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School District 51 Family and Community Newsletter | October 2016

GJHS student gets perfect score
Congratulations to Grand Junction High School senior Joshua Foutz for earning a perfect ACT score!

D51 parents, staff, community creating vision for K-12 system
The results of Community Visioning meetings Oct. 12 and Nov. 2 will help shape our schools and how they approach education. See some of the ideas people had for what a District 51 graduate should know and be able to do after he or she finishes high school here.

Kids enjoy Walk to School Day
Students from a handful of D51 elementary schools (including Tope, above) participated in Walk to School Day Wednesday.

Math Day at Orchard Mesa
OMMS hosted its first-ever Math Day on Oct. 14. Students enjoyed math-related activities and learned how professionals from 11 different career fields use math at work.

Hospital partnership saves taxpayer money, staff premiums District 51's self-insurance program debuted a Community Hospital-centric health plan last year and ended up cutting costs while other insurance plans battle rising prices. Read more here.

Picks for SWL Boys Tennis Team
The 2016 Southwestern League Boys Tennis Team includes 13 students from District 51. The roster is available here.

2017 marks the end of our five-year plan - see how we're doing
District 51 set out to meet five goals in five years starting in 2012. Track our progress here.

Lunch with a cop
Orchard Avenue Elementary students got a chance to chow down with some of Grand Junction Police Department's finest this month as part of the new Lunch with a Cop initiative. Officers will dine at a couple Grand Valley schools once each month.

Q&A
Q: What's going on with the principal position at Mt. Garfield Middle School? How can the district afford to have an interim principal and reassign the old principal to a new job?

A: Bill Larsen, former D51 Chief Academic Officer, is filling in as the interim principal at MGMS until a new principal can be hired for the 2017-18 school year. The former principal, Hal Templeton, was placed on administrative leave on Sept. 19, then started a job in dropout retrieval and recovery on Sept. 30. The district is able to pay both men's salaries because Mr. Templeton's was already built into the 2016-17 budget, and Mr. Larsen's position will be paid for using funds that had been budgeted, but not yet used, for jobs that D51 was unable to fill this year. Both jobs are temporary. Learn more in this letter to staff.

Marching Band Festival winners
All four D51 high school marching bands competed Sept. 24 in the Colorado West Marching Band Festival, including Central (above) and Fruita Monument (below). Check out who won awards here.

Community Hospital helps teachers stock classrooms
The average U.S. teacher spends $500 a year on school materials. Community Hospital is pitching in with a $5,000 grant fund for health- and science-related equipment and supplies. The applications of 20 teachers have been approved!

Check out New Emerson's video
All District 51 learners know about Habits of Mind. But did you know they could be so catchy?

Fun for the whole family!

Oct. 22 - Fall Day on the Farm at Cross Orchards, 3073 F Road. 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Oct. 28 - Trick or Treat Street Carnival in downtown Palisade. Starts at 6 p.m. Free.

Oct. 29 - Truck N Treat in downtown Fruita. Starts at 10 a.m. Free.

Nov. 5 - Culture Fest at Mesa County Central Library, 443 N. 6th St.

Calendar contest voting open
Check out the student artwork of finalists for the 2017 Bank of Colorado calendar. Vote for your favorites either at the bank or on its Facebook page. Hurry, the deadline is Oct. 28!

Come to Coffee with the Board!
Come chat with School Board members about any school topic you wish at 9 a.m. this Saturday, Oct. 22, in the Harry Butler Board Room at 455 N. 22nd St.

LEGO League Jr. teams forming
For the first time ever, local kids in kindergarten through fourth grade can participate in FIRST LEGO League Jr. A few teams have started but are full. Interested in forming a team of up to six students? Please email Andrea.

Five D51 schools get huge school supply donations
Office Max and Office Depot surprised kids at Lincoln Orchard Mesa Elementary last month with $17,000 worth of school supplies! The stores are donating a total of $80,000 in supplies to Lincoln OM, Mt. Garfield Middle, Orchard Mesa Middle, Appleton Elementary, and Broadway Elementary this year.

Fruita Middle School library is nothing to shush about
Librarian and Instructional Leader Mindy Woodworth is making the library at her school a welcoming place for students to use their imaginations, collaborate, and discover a passion for reading. Take a peek inside here.

Congratulations to the September 2016 District 51 Students of the Month!
The Student of the Month luncheon honors two outstanding eighth- and 12th-graders from each District 51 middle and high school.CMU and Alpine Bank fund a $500 scholarship, which can be renewed annually, for each Student of the Month if they choose to attend CMU or WCCC. September honorees are listed here.

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2115 Grand Ave
Grand Junction, CO | 81501 US

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