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Southmoor Elementary

PRINCIPAL POST: DECEMBER 2024

11/24/24, 1:01 PM

PRINCIPAL POST

DECEMBER 2024

Dear Southmoor Families,

As we approach the final three weeks of the first semester, I want to express my deep gratitude for your unwavering partnership in supporting our students and families. Your involvement and commitment are at the heart of our collective success, and we couldn’t do this without you!

These remaining weeks are critical as we work to close out the semester strong and ensure that every student is set up for success. To maximize learning during this time, here are three things you can do to support your child’s progress:

Maintain a Consistent Routine: Ensure your child attends school every day, well-rested and ready to learn. Regular attendance plays a key role in their academic growth.
Engage in Learning Conversations: Take time to ask your child about what they’re learning. Encourage them to share their achievements and challenges. This reinforces their understanding and builds confidence.
Celebrate Effort and Progress: Recognize your child’s hard work and milestones. Encouragement fuels their motivation and helps them finish the semester strong.

Thank you for your continuous support and partnership as we work together to create a joyful, meaningful, and impactful learning experience for all students.

In service of the most important person in the world - YOUR CHILD,

Jonell Pineda

Principal

Southmoor Elementary School

3755 South Magnolia Way, Denver, CO 80237

720-424-3930 | Fax: 720-424-3955

CELEBRATIONS

Scholastics Book Fair: We are thrilled to share the incredible success of our Scholastic Book Fair, with total sales reaching more than $15,000! 🎉📚 This remarkable achievement would not have been possible without the outstanding leadership of Nicole Berry, whose hard work and dedication ensured the event's success. A heartfelt thank you also goes to Melissa Hartman, our paraprofessional supporting our library services, and of course, our amazing parent volunteers, whose support and enthusiasm created a welcoming and exciting experience for our students and families. Together, you’ve made a lasting impact, fostering a love for reading in our community. Thank you for making this year’s Book Fair an unforgettable success! 🌟
Chromebook Cart Program: A huge thank you to our incredible Southmoor PTO for facilitating the Chromebook Cart Project, ensuring that every classroom is equipped with a cart to charge student devices. Your dedication to supporting our students and teachers makes a tremendous difference in our daily operations and learning environment. A special shoutout to Chris Ausdenmoore for going the extra mile in setting up the carts for all classrooms! Your hard work and commitment to this project have truly elevated the efficiency and organization of device management across the school. We are so grateful for your efforts and partnership! 👏💻✨
Family Game Night: A heartfelt thank you to the Southmoor DEIB Committee for leading the charge in creating an engaging and inclusive Family Game Night! Your dedication to building connections within our community is truly inspiring. Special recognition goes to Madison Stockton and Stacey Grapengator for spearheading this work along with our volunteers. Your efforts brought families together for an evening filled with joy, connection, and fun! We appreciate all that you do to strengthen our school community! 🎲✨

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Weather-Appropriate Clothing: As we move from fall into winter, please help your children stay comfortable and prepared for the colder weather by ensuring they come to school with warm, weather-appropriate clothing. Layers, hats, gloves, and coats will help them stay cozy during outdoor activities and transitions throughout the day.
Parent Education Series: We’re excited to announce an upcoming Parent Education Series designed to support you in helping your children thrive at school! This series will cover a variety of topics focused on enhancing student success. To help us tailor this series to best meet your needs, please take a moment to read the topic descriptions and complete a brief survey. Your input will be invaluable to the Southmoor Community Partnership as we develop a plan moving forward.
Refining Southmoor’s Safety Protocols: At Southmoor Elementary, the safety and security of our students and staff are our top priorities. To enhance our safety protocols, we have refined our visitor entry procedures:
- Main Office Entry Only: All visitors must enter the school through the main office located on Magnolia Way. Entry through any other doors will not be permitted. Visitors attempting to enter through other doors will be redirected to the main office.
- Raptor Visitor Management System: Upon arrival, all visitors will be required to present a form of identification. Using the Raptor system, visitors will input their first name, last name, and date of birth, and a name tag will be printed for identification.
- Name Tag Requirement: Visitors without an official Raptor name tag will be directed to the main office to complete the check-in process.

OPPORTUNITIES

WE LOVE OUR VOLUNTEERS! There are many ways for parents and family members to be involved in our school. For volunteer opportunities and to sign up please check in with your student's teacher or our amazing PTO who are always looking for volunteers. If you will be in the classroom working with students, chaperoning a field trip, or helping with a special event at school a background check is necessary. Visitors who are here for school functions, parties, etc. will not be required to have a background check. These background checks are good for 1 calendar year and will have to be re-submitted every year for updated information. Reminder: All volunteers no matter how big or small their roles are must have a current volunteer background check on file. https://equity.dpsk12.org/get-involved/volunteer-services/

*GOOD DEED CODE: We do not publish the Good Deed Code, so we direct volunteers to start at the DPS Volunteer Services website. The purple Volunteer Background Check Portal tab is hyperlinked to the Sterling Volunteers DPS prepaid account landing page. When using this link, payment is not required. If you are having trouble with the application please contact Sterling Volunteers directly for assistance. All of their information is on the application page.

MONTHLY EVENTS

DECEMBER

3 CSC Meeting (5:00 pm)

3 PTO Meeting (6:00 pm)

6 RRCK’n Moose - Hogwarts (Harry Potter Theme)

7-10 Monthly IStation Progress Monitoring

10 Community Dine Out: Chipotle

13 RRCK’n Moose - Video Game

13 Last Day to get Lost & Found articles (after today items will be donated)

18 Kinder Specials Showcase (5:30 -6:30)

19 DEIB Monthly Meetings (5:30-6:30)

20 RRCK’n Moose - Hawaiian

20 Classroom Winter Celebration

23-31 Winter Break | NO SCHOOL

RESOURCES

Quick Links