February 2017 Newsletter www.thepinnacleweb.org 303-450-3985 The Mission of The Pinnacle Charter School is: To educate students to attain superior levels of academic performance by: - Creating a safe, supportive K-12 school community - Preparing students for college and career - Striving for excellence in everything we do The Vision Statement of The Pinnacle Charter School is: Educating learners of today. Creating leaders of tomorrow.
Important Dates to Remember: Feb. 3: Dress Down Day Fundraiser Feb. 10: Dress Down Day Fundraiser Feb. 16: Spirit Day Feb. 16: Literacy Night (details inside) Feb. 17: No School—Teacher In-Service Day Feb. 20: No School—President’s Day Feb. 23: No School K-5/K-5 Parent/Teacher Conferences 12PM-8PM Full Day for 6th-12th/6th-12th Parent/Teacher Conferences 3:45PM-7PM Feb. 24: No School K-12 K-8 Parent/Teacher Conferences 8AM-4PM 9th-12th Parent/Teacher Conferences 8AM-11AM Feb. 27: School Board Meeting at 5PM in the High School Lecture Hall
School Hours: Kindergarten - 8th: 8:20AM to 3:20PM 9th through 12th: 7:10AM to 2:25PM
February 16th!
Now Accepting Enrollment Applications for 2017-2018 Dear Pinnacle Families, It’s that time of year again—the Pinnacle Charter School is now accepting enrollment applications for the 2017-2018 school year. If you are interested in registering a child that is not currently enrolled at the Pinnacle, visit our registration site today at www.thepinnacleweb.org. Students currently enrolled at PCS do not need to submit an application; however, please fill out an Intent to Return form, which will be available March/April, so that we can meet your student’s needs, providing a quality education. Enrollment at the Pinnacle is open to all Colorado students grades K-12. Applications are available in both English and Spanish. Pinnacle Charter School will contact families about acceptance starting in February/March and throughout the Spring and Summer. Enrollment will close on or around September 15th, 2017. Let your family, friends, and neighbors know that the Pinnacle is looking for more great Timberwolves!
Picture Days February 2nd: K-2nd grade class pictures and Spring individual pictures. February 6th: 3rd-5th grade class pictures and Spring individual pictures. February 9th: Kindergarten cap and gown pictures —————————————————————————————————————————————————— Girls on the Run will star t the week of Mar ch 6th. Girls on the Run inspires girls to a lifetime of self-respect and a healthy lifestyle through an innovative program that combines training for a 3.1 mile run/walk race with a fun, health education lesson plan. We will meet Tuesdays and Thursdays after school. The program is open to all 4th and 5th grade girls. Registration opens February 6th - watch for info coming soon. For more information about the program, visit www.girlsontherunrockies.org. Have questions or want to coach? Contact:
[email protected] .
—————————————————————————————————————————————————— A Night Under the Stars Family Literacy Night Does your child struggle with reading? Do you often wonder how to help your child with reading at home? Does your child love to read? Come to Literacy Night on Thursday, February 16th, from 6 to 8 pm! The Pinnacle Charter School Elementary is hosting a Night Under the Stars Family Literacy Night. We will have visiting children's book authors, storytellers, make and take literacy activities, singing under the stars in the library, Spanish book reading, a “how to read to your child” session, and more. There will be a raffle for a free book library and prizes for students that complete 5 activities on a golden star. A snack will be provided. We are also looking for parent volunteers to help with a variety of things from Spanish translation to helping in classrooms. (Volunteers will need to arrive at 5:30pm). If you are interested in volunteering, please contact Toni Penn (
[email protected]) or Patti McKay (
[email protected]). —————————————————————————————————————————————————— Elementary Tutoring Parents, please remember Imagine Learning tutoring is Tuesdays and Thursdays from 7AM to 8AM (Kindergarten starts at 7:30AM). SRA and Moby Max tutoring is Tuesdays and Thursdays from 4PM to 5PM. It is important that students attend elementary tutoring sessions regularly to show growth in Reading and/or Math. Volunteer/Fundraising Opportunities Anyone who wishes to volunteer at The Pinnacle must complete a Volunteer Agreement and have a background check done through the school prior to volunteering. Volunteer Agreements are available at the front office of the K-8 building. A new background check is required every two years. Safety is one of our top priorities at The Pinnacle. We want to make sure our students, staff and community are safe. Please contact our Volunteer Coordinator, Eddee Chavez, at ext. 1126 with questions or for more information. We look forward to working with you this school year. Box Tops and Labels for Education Box Tops and Labels for Education are programs that benefit our Elementary School. Box tops and labels from containers are collected by students, submitted to individual classroom teachers, and tallied monthly. The top two classrooms earn the right to choose from an assortment of school related items that reflect their collection totals. Additional materials are purchased for school-wide use. These can include cooperative games, class book sets, and literacy center components. Please consider collecting and donating your box tops and labels to your student’s classroom teacher. Thank you for your effort to support our school!
The Pinnacle Elementary Charter School Happenings! From the desk of Rebecca Sieve, Elementary Principal With the arrival of 2017 and the return of students and staff after winter break, everyone felt refreshed and rejuvenated to begin the New Year. Children were eager to be with their friends, and teachers were pleased to begin their instruction with fresh faces and students ready to learn. Quarter 2 report cards were distributed on Friday, January 13, in Friday Folders. We believe that all students are capable of achievement. Our staff strive to reward the effort of students, recognizing that teaching a growth mind-set results in decreasing or even closing achievement gaps. We believe that intelligence is fluid, and we create a culture that encourages students to fulfill their potential. At the start of January, Positive Behavior Intervention System (PBIS) rotations were scheduled for Elementary classrooms to review and revisit behavior expectations. (Several classes have been rescheduled due to the snow day.) Students rotated to various stations in the building, including the front lobby, hallway, cafeteria, bathroom and playground to model and discuss respectful and responsible behaviors that create a safe and supportive learning environment. We ask that our students are practicing the advice from our Home & School Connection newsletter on the topic of respect in school and at home. At home, children can show respect by thanking the person who made dinner for them or helped them with homework. While at school, parents can encourage children to respect their classmates’ diverse backgrounds and cultures. In our community, children can be encouraged to show respect when interacting with others by simply saying “Please” and “Thank you.” Showing respect in all environments builds positive relationships resulting in a climate and culture that values everyone. We demonstrated our respect for others and celebrated our diversity as we honored Martin Luther King Jr. on January 16. Due to the national holiday, school was not in session; however, many classrooms studied the history of the Civil Rights Movement and our American journey toward equality for all members of our society. Martin Luther King Jr. said, “Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, “What are you doing for others?” This is a message that applies to our daily lives at school and at home. During the month of February, the Elementary is focusing on how we are kind to and help others. Random acts of kindness will be practiced by students and staff to promote inclusion and empathy. At home, please discuss how children can demonstrate kindness and acceptance for all students. Parent Teacher Conferences are scheduled for February 23 and 24. Please remember Parent/Teacher conferences are very important for your child’s education. The teacher looks forward to your visit and values what you have to say. Before going to school for conferences, you are encouraged to make a list of your and your child’s most important questions. We will provide a Spanish speaking interpreter for families who have requested this service. We look forward to partnering with you to help your child succeed academically and socially. We value the teamwork and partnerships that we have fostered with you, our school community. Working together only makes us stronger and allows us to achieve our Mission: To educate students to attain superior levels of academic performance by: Creating a safe, supportive K-12 school community Preparing students for college and career Striving for excellence in everything we do. As always, your involvement is valued at The Pinnacle. Please consider becoming a volunteer in a teacher’s classroom or serving as a member of the Parent Teacher Organization. For more information, please contact our Parent Volunteer Coordinator, Eddee Chavez, at Tel. #303-450-3985, ext. 1126.
Classroom News Kindergarten: Kinder gar ten would like to thank our families for the har d wor k on the family pr ojects they have done throughout the year. We will be sending out information about our February special centers. 1st Grade: Fir st gr ade intr oduced new Reading homewor k. We ar e hoping this will encour age families to read and work together on a nightly basis. 2nd Grade: Our second gr ader s will be lear ning about Ear th’s mater ials in Science in the month of Febr uary. This will include natural resources, rocks and minerals, soil, and how we can protect our planet. In Social Studies, we will be learning how things change over time, how we can use historical resources to understand the past, and how developments in technology affect the way people live. In addition, we will have a field trip to the Denver Aquarium on February 9th. Please continue to read and write with your student at home on a regular basis, and help your student maintain a routine for getting homework done. Thank you for your support at home. We look forward to meeting with you at parent-teacher conferences. 3rd Grade: Febr uar y is a big month in thir d gr ade as we gear up for our fir st PARCC test in the spr ing. We will be continuing Reading Wonders Reading and Writing curriculum. Be sure to practice fractions for Math. We will also be introducing two-dimensional shapes and their attributes and elapsed time. We will talk about living things and offspring and life cycles in Science. We will learn about early French, Spanish, and English communities in North America in Social Studies. Watch for more information about a class Valentine exchange on February 14th. 4th Grade: The 4th grade students have taken their last SOLE field trip. We visited History Colorado. On this field trip, we learned about mining, miners, Native American’s, Mesa Verde, and the Dust Bowl. We took part in activities in the town of Keota in the late 1800s. We are working on fractions in Math. We are learning about the first people, Native Americans, and settlers of Colorado in Social Studies. Please continue to work on mastery of multiplication facts at home. Thank you for your support! 5th Grade: 5th graders had a blast at AmeriTowne. Thank you to all the volunteers who chaperoned. 5th graders are continuing to work hard. We look forward to reviewing student progress at parent teacher conferences on February 23rd and 24th. Middle School Parents, your assistance with the following is greatly appreciated: Double check with your student(s) to see if they have enough paper and pencils for second semester. We are accepting tissue box donations to help support our classrooms during the winter months.
Heart & Sole Program for 6th and 7th Grade Girls Heart & Sole will begin Mar ch 6th. It is a club that inspires 6th and 7th grade girls to a lifetime of self-respect and a healthy lifestyle through an innovative program that combines training for a 3.1 mile run/walk race with a fun, health education lesson plan. We will meet Tuesdays and Thursdays after school from 4-5pm. Hearts & Sole Run is open to all 6th and 7th grade girls. Former GOTR participants are encouraged to join again. Registration opens February 6th. For more information about the program visit www.girlsontherunrockies.org. Questions or want to coach? Contact:
[email protected].
Attention Middle School Parents and Families
The Middle School yearbook is now on sale! Our MS yearbook class has been hard at work taking pictures and creating the yearbook that will capture your student’s 2016-2017 school year at The Pinnacle. The book will have sports pictures, club pictures, field trips, student portraits, and much more. Please don’t wait to place your order. Cost: $30.00 (all books are hard cover) - Best yearbook deal around. Date: All orders must be in by 3/15/17. How to order: Online orders only! 1. Visit www.community.pictavo.com 2. Click on “SHOP” 3. Find Pinnacle Charter Middle School, and place your order. Please contact Studio 5 School Portraits @ 970-674-0520 if you have any questions about ordering. Thank you for your support, Middle School Yearbook Staff ——————————————————————————————————————————————————
The Buses are Here! Exciting News from the Transportation Department Due to some unbelievable grants from Regional Air Quality Council and Noble Energy, the Pinnacle, with the School Board’s approval, was able to purchase 4 Compressed Natural Gas school buses. You will see these environmentally friendly buses phased into our bus fleet in the next few weeks. The Pinnacle is very proud to offer the service of these new buses. We hope the students will help preserve the integrity of the new buses and will enjoy their new environmentally friendly ride.