PCK Weekly News
January 20, 2022
From The Directors
SAFETY AT PCK
Our School Resource Officer
PCK has a number of processes and assets to continually keep our students and school safe. One of the most valuable is our school resource officer (SRO), Deputy Joe Huffman. Deputy Huffman is a Douglas County Sheriff who helps regularly patrol our campus. If you have been in the building during the school day this year, you have likely seen him. While he is here, he walks our hallways, checks our perimeter doors, and will occasionally join a classroom during instruction. Deputy Huffman visits our campus many times per week and he does a wonderful job keeping our students and staff safe.
Safety Dad Program
A number of years ago, PCK started a program called Safety Dads to help increase the security here at school while providing another avenue for the dads in our community to volunteer. Recently, the School Accountability Committee (SAC) at PCK discussed ways to increase participation in this program. One theme of the latest Safety and Security survey put out by the SAC was to expand the presence of school-based supervision on our campus. Through the Safety Dad program, PCK can provide that greater security for our students. In order to increase participation in the Safety Dad program, we are implementing a few new changes:
The Safety Dad program will now run in half day increments, with the ability to sign up for either morning or afternoon time slots. If a volunteer would like to sign up for a full day, they are able to sign up for both a morning and afternoon time slot on the same day. The new Sign Up Genius will be available by the end of the day tomorrow. Anyone already signed up for a Safety Dad day will need to reselect the day(s) you want on the new form, indicating morning, afternoon, or both shifts.
Listed duties for the Safety Dad position will have a greater focus on student and building safety. Volunteers will be asked to help monitor recess and students’ movements between buildings, as well as maintain our secure perimeter around campus.
Safety Dads will be provided more training on their roles while they are at PCK. This includes a detailed schedule of times and responsibilities, as well as a greater understanding of PCK’s current safety processes.
Ultimately, the goal of this program is still to provide an increase in the security here at PCK. Our students’ safety is the number one priority, and we believe these changes will continue to improve the participation and original intention of the Safety Dad program. Watch for a new Safety Dad Sign Up Genius to be available tomorrow. If you have any questions about being a Safety Dad, please feel free to contact Mr. Thompson. Thank you for helping to make our school the best environment for our students.
Dress Down Fundraiser Tomorrow
On Friday, January 21, all students may dress down in exchange for $1.00 or more. All donations will go towards 8th grade graduation activities.
Dress Code Reminders
It is that time of year again where we begin to see many students in violation of our school’s dress code. We have noticed a lot of :
PCK Spirit Wear - Please remember that PCK spirit wear is reserved for PCKproud Days (the first Friday of the month) or dress down days only, and may not be worn as part of the regular PCK uniform.
Colorful Shoes - Please refer to the dress code policy in the PCK Parent Handbook to confirm which colors are approved for school use.
Long Hair for Boys - Please note that boys' hair must be neat and well trimmed, and must fall above the shirt collar.
Crazy Socks - Socks must follow the dress code guidelines including being a solid, approved color. Please note there are differences between acceptable socks for elementary and middle school.
If there are any questions about the PCK dress code, please review the Dress Code section of the PCK Parent Handbook. Please also note that if there are any questions about whether an article of clothing is acceptable, or if you need clarification on any part of the dress code itself, be sure to contact either Mrs. Sara or Mrs. Mace at the front desk.
COVID Update
PCK has been sending out grade level-specific emails any time we are aware of an exposure. We have received feedback that these emails are not of value and can cause frustration, especially when a family receives multiple emails. Often, by the time we learn of a positive case, many days have passed and the notification is sent several days following the exposure. Therefore, in alignment with DCSD, PCK will discontinue the exposure notification emails.
We know that Omicron is circulating throughout our community. The most important thing our families and staff can do is to assume exposure (whether in the community or at school) and continuously monitor their family members for symptoms.
Families who are interested can monitor the number of new positive cases at PCK for the previous week. In our newsletter, we will begin reporting the number of confirmed positive COVID cases that have been reported to us. From January 13-January 19, PCK has 14 reported COVID-19 cases. We will update the count each week on Thursday for the previous seven days.
We will continue to notify parents in the case of an outbreak in a particular grade level or activity. According to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE), an outbreak is defined as five or more confirmed or probable cases in a facility or (non-household) group with onset in a 14-day period. Should an outbreak occur, some students/staff may be required to quarantine.
Please help our students and staff stay healthy by keeping your child home when:
You are waiting for test results. Asymptomatic students may return to school upon receipt of a negative result. Students with a positive test result must stay home until symptoms are resolved with a minimum of five days at home from the test date or the onset of symptoms.
Students are experiencing ANY symptoms (even mild ones). Students must stay home for five days from the onset of symptoms. If symptoms have resolved, the student may return to school on day six. A mask is needed for the next five days.
Your student has a fever. Please keep students home until the fever has been gone for at least 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medication.
This will go a long way in minimizing exposures at school.
Thank you for your patience, flexibility, and grace as we continue to navigate this ever-changing situation.
Get A Vibe Foods Boost on Saturday
Join us for our January Spirit Day at Vibe Foods.
Date: This Saturday, January 22
Time: 8:00am - 4:00pm
Location: 18320 Cottonwood Drive, Unit A, in Parker.
Enjoy an acai bowl, smoothie, latte, or other taste treat. Be sure to mention PCK Spirit Day when you order so the school gets a portion of the proceeds. Get the details here.
Photos Needed For Our Yearbook
Our yearbook is missing photos of some big events in the life of our school. If you have photos of the following activities, please go to www.treering.com or download the TreeRing app.
7th grade candid shots
Willy Wonka Jr.
Middle school dance
Chess Club
Lego Club
If you don’t have an account on TreeRing, click the Sign Up button and enter our school’s passcode: 1015343699083637. Click the Share Your Photos button, then click on Shared Photo Folders and select the folder that matches the content of the photos you are uploading. You can upload from your computer or mobile device. Thanks for sharing your photos!
It Is CMAS Snack Time
CMAS testing is coming up right after spring break. In order to make sure our 3rd-8th grade students are fueled throughout the day, we're asking parents to bring in testing snacks. Please sign up using the appropriate link below.
3rd grade sign-up link: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/508044AADAF23A1F85-cmas2
4-8th grade sign-up: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/508044AADAF23A1F85-cmas3
Bullying vs Normal Peer Conflict
While our students are learning about bullying prevention this month in character coaching, it is a great time for parents to learn how to tell the difference between bullying and normal peer conflict, as well as strategies to help your student through the ups and downs of friendship. Join us for the next session in our Parent Education Series on Thursday, January 27 at 6:30pm at PCK. This session is led by Dianne Daniels, PCK's character coach. Please RSVP using this form. Parent Education Series sessions are for adults only, and childcare is not provided.
A Friendly Reminder To Our Volunteers
We are thrilled to have volunteers back in the building, and are enjoying seeing all of the parent faces we missed last year. However, as we reconnect, we all need to remember that sound carries through our halls and walls. Recently teachers have reported being able to hear parents talking in the hallway (either to one another or on the phone) and it is disrupting class. Additionally, please remember to find childcare for younger siblings rather than bringing them with you when you volunteer. Thank you for your help!
Our Student Art Show Is Back
We greatly missed our annual student art show last year, and are excited to see it return. We need parent volunteers to help hang the art. Not only is this a fun way to get some volunteer hours, but you also get a close-up look at our amazing student artwork. Sign up here.
Also, if you would like to volunteer to help with art in the kindergarten and first grade classes, please sign up using the links below. You can also find these links on the Volunteer page of our website.
Congratulations, Readers
Yesterday we held the in-school Battle of the Books competition. Competitors had to read ten different books and then answer questions about those books. The 3rd and 4th grade Battle was a close one - 4th grade won by just two questions. The 5th and 6th grade Battle was decided by an even narrower margin - 6th grade won by only one question. The winning teams will move on to compete against other area schools at the Parker Library beginning next week. Congratulations to all of our outstanding readers! We are #PCKproud of you!
Way To Go, Spelling Bee Champ
Congratulations to Morgan Dudnick (8th grade) who won PCK's spelling bee. One student from each 4th-8th grade class competed for a total of 15 participants. Morgan now moves on to represent PCK at the District Spelling Bee. Great job, Morgan! We are PCKproud of you!
Any Future Meteorologists At PCK?
Last Friday, CBS Channel 4 meteorologist Dave Aguilera spoke to our second graders about weather. They learned about pressure systems, upslope and downslope, snow, tornadoes, and much more. The kids absolutely loved it!
From The Foundation At PCK
The Annual Giving Campaign has officially closed. We raised over $36,000! The Foundation at PCK would like to thank everyone who donated. We could not have done this without all of your help. This is a great start to help fund our playground project. As a reminder, donations to the Foundation are always welcome throughout the year, and we appreciate every single one of them.
Connecting With Character
Students have started our annual Bully Prevention Unit in character coaching class. You can learn more about what students are doing in class and help reinforce skills at home using these Home Links.
Library Volunteers Make A World of Difference
We are looking for volunteers to help shelve books and offer support during class library times. If you would like to volunteer in the PCK library, sign up here.
Help For Anxious Kids
Is your child struggling with anxiety? Is anxiety interfering with their academics or social emotional well being? If so, our Anxiety Group might be able to help. The group will be led by our school psychologist and will take place during lunch once a week. Students will learn a new coping skill/strategy one week and will put that skill into practice the following week. For more information, please contact the school psychologist at mlasiter@ckcs.net.
Stand Up For Safety
Thank you to Jason Eddy for being our Safety Dad this week. Our students love seeing dads here keeping our perimeter secure, helping with lunch and recess, and assisting with other activities as needed. Our new Safety Dad sign up sheet reflecting two shifts per day will be available by the end of the day tomorrow. If you had already signed up for an upcoming shift, please reselect the day you want on the new sign up sheet. Thank you!