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Aurora Quest K-8
First Lego League Jr./ Explore
We will be starting our FIRST LEGO League Jr. session at Aurora Quest! This program is geared towards students in 1st through 3rd grade.
Students work in teams of up to 4-8 to explore and build their interest in STEM concepts through a real-world challenge that changes each season.
This season, through the guidance of adult coaches, students will build models using LEGO® Education WeDo 2.0 and create Show Me posters to present what they learned at a regional Expo which will be held a Saturday in April.
Additionally, the foundation of this program encourages students to learn and apply the use of FIRST Core Values:
Discovery: We explore new skills and ideas.
Innovation: We use creativity and persistence to solve problems.
Impact: We apply what we learn to improve our world.
Inclusion: We respect each other and embrace our differences.
Teamwork: We are stronger when we work together.
Fun: We enjoy and celebrate what we do!
We anticipate the FIRST LEGO League Jr. session at Quest to start the first week in February. It will run for roughly 10-11 sessions on Thursdays, once a week in the evenings. Exact time will be determined via survey during the virtual session.
Aurora Quest Robotics is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
Topic: First Lego League Robotics Jr./ Explore
Time: Jan 28th, 2025 06:30 PM Mountain Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82943347339?pwd=Bq74sqLLzCbetpXsYWxBTNOwKv3nxO.1
Please reach out for any additional questions at: QuestRobotics.Junior@gmail.com
Humane Education- Compassionate Changemakers Club (Grades 3-6 )
SigTeacher: Ms. Brynn Wiessner
Location: Ms Brynn’s room
Meeting Date and Time: Thursdays Weekly 2:30-3:30 Quarter 3 and 4 only
This club is for those who are interested in animals, the environment, and all living beings. We will look at the intersection of caring for each other, animals, and the earth. We will choose an area of interest based on the students in the club to create positive and compassionate change. Sign up Link:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1pU45Q7O-A-oCC6df8qTZlI_SE2YG8p615DvCj-AbDMQ/edit
Culture Fair
The 12th annual Aurora Quest Culture Fair will be held on Thursday, February 27th from 5:30-7:00pm.
Quest families and staff members are encouraged to share and celebrate your families cultural heritage. Applications for the cultural fair can be found in the front office and in Friday folders. Booths from previous years included food, dance, music, art, games, artifacts, informational posters, digital presentations and other culturally themed activities. We look forward to your participation
Birthday Party Invitations
We thoroughly enjoy celebrating your students. We have run into a few issues when it comes to wanting teachers to pass out invitations to your child's birthday celebration.
- If you ask the teacher to pass out invitations, you must invite ALL students in the classroom. We want to make sure no one feels excluded and that there are no hurt feelings.
- Invitations for the whole class must be given to the teacher at least 3 days before Friday to give them or their volunteer enough time to put them in the Friday Folders.
- Invitations must include the date, time, place and a contact number with your name.
- If your child insists on only inviting select students then they can hand out the invitations outside after dismissal.
Thank you for your understanding and cooperation with this matter.
Bus Riding Rules
If your student is not a designated bus rider, they will NOT be able to ride any bus.
Students may not switch school buses to go to their friends house.
Bus drivers know their riders and will not allow your student to board the bus.
This is a liability for them so please, make sure to make other arrangements for play dates, etc. Thank you!
Costa Rica Excursion In Person Pre-departure Meeting
For students and or families going on the Costa Rica excursion our pre-departure meeting will be at Quest Tuesday, February 11th, from 2:30-3:30 in room 130. I will be handing out EF backpacks, reviewing packing lists, and going over other logistics (when/where to meet at the airport, luggage fees, etc.) Please let Ms. Cornella know if you and your student cannot attend.
Otherwise, she will see you next Tuesday.
No Parking in the Kiss-n-Go Drop Off/Pick Up Lane
We have had a few issues with families parking their car in the kiss-n-go lane to pick up a student and sometimes to drop off a student. This is not an area for parking. Please park in the parking lot to avoid accidents and unpleasant feelings from other parents following kiss-n-go procedures. You should not be stopped in this lane for more than 2 minutes - Especially during the peak drop off and pick up times.
Students Arriving Early to School
We appreciate students being in school when they are not sick. However, we have had many students arrive way earlier than they should.
Supervision does not begin until 7:20 am because our teachers and support staff arrive at 7:15 a.m. The only staff on hand is the office staff and they cannot keep an eye on your student and get everything ready for teachers and staff.
We ask that you honor the time of arrival of 7:20 am for students or enroll them in the Boys and Girls Club before school daycare.
There is a one time fee of $25 but scholarships are available.
Go to: https://bgcdenvermch.my.site.com/portal/s/login-home
Thanks for your cooperation.
Chocolate Money - Turn in date
We've had a lot of people come pick up boxes of chocolate to sell but we still need to collect the money. Please be sure to turn in your money for the chocolate you checked out. It will only be a success if everyone turns in their money. Our chocolate sale ends on Friday, February 14th. Thanks so much for your support!
Welcome to cold and flu season!
Please remember to encourage fluids, chap stick, hand washing, and adequate rest as we fight the Trifecta of Respiratory Illness and the BIG norovirus. There is lots of information in past Notes from the Nurse.
Please check your email messages. Talking points, and voice messages from me (Susan Golden). Most messages include information on needing updated medical records. Some messages include information about screening results. And some are notifications of an ill child.
Today I am including information on dental care. Some of this was posted in prior years notes.
Did you know that oral care begins before birth? There are antibiotics (tetracycline as example) that can cause grey discoloration in a child's teeth because of in-utero exposure. Deciduous (or baby) teeth start developing during the third to sixth month of pregnancy.
Tooth decay is one of the most common diseases of childhood.
Prevention methods include:
Juice: Infants under one year of age should not have any fruit juice. There is no nutritional benefit, juice increases risk of decay and fosters a "taste" for sweet drinks. Children over 12- months should eat whole fruit (be sure to follow risk of choking guides-as example cut grapes into fourths) instead of juice. Whole fruit adds fiber.
Fluoride: Since 1945, fluoride has been an additive to drinking water in the US at a concentration of 0.7 mg/L. Fluoride is critical to prevention of tooth decay. Check bottled water for the addition of fluoride.
Toothpaste: Use toothpaste with fluoride. Always keep toothpaste away from children. Brush 2-3 times a day every day. The last thing in your child's mouth before a nap or bedtime should be a toothbrush. As soon as the first tooth appears toothpaste should be the size of a grain of rice. From 3-years through school age, use a pea-size amount of toothpaste (with fluoride). Set the timer for 2 minutes and help your child brush.
After about age 8 years the child can brush their own teeth. Parents and guardians should monitor the amount of toothpaste used and time spent brushing.
Fluoride Varnish: Did you know that Medicaid and all other dental insurance plans cover fluoride varnish? Since this is prevention, there is no cost to the patient. Tooth varnish should start when the first tooth appears but not later than 12-months and should be reapplied every 3-months until age 5 years, then annually. Nurses, physician assistants, medical assistants, and physicians in addition to the dental care team can apply the varnish.
Toothbrushes: Use an infant/child sized toothbrush with soft bristles. Use an adult toothbrush when the brush fits in the child's mouth. Replace toothbrushes every three months. If the person has had a strep infection (or any oral infection) replace the toothbrush 24-hours after the first dose of antibiotics.
Be on the Lookout!
-February 6th Skate City all school skate 4-6pm
-February 11th PTA meeting in tech room
-February 26th 4-8pm Dine out at Chipotle (we can bring in BIG moolah!)
Community movie night COMING SOON!
Skate City Fun Facts:
This is a fairly easy fundraiser for us and most importantly for YOU! We raise money based on the amount of skaters we have and it’s a sliding scale giving us room to maximize the payout which looks like: $3 for 50-124 skaters $3.50 for125-199 skaters and $4 for +200. This is easy money that goes towards our budget and allows us to support the students.
Where does the money go?
PTA looks very different from what we thought, until we joined and learned all the stuff that PTA either supports or is responsible for funding throughout the school year. We provide the funds for transportation to field trips, which has increased by 50% in the last year. We provide teachers with a budget for classroom enrichment as well as a small allowance for class supplies. In addition we are also able to show our great appreciation for the staff through providing lunch on teacher work days, a woot woot cart, and other things we have planned. The PTA also pays for part of fieldtrip fees, Immersion, Field Day and more.
We Have A Facebook Group!
Wondering what is going on? Curious about upcoming events? Wanting to volunteer during fundraisers or at school events but not sure how? This is your one stop shop for how to support the school, fundraisers and overall school community. Please be sure to answer the questions when you ask to join. It's a way that we ensure that our Quest information stays within our community.
www.facebook.com/groups/1743613152521317/
Thank You for all you do to help grow and nurture our community!
2024/2025 Aurora Quest K8 PTA Board
Dre Sneddon, President
Angelica Upton, Secretary
Susan Milo, Treasurer