The APRIL 2015
TRAILBLAZER ELEMENTARY
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Dr. Kirby’s Compass Point
9760 Hackberry Street Highlands Ranch, CO 80129
Principal
Deanne Kirby Assistant Principal
Julie Crawford Main Office 303-387-6250 Fax 303-387-6251 Attendance
Dear Trailblazer Families, Well, we are on the home stretch for the 2014-15 school year! Unbelievable, isn’t it? With the end of the year approaching, and budget planning season behind us, I want to take some time to share “The State of Trailblazer,” so to speak. Enrollment: Each year, principals and school/district leaders are provided with projected enrollment numbers. The numbers are calculated with several different calculation methods using various lenses (i.e., home sales, birth rates, historical enrollment). Trailblazer is predicted to experience declining enrollment numbers due to a slightly lower birth rate, less movement within the neighborhood, and an aging neighborhood. Some of this is due to the recession and the slow recovery as a result of the recession. The projected enrollment for Trailblazer for 2015-16 is 463 students. As of April, enrollment is slightly lower than this number.
303-387-6250 Press 1 *Call anytime to report absences or late arrivals
School Hours First Bell: 8:35 am Tardy Bell: 8:40 am Dismissal: 3:30 pm Delayed Start: 10:10 am Office Hours: 8:15am-3:45pm
Advertising in this newsletter does not imply endorsement by Douglas County School District.
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APRIL 2015
The TRAILBLAZER COMPASS Principal Message
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Budget: Enrollment numbers directly impact budgeting. The projected enrollment numbers are used to build the bottom line for the school’s budget. The school budget is comprised of discretionary funds (money used at the discretion of the school leadership ~ such as classroom teacher positions, education assistants, and instructional funding) and nondiscretionary funds (money earmarked for a specific purpose ~ such as Special Education staffing). When enrollment numbers decline, the budget has fewer dollars to spend in general. Trailblazer’s budget is still fairly healthy, however, there were several cuts that needed to made to maintain the health of the budget. Staffing: Staffing is determined by both enrollment and budget. It is always the goal to protect the classroom teaching staff from cuts, as cuts to classroom teachers have a direct impact on students. If class sizes become too small (as determined by enrollment numbers per grade level), there is the potential for classes to be consolidated at grade levels. This sometimes results in higher class sizes (i.e., 2 classrooms of 31 at an intermediate grade level rather than 3 classrooms of 20-21). We try to keep classes sizes for kindergarten through second grade within 22-25. Class sizes at third through sixth will usually be within 27-30. Occasionally, there will be the potential for classes to be above 30. If that happens, teachers have access to additional educational assistant support when they need it. THIS link provides more information about enrollment, budget and the specific staffing organization for the 2015-16 school year. Staffing is never set in stone until we get closer to the beginning of the school year and we have accurate numbers from open enrollment (the next open enrollment window extends from April 15th through August). continue on the next page
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Moving Forward: Our amazing teachers have worked incredibly hard over the past few years to embrace 21st Century education strategies and philosophies. The fruit of their labor is seen in the authentic work students are doing as they learn about the world they live in and build a strong foundation designed to help them become sturdy human beings. We are always striving to find ways to balance how students learn about content, how they acquire skills, and how they experience the 4 Cs (communication, collaboration, critical thinking, and creativity), and 21st century skills (resiliency, problem solving, systems thinking, health and wellness, financial literacy, global awareness, and civic responsibility). To help support student learning and growth, teachers will have the opportunity to explore Project Based Learning during a 3-day professional development session this summer. Project Based Learning (PBL) is a framework that helps teacher design well -balanced units of instruction that are enjoyable, authentic, and help foster sustainable, enduring learning for students. THIS is a link to the Buck Institute for Education (BIE) that will provide you with some additional information what PBL is and why PBL is an effective educational model. As a school staff, we are excited to move forward with Project Based Learning. Some of our classrooms already use this philosophy (for example 3rd and 4th grade Market Days and 6th grade Energy and Sustainability) and students have responded with excitement and a love for learning, as a result. continue on the next page
Please click here for the 2014/15 School Supply List
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Additionally, we will continue to expand our use of Positive Behavior Intervention and Support (PBIS) by deepening teachers’ and students’ understanding of what this means at the classroom level. This will be accomplished by further defining what it means to be safe, be respectful, and be responsible in the classroom, what constitutes minor behavior issues and major behavior issues, and how we respond when students make mistakes (small and large). If you have any questions about this or if you want more information, I am always available for a conversation. As always, I thank you for entrusting your child to us at Trailblazer Elementary School. We continue to strive to produce sturdy human beings who are successful today and in the future. With care for your children and our community, Deanne
APRIL 2015
The TRAILBLAZER COMPASS Parent Teacher Organization
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APRIL 2015
The TRAILBLAZER COMPASS Parent Teacher Organization
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APRIL 2015
The TRAILBLAZER COMPASS
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Silent Auction Volunteers
...so much for the success of the silent auction! Thank you to our wonderful PTO for an amazing night honoring our Trailblazer students. We raised thousands of dollars for Trailblazer!
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The TRAILBLAZER COMPASS
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Volunteer Spotlight
Anne Dawson Here at Trailblazer, we LOVE our volunteers! There are so many events, activities, and projects that require hours of preparation and planning. It goes without saying that these things would not be as profitable or successful without our amazing volunteers. We are lucky to have so many at our school and this month we would like to "spotlight" Anne Dawson! Anne is a native Californian and moved to Colorado in 2000. Her husband Tedd and she have built their family here and love the community of friends that has become their "chosen family" here in Colorado. They have three kids at Trailblazer: Brinlee in 3rd grade, Teddy in 2nd and Kale in Kindergarten. Anne says that what she likes most about volunteering at TBE is "being a part of the community that teaches my kids everyday. I love getting to know the people I trust with my kids." She also says that volunteering is a good way to get to know how her teachers teach and get to know the kids in her child’s class. Anne is a former teacher and she is also one of our substitute teachers. So you may see her smiling face in one of your child’s classroom. When asked if she had a memorable volunteer moment, she replied "…not just one moment, every time I see the kid’s happy faces and watch them grow!" Her heart is truly dedicated to the success of all the kids at TBE. If you see Anne around, introduce yourself. You will be glad you did! Thank you Anne for your dedication and smile.
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A New Staff Member
Kaylyn Fletcher
This is my first year at Trailblazer Elementary! Prior to coming here, I ran a licensed Home Child Care business for twenty five years. We briefly moved to Arizona where I substituted in the public schools, When we returned to Colorado, I was employed by Primrose Learning Center, but missed the older children and public school setting. I am currently working with the first and second graders and adore the teachers and students! My husband and I have five children, three girls and two boys and five grandchildren. We had two weddings in the last four months which was crazy and wonderful at the same time!. One of our son in law’s recently returned from his third tour in Afghanistan. Our newest grandchild Kaylee was born February 21st so we are loving on her!
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The Trailblazer Garden Garden: Spring has come and so has the start of the garden! We worked so hard last year creating our garden and we are looking forward to adding more to our already plentiful garden. We have big plans this season. If you are interested in supporting our TBE Garden please email Julie Crawford @
[email protected] . When you stop by the school, be on the look out for the following changes: We will be adding a Garden Sign above our gate. We will be adding flower beds We will be cleaning and putting down landscape fabric. We will be adding a breeze walkway all throughout the Garden.
(Picked from our Garden last year.)
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SSN and SED Field Trip To The Cave Of The Winds
