1885 S Lima Street

Aurora, CO 80012
720-747-2800

Principal: Elizabeth Sloan Assistant Principal: Kami Guarino

September 19, 2013

Dates to Remember:
No School: Friday 9/20/2013
Family Wellness Night: Thursday 9/26/2013 @ 6pm – 7:30pm

Dear Parents,

Welcome Back! Ponderosa is very excited about the up-coming school year. You might have noticed the new mobile out by the
baseball field – this means that Ponderosa is once again growing! With growth, comes change. Please join us as we welcome the
following new teachers and support staff to Ponderosa:

Karena Cooper – 1st grade teacher Dagmar Majer – Kitchen Manager

Lakysha Dixon – 1st grade teacher Khadra Abdullahi – kitchen staff
Heidi Gardner – 3rd grade teacher
Missy Scott – 3rd grade teacher
Jim Rodgers – 5th grade teacher
Lauren Bannon - Music
Vy Nguyen – Psychologist
Rachel Minor – Social Worker
Sarah Comercheo – Speech Language
Sheryl Hodges – School Nurse

Please be considerate when parking, stopping, and dropping off children. Our first concern is the safety of our students, however,
parking in someone’s driveway, blocking their driveway, making illegal U-turns, double parking, parking in the fire lane (red zone on
school property) and entering the parking lot the wrong way is inconsiderate and will result in the Aurora Police or Fire Marshall to
giving you a ticket – or towing your vehicle. Children learn from their parents, remember what kind of example you are setting for
your child.

As the school year progresses, Ponderosa will be sending home important information, sometimes weekly, in your students Thursday
folder. Please remember to check and go over the items placed in Thursday folders. You will be updated on upcoming school events,
musical programs, field trips, and student vacation holidays. If you have questions or concerns, please remember to contact your
child’s teacher or the front office staff for assistance.

Mrs. Guarino and I are available to answer any questions or concerns that might arise, however, we would like to ask that you speak
with your child’s teacher, school psychologist or school social worker, prior to contacting us. Many times, they can help resolve the
issue.

Regards,

Elizabeth Sloan, Principal

Kami Guarino, Assistant to the Principal
 Readiness and Emergency Management for Schools (REMS)
in Cherry Creek Schools 2013-14

As a result of funds received from the Emergency Response and Crisis Management (ERCM)
grant from the Office of Safe and Drug Free Schools, all leadership and school safety/crisis teams
in the Cherry Creek Schools have been implementing this comprehensive school safety model.
We have continued to develop updated and effective emergency response plans and procedures
that align with state and federal Homeland Security Emergency Management and the National
Incident Management System (NIMS).

Cherry Creek Schools has established responsive partnerships with our community agencies,
trained key staff to provide for the emotional impact of a crisis on students and staff, and
developed sustainable training materials and crisis response kits for our school safety teams. In
2011, the ERCM process was renamed Readiness and Emergency Management for Schools
(REMS) to reflect our continuous proactive approach to school safety. We are committed to
continuing this thoughtful and integrated effort with REMS training.

We would also like to take this opportunity to inform parents about new changes to the Cherry
Creek School District’s website that now give parents needed information about school safety and
related issues. The website explains the district’s efforts to provide for both the physical and
psychological safety of our children, and gives parents links to excellent online resources. This
section of the district website continues to be under construction and materials will be updated as
needed. You can view the information by going to
http://www.cherrycreekschools.org/SafeSchools/Pages/default.aspx and selecting the Safety &
Security Quick Links

Topics and information include:

What to Do in the Event of an Emergency
Information about the CCSD Comprehensive Safe Schools Plan
Raptor Visitor Management program
Care Line Information (Revised 2011)
Other Resources, Links and/or Handouts:
Bullying/Harassment
Crisis Resources
Internet Safety
Parenting
Personal Safety (neighborhood, strangers, etc.)
Violence Prevention

For more information about your school’s crisis and safety planning, please contact your school’s
Principal. For further information about REMS planning in the schools, please contact Randy
Councell, Director of Safety and Security, 720-554-4489, or Ronald Lee, Psy.D. Mental Health
Director, 720-554-4252, co-chairs of the Safe School Design Team for the school district.

Thank you for your support of the district’s 2012 bond election in helping us provide training for
all staff and making our schools safe for every child!

Dear Parents,
There has been an increase in the number of children coming to school with severe
food allergies, most often to peanuts, tree nuts or all nuts. Some children can go into
what’s known as Anaphylaxis -a full body reaction which can quickly become life-
threatening.

At Ponderosa we are a family. As a family, we aim to protect our most precious cargo,
our children, from harm. You can help us by checking all snacks for labeling which
includes “Contains peanuts”, “May contain nuts”, and/or “this product is processed or
packaged on equipment that also packages products containing nuts” or similar, and
keeping those snacks at home. Fresh fruit and chopped vegetables are always a
healthy option, if you are able.

If your child has eaten peanuts, peanut butter, or nuts prior to coming to school,
please be sure your child’s hands have been thoroughly washed. Since lunch is eaten
in the cafeteria, your child may bring peanut butter, peanuts, or nut products for lunch.
In the cafeteria there will be a designated peanut/nut-free table where any classmate
without peanut or nut products can sit. We ask that if your child brings peanut or nut
products, they not sit at this table. This plan will help to maintain safety in the
classroom while allowing non-allergic classmates to enjoy peanut/nut products in a
controlled environment. The cafeteria at Ponderosa no longer serves peanut butter
sandwiches

Please feel free to call with any questions,

720-747-2809
Sherry Hodges, RN, BSN, NCSN
Ponderosa School Nurse

Ponderosa parents, grandparents, guardians, and other family members,

Do you like to sing? Do you remember songs from your childhood that are unique to your culture or heritage? If so, I
would love to hear them and share them with our students! If you would like to sing, play, dictate, or inform me of a
song you know that can help broaden our students' knowledge of world music, please call me, Ms. Bannon, at 720-747-
2822, or email me at lbannon@cherrycreekschools.org. I look forward to hearing from you!

4th and 5th grade students,

Choir will begin Wednesday morning at 8:00. Anyone in 4th and 5th grade is welcome to join! The students enter through
the gym side door and will meet in the music room for auditions. Everyone must audition, but everyone will be allowed in.
Students will receive the audition music that morning, and we will also then discuss what days we will be meeting. See
you then!

-Ms. Bannon

BIG THANK YOU to Creekside for the new playground equipment!

 Thank you to The Potter’s House for providing back-packs to our student’s.

Tuesday, October 1, 2013

9:15 a.m. – 11:15 a.m.

Eyes Wide Open: A Brave New Look at Bullying

Join PIN for our next presentation on Tuesday, October 1st, to hear Dr. Marla Bonds & Stacey Brandon, MSW,
discuss, “Eyes Wide Open: A Brave New Look at Bullying.”

Dr. Bonds is the co-author of The Bully-Proofing Series, a program aimed at mobilizing the "caring majority"—the
85% of students who are neither bullies nor victims—by developing and reinforcing their strong identities.
Through their actions and influence, these students can dictate the operating environment, giving strength and
support to victims and defusing the power of bullies.

Stacey Brandon has taught bullying prevention in CCSD for the past 20 years. She is a trainer of trainers for the
Bully-Proofing Your Schools curriculum. Mrs. Brandon currently is a Safety and Intervention Coach for elementary
schools in CCSD. She collaborates and works with schools on sustaining safe, positive and inclusive learning
environments.

All parents, school administrators and community members are welcome and encouraged to attend PIN’s free
presentations. No need to RSVP—just come!

Presentations are FREE and are held the first Tuesday of each month
at the Student Achievement Resource Center (SARC):
14188 Briarwood Avenue, Centennial, south of Arapahoe Rd., between Potomac and Jordan Roads
Come at 9:00 a.m. for refreshments and networking

Visit www.PINccsd.org for Podcasts and Meeting Highlights.

MARK YOUR CALENDARS!
November 4th (evening presentation, time TBA) &
November 5th Bounce Back Stronger: Resiliency in Action

December 3rd What’s Next? Creating your Best 2nd Half of Life

January 7th Lives Changed: Volunteerism