SIERRA SCOOP

It has been another busy week of learning, not only for students, but staff as well. All grade level teachers have been participating in weekly deep planning sessions aligned with math in partnership with Becky Gonzales (our instructional coach), their team, and administrators. Together we look at math units, sections and lessons to ensure instruction and student tasks are aligned to grade level standards. We also dive into assessments (cool downs, checkpoint assessments, and unit assessments) to create rubrics, streamline scoring, and revise to create common assessments across the grade level.

Our paras are hard at work providing small group instruction and support in reading and coming soon to math. Many of them have completed a 40-hour training for Orton Gillingham, along with other training provided by the district (de-escalation, recess/lunch supervision, Lexia, etc). I am sooooo proud of all of the hard work each staff members exhibits every day! They truly are for the kids, grow student outcomes, and positively impact student lives...THANK YOU to ALL Sierra STAFF!

Have a stupendous weekend 😄

On the morning of September 12, at 8:15am, Sierra Elementary will be conducting a lockdown drill with the assistance of Jeffco security and local law enforcement. The drill is usually about 45 minutes long from start to finish. Please plan ahead if you need to pick up/drop off your child/an item at Sierra, as there is no access to students or adults during a lockdown drill. All Jeffco schools use the Standard Response Protocol (click here to see Jeffco’s Standard Response Protocol), which teachers have reviewed and practiced with their students. It is important for students to know what to do in their classrooms if a lockdown is called.

Here is a video that we will be sharing with staff and students a little closer to the lockdown drill. We wanted you to see it as questions might come up at home. Grades K-5 Student Video (prek will watch the video as well).

Pre-Arranged Absence Forms

Guardians, if you are going out of town for 2 or more days you need to fill out a Pre-Arranged Absence Form. You can turn in the filled out form to the office or email to sylvia.castro@jeffco.k12.co.us. Also, if you are using the "New Attendance Procedures" you still need to fill out the Pre-Arranged Absence form in order for the absence to be excused. Thank you!

LEGO CLUB REGISTRATION

Grades K-1

Grades 2-5

NEW ATTENDANCE PROCEDURES

Jeffco has created a new online absence reporting tool, please see details here. We will also still accept phone calls for absences, please call 303-982-0819.

REGISTRATION INFO

K-5th Online Registration - Parents have until September 13th to complete

ALL returning, new, and kindergarten families will need to log in to Jeffco Infinite Campus Parent Portal (same username and password as EnrollJeffco) to complete the registration process for the 2024-25 school year (the initial registration process was started in December/January). This is where you will submit the updated information requested and acknowledge the agreements. Do not forget to save and submit.

There have been some glitches with Infinite Campus. If you have issues with registration please email Syvia at Sylvia.Castro@jeffco.k12.co.us. If you have already contacted Sylvia with concerns, she is currently working to resolve the issues. Please be patient as each issue takes time to resolve. Sylvia will contact you when it is resolved.

To pay your student fees on Infinite Campus following these steps:

1. After logging in, clink on "More."
2. Under "Quick Links" on the right side, click on "Jeffco Student Fee Payment."

ALL students will receive free breakfast and lunch for the 2024-2025 school year.

YOU MUST APPLY THROUGH "MEAL BENEFITS APPLICATION". Meal Benefits Application

If you are applying for Free/Reduced lunch, please make sure you don't mark the box that says "Do not share with the school". If you mark this box, your school fees will not be waived automatically.

Sierra Calendar

September- Hispanic Heritage Month and Suicide Prevention Month

September 18- Sierra Accountability meeting (4:45 in the library; see the agenda in Did You Know); PTA meeting 5:30 (in the library)

September 19- Field Day 3rd-5th grades; all day

September 20- No School (teacher work day)

September 27- ROAR Day (Pirate Day)

October 1- October count (PLEASE ensure your child is in school!); picture day

October 6- Sierra Strides

October 8- Coffee with T n B (special guest, Jenny Frederickson, our GT partner)

October 10-16 Book Fair

October 11- ROAR Day (Cartoon Day)

October 15 and 16- Conferences (3:00pm-7:00pm)

October 17 and 18- NO SCHOOL (teacher work day and Fall Break)

Please ensure that you read through the Sierra Student-Family Handbook for additional school information.

Sierra Is Hiring!

We need you! Sierra is hiring for sub paraprofessionals to help cover supervisions (lunch, recess, classrooms, etc) in the event of para absences. If you are interested, please contact Nicole in the office if you have questions, 303-982-0821.

Accountability and PTA

Please join us on Weds., 9/18 at 4:45 in the library for our first Accountability meeting of the school year, followed by our first PTA general meeting at 5:30 (see the virtual link to both on the Accountability Agenda; the Accountability presentation will be made public after our meeting). What's the difference between the two, you ask...Accountability is like school business and PTA is like school support and social. Hope to see you all there!

Yearbooks

2024-25 Yearbook information is here! Please check out the Sierra Yearbook flyer.

Student Benefits Application

Student Benefits Application (formerly known as the Student Meal Benefits Application)

Jeffco wants to encourage all families to complete the application. No longer is the emphasis on Free/Reduced/Paid Meals. As the new name implies, it is for Student Benefits such as student-based funding for our school and fee waivers for various activities.

Keeping Kids Safe

The staff at Sierra Elementary makes safety our number one priority! In alignment with Colorado state law, each month we practice evacuating our building in case of an emergency such as a fire. We train students and staff on how to quickly leave our building, assemble in an organized manner so we can account for all students and staff, and how to wait for further instructions. Our August drill resulted in students and staff exiting the building in two minutes and eighteen seconds! Way to go Sabertooths! For further insight on our Standard Response Protocol used throughout Jeffco Public Schools, please see this Parent Handout.

Suicide Prevention Month

September is Suicide Prevention Month. Below are a couple resources for families.

General Information Flyer: Available in English and Spanish

Free Virtual QPR (Question, Persuade, Refer) Sessions for Parents/Caregivers: Information available in English and Spanish.

Hispanic Heritage Month

Jeffco has created a Hispanic Heritage Resource Guide, including, but not limited to: book lists, virtual field trips, daily fun facts, etc. Teachers and staff will be able to use this guide for classroom activities, learning, etc.

Breakfast has been a huge hit so far! We are glad to see this program meeting the needs of some many Sierra students. Please remember:

- Kindergarten through 5th grade breakfast is 7:20-7:35. If family members are joining students for breakfast, please take the student to breakfast, family member needs to come to the office to sign in, return to the cafeteria for breakfast, and leave through the front door to sign out. We know this is a multi-step process and it is in place to ensure safety of all staff and students.

- Prek breakfast is 7:45-8:00 and prek families are required to stay. If prek families have older siblings and want to join for breakfast before 7:45, families will need to come to the office to sign in (prek students will need to join them while signing in). Again, this is for safety reasons and prek students must join because we are required to follow regulations for preschool even during breakfast. If prek families arrive after 7:45, no sign in is necessary.

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 13TH - FREE KONA ICE COMMUNITY EVENT!

Come celebrate the end of the first full week of school with some Kona Ice! Join us at Sierra Elementary, on Friday, September 13th from 3:30-5:30pm. The PTA will provide one free snow cone for each student (siblings included as well). Look for your student’s ticket in Friday Folders this week. We hope to see you there!

BECOME A PTA MEMBER TODAY!

The first PTA General meeting is coming up on Wednesday, September 18th at 5:30pm. Make sure you’ve joined or renewed your membership in time for the meeting so you can vote on school gift proposals like the PTA covering all field trip fees for the 2024-2025 school year! Click here to be a part of a group that helps make the Sierra community amazing!

Want an easy spot to communicate with the Sierra PTA and school community? Join our Facebook group to connect with other Sierra parents, ask questions, and learn about school and PTA community events!

SNACKS FOR THE TEACHERS AND STAFF

The teachers and staff of Sierra Elementary are a large and important part of our children's lives. Let's show them all some love and appreciation by providing individually wrapped snacks and treats for them throughout the school year. SIGN UP HERE

STRIDES FOR SIERRA 5K REGISTRATION OPEN

Registration is open for our annual fall fundraiser - Strides for Sierra 5K! Sign up here

STRIDES FOR SIERRA VOLUNTEER SIGN UP

Maybe you don’t want to run or walk during the event but want to support and cheer on those that are! Please consider volunteering to help before, during, or after the event. Volunteers help make this event happen!

SIGN UP HERE

ROOM PARENT SIGN UP

My name is Alyssa Aberle and I am the Sierra PTA Room Parent Coordinator this year. We are in need of room parents for each class for the 2023-24 school year. Please click HERE for information on what being a room parent entails, classroom party dates, and more details. If you would like to volunteer as a room parent, click HERE to sign up.

Thank you for supporting Sierra teachers.

· Running Club kicked off this week with 150 participants signed up!

· Students, family members, and staff are all welcome; it’s not too late to join! · You can still register at: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScuPon5-HrV_zSUAAZTOdceA7_Y28QFzwlFg43KRF8AU-qVrA/viewform?usp=sf_link

· The goal is to run 100 miles throughout the whole school year.

· Sabertooth Sprinters meets on Mondays and Wednesdays after school from 2:40 - 3:15 pm at the Sierra track on the south side of the playground (weather permitting).

· Prizes are awarded at 25, 50, 75, and 100 miles. Everyone gets a charm necklace to track progress, and milestones are announced at lunch with your grade level.

· $15 per person to join.

· Volunteers Needed: looking for helpers to distribute cards at the start of running club, punch cards after laps are completed, file cards at the end of running club, and stand on the track to monitor behavior. Please visit our team at the table by the track during running club to volunteer. · More info is available at https://sites.google.com/view/sabertoothsprinters/home

The Sierra community works together to ensure high levels of learning for all. This includes not only being attentive to academic growth, but also recognizing that the social and emotional growth of students is critically important. Current research indicates a direct connection between students’ emotional well-being and their academic performance. We are dedicated to creating academic and social-emotional support linked directly to the assessed needs of our students. We now have the opportunity to systematically screen the social and emotional skills of all our students. We will be using the Social Skills Improvement System™ Social-Emotional Learning Edition Screening/Progress Monitoring Scales (SSIS SEL) to screen students' social-emotional competencies.

SSIS SEL Information: The SSIS SEL Edition Screening/Progress Monitoring Scales is a strength-based tool for screening and progress monitoring social and emotional competence. Teachers will be asked to score each student in their class in the five following areas: self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision making.

How will the data be used? All information will be kept confidential. The information acquired through the screener will guide our development of school-wide, small group, and/or individual social emotional interventions. You will be notified if your child is invited to join a small group or individual intervention.

Need more information? We would be happy to provide a copy of the screener to you.

Prefer your child not be screened? Please email Monika VanderStek by Friday, September 13th with your child's name and teacher. You do not need to do anything if you are ok with your child being screened. If you opt your child out, this will not affect the relationship between the school and you and your child in any way.

If you have questions or concerns, you are welcome to contact: Monika VanderStek (Social Emotional Learning Specialist) at Monika.VanderStek@jeffco.k12.co.us .

Sabretooths ROAR when they are Safe, Respectful, and Responsible. When students demonstrate these expectations, our staff might positively reinforce this expectation with a ROAR ticket! Additionally, these ROAR tickets may result in a positive phone call home from a teacher or administrator, their name being drawn in a monthly ROAR Prize drawing, or some other fun and innovative system their classroom teacher might have. Keep ROAR-ing Sabretooths!

As we wrap up beginning of year testing, your child's results are available in a couple of ways. Student Insights is a digital platform that provides to you instant access to your child's test results. Log in using your common Jeffco credentials - just like for Infinite Campus or Enroll Jeffco. Additionally, teachers will send home paper reports in Friday Folders on the following dates:

• K-2 MAP and DIBELS on Thursday, 9/19 (No School on Friday)
• 3-5 MAP on Friday, 9/27 (due to Field Day the previous week)

Email: tennille.foerster@jeffco.k12.co.us
Website: sierraelementary.net
Location: 7771 Oak Street, Arvada, CO, USA
Phone: (303)982-0821
Facebook: facebook.com/sierraelementary