Dear D51 Families and Colleagues,

Happy Friday, D51! I hope you’ve all had a fantastic week as we settle back into the rhythm of the school year. It’s been inspiring to see our campuses buzzing with the energy and enthusiasm of our students and staff. A big shoutout to our incredible teachers and staff for their tremendous efforts in creating such a welcoming and supportive environment. Your dedication is helping everyone find their place and thrive in this new school year. I hope you continue to feel a strong sense of community and purpose as we move forward together.

This week I was able to get out and visit some more schools. I had a blast at Pomona Elementary for their Attendance Assembly. Principal Pffafendorf and I awarded 12 Pomona students who had perfect attendance all last year. And I got to wear a sweet Pomona tie-dye T-shirt! Celebrating great attendance is important because attending school is important. For every day that a child misses school, it takes at least two days to get them caught up. It puts stress on the student and their teacher to make sure they are back on track with the rest of the class, and they miss out on social interactions with their classmates. We know that circumstances arise during the year that keep students out, but working together to make sure we maximize the time our students have learning and socializing with their peers, the better. Shoutout to Principal Pfaffendorf and the Pomona team for celebrating your students with great attendance!

I was also able to interact with many of our Engaged & Supportive Community Partners this week. I had the opportunity to meet with the Board of Directors from the Grand Junction Chamber to share facts about the upcoming no tax rate increase bond and no tax rate increase mill levy override that will be on the ballot this November. Continued support of public education in our community is paramount, and I appreciate Chamber President and CEO Candace Carnahan for the opportunity to meet with her Board. Strong Schools = Strong Community, and workforce and economic development both start with investing in our kids.

I was also able to attend the D51 Foundation Ambassadors meeting to share about the successes we are seeing in D51, and share information about the ballot initiatives, as well. Shoutout to D51 Foundation Executive Director Dr. Angela Christensen for organizing the Ambassador Program, and shoutout to all of our ambassadors for helping to promote the great things happening in our schools!

Finally, I was able to attend the check presentation for Kids Aid at Western Colorado Pediatrics. Through a partnership with Kids Aid, many of our D51 students who are in need of additional support are able to receive a bag of healthy food to take home for the weekend so that they don’t go hungry while school is out. The program is an amazing example of our community stepping up to help our students in need, and the donation from Western Colorado Pediatrics helps make sure the program is sustainable. Our theme this year of Together We Thrive was in full force this week as we celebrated this check presentation. Thanks to Kids Aid and Western Colorado Pediatrics for continuing to be Engaged & Supportive Community Partners!

Back to School Recap
At Tuesday’s Board Business Meeting, I was able to give an Opening Schools Report to kick off the new school year. We have a lot of great things happening in our school buildings, and a lot of work happens throughout the summer to prepare for a strong start to the school year. Read more here.

State Releases CMAS Testing Results
The Colorado Department of Education recently released the Colorado Measures of Academic Success (CMAS) scores for Mathematics and English Language Arts. While we don’t have our District 51 results just yet, we’re excited to share those with you in the coming weeks. In the meantime, we’d like to highlight the state-level results. You can read more about those results here. 

Kids Aid Backpack Check Presentation
Yesterday, Western Colorado Pediatrics presented a check for more than $5,000 to the Kids Aid Backpack Program, which addresses weekend hunger among children in Mesa County. Read more here.

D51 Nutrition Services Partners with Local Ranchers
We’re fueling kids for success! On Thursday, our Nutrition Services Department kicked off a new partnership with local ranchers from the Western Slope, introducing locally sourced beef to lunchtime menus at schools across the district. Read more here.

Clifton 1st Graders Get Bikes from Can’d Aid: Treads + Trails
On Wednesday morning, Clifton Elementary’s gym buzzed with excitement as eager students, teachers, and staff gathered for a special surprise. The first-grade class had no idea what was about to take place. In partnership with Can’d Aid's Treads + Trails program, Clifton Elementary revealed brand new bikes for all first graders to use during PE classes. The moment marked the beginning of an exciting new opportunity for the students to foster a love for biking and physical activity. Read more here. 

CHS Teacher Recognized with Boettcher Foundation Award
The Boettcher Foundation has a tradition of recognizing outstanding teachers and students, and one of our very own Central High School Teachers, Summer Jones, was recently selected as a recipient of the Boettcher Foundation Award. Read more here.

Fall Sports Are Here! Updates, Reminders, and New Procedures
As we kick off the fall sports season, we’re excited to see our students back in action and I’m looking forward to being able to get back out to cheer on and support our student-athletes. Along with the fun and excitement, it’s important to remember that we all have a role in keeping everyone—players, students, families, and guests—safe during games and events. Read more for the latest on fall sports, schedules, teams, and important updates regarding student ID procedures for attendance at Stocker Stadium.

Grand Valley Youth Cycling Club
The Grand Valley Youth Cycling High School Program also kicks off its season this weekend with their first competition in Leadville. In this program, students from our D51 high schools train together and compete as individual school teams throughout the fall, facing off against other riders from across the state in the Colorado High School Cycling League. Make sure to follow along this season, and I’d encourage everyone to make it out to Fruita in October when the race series makes a return to the Western Slope for the first time in years! Good luck to Coach Geoff Williams from West Middle School and the entire team this season!

Click here for the team’s fall schedule and more information.

Board of Education Meeting Recap
On August 20, the Board of Education held a Business Meeting in the Harry Butler Board Room. For highlights from the meeting, click here. To view a recording of the meeting, click here. 

UPCOMING EVENTS

• Central High School March-A-Thon
  August 24, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. at Central High School
  The CHS band is having its annual March-A-Thon. Funds raised during the event will
  go to a student's account to help offset the cost of being in the Marching Band. Click here for more information or to donate.
• United Way, Unity in Community
  Thursday, September 4 - 4:00-8:00 p.m., Downtown Grand Junction, 7th and Main
  Come be a part of an enjoyable evening filled with kid-friendly activities, all while discovering more about United Way of Mesa County and their incredible partnership with organizations throughout the Grand Valley, including District 51! The event will showcase a variety of activities, food trucks, live music, face painting, balloon twisting, a photo booth, and so much more. District 51 will also be present, so swing by and say hello!

For more events happening across the district, visit:

• Athletics Schedule
• District Upcoming Events

If you have good news to share with us, we'd love to highlight your program, event, story, and more. Please share it with our communications department by emailing communicate@d51schools.org.

 

Dr. Brian Hill
District 51 Superintendent