Mesa Weekly News

Hello Mesa Families!

We had a great time celebrating our 100th day of school last week! Mesa students worked on projects involving all things '100' and many came dressed to celebrate. We are now in the full swing of 2nd semester with upcoming Valentine's Day celebrations, our first progress reports of the quarter, and parent-teacher conferences on the horizon. Mesa teachers utilize an online sign-up system for parents to schedule time to meet either February 20th (3pm-7pm), February 21st (7am-3pm), or February 22nd (7am-11am). We look forward to the chance to meet with you and the opportunity for Mesa staff and students to share their successes so far this quarter.

We are excited to welcome families in for our kinder/1st grade math and literacy night this Thursday from 4:30-6pm. All grade levels are welcome to attend and participate in the fun. All families are also welcome in to see math instruction in any K-5 classroom on Monday, February 12th. Come in and see your student's critical thinking and math skills in action! More information on both of these events is included on fliers below.

During this week, students will continue to practice PRIDE (persevere, show respect, be independent, be dedicated to keeping Mesa safe, and empathize with others) expectations throughout the building. Our emphasis for the month February includes the character trait of respect and the essential skills of making apologies, accepting 'no' as an answer, and being responsible for materials. Please feel free to share the ways you and your family are practicing respect and work habits with your student's teacher. We love to hear from you and to see our Mesa students practicing these skills outside of school. Throughout the week, we give 'shout outs' to students who exemplify these characteristics in their actions across the building and with one another.

Mesa staff utilize the REMIND app as the main tool of communication with families. You are welcome to reach out to teachers via REMIND or email at any time. Please watch for weekly newsletters and updates from each grade level team throughout the school year.

Please be sure to contact us with any needs or questions. We look forward to all that is to come in the second half of this school year and the opportunity to work with each of you to help our students to Dream BIG, Work Hard and Make it Happen!!

Megan Oleson

Principal

***Please let your son/daughter's teacher know your plan for after school pick-up.***

Car Riders (drop-off/pick-up)

Car drop-off/pick-up will take place in the north parking lot in front of our main entry doors. The west lot is not a drop-off/pick-up option for car riders. We ask that parents keep traffic moving as quickly as possible by remaining in their vehicles while students exit. If there is a need for a parent to assist with a student exiting, please park in a visitor spot in the north lot. In the AM, parents should pull as far east (closest to the gym) as possible in the lot. Mesa staff members will be there to open doors and welcome students. Students will then enter the building. In the PM, students will be with their grade level (as indicated in the photo). Parents should still pull as far east as possible. A staff member will check in with you as you pull through the line and will call for your student(s) to come to your vehicle.

If you are using Monterey Way and turning onto Camino Del Rey, please be mindful to not block the entry/exit to the west parking lot (on Monterey Way) as buses will be using this lot and will need enough space to get in and out of the parking lot.

Please reference the photo below for guidance on our drop-off/pick-up procedures this year.

Walkers

Any students who are walking home with a parent will meet on the east playground. Students will be separated by grade level. Parents may approach teachers to pick-up their student(s). Students are also able to walk home without being picked up by a parent. Students walking alone and needing to head west out of the building will be allowed to leave in this direction with the grade-level staff member walking kids out in that direction. Students heading east at the end of the day will be able to access the paved walkway out to Camino Del Rey to then head east towards Fountain Mesa.

Front Office Access:

Our main office is located on the north side of the building. Parents needing to enter the building should do so at our main-entry located at the north doors with a large Mesa paw print.

Essential Skill: I can follow instructions

Feb. 8: Progress Reports sent home

Feb. 8: K/1 Math and Literacy Night 4:30-6pm

Save the Date:

Feb. 12: Family Math Day 8:15-9:00am

Feb. 13: Dental Van Visit (with parent permission only)

Feb. 14: Valentines parties in classrooms (end-of-day)

Feb. 14: Skate City Night 5-7pm

Feb. 20, 21, 22: Parent-Teacher Conferences

What an amazing start to our 2023-2024 school year! Thank you for helping me keep our kids safe! It has been awesome to watch the patience and kindness shown to each other as we process procedures at arrival and dismissal.

Quick reminders:

• we have almost 700 kids now and there is so much traffic. Treat our long lines like a sporting event or concert and take turns, allowing every other car in-we are all going to the same place
• one lane drop off in the morning, two lane pick up in the afternoon
• please remember basic traffic laws - 20 mph in the school zone!!
• remember, if you are close to late or running late, speeding is dangerous, there will be tickets issued
• speed limit is 10mph in a parking lot, even a long parking lot!
• cross walks, driveways and intersections are not to be blocked; If you cannot completely clear those areas....wait
• GOING INTO ONCOMING LANE OF TRAFFIC IS COMPLETELY ILLEGAL AND UNSAFE-DO NOT DO THIS FOR ANY REASON

Thank you for working together to be great role models for our kids.

MEDICATION: All medication must be brought into the building and picked up from the building by an adult- students are not allowed to bring medication into the building. All medication must be approved by a prescribing physician with the appropriate forms signed. These forms can be found on the district website or by contacting your school nurse.

FACE MASKS: At this time, masks are not required but certainly allowed. At any time you can choose to send your child to school wearing a mask.

FEVER: Fever is defined as a temperature of 100.4 or higher. Students who have a fever should stay home and rest until they have gone 48 hours fever free without the aid of medication such as ibuprofen or Tylenol. If your child has a fever that lasts longer than 48 hours, please reach out to your school nurse to help problem solve what your next steps might be.

COVID Testing: * If anyone in your home has symptoms and is being tested for COVID, please keep all D8 students home from school until the results from the person being tested are received. Please notify your school nurse if you are keeping a student home while waiting for a household member to get results for COVID testing.

Keep up the good work! Our goal is to keep our Mesa community healthy and safe… and in person learning!

Email: moleson@ffc8.org
Website: https://www.ffc8.org/Mesa
Location: 400 Camino Del Rey, Fountain, CO, USA
Phone: 719-382-1370
Facebook: facebook.com/MesaElementaryFFC8
Twitter: @MesaElemFFC8