November 1 - NO SCHOOL
November 3 - Daylight Savings Time Ends
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
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This week, we bade farewell to October and are now greeting November with a blast! I suspect we all have a new respect for the Polar Jet Stream that dipped unusually far south this past week!
The recent weather closures affected school days as well as parent-teacher conference days. If you have not yet met with your child’s teacher, please do set up a meeting. Shared communication between home and school truly helps create a strong support system for your children.
I have appreciated the seasonal observances at this time of year that honor life transitions, such as Día de los Muertos, which touched many of us on a personal level. For instance, I was able to carry the memory of my father, who passed away this summer, into this beautiful festival. Thank you, Mountain Song!
The upcoming Lantern Festival for grades K-2 guides children into literally carrying their individual lights into the darkness, singing together. What a powerful picture for them to remember for the rest of their lives!
Thank you all for being such an embracing, kind, and supportive community. Your integrity forms a palpable warmth that permeates our school and our lives. This strong, unseen mantle that we create together truly helps bring out the best in each other.
With gratitude,
Dr. Teresa M. Woods
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No School on Friday, November 1
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Please remember that there will be no school for students on Friday, November 1, which follows the two days with no school due to Parent-Teacher Conferences. Please also remember that Daylight Savings Time ends on Sunday, November 3rd. This means that clocks are set
back
one hour. Enjoy the day off for students, as well as the extra hour of sleep over the weekend!
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As part of Mountain Song’s social-emotional curriculum, classes are paired with each other so that students get to know each other across grades.
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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.
Lantern Making Workshop for Families in Grades K-2
Help us light up the night with your own lantern! Please join us Wednesday, November 6th after school at 3:15pm (location to be announced) to make your own lantern for your student’s Lantern Walk Festival this year. This 1-hour Workshop is open to families in grades K-2. Please bring some fallen leaves (if you still have any) and some twigs (straight as possible 4-12” in length) if you can.
RSVP to Ieeda Banach at
ibanach@mountainsongschool.com
so we know how many will be joining us for space and supplies.
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Parent Council Giving Tree
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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
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Citrus Fundraiser by Parent Council
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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
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Día de los Muertos Activities
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Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) was observed at Mountain Song during the week of October 21-25, which culminated in a culturally rich assembly on Friday, October 25.
Maestra Venzor also wanted to let everyone know that The Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center is having a Muertos celebration free to the public on November 1st and 2nd.
Click here for more information.
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Fall Masquerade Ball: A Success!
The Fall Masquerade Ball was a grand success! A hearty congratulations goes out to the Parent Council and the many volunteers who helped stage this fine event! Also, kudos to the 8th Grade Bristlecone Class for their entrepreneurial spirit in creating and selling so many fabulous masques.
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Immunization Exclusion Day
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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.
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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
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Board Voice
Volume 1, Issue 2 – Bill Burkett
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Welcome, Mountain Song Families, to the second edition of the Board Voice. As we mentioned in our first communication, our five-member Board is just enough to operate and govern the school, but we would very much like to expand the Board to at least 7, and ideally 9, members. We need help for many of the big projects we’re undertaking, like the new school and the charter renewal. So, I would like to ask you to please consider joining us in an important school leadership role. Please contact me, Bill Burkett, at
wburkett@mountainsongschool.com
for more information.
In between the “big news” information that we plan to share in the Board Voice, we will share other, smaller-but-no-less-important information to help you get to know the Board. In this issue, we’ll
introduce you to the Board Secretary.
The Secretary
I serve as the Secretary of the Board. As the Secretary, I’m responsible for posting agendas, taking and
posting meeting minutes, and generally keeping the “business” of the Board organized, accessible, and on-point. I see the secretary role as the “engine” of the Board, keeping it on track and moving forward. There are many reasons that I enjoy serving as Secretary – it satisfies my compulsion to organize and, as everyone knows, secretaries are really in charge – not the bosses! Most of all, on a serious note, I feel
(and hope) I’m bringing long-term value to the way the Board operates.
Coming Up
Future editions of the Board Voice will introduce and describe the other officer roles and Board
committees, and provide updates on important things going on at the school, such as the planning and
status of our search for a new home for Mountain Song.
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Volunteers Needed for the Farm
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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
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Volunteers Needed: Traffic Safety Monitor
For Drop-Off and Pick-Up
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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
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First Friday Featuring Mountain Song Art
November 1st
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Come see Day of the Dead artwork made by Mountain Song students at the First Friday Art Walk event in Old Colorado City at Safron, 2511 West Colorado Ave. There will be special art activities for children during the evening live art and special raffles. You will also be able to partake in the "Ofrenda" during the evening.
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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
)
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Mountain Song School Event Calendar
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Mark your calendar with these important Mountain Song Community School dates.
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Mountain Song Community School | 2904 West Kiowa St, Colorado Springs, CO 80904
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Looking for past issues of the Songbird or to sign up new recipients
click here
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