HRHS Falcon Community Bulletin

**Please Open this Bulletin in an internet browser to see all sections of the Bulletin**

We understand that often the bulletin information can remain here for a long time, and important information can sometimes get lost. So we highlight WHAT'S NEW as the most important things happening here at the school right now. We will still leave other pertinent information in the bulletin so that it can be referenced throughout the year

• Where: Mission Hills Church Auditorium (620 Southpark Drive, Littleton, CO, 80120)

• When: Monday, May 19, 6:30 - 8:30 pm

• Who: Seniors, parents, and family members welcome

• Cost: Tickets are $10 each. Everyone must purchase a ticket to attend, including seniors

• Purchase tickets here: Senior Celebration Tickets

• Graduation Website for the Class of 2025 Link. The link to request Special Needs Seating Tickets is active on the site as well.

• Sources of Strength: Sources of Strength is a wellness model that uses teams of peer leaders to change social norms and break codes of silence through positive messaging that focuses on Hope, Help, and Strength. This is an upstream prevention approach that promotes help-seeking behaviors, connections between youth and adults, and building resilience in efforts to reduce risk factors and increase protective factors. The strengths wheel consists of 8 protective factors: Mental Health, Family Support, Positive Friends, Mentors, Healthy Activities, Generosity, Spirituality, and Physical Health. Last week students completed a lesson to review the different parts of the wheel and then wrote a postcard to someone they consider to be a “Mentor”. We were happy that students could identify someone they believe to be a trusted adult or mentor. Good work Falcons!

• To recognize and honor all cultures within our community, please check out the Anti-Defamation League calendar linked here for a very complete listing of many different ethnic, cultural, faith & religious communities. We have begun adding many of these dates to the HRHS School Day Calendar, linked on our school website.

• Yearbooks: Book pre-orders are due by April 30th. Please visit www.jostensyearbooks.com for details.

• Support the Band Boosters by eating at Costa Vida - Lone Tree on Tuesday, April 29th. Just say you’re there for the HRHS Band fundraiser (open til close!) and a portion of the proceeds goes back to their program. https://www.costavida.com/

*Reminders about Attendance:

• All absences for appointments during the school day are to be reported on the Attendance Line 24 hours in advance! It is the responsibility of the STUDENT to stop at the Attendance window to pick up their leave pass, prior to their appointment time; passes are not delivered to classrooms.

• Parents/Guardians have 48 hours to excuse their student(s) for an Excused absence. An acceptable reason under School Board policy for the absence MUST be given for students to have an Excused absence.

Attendance SIGN IN - SIGN OUT Policy:

• SIGN IN Procedures: LATE STUDENTS MUST SIGN IN through Attendance. Anytime a student arrives at school late, they MUST SIGN IN at the Attendance Office, even during a passing period. Parents/Guardians must call the Attendance line to excuse a Tardy.
• SIGN OUT Procedures: STUDENTS LEAVING CAMPUS must come to the Attendance Office before school or during passing periods for a pass to leave the building (unless the appointment is during their off period). It is the student’s responsibility to pick up the pass, as we do not deliver items to classrooms. Parents/Guardians must call 24 Hrs in advance to excuse the Early Leave absence.
• If a student must leave due to illness or unanticipated needs, the student must come to the Attendance/Health Office first.
• Not checking in or out with the Attendance Office is counted as an Unexcused Absence.

**If you think your student is marked Absent or Tardy in error, please contact the Teacher directly via email to see if it can be changed. The Attendance Office Staff can’t change attendance without receiving confirmation from the teacher.

• Here is the link to the 33rd edition of the Post Grad newsletter. You can subscribe to the Post Grad newsletters by sending me an email with your name and request to be added to my SMORE newsletter subscription.

• Flight Simulation The U.S. Air Force is providing a flight simulator experience next Thursday, 4/24 for any interested students. This mobile tour provides a unique VR experience; visitors have the option to pilot an F-35 fighter through a canyon using a real-life throttle and flight stick or operate a replica KC-135 boom pod to refuel several airborne aircraft including a B-2 Stealth Bomber. Although some students will be attending the flight simulator with their class, the simulator is available for any student who wishes to participate during an off hour or lunch. It will be located in the Sophomore Parking lot from 9am-1:30pm.




• Community Service Volunteer Opportunities- Stressed about getting your 20 hours before graduation? Here are some great options......

• Lone Tree Sustainability Team is a grass roots group of people focused on removing trash from Lone Tree. RSVP at: www.sustainlt.com to receive notice of where to meet. Sign up for one of these upcoming events:

• Sat. May 3, 10am

• Sat. June 7, 10am

• Students can explore dozens of volunteer opportunities on our Volunteer Portal: https://VolunteerCastleRock.CRgov.com.

• Sat. April 19 - Earth Day Willow Harvest and Planting *Team A*

• Sat. April 19 - Earth Day Willow Harvest and Planting *Team B*

• Arbor Day Tree Planting- On April 25th, community members of all ages will come together to plant trees in Bayou Gulch, an undeniably perfect way to celebrate Arbor Day and National Volunteer Month. This spring, we are partnering with Douglas County School District to inspire a sense of community and celebrate the value we place on keeping our public spaces clean, safe and enjoyable for all. Sound fun? You’re invited! Whether you’re retired, a student looking for volunteer hours, or a family of four, we would love to have you join us on April 25th from 9 a.m. to noon. Modeled after the Scandinavian tradition of dugnad where citizens meet up with family, friends, and neighbors for coffee and pastries then disperse into the community to do volunteer work such as planting trees or cleaning parks. Reserve your shift here.




• Seniors, have you received a scholarship? If so, we want to know about it! And that means EVERY scholarship offered....even if you don't accept the award. We report the total amount offered to our seniors. When you receive award letters, please forward that info to ksadler@dcsdk12.org. You can forward the email, bring it in, snap a picture or email a typed summary....however it is easiest for you to send me the notification of the offer so that we can update our system.
• This includes any scholarship offered to you: need based, academic, athletic, etc.
• Please include the name of the scholarship, the total amount of $$ awarded and indicate if it is a one time scholarship or for all four years.
• Specific information (names, amounts) will not be published. The total $$ earned will be announced during our Honors Convocation ceremony in May and reported to the district.
• Please reach out with any questions you might have!

• Thank you to all the students and families who participated and helped make our 2nd Annual HRHS Culture Night such a success!

• NHS students are offering tutoring to anyone who needs extra help with homework during Access in the library.

• Follow us on Instagram @hrhs_reads!

• Important School Immunization Information for Families: Please see the update from the Colorado Dept. of Education HERE

• Notification to families regarding Service Animal: Please see this notice

• Students with Life Threatening Allergies: Families - Please contact our School Nurse, Adriana Hatch, RN., ahatch@dcsdk12.org in regards to students with life-threatening allergies in our school.

Hello parents! My name is Darby Petitt and I am the new Volunteer Coordinator for HRHS! You will be seeing volunteer opportunities come up so please email me at dspetitt@dcsdk12.org with any questions!

• Volunteer at After Prom! We need your help!
  Parents (and students): Please sign up to help decorate for After Prom on Thursday, April 24 starting any time after school from 3:00 pm to 10:00 pm. We also need up to 85 volunteers to help at the event Friday night (April 25) starting at 10:00 pm. Middle schoolers love to help and are welcome, as long as they are with a parent. Underclassmen can help for community service hours with permission from Mrs. Yearous or Dr. Petitt.

• Help Decorate or Work at After Prom: Decorate/Volunteer at After Prom
• Help with Donations of Food or Supplies: Donate Food or Supplies for After Prom

• Purchase Student Tickets for After Prom: Our After Prom parent committee is so excited to be able to host After Prom this year at Highlands Ranch High School!
• WHEN: Friday, April 25, 11:00 pm to 2:00 am (no entrance after 12:30 am)
• WHERE: Highlands Ranch High School
• WHO: HRHS Juniors and Seniors plus one guest (all students and guests must fill out a Registration Form, see link below)
• WHAT: Activities include large inflatable games, Senior Hall, photo booth, henna tattoos, race cars, contests, food, and more! Tons of prizes will be given out throughout the evening. Specialty themed snacks, desserts, and drinks are included.
• COST: Tickets are only is $15 per person (cash/online). You must fill out a Registration Form to attend After Prom (link below). You do not have to attend Prom to attend After Prom. If cost is a concern, email dspetitt@dcsdk12.org to claim one of our donated tickets!
• Complete Registration Forms (waiver) here: After Prom Registration Form
• Purchase Student Ticket: After Prom Student Ticket
• Purchase Guest Ticket: After Prom Guest Ticket

**Families, feel free to stop by our Community Open House, Friday, April 25, from 8:00 pm to 9:00 pm to see what After Prom is all about (Highlands Ranch High School, 9375 Cresthill Lane, Highlands Ranch, CO 80130). You can leave a note for your senior in our Senior Hall. Follow @HRHSAfterProm on Instagram!

• SENIOR PARENTS: Graduation will be here before you know it! Please see the info below:

• Senior Baby Photos-LAST CHANCE TO BE INCLUDED!!! We are collecting baby pictures of every senior for our After Prom Senior Hall and our senior video. The picture should be of your child (only) between one and five years old (they will be printed vertically approximately 3 1/2” x 5”). Please email your senior’s baby picture to hrhsafterprom@gmail.com*, so that your senior will be included! Make sure to list your student’s first and last name in the email. Thank you!

• *We will still accept pictures but can’t guarantee we will have time to print them for After Prom. You will still be included in the senior video if you send it before Thursday, April 10.

• Senior Yard Signs: With your donations, we have purchased “Senior Class of 2025” yard signs for every senior. We will have them available for pick up the week following Prom on Wednesday, April 30 from 5-7pm. You can still donate to our Senior Fund. All money goes towards senior signs, Senior Celebration, and our senior breakfast.

• Donate money to our Class of 2025 Senior Fund: Donate to 2025 Senior Fund

• Senior Celebration on May 19, 2025: Join us for Senior Celebration, a special evening where we honor the winners of our Senior Superlative awards, take group photos arranged by elementary school, and enjoy desserts and beverages.

• Where: Mission Hills Church Auditorium (620 Southpark Drive, Littleton, CO, 80120)

• When: Monday, May 19, 6:30 - 8:30 pm

• Who: Seniors, parents, and family members welcome

• Cost: Tickets are $10 each. Everyone must purchase a ticket to attend, including seniors

• Purchase tickets here: Senior Celebration Tickets

The mission of the SAC is to inform, encourage, and provide opportunities for parent/guardian and community members to be involved in the planning and evaluation of the school’s instructional program and quality improvement processes.

All SAC meetings are located in the Library Conference Room from 5:30-7:30pm.

Meetings are open to ALL parents/guardians, teachers, community members, and students. You do not need to be a voting member to participate. Topics you’d like to be considered for the agenda, please email Tim Schumacher, SAC Chairperson, HighlandsRanchSAC@gmail.com. For information and minutes of past meetings, please visit the HRHS SAC website.

• Contribute money (any dollar amount $1 or more rounded to the nearest dollar) to an individual staff member through this program. You can choose as many or as few staff members as you would like. Then, we will put the money together for each staff member, and staff will choose their own gift card(s) from the RaiseRight program (which gives money back to HRHS). You may also contribute to the General Fund and that money will be evenly distributed to all staff members.

• The HRHS FAB will tell the staff member who contributed to their gift.

• The amount contributed by each family is not disclosed to the staff member.

• Thank you for helping us give our staff a wonderful end of the year gift that they get to choose and will benefit our school at the same time. All contributions are due Friday, May 2nd.

FALCON ACADEMIC BOOSTERS:

The Falcon Academic Boosters (FAB) is a 501c3 organization and was founded to raise funds and provide grants to teachers, staff and departments. These grants are used for supplies, academic media and resources that are needed to enhance the learning environment at HRHS, yet fall outside of the schools budget. On-going fundraising comes through charitable giving from King Soopers, American Furniture Warehouse and Amazon Smiles. FAB is so pleased to announce that new Officers for the FAB organization have been elected and are planning now for the upcoming school year!!

Meetings in the 24-25 school year will be on the second Monday of the month @ 6-8 pm. Our next meeting is on Monday, May 12 @ 6-8pm in the HRHS Commons. This is a great way to get involved and meet other parents at Highlands Ranch High School!

• There are so many ways to donate to FAB, one is to Venmo @hrhsfab.

• Click here to learn how to give back to your school through many other channels including Paypal, King Soopers Cards, Amazon Smile, Shopping at SouthGlenn, American Furniture Warehouse and MORE!!!

• The organization was founded and led by parents, and since its inception has raised and granted back over $125,000 to benefit our staff and student needs.

SUPERINTENDENT’S WEEK IN REVIEW: Linked HERE

Hello DCSD Families: We have some great DCSD Foundation Community Events already lined up for our school staff and communities!

Thanks SO MUCH for your continued support! All tickets can be purchased directly from the Community Event page of our website. Check out these new events:

- The Wiz/DCPA - 4/25/25, 4/26/25

- Link to purchase Rockies tickets:

- Link to purchase Avs tickets:

- Link to purchase Lone Tree Arts Center Tickets:

General link to purchase tickets or for more information is: https://www.foundationdcs.org/community-events

District and HRHS Reminder: If you are not aware, many seniors at area high schools play a game called Senior Assassin. This game is not sanctioned by the schools and is essentially a water gun tag game where the last player standing wins a pot of money. Students are not allowed to play the game on school grounds or District properties, at any time. The game can put kids in dangerous situations in cars and parking lots. Law enforcement is aware of the game, but will respond to reports of a weapon with their full response when called. If you have a senior or will have a senior soon, please talk to them about the dangers of playing this game.

• HRHS Administration has reiterated that this game is not allowed to be played on school grounds and should something like this happen, appropriate disciplinary actions will be taken in alignment with district policy and our student code of conduct which begins with a Recommendation for Expulsion.

• One additional clarification in this restating of the long-standing District policy:

• No student, regardless of grade or age, is allowed to possess a firearm/gun facsimile (i.e. anything with a trigger mechanism) on any District campus or property, at any time.

Transportation Route Questions: If families have questions regarding their students route we encourage them to fill out a Let's Talk form located on DCSD's main website as these go directly to the contact/feeder group that can assist. Once on the website, hover over families, then click Transportation and they can see all of our resources posted, the Cancellation Rotation Calendar, a feedback tool (Let's Talk), route information, and much more.

DCSD Parent Resource Center: Please use this link to the Douglas County School District Parent Resource Center for Calendars, My School Bucks Payments, Parent Portal access or log-in/password issues and Transportation info, just to name a few of the helpful items on the site.

• If you are interested in receiving assistance but are having difficulty accessing these agencies, or need assistance that these agencies do not provide, please contact Eric Brosch, School Social Worker, at ebrosch@dcsdk12.org or 303-387-2621, and he will assist you in connecting with the appropriate agency.

Important Resources For Families Needing Public Assistance: Please refer to this information if you have any needs for your family.