PCK Weekly News
December 2, 2021

PCKproud Day Tomorrow

Tomorrow is the first Friday of the month, and that means it is a PCKproud Day! Students may wear any PCK shirt along with blue jeans or uniform bottoms (no other bottoms, including leggings, are allowed). Let's see your PCK spirit!

Nominate A Special Staff Member

The Apple Awards are back and we have many outstanding teachers and staff members deserving of nominations. Sponsored by the Foundation for Douglas County Schools, the Apple Awards honor exceptional educators and staff who are inspiring a love of learning in students and are trailblazing extraordinary innovation in our schools. If there is a special member of the PCK staff who has made a difference to your student, please click here to access the Apple Awards nomination page, then select Parker Core Knowledge under the list of charter schools. Both video and written nominations are accepted, and are due December 12. 

Mini Cougar Camp Postponed

We are thrilled that so many students signed up for Mini Cougar Camp with the PCK Spirit Team! Unfortunately, a member of the team tested positive for COVID. Under the Douglas County Health Department guidelines, participants in after-school activities must quarantine if there is a positive case amongst the group. This includes our Spirit Team, so Mini Cougar Camp will not be held tomorrow. We have rescheduled for January 5 and 6, dancing at the basketball game on January 6. Please watch the newsletter for further details, and you will receive an email from Coach Gillen if you are already registered for camp. We apologize for this inconvenience, and look forward to holding a great camp in the near future.

Thank You From NJHS

Thursday, November 18, marked the end of the annual PCK Holiday Food Drive. Students in grades K-8 helped the National Junior Honor Society collect a generous haul of Thanksgiving-related food items to donate to the Parker Task Force. These items helped families in need have a full Thanksgiving meal. 


The following Tuesday, NJHS officers Ruchi, Jaydeen, Eunice, and Ryker helped transport the many, many boxes full of canned goods to the Parker Task Force. Special thanks to NJHS members Lena, Arianna, Austin, Emily, and Ella for helping gather donations from all around the building, and an extra special thanks to the Badiginchala and Choe families for helping make sure everything arrived at the Parker Task Force in one piece! We could not have done it without all of their help, and we certainly couldn’t have done anything without all of the kind donations from the PCK community. Thank you!


Drew Robbins

NJHS Sponsor

Escape With Gothic Literature

Last Tuesday, at the end of their Gothic Literature unit, the eighth graders competed in an escape room activity based on Edgar Allan Poe's "The Pit and the Pendulum." The first group in each class to solve the puzzles won Starbucks gift cards. The winners for Mrs. Eckert's classes were Sahasra, Phoebe, Sruthi, and Micah for 8A, and Srey, Derek, Ryan, and Guy for 8B. Mrs. Nelson's 8C winners were Reagan, Ella, and Olivia.

Make The Season Bright For Kids In Need

PCK’s chapter of the National Junior Honor Society and Student Council are helping ring in the holiday season this year with Toys for Tots. Toys for Tots is a program run annually by the US Marine Corps to help “bring the joy of Christmas and send a message of hope” to America’s less fortunate children. 


Starting next week, students will be encouraged to bring toys to the school to place in one of our many collection boxes. There will be a collection box placed around each grade level’s classrooms. Please be sure that your student only brings new, unwrapped toys to place in the donation boxes.


PCK’s Toys for Tots collection will begin on Monday, December 6th, and end on Friday, December 10th. Toys will be collected and transported to the Toys for Tots Warehouse in Aurora on Tuesday, December 14th, so please do not bring any toys after the last official day of collection.


Thank you, and have a wonderful holiday season!


David Goode

Student Council Sponsor


Drew Robbins

NJHS Sponsor

Character Connection

This week in Character Coaching, students in kindergarten, first grade, and fourth grade are getting a sneak peek at December's character trait of honesty. Second grade is working on impulse control strategies. Third grade is learning how to manage strong feelings. You can help them practice at home using the Home Link for third grade. 

From The Foundation at PCK 

Our Annual Giving campaign is off and running, and so far 15 donations have come in, raising $3,060! This year, the Foundation's main goal is to fund our playground project. The playground is 20 years old and needs some serious TLC. All funds raised through the annual giving campaign will go towards the new and improved playground. 


Please consider donating at Annual Giving Campaign 2021 | The Foundation at PCK (Powered by Donorbox) or by texting "PCKGIVING" to 801801. Follow the prompts to make your donation. The Foundation at PCK is a 501(c)(3) and many employers will match donations. Any little bit helps.


Thank you for your support!

Chess Club On Hold

At this time, the January session of chess club through Chess Wizards is on hold. If you have already registered, please contact Chess Wizards for a refund. We apologize for this inconvenience, and will let you know when we can get it rescheduled.

Fun With The PTA

Cookie Extravaganza
In order to help our amazing PCK staff celebrate the holidays, the PTA is inviting families to donate holiday cookies! The staff will celebrate with a Cookie Extravaganza on December 14. Click here to get the details and sign up. We particularly need sugar free, gluten free, and vegan cookies. Thanks for making the season merry and bright for our staff! 

Winter Mart

Thank you to all of those who have already signed up to volunteer! This event will not be possible without our amazing PCK community. We still need volunteers for several shifts, particularly the 3:30 - 6:15pm shift on Thursday, December 9 when the shop is open late for our students in Core Care Club, and also the 2:10 - 4:30pm shift on Tuesday, December 14. Click here to get more details and to sign up. Thank you for your consideration!


 This event is about making memories for our students, as well as their families.  Take a look at this note from PCK kindergarten teacher, Mrs. Cook:

Kindergarten teach Mrs. Cook still has several items her own children bought for her at events similar to our Winter Mart. She sent in a photo showing the items she received from her children with a note explaining the items.

First Grade Loves Kona Ice
Ms. Donovan’s First Grade class enjoyed their Kona Ice Party this week. Their classroom came in first place for Butter Braid Sales.  Congratulations!


No PTA Meeting in December

Due to the 2021 Winter Mart, the December PTA meeting will be canceled. Please join us for the January meeting, which will be held the second Wednesday of the month. Watch for more details to come.

Helping Kids Overcome Anxiety

DCSD partner Scott Cypers is doing an exclusive video series for parents on helping kids understand and overcome anxiety. Click here to watch the first two segments of the series.

Stand Up For Safety

Thank you to Andrew Campbell for being our Safety Dad this week. Our students love seeing dads here to keep our perimeter secure, help with lunch and recess, and assist with other activities as needed. Click here to learn more about being a Safety Dad or to sign up.

Thank You

Thank you to the Mockus and Shimensky families for donating masks and plastic ware to the school. We truly appreciate you seeing a need and meeting it. Thank you for your generosity!