Dates to Remember
November 22 - Half Day for Kindergarten

November 25-29 - Thanksgiving Break -- NO SCHOOL

December 23 - January 7 -- Winter Break -- NO SCHOOL

January 6-7 - Teacher Work Days

January 8 -- School Resumes
Lantern Walks
Mountain Song Community School has a beautiful tradition of Kindergarten through 2nd grades doing evening lantern walks in November. This is a tradition that is meant to remind all of the inner light we have inside us, and how it carries us through the dark days and nights of Winter. Teachers of classes K-2 will be communicating directly with families about plans for their Lantern Walk.  
Immunization Exclusion Day - November 13th
Please be sure you are compliant in submitting either your child’s immunization records, or an immunization waiver. Personal and religious waivers must be renewed annually and expire on July 1 every year. Medical waivers are permanent and do not need to be resubmitted annually. Beginning on November 13th, students who do not have the required documentation on file will not be allowed to attend school until the necessary paperwork has been provided. 

Our annual Immunization Report must be submitted soon to the state. Families must submit the appropriate paperwork for each of their enrolled students in order to meet state requirements and continue attending school. According to the Colorado Department of Education guidelines, all students enrolled at Mountain Song must comply with state immunization laws. 

Compliance with state immunization requirements can be achieved in two ways:  

1) Students who are fully immunized and whose records are on file with the front office are compliant with state law. 

2) Students who are not immunized or only partially immunized and have an annual waiver on file with the front office are compliant with state law. Personal or religious waivers expire every year on July 1 and must be re-submitted annually. Medical waivers are permanent and do not expire, and do not need to be re-submitted once on file.

If you have already submitted this paperwork, we thank you. The office will be mailing out letters to families with students whose paperwork is incomplete or filled out incorrectly. All currently enrolled MSCS students must be compliant by our school's Immunization Exclusion Day on Wednesday, November 13th, 2019. 

Beginning on November 13th, students who do not have the required documentation on file will not be allowed to attend school until the necessary paperwork has been provided. 

Please direct any questions you have to Kate Pettey in the front office ( kpettey@mountainsongschool.com ).

Federal Impact Aid Forms - Due by December 10th
Dear Mountain Song Families,

Every year, we survey our families to count how many federally connected students are enrolled in our school. Why? Because the federal government reimburses schools for loss of tax revenue for families that are federally connected (the federal government is exempt from paying property taxes). So be sure to be counted so Mountain Song can benefit from these efforts to level the playing field!

Federally connected students are those connected to members of uniformed services, to federal properties such as Indian lands, national parks, VA hospitals, national labs, federally subsidized low-rent housing, and whose parents work on federal property. Depending on the number of federally connected students we have at our school, we may be eligible to receive additional federal funds.

If you or a member of your household is federally connected, please be sure to be counted by completing this form and returning it to the school by December 10th. The form should be completed per student. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Sarah Kreger at skreger@mountainsongschool.com .
Parent Council Giving Tree
The MSCS Fall Giving Tree is now in its place in the entryway of the school! On its leaves are items that the Parent Council is collecting to donate to families in our school community. Please take a tag and return it along with the item to the tote in the office before November 15. All items donated will be included in gift baskets donated to families to help brighten their Thanksgiving. 

Thank you for having a giving heart,
Megan Holmes, PC Hospitality Chair
Citrus Fundraiser by Parent Council
The Parent Council is in the midst of its citrus fundraiser, featuring the freshest, premium California citrus fruits that will arrive just in time for the winter holidays! Ordering deadline is Friday, November 15. We need 108 boxes ordered to make the companies order minimum, so order today for your holiday gift-giving. The school earns $8.00 per box of citrus purchased, with funds used to benefit our children’s education.  Click here for more information .

Please order online at this link.
6th Grade Aspen Class Fundraiser
Muffins and hot cider will be sold by the 6th Grade Aspen Class next week on Friday, November 15th from 2:55 to 3:30. See you there!
Board Voice
A Message From The
Futures Development Committee
Volume 1, Issue 3 — Scott Diebert
Hello Mountain Song Community,   
               
Our Mountain Song Community School (MSCS) was founded in 2013 to accommodate the growing need for an alternative public education option for the children of our local community. As a public Waldorf-inspired school, MSCS has become widely popular, with each year showing an increase in familiarity and demand amongst our growing community. 

The blessing of our success does, however, produce some logistical challenges, including the need to care for and serve an increasing number of students and families each year. Although it is wonderful to have the numbers of our MSCS families and community grow each year, unfortunately, the old Whittier Elementary School building that houses our school will not provide the needed space for our projected growth. The past few years have shown an increase in these growing pains and logistical challenges. The time has come to find a new home for our growing community.

Volunteers Needed for the Farm
The Farm is in Need of Volunteers! This is a very integral part of our school, so please consider using some of your volunteer hours to keep The Farm up and running. Children are more than welcome to help and are encouraged to participate. Links are now live for signing up for Fall/Winter and Winter/Spring volunteer hours. See below:  



Thank you! Parent Council
Volunteers Needed: Traffic Safety Monitor
For Drop-Off and Pick-Up
We are looking for volunteers to help keep traffic moving during morning drop off and afternoon pick up. Volunteers will be required to wear a yellow vest. One person will patrol the loading zone at the front of the building (Kiowa Street), the other will patrol the loading zone to the east side (29th Street). The first volunteer to arrive will choose which area they want to patrol.

Volunteers must be prepared to remind fellow parents that they cannot park in the loading zones. Signs on both are clear: "No Parking During School Hours" We need four volunteers each day, two in the morning from 7:50-8:15 am and two in the afternoon from 2:35-3:15 pm.

Since school started this year, we have experienced some close calls in keeping children safe during morning drop-off and pick-up.  Please help keep all children safe during these times by observing traffic zones.

If you are interested in volunteering as a Safety Monitor in a morning or afternoon shift, please sign up here .
Songbird Contributions
Article or announcement contributions must be submitted to Dr. Woods by Tuesday at 5 p.m. for inclusion in each week’s Songbird newsletter, typically distributed on Fridays. ( twoods@mountainsongschool.com )
Mountain Song School Event Calendar
Mark your calendar with these important Mountain Song Community School dates.

Mountain Song Community School | 2904 West Kiowa St, Colorado Springs, CO 80904