Welcome to the 2017-2018 Timber Trail School Year!

Dear Timber Trail Families,

I want to welcome you to the 2017-18 school year.  I hope you and your family had a relaxing and fun summer break.  It seems like it was just a day or two ago that we were celebrating the end of the 2016-17 school year with parties, class books, and the sharing of upcoming summer plans.  

Below is our first communication of the year.  It is fairly long, but contains very important information that you will need to know before we start our year on Thursday, August 10.  Our goal is to send out a weekly email to keep you up to date on the happenings at Timber Trail.  We also encourage you to visit and bookmark our TTE website, teachers’ home pages, and the Timber Trail Education Alliance (TTEA) website..  

On behalf of the TTE staff I want to thank you for entrusting your most precious asset with us.  We know that in Douglas County you have a choice as to where your child will attend school, and we are honored that you have chosen Timber Trail.

Michele Radke

Principal

IMPORTANT INFORMATION AND DATES:

Meet & Greet: Wednesday, August 9, 1:00 - 3:00 pm.  Come meet your classroom teacher and drop off school supplies during this time.  As this time is set up in an open house format, we encourage you to consider coming later to avoid crowds and very limited parking.

First Day of School: Thursday, August 10.  All students will follow their regular start and dismissal times.

Start Time: Our first bell will ring at 8:30 am and the tardy bell will ring at 8:35 am.  Half day morning kindergarten hours are 8:30-11:30 am.

TTE Calendar:

Timber Trail Elementary will follow the DCSD 2017-18 Conventional calendar.  The exception to this will be Monday, October 16, 2017 (Monday after fall break) and Monday, March 26, 2018 (Monday after spring break) when TTE students will not attend school due to teacher professional development.  These two dates only pertain to Timber Trail.  Other schools in the Rock Canyon feeder will have school on those two days.  Timber Trail has five more minutes in our day to provide for two additional staff development days in the year.  Our B.A.S.E. program will be open those days to provide a childcare option. Again, this change is only for Timber Trail Elementary, not the entire district.  Timber Trail will be following all other dates as listed on the district conventional calendar which can be found here.

Bus Schedules:  Please check the new bus schedule times at the transportation page of the DCSD website.

Soft Start: At 8:20 am, doors open and students may go directly to their classrooms.  Our day will begin at 8:30 am, and the tardy bell will ring at 8:35 am.   Parents must wait outside with students until 8:20.  Please do not drop off students before this time as there is no supervision.  All students will enter through one of the three front doors.  Grade levels are assigned specific doors to enter through.

-Kindergarten: All kindergarten classes will enter through the main front door.

-First Grade: All first grade classes will enter through the main front door.

-Second Grade: All second grade classes will enter through the middle set of front doors.  

-Third Grade: All third grade classes will enter through the middle front doors.

-Fourth Grade: All fourth grade classes will enter through the east front door.

-Fifth Grade: All fifth grade classes will enter through the east front door

Curriculum Nights:

-Tuesday, August 15th, 6:00-7:15 pm for first and second grades. The evening will begin in the gym.

-Wednesday, August 16th, 6:00 - 7:15 pm for third, fourth, and fifth grades. The evening will begin in the gym.

-Please note that Kindergarten will not have a curriculum night as this information was shared in May at Kindergarten Orientation.

Healthy School Initiative:

The district’s nutrition services department has also been working to improve the taste, appeal, and nutritional value of their lunches.  Please be sure to click on the menu button on our homepage for more information.  We also encourage students to bring healthy food items to eat during snack time.  Each teacher may set their own guidelines for how this looks in their room.  Only water is allowed in the classrooms; no juice or other beverages.

Healthy Student Birthday Celebrations:

In conjunction with our healthy school initiative, we want to share our policy around student birthday celebrations.  Many of you have shared your concerns about the number of unhealthy food treats your child consumed at school.  We want to support our TTE families’ healthy lifestyles, so we are taking the focus away from food and putting it back on the student.  

The sharing of birthday treats, including food and small gifts, is a tradition best suited to be shared with family and friends outside of school.  While these items will no longer be a part of celebrations at TTE, each teacher will decide to how to recognize and celebrate their students’ birthdays.  In addition, each birthday student will be invited to the office to pick out of the birthday basket and have their picture taken while sitting at the principal’s desk.

Drop Off and Pick Up Policies:

We need your help to ensure that our drop off/pick up runs safely and smoothly.  Please review the items below:

1.  Stay in your car!  Do not get out to open the car door for your child.  Our staff members will help children in and out of cars.

2.  Pull all the way through the crosswalk and as far up the Kiss ‘n Go lane as possible before stopping.

3.  Do not let your child exit your car on the driver's side.   This is unsafe.

4.  Motion to a staff member if you would like us to open the door for your child.

5.  If you need to get out of your car for any reason (to give your teacher a note, to talk to a bus driver, to help your child put their backpack on), please park in the upper parking lot and walk your child through the crosswalk.

6.  Have your child/ren ready to exit your car quickly (coat on, backpack ready, shoes on…)

7.  If your child is unable to exit your car independently, please park in the upper parking lot.

8.  Do not motion for your child to walk unattended through the crosswalk to the upper parking lot.  We've had a few "close calls".

9.  Walkers, please wait for the crosswalk attendant to acknowledge you before crossing.

10. For our students and staff safety, please stay off your cell phone while driving on school property.

11. Thank you for cooperating and being respectful to our staff who work so hard everyday to make sure your children are safe and our Kiss 'N Go Lane moves efficiently.

Please feel free to pass this message on to grandparents, babysitters, siblings etc….