Join other Puma families by considering participation in our monthly giving club, which provides ongoing financial support throughout the year at a level meaningful to your family. Whether it’s $10 a month or $100 a month, by setting up a monthly recurring donation you are able to spread out your support of Peak to Peak throughout the year. Donations can be set up at any amount you’d like, either weekly, monthly, or annually.  Please learn more about monthly giving, including a testimonial from our Annual Fund Monthly Giving Family Ambassador, Laura Uzzle, by visiting our Annual Fund website. Thank you Puma families for your ongoing support! 

Dear Families,

As we approach the upcoming holidays, we have so much to be thankful for: our students, their families, and our world-class staff. Already, many of our students have gone on experiential field trips and overnight trips; we have sports teams that really showcase the strength, teamwork, and skill of our many student athletes and coaches; and engaged learning is happening in our classrooms every single day. Not to mention, we love hearing the laughter of students in the quad and cafeteria at lunch every day. We are grateful for all of this and more!

A couple of short updates:

• Governor Polis announced the third round of the Governor’s Bright Spot Awards, celebrating students from 16 Colorado schools who showed above-average achievement in science. Peak to Peak was the recipient of a $50,000 award. 

• A number of our leaders attended the Colorado Excellence and Equity conference this week. Some highlights included a fantastic presentation by keynote speaker Horacio Sanchez, President and CEO of Resiliency Inc. who discussed the neuroscience of human connection and how educators can use this research to support student learning.  In addition, we attended communication sessions, content-based sessions and a session on developing strong partnerships between charters and their authorizers. 

• We hosted two Colorado Department of Education events in the past couple of weeks - a site visit connected to our Math Learning Cohort grant and an Administrator Mentoring Cohort meeting at which our very own Clara Quilan presented on Peak to Peak’s professional development program. 

• This week, we launched our Facility Master Planning Task Force. This group is working to conduct a facility needs assessment, which will then inform an updated master plan. We are still working to schedule parent/guardian focus groups. Look for those dates to be shared in next week’s Weekly Digest!

Wishing you a wonderful weekend ahead. 

With gratitude,

Jennie Klein, Executive Director of Education | jennifer.klein@bvsd.org 

Jennifer Douglas, Executive Director of Operations | jennifer.douglas@bvsd.org 

The Cherry Arts Mobile Art Gallery installed 3 displays on our campus this week. This was funded by a Peak Innovation Grant written by Ms. Bertarelli. Artwork will remain on display until November 14th. Seven high school artists became trained docents this week and they are eager to lead K-12 learners and community members on tours of the artwork. 

There will be a community art gallery tour on Monday, November 13th, from 3:15-4:30 PM. Meet in the high school fine art room near the Auditeria. Light refreshments will be provided.

You can learn more about the featured artwork here.

Thank you to all of our Peak Innovation Fund supporters for making this and other projects possible.

Our next Board of Directors' meeting will be held on Wednesday, November 8th at 5:00 PM. The meeting can be attended in person in our College Counseling Center, or you can attend virtually via Zoom. The agenda is typically posted on the Monday before each meeting and can be found on the Board of Directors' page on our website. If you would like to sign up to make a public comment for this board meeting, you can do so using this Google form. Sign-ups will close at 4:00 p.m. on the day of the board meeting.

Maybe you have noticed the new trees at the entrance to the school! They are part of a collaborative project that began last spring with Reema Patadia, Stella Corzine, Josephine Gaarder, Penelope Letter and Miriam Altunsoy planning the tree project. Their work resulted in the BVSD Tree Summit in September which was sponsored by Peak to Peak, Cool Boulder, Play Boulder, and Classrooms for Climate Action. These groups worked with the 9th graders in Ms. Letter’s Innovation and Design classes to learn about trees, the heat island effect, climate
resilience, connected canopies, absorbent landscapes, and pollinator pathways. The classes came up with innovative designs to create green outdoor classrooms where students can decrease stress and relax. They envisioned ideas for watering trees during winter and made plans for creating community while taking care of the trees. It all culminated on the 10th grade Day of Service when 30 students dug holes in soil as tough as concrete, carted wheelbarrows of mulch, and flattened and layered cardboard into lasagna mulch. In three hours, they managed to dig 25 holes and begin the planting of 25 trees. 
 
The plot of trees is a community-building science experiment right on the Peak to Peak campus. Each tree has one of three different types of mulch, 3 different types of mycelium inoculant, and compost. Their growth and surrounding soil health will be monitored with student help. Sponsored by Boulder Mushroom and Play Boulder, students took soil samples and will work with Boulder Mushroom to track the soil health. In addition, the students created a “lasagna” of cardboard, mulch, and compost near the new trees to begin to plant a mini forest using the experimental Miyawaki Method. It is a way to create tree cover quickly on degraded land. Over the winter, the cardboard, compost, and mulch will create healthy soil for a tree habitat. 
 
The tree planting program is still looking for a way to water the trees throughout the winter. Trees need 5 gallons a week when there is no precipitation. We are looking for people to adopt a tree to water, or a group to sponsor the tree-watering project. If you know a class looking for a project or a community group that could dedicate time, we need to keep our trees alive and watered for the next two winters. Contact Kristie Letter at kristie.letter@bvsd.org or Jaye Zola at jayezola@classroomsforclimateaction.org.

View the quarterly elementary counseling newsletter from Ms. Ball.

This information was included in a previous Digest article.

Please take a few minutes to share your thoughts about how you felt about conferences, and also things from the start of the school year. Your input matters very much and will help us to improve the future. Click here to take a brief survey about elementary conferences.

Volleyball and Basketball Camp for November 6th PD Day through Passion with Purpose Athletics

Last week, elementary teachers shared information with students in classrooms on how to advocate for what they want and need in the cafeteria. Aligned with this, we have created these FAQs for parents/guardians.

As an overview, our school runs an independent food service program in alignment with USDA Food and Nutrition Service guidelines. Every day, we serve two free meals:

• Breakfast (from 7:30 - 7:55am before school starts)

• Lunch (from 10:45 - 11:45am)

Funding is provided by both the National School Lunch Program and Colorado’s Healthy Meals for All Program. 

What meal choice options do students have for lunch?

Every day at lunch, we offer three entree options:

1. Hot lunch. The menu varies each day and there is a six-week rotation. You can see the menu on our website.

2. Peanut butter and jelly. (Students can take one or two and there are two flavor choices: grape and strawberry.)

3. Cheese sandwich.

What dietary requests are regularly offered?

Within hot lunch, there are always these options:

• Vegetarian - See this link for the vegetarian menu.

• Gluten Free - See this link for the gluten free menu.

Is the fruit and salad bar available every day?

Yes! With all meals, students also need to take fruits and vegetables from the salad bar area and milk. (Taking these are part of the USDA guidelines. Here is an overview.)

How can I support my student(s) in getting what they want and need at lunch? 

We are really working with students on advocating for what they want / need when they come through the lunch line. Please help us by talking to your student about how to ask for what they want. For example, you can provide these examples:

• Can I please have a vegetarian hot lunch? 

• I am gluten free; can I have the gluten free option? 

• Can I please have peanut butter and jelly? I’d like one grape and one strawberry. 

What if my student gets the wrong thing or something falls off their tray? 

We want students to get the right foods based on their preferences. If your student gets the wrong thing or if something falls off their tray, remind them that they can ask an adult for help. 

How are allergies accommodated? 

• If your student has a severe allergy and the health room has been notified and/or we have medical documentation of that allergy, they will go through the food service line with an adult to ensure that they get the proper food. 

• If your student has a newly identified allergy, reach out to our School Nurse Consultant Nicole Roscoe or our Health Room Para Donna Rader to start the documentation and accommodation process. 

• While we do offer accommodations for students with medical allergies, we cannot offer the accommodation of having an adult go through the food line with a student based on preferences. So, for example, if your student / family do not eat meat, we encourage you to work with your student to ask for a vegetarian meal.  

What is the new halal food option? 

We are doing a six-week pilot of a once-a-week halal food option (in addition to gluten free and vegetarian options) in October and November. If your student would like a halal meat option the days when those options are offered, simply ask for a halal meal when you go through the food line. See this link for the halal menu.

Who should I contact if I have additional questions or concerns about food service?

Please contact one of our food service managers:

• Paula Greenspan, Kitchen Manager - paula.greenspan@bvsd.org 

• Elizabeth Begley, Food Services Program Manager - elizabeth.begley@bvsd.org 

Come one, come all! Auditions for the middle school production of The Little Mermaid Jr are coming. No preparation is needed and ALL are welcome. There will be song information and scenes posted for reference. If interested, please sign up on the theatre bulletin board (right outside the theatre doors in the music hallway) for a 10-minute time slot. There are now 3 different audition days to choose from: Tuesday, November 7th, Wednesday, November 8th, and Thursday, November 9th (new!). There are tech crew positions available for sign-up on the board as well. Please email Ms. Mylott at colleen.mylott@bvsd.org if you have any questions.

Peak to Peak will be hosting the quarterfinals on Saturday, November 4th at 1:00 PM at Peak to Peak. Come out to support our athletes!

Read more from BoCo Preps here.

HS Boys Basketball Pre-Season Camp:
11/7: 5:30-7:30 NE Gym
11/8: 3:30-5 NE Gym
11/9: 5:30-7:30 NE Gym 

We would like to invite our community members to fill out the form below if you would like to share your gratitude and appreciation with one or more of our Peak to Peak staff members.

We also want you to know how much we appreciate you and what you have brought to our community.

Giving Thanks Form

We need your help!

We are hoping to host a Community Helper Fair for 1st grade on Thursday, November 9th from 8:30-9:30 am here at Peak to Peak to wrap up our Families and Communities unit. While this fair is only for our first-grade students, we are looking for volunteers from anyone in our community, not just 1st grade, to showcase our families and reinforce how members of our community offer goods and services. Since everyone contributes to our community in some way, we are hoping to get 10-20+ family volunteers to come in and showcase what their job or role is and how that helps to offer a good or service to those living in our community.

If you would like to participate, please fill out this form. We need your help to pull off this cool event for our students! I hope you will consider participating.

We are especially in need of need scientists, carpenters, electricians, plumbers, police officers, veterinarians, doctors, nurses, real estate brokers and lenders, dentists, bankers, stay-at-home parents, retail workers, restaurant employees, physical therapists, club leaders, after-school activity providers, engineers, child care staff,  dog trainers, CU professors and staff, mechanics, and more.  Grandparents and other family members are welcome to present as well.  

Thank you for considering joining us.

The First Grade Team

Thank you families for your festive Halloween Spirit on campus this week. Our K-12 staff thoroughly enjoyed your donated breakfast items and holiday treats! Thank you to all the parent/guardian volunteers who helped make our classrooms and hallways so festive with games and decorations. Pete’s Pumpkin Walk enjoyed over 500 participants voting on creatively decorated pumpkins and participating in our tricky guessing games and we especially loved seeing so many of you at our elementary parade. Thank you!

You can view some of our Halloween highlights here. If you have more to add, please email Tracy Durland.

All Peak to Peak community members (staff, parent/guardians & students!) are welcome to have a complimentary booth to showcase and sell handmade crafts or other items at our community market. We will also be hosting a community bake sale at this event to support our After Prom. To sign up for a booth or if you are interested in donating a baked item(s) please fill out this simple form. Mark your calendars to swing by the cafeteria to shop and pick up delicious sweets after school on December 5th! 

Emma Casini (class of 2025) spent last week in New York City where she was one of 150 delegates accepted from over 2000 applicants from around the world to participate in the Global Peace Summit 2023. There they discussed worldwide challenges and issues, sought viable solutions, listened to leaders from various countries with different perspectives and ideas, and built connections and friendships with peers from around the globe, seeking common ground and cooperation. In addition, Emma was one of a handful of delegates who were invited to attend a private event at the Pakistani consulate where the Ambassador spoke.

United Soccer Coaches and MaxPreps announced the High School Player of the week for their on-field efforts from October 23rd-29th. Peak to Peak's very own varsity soccer player, Jorden Gyaltsen, was selected to represent Colorado. Way to go, Puma!

Congratulations to the Broomfield High School gymnastics team, representing all of BVSD, for winning the 5A regionals tournament last Saturday. Mia Ritchie (class of 2024) placed 5th on vault, 3rd on bars, 2nd on floor,1st on beam, and 2nd all-around. Sophia Pych (class of 2024) placed 9th on beam. Liv Cornella (class of 2027) represented Peak to Peak as well. The team moved onto the 5A State Championship this past Thursday where they took 2nd overall. Mia placed 4th in the state competition for floor. Great job!

Peak to Peak was one of 16 Colorado schools to receive Governor Polis' Science Bright Spot Awards for high achievement in Science. Peak to Peak will receive a $50,000 award that can be used to purchase educational technology, offer professional development, and other opportunities that will benefit students' learning experiences.

Peak to Peak won the ReSource Central Renew Our School SPARK! Competition. Innovation class assistants (with the help of ninth graders) measured our energy usage (lights, electricity, heat, etc.), analyzed what these results meant, and devised plans to improve. Yay, energy efficiency, and yay, Pumas!

Do you have a student or staff celebration to share with us? Submit accomplishments and photos for the Puma Spotlight by clicking here!

We can't be there for every moment, but we know you are there with your cameras. By sharing your photos through this form, we can share the story of your Puma moment with our community.