 |
Peak to Peak's Weekly Newsletter Digest
Week of: 1/9/23-1/13/23
K-12 Early Release on Friday, January 13th
NO SCHOOL K-12 on Monday, January 16th in observance of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day |
||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Calendar | Elementary | Secondary | Middle | High | Athletics | Friends | Volunteer |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
All School News |
|||||||
|
NEW! The Board Invites ALL Families to Fill Out the Anonymous Family Survey - Available Today
TODAY, Friday, January 6th, each family will receive a separate email from the Accountability Committee (AC) to fill out the annual Family Survey. The email will contain a link to the survey platform so each family can provide input on what Peak to Peak is doing well and areas that might need additional attention. This survey is run by the Accountability Committee on behalf of the Board. We are once again using the Qualtrics survey platform. This platform greatly improves the anonymity, and ease of administering the survey. Your responses are invaluable and provide the school with the information necessary to ensure that Peak to Peak continues to serve each student at our school with excellence.
|
|
NEW! Morning Bus Service Delayed
Dear Peak to Peak School Community, We are very sorry to inform you that we will have to once again delay morning bus pick-up service that was planned to start on January 9, 2023. At this point, we cannot provide a date that morning bus service will begin. We are experiencing ongoing issues with both the electric buses and the electric chargers and we feel it would be too disruptive to our families to attempt to provide morning pick-up service until reliable service can be established. While some of the problems we are experiencing now are related to the very cold weather, other problems have been occurring on an ongoing basis. To provide you with additional information and background, we want to share that all three of our 71-passenger Type C buses spent most of the month of December in the shop at McCandless Truck Center, which serves as the primary dealer for IC buses in Colorado. Some of the problems include the buses not heating properly, buses not charging properly, chargers not operating effectively, as well as other alarm codes signaling a variety of problems. This has been terribly disappointing to our families, students, and staff. We have engaged our partners at Highland Electric Fleets, the bus manufacturer (Navistar), and the electric charger manufacturer (In Charge) to work together to help us resolve the problems. We are hopeful that this alliance will generate positive results. We will initiate morning pick-up service when we are confident that there will not be disruptions to our families' morning routines and schedules.. We apologize to the families who were looking forward to having morning bus service. Please bear with us as we continue to work through these problems. We will keep you informed of the progress and communicate as quickly as we can on when to expect morning bus service. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me directly. Best regards, Sam Todd, Executive Director of Operations 303-453-4611 and sam.todd@bvsd.org |
|
NEW! Internal Climate Survey - Annual Public Notification/ Opt-Out Communication Peak to Peak’s annual internal student climate survey will be administered during the weeks of February 7th - 17th to students grades three - twelve. This anonymous survey, implemented once a year, takes about ten minutes to complete and helps us gauge student opinions and experiences compared to previous years and informs our goals and efforts to support students. Elementary students are asked 16 questions and secondary students are asked 28 questions. The questions address a range of issues from the effectiveness of curricula and teachers to bullying and safety. At the secondary level, students are asked questions about mental health and substance abuse. Elementary students are asked to self-identify their gender identity (male/ female/ prefer not to answer). Secondary students are asked to self-identify their demographic information such as race, gender identity, and sexual orientation. All demographic questions have an opt-out option. This helps us review and disaggregate data, better understand the needs and responses of our cohorts, and track related trends in climate responses over time. Climate survey results are one measure in the school’s strategic plan, as a KPI (Key Performance Indicator) for Relational Excellence. You are welcome to review all of the questions that students will be asked on our Current Climate Survey Questions document. After the survey has been completed, we will share a summary of this year’s results. This survey is not mandatory, but participation is strongly encouraged so that we can gather the data we need to help grow and maintain a healthy school climate and culture. Our administrative team reviews the results, identifies any data trends over time, targets areas for annual improvement, and values the feedback to help monitor and adjust over the course of the year. If you do not wish your student to participate for any reason, simply complete this form requesting they be excused from participation in this year’s student climate survey. If you would like further details about the survey, please contact any of the level assistant principals. This notification is in accordance with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act and the Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment.
Sincerely, Melissa Christensen, Elementary School Principal & Alison Berman, Elementary School Assistant Principal Clara Quinlan, Middle School Principal & Victoria Hankey, Middle School Assistant Principal Kyle Mathews, High School Principal & Josh Benson, High School Assistant Principal |
|
NEW! Board Meeting Public Comments Sign Up
Our next Board of Directors' meeting will be held in-person in our College Counseling Center or virtually on Wednesday, January 11, 2023 at 5:00 PM. The agenda and meeting joining information can be found HERE. Typically, the agendas are posted the Monday before the meeting. Please click the below link to complete a brief google form to make a public comment for the January 11th board meeting that will be held at 5:00 PM. Public comment sign ups and the form will close at 4:00 PM on January 11th: Peak to Peak Charter School Public Comments Sign Up 1.11.23
|
|
NEW! Attendance and Student Health Dear Peak to Peak Families, We want to congratulate our entire community on a successful first semester and welcome you to 2023 and our new semester with some reminders about attendance and student health. Given the rise in illnesses like RSV, flu, and continued Covid-19 infections, we want to reiterate the need to follow the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment recommendations for “How Sick is Too Sick?” for students to attend school. Making these decisions can be challenging, and we respect your need to make these decisions in a way that balances the health of your students and our community with the importance of school attendance. We know that regular school attendance is key to student success. We are also obligated to abide by the Colorado School Attendance Law which requires regular school attendance for children under the age of seventeen years. (C.R.S. § 22-33-101 et seq.) At Peak to Peak, we maintain a rigorously paced learning environment, and we have found that when attendance drops below 92%, students can have a difficult time keeping up with school work. Along those lines, please know that we are committed to working in partnership with families to balance physical health and consistent school attendance. As part of that process, you might receive a notification regarding student attendance rates. These communications are intended as a friendly update on student absences and are in no way meant to suggest that students should attend school when they are ill. This notification practice, which is implemented at schools throughout BVSD, is an invitation to families to communicate with us on the health of your student(s) and to let us know what we can do to best support your family. We look forward to all of the excitement that the new semester brings and to partnering with all of our families to keep students healthy and maximize their access to learning on campus. Sincerely, K-12 Leadership Team |
|
NEW! Next Equity Committee Meeting Postponed Due to several conflicts, the Equity committee that was scheduled to be held on January 10th will be postponed until January 17th at 3:30. This postponement will allow us to meet with the student equity committee prior to our next session and will ensure we dedicate our time and attention to our EDO semi finalist interviews that are scheduled to be held all next week. Thank you so much for your flexibility. |
|
Responding to Campus Emergencies
Thank you for the community support during this week's notification regarding a move to "Secure" status, formerly known as Lockout. We know that it can be disconcerting when you receive emergency messages from the school and/or the district. We also know that while the terminology is well-known to those of us on campus, it may be less familiar to our families. Please take a moment to review the graduated security levels found on this linked Safety webpage. It is extremely important that families are familiar with these terms and the related action items to them so they know how to respond if any become real situations. Our Safety page is linked at the bottom of every page on our website for your quick reference:
The natural instinct for parents or guardians is to come to the school during an emergency to protect their children. However, by doing so, they may endanger themselves and their children. Law enforcement and school personnel are busy responding to the situation. Your arrival or calls may distract them from their work. Please help by following the steps below:
|
|
Community Bulletin Board
From the Parents/Guardians page of the Peak to Peak website, you can access the Community Bulletin Board. Here you will find announcements about events and opportunities shared by our community partners in the surrounding area. These events are not school-sponsored. When we receive requests from outside entities who would like to share information with our community, we post those announcements in this location.
|
|
|
Communication Pathways
At Peak to Peak, we strive for positive, open, and inclusive, two-way communication with our families. To facilitate this goal and to ensure we can address your needs as quickly and efficiently as possible, we use The Communication Pathways as a problem-solving strategy and the Principles for Effective Dialogue to guide a positive experience. The Communication Pathways create an effective and respectful process to resolve and address issues that arise. We have found our dialogue to be particularly productive and mutually beneficial when all parties adhere to the recommended Principles for Productive Dialogue. Please know that when you are seeking information or answers to questions, we always welcome conversations with any member of our community.
|
|
K-5 Early Release After School "P2P Spirit!" Event on January 13th 12:50-3:00 PM We are excited to announce our next elementary early release after school event! These events allow our elementary students to stay for a full day on certain early release days. Parents/guardians do not have to pick up the students who attend until 3:00 PM and all proceeds go to support our K-12 student clubs!
All K-5 students are invited to attend our next early release after school event on Friday, January 13th from 12:50-3:00 PM in our south gym. The theme will be "P2P Spirit!" and hosted by our After Prom Committee! The cost is $10 per student. In order to attend, the students must be pre-registered by end of day on Wednesday, January 11, 2023 by completing this form: Registration Form.
|
|
The Great Kindness Challenge
We are excited to announce that our K-5 students will participate in The Great Kindness Challenge January 23rd to 27th this year. A project of Kids for Peace, over 18 million students in over 100 countries participated last year and performed over 900 acts of kindness during the week. Our elementary students will be encouraged to perform acts of kindness, and teachers will integrate kindness activities into their classrooms all week long. If you have questions or would like to help out in any way, please contact Alexis Ball, Elementary Counselor at alexis.ball@bvsd.org. See flyer. |
|
Common Sense Parenting Course
Common Sense Parenting® (CSP) is a practical, skill-based parenting program that can be applied to every family. This course is aligned to the Well Managed Schools behavior approach our elementary school has been using over the last several years and shares strategies and language for shaping behavior in the home. Many parents have attended previously and found it to be extremely beneficial. The program's logical strategies and easy-to-learn techniques address issues of communication, discipline, decision making, relationships, self-control and school success. The district is offering another round of this course in January. You can see more information on dates, times, and registration information here: Common Sense Parenting Class.
|
|
Save the Date: K-8 Parent/Guardian Counseling Night Mark your calendars now- on February 2, 2023 we will host our annual K-8 Parent/Guardian Counseling night, which will focus on topics like emotional regulation, restorative practices, college planning, and other applicable topics. The event will be in person at school, with several guest speakers and presenters who are experts on these topics from our region. More information will come closer to the event - put a hold on your calendar for February 2, 2023, from 5:15-8:00 pm!
|
|
NEW! Late Fee for Loaner Devices Not Returned On Time We have had a problem in the last few months with loaner devices being checked out and not returned causing us to run out of devices in the LMC. Beginning in January, students will be charged a $5 late fee, per day, when devices are not returned on time. Thank you for helping us keep this resource available for all! |
 |
Weekly Secondary Student Announcements Please click Secondary Student Announcements 2022-2023 to view the daily student announcements for the week. |
|
6th Grade Universal Ability Screener
Dear 6th grade students and families,
The Colorado Department of Education’s (CDE) Office of Gifted Education has encouraged school districts to implement a universal screening assessment in 2nd and 6th grades. For several years now, Peak to Peak Charter School, in alignment with BVSD, has been administering a universal ability screener in 2nd grade. This year, BVSD will be adding a universal ability screener at the 6th grade level. The term “universal screening” means the systematic assessment of all students within a grade level. The universal ability screener allows for students to show their ability and potential in areas such as reasoning, perception, creativity, and problem solving. The universal ability screener is not just for the specific purpose of identifying highly capable or gifted students. Data collected through this screener can provide information to support instructional planning for all students. The data can also allow for decisions about referrals for further testing for possible gifted (GT) identification. Those students who qualify for further testing to determine if they meet the criteria for GT identification and services in BVSD will be contacted by the Peak to Peak’s Appropriate Learning Services Teacher, Tracy Cloninger. The universal screener assessments are afforded through a grant from CDE. The universal ability screener at the 6th grade level is an online nonverbal cognitive ability test, takes approximately 30 minutes, and will be administered in your child’s English 1 class on Tuesday, January 17th or Wednesday, January 18th. Students who have previously met criteria for a GT identification in BVSD will not be taking the assessment. If you are interested in opting out your student for the universal ability screening, please notify Tracy Cloninger at tracy.cloninger@bvsd.org by Friday, January 13th. Thank you for your continued partnership and support! Sincerely, Clara Quinlan, Middle School Principal Tracy Cloninger, Appropriate Learning Services Teacher |
|
MATHCOUNTS Competition
We hold practices during Monday lunch in room S290 for the middle school MATHCOUNTS competition. This is a national competition. The local rounds are Saturday, February 4th and we are looking to create several teams as a school to take with us (a maximum of 12) . Please sign up using this link and join us the first Monday of the school year. The google classroom code is gxaqpzy. Please contact anita.chakraborty-sp@bvsd.org with any questions.
|
|
Dawson Summer Initiative (DSI)
Dawson Summer Initiative (DSI) offers a free summer academic program that follows a thematic approach and is geared toward high-achieving, independent, and creative thinkers who are currently in Grades 6 and 7. The program is geared toward effective collaborators who seek opportunities to work with peers from other schools, sharing like-minded goals. The application process runs from December 1, 2022-February 2, 2023, and includes confidential teacher recommendations and counselor/principal forms.
|
|
Middle School New Year’s Dance: Ticket Purchase & Student Guidelines
Dear Middle School Families and Students, The middle school Student Council, in partnership with the middle school staff, is thrilled to be hosting a winter dance this school year! Please consider joining us for our New Year’s Dance, on Friday, January 13th, from 6-8pm. The recommended dress attire is semi-formal, light snacks and beverages will be provided, and the song list will be compiled by student leaders. In an effort to create a fun and memorable experience for all student attendees, we ask that you review the below expectations for our after school events. As this will be the first school dance for some of our middle schoolers, we want to invite adults at home to have conversations with their child(ren) on how to make this event a fantastic evening for everyone.
After reviewing the above guidelines with your child(ren), you may purchase your ticket(s) here: dance tickets (RevTrak). If you have further questions, please reach out to the middle school Student Council sponsor, Mrs. Bennett (dana.bennett@bvsd.org) or one of the middle school principals. Thank you for your partnership and support – and we look forward to dancing the night away with our middle schoolers! Dana Bennett, Student Council Sponsor Victoria Hankey, Assistant Principal Clara Quinlan, Principal |
|
Save the Date: K-8 Parent/Guardian Counseling Night
Mark your calendars now- on February 2, 2023 we will host our annual K-8 Parent/Guardian Counseling night, which will focus on topics like emotional regulation, restorative practices, college planning, and other applicable topics. The event will be in person at school, with several guest speakers and presenters who are experts on these topics from our region. More information will come closer to the event - put a hold on your calendar for February 2, 2023, from 5:15-8:00 pm!
|
|
|
Save the Date: 8th Grade Lock-In Event
8th Grade Students and Families, In partnership with Peak to Peak’s middle school staff, parents/guardians of the Class of 2027 are designing a unique and celebratory 8th grade only event on Friday, February 24th, starting at 7pm. The event will be driven by student input, and we hope that inviting 8th graders’ perspective into the planning process will help create a highly attended, inclusive, and enthusiastic experience for all of our 8th graders this year. More information on the night’s activities and costs will be shared in the beginning of January 2023 – including a family form to indicate your 8th grader’s ability to attend. In the meantime, should you have any questions, ideas or interest in helping out, please contact Marian Freshour (mtsoufreshour@gmail.com), Amanda Gundrum (amanda.gundrum@gmail.com) or Rebecca Day (rebecca.day@primus.us). We hope to see your 8th grader at this upcoming celebration, 8th Grade Parents/Guardians Jill Chen, 8th Grade Team Leader Victoria Hankey, Assistant Principal Clara Quinlan, Principal |
Return to top
|
NEW! Title IX Training Notice to Families 1.6.23 Dear High School Students and Families,
Welcome back! We hope you had a wonderful winter break. New Years is always a good opportunity for reflection and to consider changes for the better. That is why it is a perfect time for us, as a school community, to come together and resolve to be the safe and welcoming high school we know we can and should be. In the month ahead, all high school students will receive district facilitated Title IX information and training during sessions with their grade level peers. While we are unique as a charter high school in BVSD, we share BVSD’s stance against sexual misconduct and harassment. Everyone needs to know that Peak to Peak and BVSD have a zero-tolerance policy for sex-based harassment, and for all forms of harassment and discrimination which have no place in our schools. To that end, we want to let you know about upcoming training and update you on our reporting process. We have systems in place to support students who see or hear inappropriate behavior that is sexual in nature or otherwise. Anyone can report threatening behavior including sexual harassment or violence, bullying and discrimination by speaking to a trusted adult like a school administrator, counselor, teacher or paraprofessional. Additionally, if there is a threat to safety, students may make an anonymous report via Safe2Tell. All student reports are taken seriously and will be investigated right away; students found responsible for discrimination will have consequences and potential restorative opportunities in line with school and district policy. We recognize that it is crucially important that all of us stand up against abuse, bias and hate to make our school and our community a welcoming and supportive place for everyone. We ask that our community comes together to make sure Peak to Peak is a safe and welcoming environment for everyone and that fear and discrimination are not a part of the school experience.
Thank you for your continued support, and here’s to a fantastic launch to 2023! Kyle Mathews, High School Principal Josh Benson, High School Assistant Principal |
|
NEW! Parents/Guardians of 9th and 10th Grade Students Parents and Guardians of 9th and 10th grade students, counselors will be starting their student counseling check-ins for the second semester in the upcoming weeks. If you would like to be included in our meeting, please fill out THIS link so we can meet together to discuss academic progress, and mental health and well-being. |
|
Weekly Counseling Digest Please click HERE to read the weekly Counseling Digest. |
|
|
HS Girls Basketball: 1-7 JV 10:00/V 11:30 vs Kent
HS Boys Basketball: 1-7 JV 10:00/ C team 11:30/ V 1:00 vs Kent
MS Girls Basketball: 1-12 B 4:00, A 5:00
|
Welcome back Pumas! We are looking forward to another great year with you!
|
NEW! Annual Fund Update & Matching Gift Information Thank you to everyone who made a donation of any amount to the Peak Annual Fund at the end of the year. We greatly appreciate your participation. Those of you who submitted a matching donation through your company (thank you!) and please know we are beginning to see these come in and will send you a note to let you know it was received. Please remember if you ever need assistance with matching donation paperwork, please contact the Friends office. Our Annual Fund is currently over $160k with several donations still to process. The Annual Fund giving site is open all year long and donations are welcome and appreciated at any time of the year. |
|
NEW! Next Week....We Set Sail! Look in your email next week for our 2023 Peak Gala registration link! Our committee is finalizing a few event details so next week you will have all the information you need to learn about this year's event. Thank you to everyone who set aside some auction items over break - starting this week any items you would like to contribute to the auction can be dropped off at either of our main offices, or the Friends office at any time. Stay tuned for information on the various ways you can support this year's event including ticket purchases, bidding on auction items and volunteer opportunities the day/night of. We are looking forward to another great in-person event and online auction celebrating and supporting our students, staff and families at Peak to Peak |
|
NEW! Puma Pete's Basketball Spirit Night ~ January 18th
Come cheer on all our high school basketball teams as they take on Colorado Academy on Thursday, January 18th. Fans will enjoy the Peak to Peak Pep Band, sign-making station with Puma Dogs and other snacks available for sale benefitting our basketball programs. This is a great opportunity to see our high school teams in action while also enjoying time with other Peak to Peak families. Games start at 4:30pm with Varsity Girls playing at 5:30pm and Varsity Boys playing at 7pm. Hope to see you there!
|
|
NEW! Volunteer Meeting
Please join us for our monthly volunteer meeting on Tuesday, January 10 at 2 PM in the BAASC room. We'll be planning for spring events. Everyone and their ideas are welcome!
|
 |
Volunteer Needs
|
|
Volunteer Information Thank you for considering to volunteer at Peak to Peak! We will continue to request fingerprints from anyone who intends to volunteer more than once during the school year. If you had your fingerprints done previously and completed our volunteer waiver and release form then you do not need to complete any volunteer paperwork this year! Please make sure you have a photo volunteer ID card with a barcode on the back. Please contact Traci Schoeneweis or 303-453-4682 to verify your volunteer status if you are unsure. If you only intend to volunteer once then you will be required to do the background check (not fingerprints) and the volunteer waiver and release form each year. You will be given a one-time volunteer ticket to turn in when you volunteer the one time. Please follow this link to print them or pick them up at registration: Volunteer Information Volunteer training is online. Anyone that is new to the school needs to view this before volunteering. If you have previously attended or taken the volunteer training you do not need to do it again. It’s a good idea for returning volunteers to view this as well for a refresher on protocols. Follow this link Volunteer Training to view the information. It can also be found on the volunteer page of the school website. Your Volunteer Team would love to hear from you. If you have any interest in volunteering for anything at all but do not know where to start please email either Allie Cross or Rachel Hirt, Volunteer Coordinators. They would love to meet you! |
| Frequently Used Webpages and Links: | |||||||
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| Calendar | Contact Us | Puma Spotlight | Send Photos | Cafeteria | Staff Directory | Friends | Volunteer |