
Eagle Crest Family Newsletter
January 19th. 2023
PRINCIPAL'S UPDATE
Hello Eagle Crest Families!
When people ask what I love most about my work, I always share that I get to work with amazing staff members who are dedicated to serving the children and families in a super supportive community. I am thrilled that the SVVSD Education Foundation is sponsoring a Tribute to Teachers award. This award recognizes and honors our outstanding teachers for their excellence in working with students. At each school across the district, finalists for this award will be recognized and ultimately one teacher at each school will be recognized as Teacher of the Year.
Please help us amplify the incredible teachers at Eagle Crest by nominating a teacher who you believe exemplifies excellence for a Teacher of the Year Award. Visit St. Vrain Valley Schools Education Foundation's website at https://stvrainfoundation.org/programs/tribute-to-teachers/ for the nomination form. The deadline for nominations is Wednesday, February 22, 2023.
I hope you have a wonderful weekend!
Warmly,
Amanda
Amanda Holden
Principal
Eagle Crest Elementary School
DEAN OF STUDENT'S MESSAGE
Hello Eagle Crest Families!
We are so fortunate to learn and work in a district that prioritizes learning technology for all students. Having 1:1 iPads enriches our curriculum and expands opportunities beyond our school walls. This year we have had students exploring the world through Google Earth and virtual reality apps, coding Dash and VEX IQ robots, accessing content differentiated to their learning level, and so much more!
While this tool has a lot of educational advantages, iPads can also create some challenges. We know that it is important that every family is able to set expectations to keep students' use of their iPads healthy and safe. To that end, PTO is hosting a Family Tech Talk with Trend Micro on January 24th at 8:00pm. You can find out more about this meeting in the PTO section below, but I encourage you to attend.
Working together with your child to understand what they do, how much time they spend doing it, and whether their content choices are age-appropriate is a valuable step to ensure your child is learning and growing in this ever-changing online and digital space.
Here are some additional resources you can explore to help you build expectations at home for your family.
Did you know that every student iPad has a weblink app for Parents? This link will take you to the SVVSD Learning Technology Plan support page. There you can explore resources, frequently asked questions, past articles in the Family Connections Newsletter, and specific articles about iPad settings like Screen Time.
Another great resource is Common Sense Media. They provide lots of articles in English and Spanish to inform parents about screen time, appropriate content, and even platforms like YouTube and TikTok.
Are you worried about your child losing their iPad? Good news, you can use your own AppleID to access the Find My app/feature. Here is the article explaining how to set it up. We recommend that families use this feature to help avoid costly fees for lost iPads.
All the best,
Lindsey Cheney
Dean of Students
Eagle Crest Elementary School
UPCOMING DATES
January 24th - PTO Family Tech Talk, 8pm
February 1st - Late Start
February 4th - VEX IQ Robotics Tournament at Eagle Crest
February 7th, 13th, & 15th - Family / Teacher Conferences *Sign-up begins 1/26!*
February 10th - PTO Family Movie Night, 6pm
February 17th-20th - No School, Presidents’ Day Weekend
PTO UPDATE
Dear Eagle Crest Families,
Funding Request - First grade is requesting field trip funding. Please review the request and vote online by Sunday, January 22 - 5 PM. Vote here
Join us for the Family Tech Talk with an internet safety expert from Trend Micro on Tuesday, January 24th at 8 PM. Spanish translation will be available. Learn more here. Join this virtual event at: https://trendmicro.zoom.us/j/98037468217?pwd=QzlaNE1udlJ3RzNDTEVjT0lzNmU4UT09
Passcode: 70409
Dine out to support Eagle Crest at Swaylo's Tiki Restaurant Night Fundraiser on Thursday, January 26th from 4-9 PM.
Join us for a free indoor family movie night on Friday, February 10th at 6 p.m. in the Eagle Crest gym! We will be showing the animated film Ratatouille. Due to strict capacity limits, please reserve one ticket for each person in your household. Please read the instructions on the RSVP link carefully. This is not a drop-off event. If the event fills up,we will do our best to plan a second movie night! RSVP here.
Volunteer opportunities! When adults volunteer, all ECES students benefit! View open positions and let us know if you want to join our amazing group of volunteers.
Thank you to our local Raising Cane's and Dairy Queen restaurants for donating meals to our hardworking staff!
Take care,
Jenn Pensy, PTO president
PRESCHOOL ENROLLMENT
The Preschool Department is excited for the opportunities that Universal Preschool will bring to our community. Join the Preschool Department for an open house-style information event at either the Innovation Center of St. Vrain Valley Schools or Spark! Discovery Preschool on January 17.
Additional information and event times can be found at svvsd.org/preschool >>
LIBRARY UPDATE
Last week, librarians from the Longmont Public Library visited with students at Eagle Crest. We learned about chess nights, Lego night, museum passes, Loteria game night, crafts days, reading to therapy dogs and so much more! The students had fun and I think we all were amazed that you can check out 99 items from the library....books, movies, games, tools, sewing machines and more!
If you returned an application for a library card, we will be sending those home in the next two weeks. We had over 125 students bring back their application for library cards! If you haven't sent your student's application in, you can still do so. We will continue the program over the next few months so more students can gain access to all the great opportunies at the public library and get ready for the Summer Reading Program.
Longmont Library Card Application
For more information about the Longmont Public Library and events you might want to attend check out these links.
MWEBAZA UPDATE
This month all the students are on winter break. School will start up again for the new year on February 6th. Many of the teachers are back at school getting their classrooms ready to greet their new students!
Last week all staff members from two of our partner schools, St. Paul Primary School and Mwebaza Annex Primary School, got together for a three day teacher workshop. Both schools are similar in the grade levels they teach and also the number of students they have. They worked together on new creative ideas for engaging students, meeting needs of all students and plans for adding a new grade level at each school. They also discussed ways to better engage community members in school activities. Staff members from both schools worked together on creating their annual school budgets and reviewing and revising their social enterprise projects. It was exciting for all of them to share ideas, learn from each other and develop on-going relationships that will benefit both schools throughout the school year.
This week, Mbogo Umar, the computer teacher at our three southern partner schools, traveled to Parents’ Junior School in Gulu to spend the week working with the staff on mastering their computer skills. Parents’ Junior does not have a computer lab yet, but they do have four donated chromebooks and are excited to increase their computer skill knowledge. This week they are working on using their email to communicate and send attachments. They are also working on ways to use google documents and spreadsheets to make record keeping more efficient. Being able to keep all information about their students’ attendance and progress together with lesson plans in one place will increase their efficiency each day. The seven teachers also are excited to be able to explore the internet together looking for new teaching ideas and strategies to meet the needs of all students.
JOB OPPORTUNITY - NEW CAMPUS SUPERVISOR POSITION
The safety of our school environments has always been a top priority in St. Vrain Valley Schools. As the district continues to invest in security upgrades, mental health resources, counselors, and other supports to ensure the well-being and success of our students, we are excited to share that a new Campus Supervisor position will be provided to all elementary schools in the district.
Currently at all middle and high schools in St. Vrain, Campus Supervisors promote safe and secure learning environments for students by providing an additional layer of facility monitoring, oversight, and communication regarding any potential risks or safety concerns. These roles also play an important part in fostering a positive building environment by building relationships with students and serving as another trusted adult in the building.
If you or someone you know is interested in applying for one of these 26 new positions, a job description and application can be accessed starting Monday, October 31 at https://www.applitrack.com/stvrain/onlineapp/default.aspx?Category=Security.
LUNCH MENU & COLOR DAY SCHEDULE
Our Music, PE, and Art classes are on a 3 day rotation. Every school day is either a Red, Gold, or Purple day. These colors are shared on our school lunch menu to help families plan ahead for necessary supplies like sneakers for PE.
ADD MONEY TO YOUR CHILD'S SCHOOL BREAKFAST & LUNCH ACCOUNT
MySchoolBucks is the website you want to access in order to add funds to your child’s account for purchasing breakfast, lunch, or milk at school. This system will send you reminders and can manage the account of multiple students. Money can also be sent to school by check or cash. Please label any checks or cash with the students first name, last name, and teacher.
If you haven’t yet, you can apply for Free & Reduced meals to see if your family qualifies for free meals. Applying for Free & Reduced lunch will help manage fees (like iPad Insurance or sports) and also helps our school receive additional funds and services. We encourage all families to complete the application.
ARE YOU GETTING ALL OF OUR MESSAGES?
We send almost all of our messaging in Infinite Campus through SMS text messages and emails. You can change your Contact Preferences in your Infinite Campus Parent Portal.
Navigate to "Settings" and "Contact Preferences". In that section, you will have the opportunity to confirm the accuracy of your phone and email contacts, as well as your "Message Preferences".
Here are screenshots of our suggested Phone Settings and Email Settings.
Contact us if you need any assistance!
ABOUT US
Email: holden_amanda@svvsd.org
Website: eces.svvsd.org
Location: 4444 Clover Basin Drive, Longmont, CO, USA
Phone: 303-485-6073
Facebook: facebook.com/EagleCrestES
Twitter: @EagleCrestES
QUESTIONS?
Need support in Spanish?
Contact Natalie Boggess at: boggess_natalie@svvsd.org , 303-702-7872
OR
Fiorella Martinez at: martinez_maria@svvsd.org , 303-702-7896