August 5, 2016
Happy 50th Anniversary Niwot Elementary!
“Welcome Back” to our returning families and “Welcome” to our new families! This will be an exciting and special year as we celebrate 50 years of tradition and academic excellence! I hope everyone had an excellent summer and that you all found time to relax and rejuvenate. I am very excited for the 2016-2017 school year with you and your child. Niwot Elementary is an amazing school and we are so fortunate to have an outstanding staff and such supportive families. Thanks, in advance, for your partnership.
This is a lengthy welcome back letter but it’s full of important updates, information and reminders.
2016-2017 Staffing Updates:
· Kara Danielson is the new 4th grade teacher, replacing Mrs. Horne. Ms. Danielson was with us at the end of last year as the long-term substitute in 4th grade. She did an outstanding job and we are all very excited to have her returning.
· We now have three full-time kindergarten classrooms, and as a result Ms. Emily Schweikert (who is now Mrs. Soole…yes you read that correctly…we now have TWO Mrs. Soole’s teaching kindergarten) has moved from half-time to full-time kindergarten. In addition, Destry Wardle will now be supporting kindergarten as a para.
· We have hired two new special education paras, Zoe Read & Marissa Nelson, to join our autism center based program.
· Lori Myers will be supporting Diane Happe in the health office. Diane will continue to be there in the mornings and Lori will be there in the afternoons.
· Victoria Postiglione is replacing Kimberly Bertele as the Occupational Therapist.
· Matthew Moore-Kochlacs, technology para, will be supporting a few classes in the tech lab. Alicia Keon will continue to support students in the lab as well.
· Kathy Benning, attendance clerk, is on a family leave of absence for the month of August. Lori Myers (health clerk) and Destry Wardle (kindergarten para) will be subbing in the office during her absence.
· We have posted, and will be hiring, a 3-hour Instructional Para. This is an existing position from last year.
Important Dates & Information:
I hope to see everyone at the Open House on Monday, August 15th from 3:00pm to 4:00pm. This is an opportunity to drop off school supplies and meet your child’s new teacher. In addition, there will be a variety of booths set up in the gym from 3:30pm to 6:00pm (please note those that are working at a booth will have from 3:00-3:30pm to visit classrooms). The Kindergarten Information meeting will also take place on August 15th from 4:30pm to 5:30pm, and there will be childcare available during this meeting. Thank you to our amazing PTAC for helping organize and support our Open House evening.
1st-5th grade class lists will be posted on the front doors at 4:00pm on Friday, August 12th. Kindergarten class lists will be posted on the front doors at 4:00pm on Wednesday, August 17th. It has come to my attention that at one point 1st-5th grade families were able to view on Infinite Campus who their teacher was going to be. Please know that there are changes happening every day and nothing is “official” until we post them on the front doors.
Kindergarten will have a popsicle party on the primary playground at 3:00pm on Friday, August 12th. Also, a reminder that kindergarten students will be assessed on Monday, August 15th and Tuesday, August 16th (students were assigned a day/time, please contact the office if you don’t have this information).
The first day of school for 1st-5th grades will be Tuesday, August 16th. The first day for full-day and half-day Kindergarten will be Thursday, August 18th.
Finally, individual grade levels will be scheduling Back to School Nights to take place in the first few weeks of school. Classroom teachers will be sending home more information regarding this.
Important Reminders:
The school day at Niwot Elementary is 9:00am to 3:35pm (Half-Day Kindergarten students attend from 9:00am to 12:00pm). Students are expected to be at school on time. Our first bell rings at 9:00am and the tardy bell rings at 9:05am. Due to supervision and safety reasons, students should not be dropped off before 8:50am.
St. Vrain Valley School District has an attendance policy that Niwot strongly adheres to. Please familiarize yourself with this policy. You may access the policy at this link: Attendance Policy.
Safety is our number one priority, so please remember to be careful, respectful and to follow the rules when driving and walking near the school. The same traffic pattern will continue to remain in effect. Please visit the website for specifics regarding student arrival and pick-up (Arrival & Pick-Up). To increase our efforts for the safety of all, everyone will be asked to ring the doorbell and identify themselves prior to office staff opening the doors. There may be a short delay if someone is not immediately available. Thank you for your patience and understanding as we all work together to keep our school safe for everyone.
Parents were able to submit learning style requests in May. The staff spends many hours and go to great lengths to find a good balance for classroom make-up for the following year. Therefore, students will not be switched to different classrooms this fall.
Communication is very important to everyone at Niwot Elementary. Please check out our school website at http://niwotes.svvsd.org/ for links to staff pages, and frequent updates. I have a Principal Facebook page to help with communicating important dates, student/staff celebrations, and fun things happening at the school. Please “like” the “Niwot Elementary Principal Page” to get frequent updates. In addition, please follow us on Twitter at Nancy Pitz@Niwot Elem. Finally, our PTAC has an excellent website (Niwot PTAC) where you can find volunteer opportunities, important dates, and a great overall reference for our outstanding Parent Teacher organization.
I am very excited for this school year, and I look forward to seeing you and your children Monday, August 15th at the Open House. Please know that I have an open-door policy, so stop by at anytime. If I am not available at that time, the office staff would be happy to schedule an appointment for you.
Enjoy the rest of the summer with your family and friends. I look forward to a great year with you and your child.
Sincerely,
Nancy Pitz
Principal