October 25 - Dia de los Muertos Assembly
October 30-31 - Parent Teacher Conferences -- NO SCHOOL
November 1 - NO SCHOOL
November 3 - Daylight Savings Time Ends
November 22 - Half Day for Kindergarten
November 25-29 - Thanksgiving Break -- NO SCHOOL
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We are observing Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) October 21-25 at Mountain Song Community School. Students and families are welcome (not required) to participate in this educational cultural experience. Mountain Song’s Spanish teachers, Maestras Oralia Venzor and Maria Webb, are educating students and helping those who want to participate during Spanish classes.
The Assembly is on Friday, October 25 at 8:20 a.m. and will include the 7th and 8th grade students honoring Día de los Muertos in a culminating presentation.
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On Tuesday, October 15, staff and board members of the Colorado Charter School Institute (CSI) visited Mountain Song Community School. The Colorado CSI is our authorizing institute as a charter school. Last Tuesday, they were holding their monthly CSI Board Meeting in Colorado Springs at the Penrose House, and prior to that, they graced our hallways to update their understanding about our school. The students loved interacting with them and proudly showed them their work.
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Our Ag Arts students have been celebrating the recent arrival of fall with a variety of fun projects. Students made ghosts from leaves, created tombstones to honor our deceased crops (thanks early snowfall!), and planted garlic, shallots, and sunchokes that will bloom next spring. Make sure to say hello to the scarecrow that our 3rd graders built next time you're in the garden!
Mr. Adam Wright
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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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Parent-Teacher Conferences:
October 30 and 31 - No School
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Parent-teacher conferences will be held on October 30th and 31st. Classes will NOT be in session during the parent-teacher conferences. Child care will not be provided during this time. Teachers are sending information about how to sign up for parent conferences. Parents/guardians, please check your emails for additional information, or contact your child's teacher directly with any questions about the conferences.
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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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Lauren Martinez
2019 Colorado Charter Educator of the Year
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Last March, Mountain Song’s Special Education Coordinator, Lauren Martinez, was awarded the 2019 Colorado Charter Educator of the Year award, and was inducted into the state’s Charter Schools Hall of Fame. This week, her article,
Reflection on the Teaching Profession and Working in a Charter School
, was featured in the Colorado League of Charter Schools newsletter. We are so fortunate and proud to have Lauren guiding our work with exceptional children. You’ll enjoy how well spoken she is in this article!
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Fall Masquerade Ball
Saturday, October 26th, 5:00 - 8:00 p.m.
$5.00 admission for students, chaperones are free
Please join us in your most fantastically elegant attire for this year’s Fall Masquerade Ball! There will be a photo booth in which to make lasting memories with friends and to show off those amazing masks. Dance and twirl the night away to new music requests (pre-approved) and enjoy some popcorn at the Snack Shack.
The first hour of the ball (5 - 6 p.m.) will be for ALL students (chaperoned by all parents), while the last 2 hours of the ball (6 - 8 p.m.) will be for middle school students ONLY (chaperoned by parent volunteers in shifts). Middle school students MUST be signed in to enter the Ball and signed out at the conclusion of the Ball. Masks may be worn in front of the face on sticks only (may not be attached to the head) and the dress code is either in line with the theme or nice clothing, no rips or tears, no hoodies or ball caps, etc…
Here is the Signup Genius for the Fall Masquerade Ball. Please help us make this event successful by volunteering!
Thank you
Parent Council
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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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Pikes Peak Artist Collective
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Elizabeth Hildy, teacher for Pikes Peak Artist Collective, is offering a class on October 26th for children aged 9-11 years who want to turn an aluminum can (or cans) into a creature. To sign up, parents go to
www.pikespeakartist.com/workshops/
and click on Oct. 26th.
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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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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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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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