Principal’s Letter

Hello Grand View Families!

Thank you to everyone for coming out to celebrate our first day of school. We were excited to welcome back our former students and welcome our new families to Grand View. It has been a great start to the school year! We look forward to working with all of you as partners in your student’s academic journey. Please do not hesitate to reach out to me with your questions, concerns, or just to say hello. I can’t wait to see what this year has in store for all of us! Thank you for your continued support and partnership.

Francesca  

Reminders for Families:

• Please remind your students they are not allowed to use electronic devices to call you during school hours. We would like them to come to the office to call parents, if necessary. This will help us to provide the right amount of support for your student. All cell phones need to be kept in their backpacks
• If at any time you need to get a hold of your student, please call the front office and we will contact your student during school hours.
• If you are picking up your student during school hours, you must present a photo ID. Please remember to report your child’s absence or tardy to 303-702-8000 or email: [email protected] 
• Our office staff is always available to answer your questions- 303-702-8000
  • Jo Jo  Charles, Principal’s Secretary, [email protected]
  • Emily Pacheco, Registrar/Attendance Clerk, [email protected]
  • Traci Montgomery, Health Clerk, [email protected]

iPad Insurance is Due for ALL students

If you have not already paid for insurance for your student’s iPad, the final day for payment is September 8th.  This fee will cover the repair cost for first time accidental damage to the iPad. Payment can be made by going to the Infinite Campus Parent Portal or bringing cash or check (payable to Grand View) to the front office.  If you choose to not participate in this program and no payment is received by September 8, you will be responsible for the full cost of replacement or repair.

Please contact the school office if you have any questions. Thank you.

Important Dates to Remember

• Monday, September 4 – NO SCHOOL- Labor Day
• Tuesday, September 5 – All School Group Photo 9:30am
• Wednesday, September 6 – LATE START- School starts at 11:30am
• Wednesday, September 20 – PTO Meeting at 6:00pm
• Wednesday, September 27 – Vision & Hearing Screenings
• Thursday, September 28 – Bison Stampede (all school fundraiser)

Attendance Matters!!

We will be sending out monthly attendance letters to families with attendance concerns. This is to make you aware of your student’s absences. We know that attendance has a direct relationship with academic performance. Last year we had 102 students (26.09%) who were chronically absent from school. This means they missed 10 or more days of school. Regardless of days being marked excused or unexcused, they still count towards a student being chronically absent. Therefore, we need your help! We will be excusing up to 10 days of absence. After 10 days, all days will be unexcused unless you provide a doctor’s note, get approval from principal or if there is a family emergency (funeral, injury, etc.). Please schedule vacations during our school breaks and send students to school if they are not sick. School doors open at 8:50 am, and school starts promptly at 9:00 am. Please read Colorado’s state law addressing school attendance below. Thank you in advance for your help in increasing our school attendance!

The Colorado School Attendance Law of 1963 (CRS 22-33-101, et. Seq.) requires that every child between the ages of six (6) and seventeen (17) attend public school or an otherwise approved educational program.  A student that has four (4) unexcused absences in any one month or (10) unexcused absences in any school year is considered habitually truant.  The School District has a statutory obligation to refer cases of habitual truancy to the Juvenile Court of the 17th Judicial District.  In addition, the legislation encourages each board of education to establish attendance procedures for identifying students who are chronically absent (missing more than 10% of the instructional time) regardless of whether the absence is excused or unexcused.

Health Office

Welcome to the 2023-2024 school year!

All medication should be turned in to the health office with the required Dr.’s and parent’s authorization paperwork. The Health Office is in need of snacks. We look for prepackaged, individual snacks like: goldfish, fruit snacks, granola bars, or Cheez Its. If you are able to help with a donation please stop by the front office!

Be on the look out for our annual Vision and Hearing screenings. Our screening is: September 27th. More information to come in Friday folders!

If your student is in need of a health plan for the 2023-2024 school year you can find information at SSVSD.org. Look for the Health Services tab to find forms.
As always please do not hesitate to contact me at [email protected]
or 303-702-8000.

Volunteering at Grand View

We would love to have volunteers at Grand View again this year. This year we are requiring all volunteers to be trained before they are able to work with our students. The online training will be provided upon your request starting in early September. This training will only be for volunteers who are planning on working with students. We will keep track of everyone that has completed the online training. We appreciate your partnership in working with our students!

Positive Behavior Support System (PBIS)

We are excited to continue with our Bison Boutique this year. Our students earn Bison Bucks when they follow the HERD expectations. Throughout the year, students save their Bison Bucks to buy items from the Bison Boutique. We are in need of volunteers to help with our store and preparation for PBIS. Please sign up if you are able to help. https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0948A5A623A3FDC25-bison1

Grand View Online Spirit Wear Store

Official Back-to-School Sale

Gear up for the school year with Grand View spirit wear! Enjoy a 30% discount across our entire website with hundreds of designs and garment styles waiting for you! Orders ship to home in just 10-12 business days! Shop Now!

Yearbooks are now for sale! Please use the link or QR code to preorder a copy.

https://www.treering.com/purchase?PassCode=1016917013362075

Hug-N-Go Lane

When dropping your students off in the Hug-N-Go Lane, we need families to pull through to the south end of the lane. This will help alleviate the traffic on Aggregate Blvd and help students get to school on time. Please have your students ready with backpacks and other belongings so they can just be dropped off. If you want to get out of the car and help your students, please park in the front parking lot and help them get ready. The HUG-N-GO Lane needs to be quick and easy for all families. Also, please pay attention to the cars trying to get out of the HUG-N-GO Lane so we can allow others to go through the lane. We appreciate your attention to this matter and continued support to keep our students and families safe.

Gifted and Talented Referrals 

Each year, schools in St. Vrain Valley complete a process to identify students who demonstrate exceptional ability or performance in one or more academic areas and may, therefore, qualify for Gifted/Talented educational services. These students usually perform at least two years above grade level in their strength area(s), and they require additional academic challenges in order to support their continued educational growth and progress.  In addition, they usually demonstrate characteristics of unique creativity and high motivation in their strength areas. 

Referrals are open through the month of September and will close on the last day of the month. Referrals after that date will be addressed on a case by case basis. Completing a referral guarantees a review of the student profile to determine if testing is recommended for the student. The process for identification requires a body of evidence and often takes place throughout the school year.

The process takes approximately 5-10 minutes to complete.

Representative name and email

Link to the Referral Form: https://forms.gle/ZMqtoyffM2d7Sxoo8

OR

SVVS identifies students K-12 for gifted services.

These students usually:

• Perform academically (or in a talent area) at least two years above grade level peers
• Display readiness for very advanced or accelerated learning opportunities
• Require additional academic challenges to support their continued educational growth
• Demonstrate characteristics of unique creativity and higher level thinking

The identification process begins with an opportunity* for educators, family members, community members, peers, and/or the student to refer an individual for gifted services. Once referrals are received, students are evaluated over a period of time. Performance in classroom settings, state testing data, standardized test scores, and behavioral rating scales are reviewed.  Additional tests may also be administered to help determine a student’s ability or achievement during the identification process. For talent area referrals (ie. performing arts, visual arts, or music, etc.) portfolios are requested and students will submit them for review.

In addition to referrals, district students are reviewed based on state testing and screening data. Each fall, the Gifted and Talented office screens CMAS and ACCESS testing results. Universal screening of second grade students is also conducted each fall. Students performing at the top of their grade level or at an accelerated pace are considered for gifted evaluation, which may include follow-up testing.

Identification in the state of Colorado requires a body of evidence that consists of quantitative and qualitative measures showing (cognitive, achievement, characteristics/behavior/motivation, etc). For students who have been previously tested, a full review of current and historical data is completed before next steps are determined. According to district policy, students can be administered cognitive testing for Gifted Identification twice in their academic career. Qualifying Scores are those in the 95^Th percentile for cognitive ability, talent ability, behavioral/learning characteristics, and achievement using assessment tools approved by the Colorado Department of Education and St Vrain Gifted and Talented Services. The GT department will also review external cognitive testing if it is provided to the GT department by the parent or guardian.

Parents and guardians are notified of identification decisions after a full BOE is reviewed. If a student is identified as Gifted and/or Talented through this process, teachers will also be notified and an Advanced Learning Plan will be developed with collaboration of parents/guardians and school GT representatives.

*A formal referral window is open in September of each school year. Additional referrals are processed year round on a case by case basis. 

We are so excited to announce that our Student Council will be back for the 2023-2024 school year! Our student council consists of fifth and fourth grade students who team together to give back to our school and local community. They also serve as a student leadership team at Grand View.

Student Council applications will be coming home for any NEW students to Grand View August 25th in Friday Folders for those interested in applying for student council.  

We are excited for a new year to lead and serve our community!

Paraeducators needed!

Make a meaningful impact in the lives of students. Become a paraeducator at Grand View, where you’ll play a vital role in assisting students in preschool and special education classrooms. Our paraeducators enjoy working within a positive culture among a group of passionate and caring professionals who are all working to support student success. No experience is required. St. Vrain Valley Schools equips staff members with the required training to serve as paraprofessionals and compensates them for training hours. If you are interested in joining one of the most highly effective and supportive teams of professionals in the country, please contact our Department of Human Resources at [email protected].

Bison Brigade – PTO News

Next PTO Meeting: September 20th at 6pm

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