 7:40 - 8:30a. Our kindergarteners will also be performing -- you won't want to miss it!
Update: 2024-25 Yearbook
2024-25 Yearbook
To order, go to: www.treering.com/validate
Enter the CRES passcode: 1017026630863247
We've extended the deadline to create custom pages and order your yearbook! Orders placed after April 21st may not arrive with the rest of the yearbooks and may need to be sent directly to your home address for a small additional shipping fee. If you want your student to be able to collect signatures from friends and teachers on yearbook signing day, be sure to order by April 21st. Students without a yearbook on that day will be given an autograph book for signatures.
Create custom pages and order by: April 18th
New: Heads-up -- Devices Coming Home Over Summer
Heads-up:
At the end of the school year all TSD schools will be sending students' devices home with them over the summer in grades 2 - 12. Devices for students currently in K & 1 who are attending Summer Scholars will also be taking devices home, and K & 1 parents can request a device if you would like one for the summer. Parents also have the option of declining the device and we will store it at school. More info about this later -- this is just a heads-up.
Students will have access to multiple programs and platforms over the summer and students will need to bring their device and charger back to school on the first day.
Reminder: Community Garden
Spring has sprung and it is time to clean up the garden and prepare for planting! We have an awesome group of staff and community volunteers who keep our garden growing, but we are always looking for more help. If you or someone you know is interested or would like more information, please contact Principal Davis at: deon.davis@tsd.org or 970-679-9403
Thank you!
Reminder: Early Reading with Sora
Supersonic Phonics and Decodables collections in Sora are leveled collections containing early readers for students that help them practice their early literacy skills! All of the books are available in simultaneous use so students don’t have to worry about placing holds.
Check it out! https://soraapp.com/welcome - Students sign in with their TSD username and password. Need help logging in at home? Contact Mrs. Opfer at kim.opfer@tsd.org
Can You Spare a Snack?
Please be sure to pack a snack with your student each day.
The front office is running low on snacks for students who didn't bring snacks. Please consider picking up an extra box of (individual bags) of: goldfish crackers, pretzels, granola bars, etc.
We appreciate your donations -- so do the hungry kids!
The TSD IB Continuum
Did you know that Coyote Ridge is part of a larger IB continuum within Thompson School District? Coyote Ridge houses the Primary Years Programme but there is also a Middle Years Programme (6th-8th grades at Lucile Erwin Middle School and 9th-10th grades at Loveland High School) and a Diploma Programme (11th-12th grades at Loveland High School). Take a look at this month’s DP Newsletter to learn more about what is happening at the other end of our continuum in the Diploma Programme! If you have any questions about what any of the IB programmes look like in TSD, please reach out to CRES IB Coordinator, Emily Rau at emily.rau@tsd.org.
Reminder: Action and Learner Profile Awards
An important goal of an IB education is to see students taking action as they take their learning deeper.
Check out this Action and Learner Profile Award video to see how you can share the action your child is taking at home. Remember, no action is too big or too small!
If you have any questions regarding Action or Learner Profile Awards, please contact your child’s teacher or Emily Rau, our IB coordinator (emily.rau@tsd.org).
Updated: So What's Going On At CRES?
"When You Miss School, You Miss Out!"
The unfortunate reality is that, although we try, there is no way to actually "make up" the learning that is missed when a student is absent, whether that is due to illness, appointments, or other reasons.
Students that miss just two days per month are considered to be chronically absent and at risk for academic and social difficulties.
Students are in school for 170 days per year. This means that there are 195 days each year that they are not in school. Students are literally out of school more than they are in school. Thank you for reviewing the district calendar and planning trips and outings during non-school times. Thank you!
IMPORTANT REMINDER REGARDING SCHOOL SAFETY!
Students and families should only use the crosswalk(s) south of the school parking lot. The crosswalk north of the parking lot will not be supervised, and should not be used.
The backstory:
Parents, we made this important change to our safety procedures last year, for students who walk to and from school. There are three crosswalks near the school on Avondale. One is north of the school parking lot and two (perpendicular to each other) are south of the parking lot.
As our neighborhood has aged and we have been able to accept more choice students, we have fewer walkers than in previous years who use these crosswalks. Student safety is a vital concern and we want to ensure that there is always an adult crossing guard, but we have had an increasingly difficult time finding enough staff and volunteers to serve as crossing guards at the north and south crosswalks each morning and afternoon.
Our solution is simple. We are asking our students and parents to use only the south crosswalks when walking to/from CRES and to NOT use the north crosswalk, which will not be supervised. This presents no real inconvenience to walkers since students and families need to enter and exit the playground area from the south end of the school, near the garden, anyway. This change will also reduce the number of students crossing the driveways into the parking lot -- another hazard to pedestrians.
If you live on the east side of the school and your children will be walking, please instruct them to use the south crosswalks. We will have staff out there at the start of the year to redirect crossers to the south crosswalk. Thank you for helping us to keep all students and families safe!
Intersection Work @ College and Trilby
The City of Fort Collins is getting started on a project to improve the College and Trilby Intersection, Thank you for planning accordingly.
School Safety is Our Priority -- Please Read About Important Updates
Please be aware that we will be asking all visitors to show ID to the camera and state the reason for the visit before being admitted to the building. While this is not an entirely new practice, the biggest difference is that we will require it for all parents, even those that we recognize, so thank you for understanding the necessity of this practice and bringing your ID with you to the door. We continue to welcome our volunteers and awesome parent community in the building, we just need to do everything we reasonably can to ensure controlled access to our school.
VOLUNTEERING
We will be sharing more information about volunteering at CRES soon.
Please note: Even if your only volunteer activity is to attend a spring field trip, you must complete this process. Toward the end of the year, they close this window and we'd hate for you to miss the trip because you hadn't signed up in time.
Parents Sometimes Ask What They Can Do To Help Their Child -- See Below!
Have you ever had concerns that your child lacks patience, seems easily distractable, or has difficulty getting along with others? Perhaps s/he struggles with multi-step directions or tends to have very "black and white thinking?" Would you believe that you can help your child develop and grow these important skills in a way that is actually fun for all involved? Well, believe it!
The traits described above may indicate that your child would benefit from practice in developing her/his executive function skills.
"Executive function and self-regulation skills are like an air traffic control system in the brain—they help us manage information, make decisions, and plan ahead. We need these skills at every stage of life, and while no one is born with them, we are all born with the potential to develop them."
A really great way you can help your child build these important skills is by simply playing board games! It could be a family game night or just the two of you, but board games teach important skills, including: taking turns, perseverance, dealing with setbacks and frustration, fair play, communication, and so much more. Importantly, it is much better with actual games rather than computer-based games.
Talk about a win-win situation -- your child develops skills while all of you have a fun time playing games!
If you would like to learn more about executive functioning and how you can help your child develop these important skills that will have a life-long impact on her/him, see this link to Harvard University's website about it.
Reminders From the Front Office
Parents, a few reminders:
The Attendance Line is 970-679-9490. Please leave details in your message concerning why your student is out that day, including illness symptoms.
Cutoff time to order Hot (#1) Lunch is 9:30 am. If your student will be late due to an appointment, call the office by 9:25 to notify the cafeteria.
Pedestrian/Driver Safety
Those new to CRES may not realize that one of our students was tragically struck and killed by a distracted driver several years ago. Please do your part by staying off your phone, keeping your eyes up, driving slowly and responsibly in the kiss and go lane and on Avondale -- even after you drop off your own child -- and by not parking in or blocking the crosswalks. Thank you!
A few years back one of our 5th-grade Exhibition groups selected Safety/Distracted Driving as their topic, and they created this video as part of it. It's only three minutes long. It may save a life. Even if you read nothing else in this update, please watch this.
Erica’s Law
We the students of Coyote Ridge Elementary School
hereby proclaim that any person riding anything with
wheels (besides a car, bus, plane, or train)
must wear a helmet and follow the safety guidelines
of the road
AT ALL TIMES!
This rule will be called Erica’s Law,
in memory of a dear friend we lost.
YOU Can Prevent a Tragedy!
If you are parking in the lot and walking your student around, please use the kiss-and-go crosswalk which is near the office.
Please note that the kiss-and-go crosswalk is not monitored. Therefore adults must walk their child across, in either direction. Please do not drop your child off in the parking lot and send them on their own to cross. There are two lanes of traffic in the kiss-and-go lane and it is very difficult to see children crossing.
Also, please instruct your children to use the crosswalks in Avondale and not run across the street elsewhere.
TSD Early Childhood Program Information
The TSD Early Childhood program is currently accepting applications for 2024-25. Here is the website for information about the program: https://www.thompsonschools.org/preschool. You are also welcome to call the office at 970-613-5052.
Link to EC flyer.
AFTER SCHOOL CARE
We partner with the YMCA of northern Colorado to provide on-site afterschool care.
Published by Deon Davis, Proud Principal of Coyote Ridge Elementary, an IB World School
Email: deon.davis@tsd.org
Website: https://www.thompsonschools.org/coyoteridge
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CoyoteRidgeIBWorld