PCK Weekly News
November 4, 2021

Great News From Our Vice Director

Hello PCK Parents,


Today, we celebrate. Of course, we are a school that has many causes for celebration, but this one is big! Recently, U.S. News came out with their annual list of top schools in the state of Colorado. This year, PCK was picked as the #3 elementary school (out of 992 total elementary schools) and the #3 middle school (out of 465 total middle schools) in the entire state, and the #1 school in Douglas County. This is something for all of us to be proud of, and for that, we celebrate.


We celebrate because we are better together. Because we are PCK proud. Because we love and care about each and every one of our students. I am truly in awe of our community, especially our students, because that is what this ranking reflects. Within it I see the hard work, dedication, grit, and passion that is poured into our students and their education. I see the teamwork and harmonious relationship that exists between our students, teachers, and families, and the everyday push for excellence that goes on inside and outside of PCK. We all want what is best for our students, and that is what U.S. News, and now the rest of the world, sees in our school. For that, we celebrate.


There is no doubt in my mind that we have an amazing organization and a PCK family that aspires to achieve the very best for our students. Please join me in congratulating our students and our entire PCK community for this tremendous achievement.


With warmest regards,


Mr. Thompson 

PCK's Math Program Multiplies Student Success

Learn the ins and outs of PCK's math program at our next Parent Education Series session. A panel of math teachers will discuss our curriculum, our leveled classes and how they serve students, and our approach to student development in math at the primary, secondary, and middle school levels. Join Mrs. Harth, Miss Donovan (1st grade), Mrs. Robbins (3rd grade), and Mrs. Harper (middle school) at 6:30pm on Tuesday, November 16 for a discussion on all things math. Please submit this form to RSVP.

Ripped Jeans May Be Popular, But...

Despite their current popularity, ripped jeans are not allowed at school on dress down days, even if no skin shows through the tear. Students need to look neat and clean, even when wearing casual clothes to school. Thanks for your help with this! Feel free to visit the Dress Code page on our website any time you have questions about what students are allowed to wear.

Also, please remember that on PCKproud Days, students may wear uniform bottoms or blue jeans, but no other bottoms are allowed. Students may not wear leggings on PCKproud Days.

Will You Be The Next Golden Ticket Winner?

Come see our world of pure imagination when the PCK After School Music Theatre Program proudly presents Roald Dahl's Willy Wonka Jr. Shows are at 11:30am and 2:30pm on Saturday, November 20. Tickets are $8.50 each. Get your tickets here.


The Broadway Junior concept and format created by Music Theatre International (MTI). MTI's School Edition and full-length musicals may be found at: MTIShows.com.

Honoring Our Veterans

All veterans and active duty service members, along with their families, are invited to join us next Thursday, November 11, for a reception with a light breakfast from 8:00 - 8:30am, followed by an all-school assembly at 8:30. Please RSVP here if you are able to attend. Please note, all guests will need to sign in through our Raptor system, so please bring your driver's license or other government-issued ID. Make sure your veteran family members/friends know to bring an ID.

Service members who would like to visit a kindergarten - 6th grade classroom after the assembly to talk about their time of service are invited to sign up here to share. 

We still need a few food donations for our Veterans Day breakfast. Click here to see how you can help. Remember that every $25 you spend counts as a volunteer hour.

Thank You For Your Donation 

Yesterday's red, white, and blue dress down day fundraiser brought in $801.07 for Homes For Our Troops! Thank you for your support of this organization that builds specially adapted homes for those injured in the line of duty. This was a great way to kick off next week's Veterans Day event.

From The PTA

Thank You For An Amazing Trunk-or-Treat

A huge thank you to each and every family that made a trunk for this wonderful event. The students had a blast and it was a huge success.  As in years past, our PCK teachers and staff voted on their favorite trunks from the event.   

 

The Pirate Ship trunk won Best Overall Trunk, winning a $50 Lakeshore gift card for the third grade teaching team. Congratulations to the Goettsch and Lee families for representing the third grade trunks this year.


Honorable mention for the "Funniest Trunk" went to the Danner family's Sponge Bob (Ms. Gillen's 4th grade class), the "Cutest Trunk" was the Rowley family's Charlie Brown (Mrs. Pack's 1st grade class), and we had a three-way tie for "Most Creative Trunk" with Movie Theater (the Smith family from Miss Donovan's 1st grade class), Minecraft (the Sanders family from Mrs. Church's 2nd grade class) and Farmstead (the Fox and Miller families from Ms. Mathias' 5th grade class).


Thanks again to everyone who made this event such a success!


Butter Braid Sale Happening Now

Don't miss out on the ever-popular Butter Braids. These pastries are a holiday favorite for many PCK families. Click here to create a seller page for your student, and then orders can be placed there. 

 

Important dates:

SALES: Now – Thursday, November 11th

PICK UP: Thursday, November 18th

Please note, these items need to be kept frozen and our school does not have freezer space to store them.  Please be ready to pick on the 18th. We will need volunteers to help, so keep an eye open for a SignUp Genius coming soon.

 

The PTA is sponsoring a contest for top sellers! The classroom with the most sales will enjoy a Kona Ice Party. The top three individual sellers will win a Target gift card. Click here for more details!

Come Check The Lost And Found

Our lost and found is overflowing with sweatshirts, jackets, water bottles, and more. Please come check it out and claim any items belonging to your family. Also, please be sure to label everything with your child's first and last name. Thanks for your help!

 Thank You To Our Book Fair Volunteers

Thank you to all of the parents who gave of their time to volunteer for our PCK Scholastic Book Fair this year. We set records in both sales dollars and total number of books sold. We couldn't have done it without your support and the help of our amazing parent volunteers. Mrs. White, our librarian, is grateful for your energy and commitment to making this fair "one for the books!" 

Don't Miss Mini Cougar Camp

If your kindergarten through 5th grade student loves our Spirit Team, then don't miss Mini Cougar Camp! Our Spirit Team and their coach, Ms. Gillen, will teach students a dance that they will perform at a PCK basketball game.

When: Camp is Friday, December 3rd from 3:30-5:00pm. On Monday, December 6th, campers will practice from 3:30 - 4:30, then perform at the boys basketball game.


Cost: $50.00 includes a t-shirt, bow, and snack


Register here for Mini Cougar Camp.

Connecting With Character

Our character trait for November is dependability - doing what I said I would do, even when it is difficult. Students learn that when they are dependable, they will:

What do your students do to show they are dependable?

Student Artwork Makes A Great Gift

Grandparents love receiving gifts of art, and Square 1 Art makes it easy to turn your student's creation into a useable keepsake. Check your Thursday Folder for the catalog of available items. PCK gets a portion of each sale, so everyone wins! Orders may be placed until November 22. Contact Mrs. Barker with any questions.

 Support PCK With Things You Buy Anyway

Did you know you can support PCK while doing your normal shopping? King Soopers, Amazon, and American Furniture Warehouse all give the school a donation when you shop. You can also see if your employer has a matching donation program. These organizations make it easy to support our school!

Amazon: Go to smile.amazon.com, click "Supporting," then select Parker Core Knowledge, Inc.

King Soopers: Visit kingsoopers.com and search for "The Foundation at PCK" or enter RV124 and click "Enroll." PCK will earn money every time you use your loyalty card.

American Furniture Warehouse: Simply mention PCK when you check out.

Double The Donation: Find out if your employer matches donations by visiting doublethedonation.com/pck.

Recognition From Convoy Of Hope

In September, PCK families came through in a big way with donations of hygiene kit supplies for the victims of hurricane Ida. Fifth grader Kinley Fox organized the drive, and the Fox family delivered the kits to Convoy of Hope who took them to those in need in Louisiana. Convoy of Hope published this story about our supply drive on their website. Thanks again for your generosity!

Open Enroll By December 1

If your student will not return to PCK for the 2022-23 school year (other than graduating 8th graders headed to high school) you must submit a DCSD open enrollment application by December 1. Families staying at PCK do not need to do anything since PCK is already your school of record. Also, if your student will attend a public high school other than your neighborhood school, you must submit an open enrollment application.

Click here for more more information on open enrollment from the District.

Stand Up For Safety

Thank you to Josh Harper for being our Safety Dad this week. Our students love having dads here making sure our perimeter is secure, helping with lunch and recess, and assisting with other activities as needed. Dads can stay until 1:00 or for the whole day. Click here to learn more about being a Safety Dad or to sign up.