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Pikes Peak Elementary

2020-2021

Parent/Student Handbook

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Pikes Peak Staff

Kindergarten Interventionist

Marianne Sheldon Jessica Jenkin - Literacy Coach

Courtney Begley Sarah Szymanski – Instructional Coach

Hannah Zwahlen

CLDE Teachers

1st Grade Kimberly Radle

Jenna Fissel James Flinn

Michelle Kokoska

Barb Losoya SpED Moderate Needs Teachers

Beth Marion

2nd Grade Charity Hensley

Shelley Lugauer

Hannah Struttmann Affective Needs Teachers

Anna Trujillo Jolie Winking

3rd Grade Para Professionals

Lindsey Hasan Martin Jordan – Affective Needs Para

Molly Behm Joe Winking – Affective Needs Para

Brittney Persico

Jasmine Marchman - 1:1 Para

4th Grade

Ginny Mayville Ismael Samayoa – Instructional Para

Roy Matthewson Ian Morton – Instructional Para

Wanda Wallace – Instructional Para

5th Grade Stacey Springfield – Instructional Para

Desirae Goodwin Leslie Mobley-Wilson – Instructional Para

Meredith Bennett

Emma Griffith – Social Worker

Specials Ruth Okal - Counselor

Melanie Chadwick - Art Noelia Feliz – Psychologist

Tiara-Ann Perdue - Music

Dana Rikli - PE Shannon Gonzalez – Kitchen Manager

- Health Aide Shannon Moses – Registrar/School Secretary

Sherry Russell - Nurse Cece Castro – Principal Secretary

Ami Nunn – Assistant Principal

John Hall – Building Engineer Jennifer Locke - Principal

Jimmy McCarger – Building Night Tech

Josh Espinoza – Building Night Tech

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HSD2 Vision and Goals

DISTRICT CORE BELIEFS

The mission of HSD2 is to ensure each student achieves personal success in all endeavors in life while contributing to the greater good through a unique, vital system. We will be successful as a district by ensuring the core beliefs are at the center of everything we do with our students and community. These beliefs include:

Core Beliefs All students are capable of excellence

Our purpose is to maximize student success The well-being of our students, staff, families, and community is worthy of our investment

Goals Establish a culture where all students, staff and families are valued, supported and appreciated

Empower all students with the education and skills necessary to be successful in their life journey Broaden meaningful, active engagement among students, families, and community

District & school websites Find out the latest upcoming events by visiting Harrison’s website at http://www.hsd2.org or PPE’s website at Pikes Peak Elementary Homepage

Letter from the Principal

Dear Parents/Guardians and Students of PPE, Welcome back to Pikes Peak! Wow, what a strange year 2020 has become! We are so happy to be back because we missed you all so much! We cannot tell you how excited we are to start another school year with you and your student(s), no matter what this year brings and no matter where your student does her or his learning. As always please contact us if you have any questions! A little bit about myself, I could not be more exited for the 2020-2021 school year! My name is Jen-nifer Locke and this will be my third year as the principal at Pikes Peak Elementary twenty-fifth year as an educator. I am originally from Los Angeles but was lucky enough to move to the Pikes Peak Region with my husband, a Colorado Springs native, in 1998. From a very young age, I knew that I would be working with kids and it is such a pleasure to be continuing that dream here. I received my B.A. from the University of California, San Diego and then my M.A. from the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs. In education, I have been an elementary and middle school teacher. I was also a literacy coach and assistant principal for 11 years. I have spent twenty years in Harrison and I think it is the best school district in the state! Thank you for entrusting your precious children with us this year! At PPE, we recognize that educating children requires a team effort. We want you to be a part of our team to ensure the success of your student. Regardless of how school will look throughout this year, here at Pikes Peak we will continue to work hard at providing your student with appropriate small group learning time with instruction tailored to meet your students’ unique needs. Thank you for the honor of being an integral partner in the education of your student(s)! This year we at Pikes Peak we will continue to “Believe, Achieve & Succeed”! Sincerely, Ms. Jenn Locke (719) 579-2180

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School Communications

If school function as normal, the schedule will be the same as the last school year. Mondays are used for Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) for teachers, so students will have a late start. This is no change to the end times for this year, except for Mondays.

Monday

Start Time Dismissal Time

10:05 a.m. 3:35 p.m.

Tuesday – Friday

Start Time Dismissal Time

8:35 a.m. 3:35 p.m.

Drop off/Pick Up- Regular Due to COVID-19, Students will line up outside from 8:00-8:15 in their designated areas. There will only be supervision starting at 8:00am. For the safety of your student(s), there is no supervision prior to 8:00am. No students are allowed on campus prior to 8:00am. At 8:15 students will enter the building at their specific locations, picking up breakfast and proceed immediately to their classrooms to eat. Any students arriving after 8:35 AM should come through the main office entrance to receive a tardy slip. Students will be released when the bell rings at 3:35 p.m. All students will be released from their classroom doors. Students in Kindergarten need the adult picking them up to come to the outside Kin-dergarten doors in the Kindergarten playground. The teacher will want to make visible eye contact with the person picking up the student and then the child will give the teacher a high five and go to their adult. In Harrison School District 2, we teach bell to bell. Students will be dismissed from their classroom doors after the bell rings at 3:35pm.

Students MUST be picked up by 3:45 PM. Students not picked up by this time will wait for a family member. Students will only be released once the late pickup binder has been signed by the guardian picking up. The front office closes at 4:00, so there will be no supervision available for students after that time.

Supervision: Make sure that your child does not arrive at school earlier than 9:30 on Mondays and no earlier than 8:00 on Tuesday-Friday. This is a safety concern as we do not have personnel on duty prior to 9:30 on Mondays and no earlier than 8:00 on Tuesday-Friday.

Inclement Weather Procedures: In the event of bad weather at the time of dismissal, students will be kept in classrooms. When par-ents or guardians arrive for pickup, please check into the office and your student(s) will be called down. Walkers will be held until it is deemed that the weather is safe for outdoor travel.

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Closings and Cancellations (Board Policy EBCE) The Superintendent is empowered to close the schools or to dismiss them early in event of hazard-ous weather or other emergencies which threaten the safety, health or welfare of students or staff members. It is understood that the Superintendent will take such action only after consultation with appropriate authorities. The Board shall ratify the closing at its next regular meeting.

Student safety is always the District's first priority in determining whether to close or delay schools. If a school closure or delayed start is called, announcements will be made on local radio and TV stations between 5:30 and 6:00 a.m.

In the event school is closed for the day

Parents are expected to be responsible for custody of their children. Listen to the news broad-casts on stormy mornings.

In the event a delayed/safety start occurs Parents are expected to be responsible for custody of their children until school begins. If a delayed start is called, the following will occur:

No breakfast program.

Buses would run two hours later and be on their regular schedule at the end of the day.

Classes would begin two hours later and end at the usual time at the end of the day. If a two-hour delayed start is called and parents feel weather conditions are a threat to their child's wellbeing, they may notify the school and those absences or late arrivals will be excused. Per district policy, the absence is only excused if the district calls the delay. If parents choose to keep their chil-dren home and there is no delay, it is not an excused absence. Planners All students will be given a planner at the start of school. Students will use the planner to write down homework and there is an area for students to keep track of their behavior color for each day. It is an expectation that parents look at agendas every night and initial in the parent comment box. If a stu-dent loses their planner, we will replace it for $5.00. The student planner is our best way of facilitating communication between home and school. The stu-dent planner is designed to give students a tool to help them keep track of assignments, prepare for tests, and organize materials for classes. Proper use of the student planner will help students organ-ize their responsibilities, which increases effectiveness. Parents can support this by checking the planner nightly for homework and asking the students to show you their work. We require that parents initial the planner everyday so that teachers know it has been seen. Thursday Folders Important documents and announcements will come home each Thursday night in your child’s Thurs-day folder. Please check to be sure you are up to date on happenings at Pikes Peak Elementary and in our community. Attendance, illness, and truancy School attendance is mandated and regulated by Colorado State Law. No single factor may interfere with a student’s progress more quickly than frequent absences. Students are expected to attend school regularly with no unexcused absences or tardiness to classes. Parents are expected to inform the school within 24 hours when a student is absent and the reason for the absence. This can be done with a phone call or a note. The office number is 579-2180. Excused absences include illness

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or injury; physical, mental or emotional disability; student is in the custody of the court or law enforce-ment authorities; or any other absence approved by the principal of the school of attendance. The district policy will be followed with unresolved and/or continued attendance concerns. Parents must ensure the school has current and accurate emergency contact information on file. Anytime a change is made, please contact the school office. Students will be released to person(s) listed on the list only, unless other arrangements have been made. School office staff will ask for an ID for per-son(s) picking up student(s), so please bring your ID with you and understand that we do this for the safety of our students. Our district attendance actions are outlined below:

Step 1 – When a student misses three (3) days, the homeroom teacher or classroom teacher calls home.

Step 2 – When a student misses five (5) days, the counselor calls home and a conference is re-quested to assist with the child’s attendance. An attendance contract is established.

Step 3 – Any further absences after five (5) days will be documented. At the seventh (7) absence, a district letter is sent to the parents/guardians. The counselor will call home.

Step 4 – At the tenth (10) absence, Pikes Peak Elementary will file a Petition of Non-Compliance with the El Paso County Court system requesting a court order to mandate compulsory and consistent participation. This is district policy.

Tardiness Instruction begins promptly at 10:05a.m. on Mondays and 8:35 a.m. on Tuesday-Friday. Students who arrive after 10:05am on Mondays and 8:35 a.m. on Tuesday-Fridays will be marked tardy. Par-ents must accompany any student who arrives after 10:05a.m. on Mondays and 8:35 a.m. Tuesday-Fridays to the office before proceeding to the classroom. Instruction finishes each day at 3:35. If you pick your child up before that time, you must sign them out in the front office, and that time will be documented as an afternoon tardy.

Parent/Guardian concerns If at any time during the school year, a parent/guardian has a concern about the safety or school suc-cess of their child, or questions about school policies or procedures, please use the following steps:

For a safety concern: Notify the office as soon as you hear about the issue. We work hard to ensure the safety of our students and will investigate the problem fully. We will involve law enforce-ment if the issue warrants.

For academic concerns: Please contact the child’s teacher directly for questions about grades or assignments. Teachers are asked to return phone calls or emails within 24 hours of receiving them. If you still have concerns, contact the administration and a parent/teacher/administrator confer-ence will be set.

For school policies or procedures: Contact the front office and if your question cannot be an-swered; the administration will contact you. Visitor policy Due to Covid 19, no visitors are allowed in the building until we have received guidance that the pan-demic is over.

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Conferences Parent-Teacher Conferences are scheduled for Thursday, October 17th and March 5th. Students will attend school on these days for half a day; conferences will start in the afternoon. Teachers will con-tact parents to set up times. As a parent, you have a right to schedule a conference at any time. Please contact your student’s teacher to set that up.

Monthly newsletters PPE’s monthly newsletter will come home in the Thursday folder during the first week of each month. You can also see the latest version online on our school website.

School Services School breakfast and lunch Breakfast will not be served on Mondays, due to the late start. Breakfast will begin at 8:15 a.m. in the classrooms Tuesday-Friday. Students who arrive late will be able to take part in breakfast up until 8:40 a.m. on Tuesdays-Fridays. Lunch room expectations are outlined in our ROAR Matrix. Par-ents/Guardians are not allowed this year due to Covid-19. Family members who do not attend PPE will need to pay $3.60 for a tray.

Counseling and student services Pikes Peak has a full time counselor, full time social worker and a part time psychologist who work together with other staff to ensure our students’ emotional concerns are cared for and social interac-tions are appropriate. Students who are struggling with school for whatever reason can visit with our counselor for support. Students should get a pass from their teacher to visit the counselor or make an appointment by completing a Counselor Referral Request form in the front office. Administrators are also available if the counselor is not. Lost and Found Each year many items end up lost or misplaced. If your student is missing anything, have them check the lost and found located just outside of the trophy case outside of the cafeteria. Call the office if your student misplaced their glasses.

Parent Involvement Parents play a major role in the success of our school. There are a number of ways you can volunteer that don’t involve being in the school on a daily basis. WE LOVE OUR VOLUNTEERS!

Volunteering at Pikes Peak

For this year, thank you for supporting your child at home, as we have limited options for parent in-volvement. Unfortunately, due to COVID-19, we will be unable to have any parent volunteers in the building. Please contact your child’s teacher if you have availability to support the classroom outside of the building. We hope that, very soon, we can welcome back volunteers.

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Student Support We all know that every student learns differently. In order to address student needs we have a num-ber of procedures we follow. Steps are taken to ensure all students receive the best education. If you have concerns about your child’s academic achievement, behavior or health, talk with the classroom teacher first. Accommodations may need to be made such as changing location of the student’s desk or adjusting homework assignments. MTSS (Multi-Tiered Support Systems) MTSS is an approach that promotes an integrated system connecting general education, English lan-guage acquisition, gifted programs, and special education in providing high quality instruction and in-tervention to match students’ academic, social-emotional and behavioral needs. MTSS is a multi lay-ered process designed to intervene with students who encounter difficulty either academically or be-haviorally. Teachers, staff and the administration team monitor students all year long. When students reach the second tier, PPE staff will seek input from parents.

Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Education (CLDE) CLDE identifies students through a Home Language Identification Form. If the form indicates a lan-guage other than English is a significant influence in the home, students are assessed using the CoW-APT Test. This test determines the level of support services recommended.

Special Education (SpEd) Students who may be struggling academically, emotionally or behaviorally will be identified and tracked through the MTSS process. If there is very little or no growth, the building team, along with parent/guardians will look into special education. Special Education is a service provided to those stu-dents who qualify for an Individualized Education Program (IEP). If the school is looking at SpEd ser-vices, the parent/guardians are full and contributing members of this team. If you have any questions or concerns related to this area, please contact the school’s Special Education teacher or talk to the administration team.

Gifted and Talented (GT) PPE teachers differentiate for all students; this includes students identified as gifted and talented. As-signments may be modified to ensure students reach their highest potential. Contact the classroom teacher or school counselor if you have any questions referring to Gifted and Talented.

School Rules and Procedures Dogs on Campus For the safety of all our students, Pikes Peak School Policy is that dogs are not allowed on property.

In the morning, if you have your dog, please stop at the perimeter of the property and have your stu-dent walk up to the door without you. When picking your student up, if you need to bring your dog, please arrange with the office that your student will “walk” home. You and your dog can meet the stu-dent off property.

We love dogs but we don’t want students, families, or the dogs to have an incident where someone is hurt.

PPE staff reserves the right to request papers if a service animal is being brought on campus.

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Bicycles, Skateboards, and Scooters Students may ride bicycles to school. They should be ridden in accordance with state laws and not ridden on the grass, concrete courtyard, or in the middle of the street. They are to be ridden on road-ways and designated pathways, and carried or walked when on school property. Students are re-sponsible for providing a chain and lock for their items. All bikes must be stored against the fence. Students may bring a lock to secure their bikes during the day.

Skateboards, scooters, skates, and shoes with wheels are not to be ridden on school property. Stu-dents who violate these expectations will have their items confiscated. Confiscated items will be re-turned to parents. Students who repeatedly violate expectations may have their items confiscated by administration for the remainder of the school year. The school accepts no responsibility for lost, sto-len, or damaged items, as well as injuries that result from students who choose to violate the school rules.

NOTE: Administration reserves the right to amend procedures and expectations relating to the use and storage of bikes, skateboards, and scooters on school property, as well as, the use of in-line skates and/or shoes with built-in wheels or any other related item associated with “wheels in motion.”

Electronics and Toys Students should not bring electronic items such as cell phones, pagers, video games, I-pods, mp3 players, giga pets, portable radios, televisions, cd players, headphones, etc. unless required for a school project with the teacher’s approval. Any of the above items brought to school will be confiscated by school personnel and turned in to the principal. A parent or guardian will need to contact the principal to make arrangements to pick these items up. Birthday/Celebration Treats Harrison School District 2 policy states that only store bought treats are permitted to be distributed to students as celebratory treats. Due to COVID-19, all treats must be both store bought and individually wrapped in packaging provided by the manufacturer. Due to severe food allergies within our building, teachers must be able to read a list of all ingredients and see whether or not food products were man-ufactured in a plant that may have exposure to nuts, soy, etc. Since home kitchens cannot completely guarantee the complete absence of any potential allergens, any treats brought to school must be store bought and come in the original container/wrapping to ensure safety compliance. No home-made treats may be served to students. All birthday celebrations must be pre-arranged by parents with permission of the classroom teacher. Due to COVID-19, No parents will be allowed in the building for celebrations.

Grading Grades, attendance and citizenship are computed and reported to parents once every quarter. Pro-gress reports are issued to all students in each subject area at the middle of each quarter’s grading period. These reports are designed to help parents monitor their child’s progress. They serve as teacher communication concerning academic and citizenship grades. Parents need to watch for pro-gress reports that are sent home with their child.

Make-up Work and Homework It is the responsibility of the student/family to request make-up assignments from the teachers. Fail-ure to complete work missed in the designated time might result in a lower grade for the grading pe-riod. Students need to follow the guidelines established by the teacher concerning due dates for missed assignments as a result of excused absences. In cases of extended absences of more than three days, parents may call the office (579-2180) to make arrangements to pick up assignments at least 48 hours in advance of the absence. For absences in duration of three days or less, students shall get missed assignments from teachers when they return to school.

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It is our belief that homework assignments will be used to expand classroom learning and are rele-vant to the course objectives being taught. Homework assignments are an opportunity to practice standards-based instruction. Homework consists of enrichment activities assigned by the teacher and work that was not completed in class and is due the next day. Homework is an important way for students to practice the skills taught that day in school.

Medication If a student has prescription medicine that must be taken during school hours, the medicine should be left in the main office in the original bottle with the prescription information and the doctor’s name on it. A doctor’s orders form must be signed by a doctor to give the school staff permission to administer the medicine. School staff is not allowed to give any other medicines to students, including pain relievers, cold med-icines, cough drops, etc. A doctor’s note is needed for any kind of over the counter medication, and HSD2 medical form must be signed by the doctor and parent/guardian. Field Trips Due to COVID-19 there will be no field trips.

Behavior PPE developed behavior standards to help students, parents/guardians and school personnel under-stand the guidelines for maintaining a safe learning and working environment. ROAR Positive Behavior Interventions and Support: Pikes Peak is proud of our PBIS program. The primary purpose of the Colorado School-wide Positive Behavior Interventions and Support initiative is to “establish and maintain safe and effective school environments that maximize the academic achievement and behavioral competence of all learners in Colorado.”

Expectations are taught and practiced for all settings, and students are rewarded for positive behav-ior. The rubrics are posted throughout the school. You can also see a copy of the matrix in the appen-dix.

PPE uses the acronym ROAR to teach and model positive behaviors: Responsibility, Ownership, Atti-tude, Respectful. Students will receive a color ever day they are at school. This will be placed in your child’s planner. The colors correspond to the following: Purple – Highest Level Outstanding Blue Excellent Green Great Yellow Warning Orange Time to change behavior Red Call home and or other consequence Please be aware while we hope most students are green, blue or purple, yellow is merely a warning to change behavior. If your child is on yellow, please discuss ways for your child to improve his or her behavior the following day.

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Harrison School District 2 Code of Conduct Can Be Found at: https://www.hsd2.org/Page/498 If you would like a hard copy, you may request one from the front office. Bully Free Schools Policy JICDE

In accordance with Colorado Statute 22‐33‐109.1, Harrison School District 2 is committed to protect-ing students and staff from discrimination, bullying and harassing behaviors. Bullying, hazing, intimi-dation, and harassment (hereafter collectively noted as “bullying”) of any kind will not be tolerated in Harrison District 2 schools, regardless of how they are communicated. Programs throughout the Dis-trict are designed to help educate students, staff, and parents/guardians on: identifying bullying be-haviors in schools; providing strategies for addressing bullying behaviors; and implementing adminis-trative procedures for the reporting and disciplining associated with such behaviors. Any student, who commits an act of harassment or bullying, is subject to disciplinary action. Student should report bully-ing behaviors immediately to a school staff member, the school principal or principal’s designee, or

call Safe2Tell at 1‐877‐542‐SAFE. General rules of conduct: Policy: JICDA

Students shall act in a manner that maximizes the substantial benefits of public education.

Students shall respect others.

Students shall accept responsibility for their own behavior.

Students shall respect the rights and property of others.

Students shall refrain from harming themselves or others.

Students shall develop and use problem‐solving skills to resolve conflicts.

Students shall follow established district, school and classroom rules.

Students shall refrain from acting in such a man-ner as to expose others to risk or danger of harm or injury.

Students shall maintain academic integrity. Students shall not use threats or intimidation against others.

Students shall refrain from interfering with learn-ing and teaching.

Students shall not engage in unlawful activities.

Students shall maintain appropriate dress and hygiene.

Students shall refrain from carrying, bringing, us-ing, or possessing any weapon or use anything else as a weapon, in or on district property.

Behaviors warranting possible disciplinary action:

Aggressive behaviors, including but not limited to hitting, pushing, shoving

Cheating and/or plagiarism

Destruction of school property

Disobedience to teacher or other staff member

Disrespectful behavior toward teacher or other staff member

Disruption of class

Fighting

Leaving class or school grounds without permission

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Misuse of electronic communication devices (iPad, tablet, laptop, etc.)

Obscene language or gestures

Continual refusal to follow directions of teacher or other staff members

Sexual harassment

Theft or attempted theft

Threatening bodily harm, language, gestures or property damage

Racial slurs

Uniform Dress Policy for 2020-2021

Scientifically Proven Benefits of a Uniform Only Policy

Reduce non-academic distractions Less stress on parents Improved feelings of community Safety Reduced student behavioral problems

BOTTOMS (Solid Color: Tan, Navy Blue, or Black ONLY)

PANTS, SHORTS, SKIRT, SKORT/SHORTS, CAPRIS, LEGGINGS UNDER A FIRST LAYER

Pants/Capri’s: Sagging is not allowed. Full length pants may not be rolled up to shorten the length. Navy stitching on navy pants, tan stitching on tan pants, and black stitching on black pants. NO JEANS.

Shorts/Skort/Skirt: MUST BE finger length Jumpers: Solid Color tan, navy, or black

TOPS (Solid Color: Red, White, Navy Blue, Black)

LONG SLEEVE OR SHORT SLEEVE, POLO SHIRTS, T-SHIRT, BLOUSE OR PIKES PEAK SHIRT

Polo style shirts (two or three button style) NO logos – EXCEPT PIKES PEAK LOGO One red, white, or navy blue crewneck, short or long sleeve T-shirt or turtleneck may also be

worn under the polo shirts.

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SECOND LAYER TOPS (SOLID COLOR: RED, WHITE, OR NAVY BLUE, BLACK)

Cardigan Sweater (Zipper or button style) Sweatshirt (NO LOGOS, SOLID COLORS) Hooded Sweatshirt or Zipper Sweat Jacket No Jackets Undershirts allowed to be worn under polo shirts or second layer tops; must be uniform

color

FOOTWEAR Safe footwear is required at all times. No flip-flops, sandals, house shoes/slippers or shoes with wheels.

Dress NOT allowed

NO LOGOS on any clothing; except a PPE LOGO

NO sweat or jersey pants

NO clothing that is too tight fitting or oversized

NO jeans, except on designated “jean days”

NO athletic style shorts/clothing

NO hats are to be worn in the building, exception designated “hat days”

NO jackets inside the building.

Uniform options available for sale in the front office.

o NO LOGOS on any clothing

o NO cargo pants/shorts/skirts

o NO corduroy sweat or jersey pants

o NO clothing that is too tight fitting or oversized

o NO multi-colored/striped/patterned socks, tights, or leggings

o NO jeans

o NO carpenter pants/shorts/shirts

o NO athletic style shorts/clothing

o NO hats are to be worn in the building, except on designated “hat days”

o NO hooded tops

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Safety/Emergency There are four main emergency procedures that students and staff practice throughout the year. Be-low is a description.

1. Lockout – All exterior doors are locked and monitored. Outside students and staff are brought into the building and business as usual inside.

2. Lockdown – Requires all staff and students to go to safe places in the building from outside the building and for all students and staff to stay out of sight.

3. Evacuation – Requires all staff and students to leave the building.

4. Shelter in Place – students and staff take shelter in hallways and away from windows.

If there is ever a time where the school is not safe to come back into, students and staff would walk over to Mountain Vista Community School at 2550 Dorset Drive Colorado Springs, CO 80910. After directed by the District Crisis Team Members, parents would then be asked to pick up students at this location.

Thank you for entrusting your child(ren) with us at Pikes Peak Elementary this school year. We look forward to an amazing year. Sincerely, The Pikes Peak Staff