Begining of the School Year

Dear Challenge Families,

It’s hard to believe that we’re already nearing the beginning of our school year!  It’s been a very busy summer for us making preparations for our return to school. We’re looking forward to seeing you all in August!

Mark your calendars for Friday, August 11th for our Welcome Back Kickoff.  The kickoff event will include our Meet Your Teacher Event (for all students),  and the PTCO Informational Fair. Middle school students receive locker assignments that day and can even drop off supplies/set up lockers..  Remember that you must complete the CCSD online parent forms prior to attending the kickoff event!

***Beginning this school year, you will access Online Parent Forms from within PowerSchool. To access the PowerSchool SIS: Parents tile, please login to the MyCherryCreek Parent Portal at http://my.cherrycreekschools.org.  Please note that the Parent/Guardian who starts the Online Parent Forms must complete them. For Parent Portal and Additional Parent Forms Documents and Useful Links click here.

Welcome Back Kickoff Schedule

8:00                Doors open for new families (main entrance).  Verify completion of online parent forms and receive teacher assignments/MS student schedules.

8:00 Returning families enter the property on the south side of the building at the blacktop playground.  Elementary teacher classroom assignments will be posted on the south windows.  Middle school students can pick up schedules that include locker assignments and combos at the tables near the playground. (Classroom assignments will also be available by viewing PowerSchool after 4:00 pm on Wednesday, August 9th.)

8:00 – 10:00  PTCO Fair - all families welcome!  (Main Hallway & Cafeteria)

8:30 – 9:30    Meet Your Teacher Event - includes light breakfast refreshments. (Backyard)  - All students and guardians!!!  

New Middle School Student Orientation: The eighth grade WEB (Where Everybody Belongs) leaders at Challenge are so excited to meet all of our new middle school students! Monday, August 14th from 8:00-11:00 for all 5th Graders and new Middle school students will meet. Please be prepared for a fun and exciting morning!

Student Schedules & Elementary Classroom Assignments:  Student schedules and classroom assignments will be available for all grades after 4:00 pm on Wednesday, August 9th.  Please access this information via PowerSchool. Middle School students will also be able to pick up a hard copy of their schedule during the Meet Your Teacher Event on Friday, August 11th from 8:30-9:30 am.

Middle School Connections:  Connections will once again begin our school day.  Students will be assigned to Connections within their Team.  We will have Team D Connections classes taught by Team D teachers and Team E Connections classes taught by Team E teachers.

School Day:  Our student day begins at 8:00 am and ends at 3:00 pm.  Students may be dropped off no earlier than 7:45 am.  All students must be picked up by 3:15 pm.

Early Release Wednesdays:  All elementary school students in (K-4) will be dismissed every Wednesday at 1:50 pm to allow for staff development.  Middle School students will remain until the 3:00 pm dismissal time.  Childcare at Wolf Watch will be available for students dismissed at 1:50 pm.  Any participation in Wolf Watch requires prior registration.  

Wolf Watch is our before and after school program at Challenge.  You may register for before and after care if you must drop off before 7:45 am and/or must pick up after 3:15 pm.  Wolf watch is not available during the school day for child care once the regular year begins.  To register for Wolf Watch, please visit: CCSD Extended Child Services.

Student Arrival/Breakfast/Dismissal:  

• Arrival:  Students may not be dropped off prior to 7:45.  No supervision is available before 7:45 am.  
• Breakfast:  Students may enter the building at the main entrance as early as 7:40 am for breakfast.
• Dismissal:  Students will exit the same door they enter in the morning at 3:00 pm. Students must be picked up by 3:15 pm.  No supervision will be available after 3:15 pm.  If students need to stay beyond 3:15 pm, they need to be registered for the Wolf Watch Before & After Care program.

Drop-off/Pick-up Traffic:  Challenge has an incredibly small, congested parking lot with challenging access to Dayton and Mississippi.  Please and Thank You for the following:

• Watch for kids!!!
• Be patient
• Be courteous
• Hang up - avoid distracted driving
• Left lane exit is LEFT TURN ONLY
• The southwest lot on Mississippi is reserved for registered carpools for 4 or more students only.  
• The small circle lot is reserved for staff, handicapped parking, and reserved PTCO parking.

GENERAL INFORMATION

ONLINE PARENT FORMS: Please complete online parent forms prior to August 11th!  Thank you for your assistance updating your enrollment and updating important information for us at Challenge School. If you need to make any updates to your Online Parent Forms, i.e. parent phone numbers, email address, etc., the Online Parent Forms can be updated at any time throughout the school year.  At any point, you may view your Forms by visiting https://my.cherrycreekschools.org. We would like to encourage you to click the box within your Parent Forms to receive information from our PTCO.  Also, please remember any person who may need to pick your child up from school between 8:00-3:00 pm must be listed as allowed to pick up your child within your Parent Forms.

WELCOME BACK KICKOFF:  This event replaces our historical Check-In Day.  Most of these tasks are now handled virtually through online parent forms and online bookkeeping.  We will still host our PTCO Fair to help you get involved!

PTCO FAIR:  Learn more about our PTCO, community activities, volunteering, and fundraising at the Welcome Back Kickoff on August 11th.

SUMMER READING: Please find summer reading assignment on the MAIN Challenge School Website.

TRANSPORTATION:  CCSD does not provide transportation to/from school.  If you are interested in the private charter bus, please email the parent committee BusForChallenge@gmail.com.  If you would like to create a Challenge School Carpool, please visit the Carpool Information page on our school website. 

CARPOOL INFORMATION:  The west parking lot is reserved for carpools transporting 4 or more students.   You can access the link to the Carpool Lot Application here.

PARKING LOT: View the Parking Lot map here.

BOOKKEEPING: There will be no in-person bookkeeping transactions completed at the school.  All bookkeeping transactions will take place using RevTrak (accessible via the Challenge website).  Yearbooks will be available for purchase via RevTrak later in the year.

FOOD SERVICE:   

• Breakfast will be served beginning at 7:40 a.m. All students getting breakfast should enter through the main entrance.  
• TITAN is now the program used for all lunch payments. Each student has an account through Cherry Creek's Student Nutrition Center.  Visit the CCSD Food and Nutrition Services website to set up an account at https://www.cherrycreekschools.org/Page/2808.  Students may also bring lunch from home or deposit cash or checks into their accounts for food purchases.  
• Applications for free and reduced lunch may be found at the District Food and Nutrition Services page.

MEDICAL FORMS, MEDICATION, AND IMMUNIZATIONS: All necessary Medical Forms can be found on the District Health Services page.  If you have health forms, medication administration forms, immunization records that need to be turned into our School Nurses, please bring a hard copy to the Kickoff or email them directly to the Nurses: Denise Reich (dreich2@cherrycreekschools.org) AND Corina Van Haselen (cvanhaselen@cherrycreekschools.org).  If you need to deliver medications to our clinic, please bring them to the Kickoff or make other arrangements by reaching out to the nurses. Clinic Phone: 720-747-7115.

IMMUNIZATIONS: Students are required by state law to have immunizations or waivers completed.  Updates provided by the student's physician should be emailed to our School Nurses (see above).  

• Students who have not received the required immunizations will not be allowed to register and therefore will not attend school.   For more information regarding Colorado state requirements for immunizations please visit:  https://www.colorado.gov/pacific/cdphe/school-resources 
• If you choose to have your student exempt from these immunizations, a new exemption form is required to be completed each year if this is for a non-medical exemption.  Here is the link for the exemption forms:  https://www.colorado.gov/pacific/cdphe/vaccine-exemptions 

CELL PHONE USE:  Challenge School maintains a strict “no cell phone” policy during school hours (including lunch and recess).  Students may responsibly use phones after dismissal to meet up with their ride.  

LOCKER ASSIGNMENTS:  Middle school students will use lockers.  Students can safely lock up their belongings during the day.  It is recommended that students lock cell phones in their lockers during the school day.  

CUBBIES:  Elementary students will use cubbies to store backpacks, coats, and lunches.    

SCHOOL SUPPLIES:  If your family ordered an Edukit, those items will be delivered to the school, sorted, and delivered to your child’s classroom.  Please have your child bring his/her School Supplies to the Meet Your Teacher Event or on his/her Phase-In Day. 

STUDENT IDENTIFICATION/PICTURES: Individual student photos will be taken on August 30th. Order forms will be coming home from Dorian Studios.

VOLUNTEERS AND VISITORS:  We are thrilled that we will be able to meet in person and return to hosting room parents and classroom volunteers!  There will be a new process to check in at the front desk and get a visitor’s badge to wear while you’re in the building. Be prepared - you will always need to have your driver’s license or picture ID available to enter the building. Also, if you plan to volunteer for any school event during the 2023-24 school year, please complete the District Volunteer Application, (this does need to be completed every school year.) 

PTCO INFORMATION: Please find a wealth of wonderful information about our PTCO (Parent-Teacher-Community-Organization) by visiting the PTCO webpage: https://challengeptco.weebly.com/contact-us.html

MIDDLE SCHOOL ATHLETICS & ACTIVITIES: Challenge School Middle School students (Grades 6-8) may participate in athletics and activities at their home (neighborhood) CCSD School.  Contact your home school for more information.