Great Reading Results!
Our third-graders are great readers! The recent TCAP test they took shows that 98% of our third graders are proficient or advanced in reading. Even better, 25% of them are advanced! This is one of the highest performances in the district.
Third-grade reading is considered a benchmark for later academic success, and we're glad to see such an excellent performance.
Want to Know More?
The next meeting of the Willow Creek Accountability Committee is Thursday, May 24, at 6:30 pm in the Library. The Accountability Committee will be discussing the TCAP and other test results, as well as budget issues. For more information, see our Accountability webpage.
News Archive
Chess Champion!
Mukund Gurumurthi, a second grader in Mrs. Black's class, initially tied for first place in the District Chess Tournament! Then in the final rounds Mukund ended up Third Place overall in the entire district.
We want to congratulate Mukund on this outstanding accomplishment! He will be presented with a special certificate from Willow Creek Elementary School, and he received an impressive trophy from the district for the win!
CONGRATULATIONS!!
CROSSING GUARD NEEDED
We need a crossing guard daily after school at the crosswalk behind the school at the top of the stairs (Mineral Circle). The Cherry Creek School District pays crossing guards $8.00 daily. You would need to be at the crosswalk shortly before the bell rings at 3:30 p.m. If you are interested in applying for this position, please call Kathy at 720-554-3903 or stop by the Main Office.
Data Beyond the CSAP
Tired of hearing about the CSAP? Want to know about other kinds of assessment? Join us Thursday, February 16, at the Willow Creek Accountability Committee's next meeting. We will be discussing the other kinds of assessment data we collect and study to judge whether our students are making the progress we want to see.
Accountability meetings are open to everyone. Join us in the Library at 6:30 p.m. and be part of the conversation about pursuing educational excellence.
Multicultural Night
Multicultural Night is an annual Willow Creek celebration of the diversity of our school. Join us Wednesday, January 25, at 6:30 pm in the Gym and Cafeteria. Put a little spice into your January! Expect wonderful food and exciting entertainment!
Transitions and Decisions
for Fifth Graders
For fifth-grade students and their parents, it’s already time to think about the next school year. January and February are full of events and visits that will help make the transition to middle school easier.
Counselors from our two middle schools, Campus and West, make visits to Willow Creek, and our students visit the middle schools. Parents can attend Parent Information Nights at both middle schools, as well.
Remember that the School of Choice deadline is coming up February 1. Parents who want their student to attend a different middle school than the one assigned by the geographic boundaries should have their paperwork in by that date.
To the Book Fair and Beyond!
Drop by Willow Creek’s Library to visit our Scholastic Book Fair and experience a celebration of reading that provides families the opportunity to get involved in a universal mission: encouraging kids to read every day so they can lead better lives.
Our Scholastic Book Fair theme – To the Book Fair and Beyond! – is part of an out-of-this-world reading event that brings to school a wonderful selection of fun, engaging, and affordable books kids want to read. Giving kids access to good books and the opportunity to choose their own books will motivate them to read more. And like most acquired skills, the more kids practice reading, the better they’ll get.
Reading is vital to every child’s success, and raising kids as readers means getting involved while they’re young. Now is the time. Since there will never be a substitute for a parent’s direct involvement in his/her child’s education, please make plans to visit our Book Fair. Hope to see you there!
Book Fair Dates and Times
Monday, December 5: 8:00 am to 4:00 pm
Tuesday, December 6: 8:00 am to 4:00 pm
Wednesday, December 7: 8:00 am to 8:00 pm
Thursday, December 8: 8:00 am to 8:00 pm
Friday, December 9: 8:00 am to 12:30 pm
If you’re all booked up during Book Fair week (or just want to keep shopping), be sure to visit the Book Fair online at www.scholastic.com/schoolbookfairs. The online Book Fair is available for an extended time from November 28 to December 9.
Find an expanded selection of books for the whole family—preschool to adults
Share your Book Fair with family and friends by sending wish lists or eCards
All orders ship to school for FREE and each purchase benefits our school
Please note: online orders ship to the school in 7 business days, so books ordered on December 9 might not be received before winter break begins.
Honoring Our Veterans
October 18, 2011
Willow Creek will have an assembly dedicated to our veterans and active-duty service members on Thursday, November 10, from 2:45-3:30 pm. If you know someone in our community who is serving now or has served our country, please let us know! We would like to invite them personally to our assembly.
Honoring Contributions to Children in Need
October 18, 2011
Last April, Willow Creek students folded hundreds of paper cranes to raise funds for disaster relief benefitting Japanese children affected by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami. We held an assembly on Friday, October 21, to commemorate the work of our students, staff, and volunteers, who collected over $3,700. The donation was sent to the Japan Earthquake Tsunami Children in Emergency Fund of Save the Children (http://www.savethechildren.org). If you would like to see the presentation, download this
PowerPoint slide show. Once it is downloaded, click the arrow keys on your keyboard to advance the slides.
Happy Camping!
October 4, 2011
On Wednesday, October 5th, Willow Creek fifth graders will embark upon their annual outdoor education excursion to Camp Cheley. During this trip, fifth graders will increase their knowledge of, and experience with, a mountain habitat; learn environmental respect; identify components of an ecosystem; and understand interdependence within our environment and how human beings can impact that balance. All of this is accomplished through activities such as orienteering, hiking up a mountain, exploring natural habitats on a nature hike, visiting a working ranch, and visiting Rocky Mountain National Park.
Even more valuable than the science and social studies content explored during the trip are the lifelong skills students will develop. Fifth graders will learn the importance of preparation for safety. Through community living at the camp, students learn cooperation, trust, and mutual respect for themselves and the environment. Students will build new friendships and cultivate existing ones by communal living in dormitories.
All of the camp activities help develop chemistry within each fifth grade class and strengthen the bonds between teachers and students. That helps make the rest of the year in the classroom fruitful and more enjoyable.
The trip to Camp Cheley has become a tradition for Willow Creek fifth graders and a rite of passage. The shared experience helps prepare students for the next step and creates many fond memories.
Drop-Off and Pick-Up Before and After School
September 2011
The beginning and end of the school day are very busy times at Willow Creek. Traffic monitors are in place to ensure the safety of our students. Those directing traffic are employees, teachers and/or parent volunteers. Please be courteous to them, follow their instructions, and drive carefully!
We ask that the guidelines listed below be followed when delivering or picking up children from school:
Pull into the school driveway from East Long Avenue and line up alongside the curb in front of the school. Please pull forward as far as you can so that other cars may enter the driveway.
There is a designated area in front of the building for busses only. The street area southeast of the parking lot is also marked for busses and daycare vans only.
Delivery and pickup areas for cars include the curbside area in front of school, the school side of Long Avenue, and the west side of Willow Way.
Please do not use the parking lot or the southwest side of Willow Way (nearest the parking lot) unless you accompany your child using the painted crosswalk. The service driveway is completely off-limits.
If children need to cross a street, please insist that they cross at the crosswalk on South Willow Way and East Long Avenue. It may take you a little more time, but modeling this when you are with them may one day prevent an accident.
Do not leave your car unattended in the front of the school or let your child off in front of another car by using the second lane in the driveway area.
Some families are using an area on Mineral Circle as a drop-off or pick-up location. Because this street is curved, it can be dangerous when icy or if cars are not going slowly. The county has painted a crosswalk for students.