Posted May 24, 2024
 | COUGAR PRIDE Carson Elementary Principal Newsletter |  |
We are Carson!
Climate and Culture~ We provide a safe, collaborative, and inclusive community that fosters a sense of belonging and joy. We empower students to develop growth mindsets and to advocate for their social-emotional and academic needs in order to build resilience.
Professional Learning Culture~ We build and maintain trusting, collaborative relationships in order to intentionally foster the growth and well-being of students and staff.
Family & Community Engagement~We partner with our families and community to embrace diversity, nurture trust, and provide a variety of opportunities to engage with Carson in meaningful ways.
Learning and Instruction~We maintain high expectations of students while providing rigorous, engaging, authentic instruction through culturally responsive and data-driven practices to ensure student success.
May 24, 2024
Principal Message
Hello Carson Community,
If you weren’t able to join us for May’s Collaborative School Committee Meeting this week, check out the minutes and the recording to find out about Carson’s Unified Improvement Plan (UIP) progress for the 24-25 school year.
Here is an overview about upcoming work on and communication about our school’s UIP:
May:
July/August:
August:
September:
Each Quarter:
Have a fabulous long weekend!
With gratitude,
Registration~ for ALL Current and New Families
If you have not yet participated in early registration, please do so as soon as possible. This is the annual online process of providing and updating student and family information on file, including emergency contacts, health information and more. The window is open until June 5.
To register online, sign in to your Parent Portal at https://myportal.dpsk12.org/, click on “See All Apps,” then click on “Online Registration” to verify or update your stu/dent’s information. Online registration can only be completed by the parent/guardian listed in the primary household of the student record. Here is a Parent Portal Registration Guide. If you need support with registering, join us today- May 24th. Drop in to Carson anytime between 12:45 to 3:00 to get help with registration.
Field Day
We had a successful field day with beautiful weather! Thanks to Mr. Stehle and all of the parent and Carson team volunteers to help make the event a huge success!
Important Information Regarding Chromebooks
All students will be required to turn in their Chromebooks and chargers at the end of this school year. Students in all grade levels will return their Chromebooks on Monday, June 3rd. Since students will not be receiving the same computer for the 2024-2025 school year, please have students remove any stickers that are on their Chromebook, before turning it in.
Students will need to return both, Chromebook and charger, on June 3rd to keep from incurring a lost Chromebook fee. If a charger is not returned, a $20 charge will be added to MySchool Bucks to purchase a new charger for your student. This is the only fee that would come directly from Carson. Any additional fees (ex. Lost device, broken keyboard, cracked screen) come from the DPS Department of Technology.
*A tip on removing stickers and/or residue: If you are having an issue removing stickers, please try using a soft cloth or a cotton ball/pad dipped in rubbing alcohol, and rub it on the stickers. If you happen to have a spray bottle of rubbing alcohol, you can spray the lid of the laptop a few times and let it soak for a little while before pulling them off.
Resources
Reminders
Upcoming Events
5/27: Memorial Day ~ No School
5/30: 5th Grade Young Ameritowne Field Trip 9-2
5/30: 3rd Grade Park Day at Crestmoor 9-1
5/30: Field Day Rain Date
5/31: Talent Show
6/3: Chromebook & Charger Return
6/3: 2nd Grade Day at Crestmoor Park 9-1
6/4: 1st Grade Day at Crestmoor Park 9-11:30
6/4: 5th Grade Continuation 1-2
6/5: Last Day of School- 11:40 Early Release
6/5: Fun Run 8-8:45
6/5: End of Year Character Ed Assembly 8:45-9:15
6/5: Students vs. Teachers Kickball Game 9:30
6/5: Last Day to pick up Medications from Health Office
6/5: Report Cards Available via Parent Portal
Check out the Carson website for updates on future events.
Email Emily_Livingston@dpsk12.net at least one week in advance if you need an interpreter for any Carson events.
PTA News
Thank you!
A huge THANK YOU to Sylvia Brady and Hannah Sloven for organizing and coordinating Field Day events, volunteers, and snacks; and to Melissa Thomas and Patricia Zymeri for helping to organize the Community BBQ. Thank you as well to all the volunteers who helped make Field Day and the Community BBQ a success!
Upcoming Events
End of Year Fun Run: June 5, 8:00 AM
Come cheer on your student(s) on the last day of school at our annual End of Year Fun Run. Students will run a loop through the neighborhood with their grade. As always, we rely on our community to help make this event happen. You can sign up here to volunteer. Thank you to our End of School Fun Run Coordinators, Grace Goodman and Ellen Stern for making this event happen!
Follow Carson PTA on Facebook and Instagram to stay up to date on Carson events!
May PTA Meeting Minutes on Staff Funding
PTA Meeting Minutes 2.23.24 (Staff Funding)
Volunteer Opportunities
Thank you to everyone who has volunteered in any capacity so far this year!
We have a few more end-of-year events and need your help to make them a success. Please see the sign-ups below and thank you!
Fun Run– last day of school – June 5th
Tuesday Treats for Teachers and Staff
Help fuel Carson’s amazing teachers and staff with Tuesday Teacher Treats!
Help with hard to open lunches, cleaning up, and ensuring lunch time at Carson runs smoothly!
Don’t forget to complete your free volunteer background check!
PTA Board
PTA Board Positions
Congratulations to Sean Fellows our new PTA President and Lauren Womble our new PTA Treasurer. Thank you for your commitment to Carson! There are two open PTA Board member positions, PTA President-Elect and the PTA VP of Fundraising. If you are interested in either of those positions please reach out to Sean Fellows at oaks64@gmail.com or Lauren Axon at lsprengel@hotmail.com.
THANK YOU to our PTA Board members for dedicating your time and energy to Carson this year: Alison Antony, Sean Fellows, Lauren Stoffel, Misty Lindsey, Lauren Axon, Lauren Womble, and Andee Foutch!
The PTA Board would also like to extend a very big thank you to Anna Sidorchuk for dedicating her time every week to manage the PTA newsletter and Social and Media. Thank you Anna!
Carson Elementary Directory
Please find the Updated 2023-2024 Carson Elementary Directory here.
Community Involvement
Clothes to Kids of Denver!
The Carson community is a proud supporter of local non-profit, Clothes To Kids of Denver (CTKD). CTKD’s mission is simple – to provide free school clothes to students in need or in crisis. Students get to shop in a warm and welcoming boutique where they can select the wardrobe pieces that meet their needs. Each wardrobe is a week’s worth of school clothes – 21 pieces – and it is all FREE! CKTD’s goal is always to reach as many students as possible. They cannot do this work without strong community support, so thank you for helping make this happen!
Want to Help?
CTKD serves students in preschool – 12th grade, so they gladly accept clean and ready to wear, gently used or new clothing size 4T up through all adult sizes as well as shoes from size 8T up to adult sizes. Bring your donations to school any time and place them in the grey and blue CTKD bin located in the front lobby.
Want to Shop?
To shop at CTKD, students must be age 3-21, live in the 11-county Denver Metro Area, and be enrolled in preschool-12th grade, or working toward a GED. No referral or proof of automatic qualification is required to shop. Click this LINK for more information. Appointments can be made to shop in CTKD’s store or to pick up clothing through CTKD’s curbside program. Make an appointment by calling 720-379-4630 or emailing appointment@clothestokidsdenver.org.
Questions? Contact Carson’s Bin Champion Lauren Stoffel at LCStoffel@gmail.com.
For more information about CTKD, visit their website http://www.clothestokidsdenver.org.
Shop at King Soopers and Give Back to Carson!
By linking your King Soopers loyalty card to the Carson Elementary PTA, you can give back to the School every time you shop at King Soopers and their family of brands (City Market, Kroger, etc.)! If you haven’t already, sign up for a loyalty card and create a digital account. Then visit our King Soopers Community Rewards instructions for steps to link your card to the Carson Elementary PTA. A percentage of all purchases linked to your cards is donated back to the School. Carson has already received over $1,700 this year, thanks to those who already support this program! (Note that this sign-up process is best completed on a computer/tablet, NOT on your phone.)
Longmont Dairy Farm will donate 5 cents for every bottle cap from Longmont Dairy-produced products. Thank you to the people who’ve been hoarding their milk caps through the summer and fall – you can finally begin dropping them off again! The drop off container is in the lobby of Carson near Norma’s desk!
Carson families can enjoy 20% off stationary and custom gifts from Minted. Use code FUNDRAISEPTACARSON and Minted will also give back 15% to the Carson PTA!
Annual School Supplies Fees
If you haven’t done so yet, please pay your annual school supply fee today. Mark something off your list!
The annual fee per student pays for school supplies, online technology, and subscriptions used in your student’s classroom. You will not need to buy school supplies. You also have the option to add in a scholarship if you would like!
Crossing Guards Needed!
Want to supplement your income for just a few hours a week? Become a school crossing guard at Carson today! This position offers ten hours per week at $19.00 per hour. Help keep our kids safe! If you’d like more information, please reach out to Norma at norma_barron@dpsk12.net. Job Posting Description More Information Here Spanish
Substitute Teachers
Become a substitute for Carson! Enjoy a flexible schedule! Join a great team! Make a difference for our school! Becoming a sub for DPS is fast and easy. The first step is to obtain your license from the Colorado Department of Education. Here’s how! Talk to Norma if you have any questions!
Carson Community Bulletin Board
Check out all of these amazing resources in our community that are updated weekly! Carson Community Bulletin Board. If you have anything for the community board please email it to jessica_compaore@dpsk12.net
This is Carson!
May
Total Enrollment: 415
Attendance: 96%
Teachers: 32
Support Staff: 22
Demographics
American Indian or Alaskan Native: 2.1%
Asian: 9%
Black: 4%
Hispanic: 7%
Multiple Races: 8%
White: 70%
Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander: 0%
Free/Reduced Lunch: 14.4%
Highly/Gifted and Talented: 88 (21.2%)
Deaf/Hard of Hearing: 14 (3.4%)
Multilingual Learners: 22 (5.3%)
Special Education:41 (10.2%)
Students of Color: 29%
Parents and Guardians- please be careful and cautious at pick up and drop off. We’ve seen a few close calls with students in the crosswalk and cars turning illegally. Please DO NOT drop students off in the middle of the street or crosswalk. This is a huge safety violation. We are very lucky to have Mr. Dan and Ms. Kristen, our school crossing guards, please say thank you and hello to them next time you see them!
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