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School District 51 Family and Community Newsletter | March 2017

It's a F.A.C.T.: Technology and its impact on student learning
The final installment in the It's a F.A.C.T. series focuses on the ways technology helps students learn and how schools hope to expand the possibilities of modern education. Watch a video and learn more here.

Chatfield Elementary to host St. Baldrick's fundraiser this Friday
Chatfield Elementary will host a St. Baldrick's Head Shaving Event this Friday to raise money for childhood cancer research. Learn more here.

Maintenance Update
Aging buildings and a Maintenance Budget too thin to keep up with a mounting roster of projects needed to help schools age gracefully equals a quandary for the school district. Learn more here.

DIA kids help wildfire victims
Torri Junge told her 4th-grade students at Dual Immersion Academy about the wildfires that ravaged the northeast Colorado town where she used to teach. Her kids responded by hosting a fundraising Soccer Shoot Out this Tuesday and Wednesday.

Winter sports honors announced
Congratulations to All-State Wrestlers Josiah Rider (GJHS, 5A Wrestler of the Year), Dylan Martinez (GJHS), Dawson Collins (GJHS), and Erminio Berrera (Central), plus all student athletes who made All-Conference teams this winter:

How resiliency helps kids cope
It's in both a teacher's and a parent's nature to want to help children. But sometimes the best help is letting them learn for themselves. Grand Mesa Middle Counselor Jody Tate explores how parents can help their children find resiliency in this guest column.

It's Safe to Tell with Safe2Tell
It's not "snitching" to help a friend. Safe2Tell Colorado is an effective, anonymous way to report self-harm, abuse, bullying, drug use, and more. Every report to Safe2Tell goes to 911 dispatch, school administration, and D51 security. Anyone can report:

* Online (safe2tell.org)

* By phone (1-877-542-7233)

* In the app (Apple or Google Play)

Prevention efforts continue
The student-organized Kindness is Contagious Week (Feb. 13-20) was a huge success. But the work doesn't end there. Learn more about D51 efforts here and learn about GJHS' upcoming awareness and prevention walk here.

Tracking steps for a good cause
Pear Park Elementary fourth-graders are tracking their daily steps all semester long with Fitbits received through a UNICEF grant. In addition to developing good fitness habits, their steps earn food packs for malnourished kids, and they can compare their progress with 5,000+ teams worldwide!

Career Day at Rocky Mountain
Students from Rocky Mountain Elementary School learned all about what it's like to be a veterinarian, a chemical engineer, a firefighter, and more at Career Day Tuesday, March 14. Thank you to all 17 presenters!

Meditating to focus minds at R-5
R-5 High School has introduced a class that begins each day with 10-15 minutes of meditation, followed by math and social studies lessons. Students say the practice helps them let go of distractions and focus on learning. Check it out for yourself in the video above.

Fun for the Whole Family

March 17-18: St. Patrick's Day with the Western Colorado Chorale and GJ Symphony, 7:30 p.m. at the CMU Love Recital Hall.

April 1: Grand Junction Horse Show, 8 a.m. in the Mesa County Fairgrounds Covered Arena. Free.

April 8: Palisade International Honey Bee Festival, Downtown Palisade.

April 12: Easter Egg Scramble, 4 p.m. outside the Fruita Community Center, 324 N. Coulson St. Free.

Less time dedicated to CMAS
Colorado Measures of Academic Success testing will begin for District 51 students in grades 3-9 following Spring Break. Learn more in the articles below about:

* The decreasing amount of time devoted to CMAS testing

* How test results are used

* PSAT, SAT testing in April

Tope fundraising for a new tree
Tope Elementary School students miss the tall tree that had to be cut down last year due to disease. So once a month, they pay $1 to wear a certain item to school, such as sunglasses. So far, their efforts have raised more than $100!

Random acts of cookie kindness
Students from Pear Park's National Elementary Honor Society wanted to bring smiles to people's faces. So as a Random Act of Kindness, they handed out free homemade cookies at the Central Library. Check out their kindness in action in the video above!

Congratulations to the Grand Junction High School Knowledge Bowl Team on their 19th state win!
The Tigers raked in yet another state championship at the State Knowledge Bowl Tournament March 14 in Boulder! The team, from left the right, includes: Amanda Gordon (10th), Chance Eden (12th), Kordale Bavor (12th), RD Clare (12th), Anij Magill (11th), Sol Adams (12th), Josh Foutz (12th), Noah Schmidt (12th), Sean Palmer (12th), Matt Chambers (11th). The team is coached by GJHS teacher Coady Shawcroft.

The GJHS Knowledge Bowl Team also won the quarter-final round of PBS' Matchwits game show, won the State History Bowl Feb. 25, and had one member - GJHS senior Noah Schmidt - win the State History Bee. The team's next stops will be the National History Bowl next month in Washington, D.C., and the National Quiz Bowl over Memorial Day weekend in Atlanta.

This is the first time that a team has won the state History Bowl and Knowledge Bowl in the same year. If GJHS wins Matchwits, it will be the first time any team has won three state academic team championships in a single year!

Congratulations to the February 2017 District 51 Students of the Month!
The Student of the Month luncheon honors two outstanding 8th- 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. February honorees are listed here.

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Grand Junction, CO | 81501 US

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