Top ten things all new families should know about Southmoor Elementary:
10. Mighty Moose > We are the Mighty Moose. Marty the Moose is our mascot. Being a Mighty Moose, for which kids are recognized by peers and teachers throughout the year means being Respectful, Responsible, Collaborative, and Kind. We use PBIS (Positive Behavior Intervention & Supports) as a guide for our behavior expectations and discipline. Each student brings home a PBIS Passport at the beginning of the year for the student and parent to sign-this outlines behavior expectations for all areas of Southmoor Elementary. In addition, students complete digital citizenship lessons to learn appropriate online behavior. Support our Mighty Moose culture by wearing purple and green on MOOSE MONDAYS (and have some fun with Broncos Fridays during football season.)
9. We have an App & Other Communications > If you haven’t already, download our app (search for Southmoor in the Android and Apple app stores) and accept push notifications. Push notifications will remind you of nearing events/deadlines in 140 characters or less. Our website: Southmoor.dpsk12.org. Check out the MooseMail tab for news; updated each Thursday afternoon. Look for classroom work and other content to come home in Thursday Folders. Room parents work with classroom teachers to help disseminate classroom news…and more.
8. Wellness Committee & “Moose Meadows” Garden > We have a garden. It yields produce that is sold at Southmoor’s very own pop-up farmer’s markets. Every student, through different grade-level curriculum, has the opportunity to help with the garden during the year, thanks to parent volunteers. We also have a Wellness Committee-wellness is a DPS district-wide initiative. The Wellness Committee makes recommendations for healthy snacks in classrooms, birthday party recommendations, and helps staff volunteers for Mr. Bazz’s (gym teacher) 100-mile club.
7. Family Engagement Fun is important to us! > Each year the Moose is Loose Carnival is our first major community event of the year. We host a Multicultural night in February. There’s a holiday cookie exchange, monthly dine outs so you can eat dinner with classmates AND give back. We hold monthly Moose Munch Bunches-breakfasts and lunches for the staff. A family-friendly Thanksgiving lunch. Muffins for Moms in the fall and Donuts for Dads in the spring.
6. The 2nd Thursday of each month is BlackJack Pizza day @ lunch. > You’ll never see BlackJack pizza on a DPS menu, but it’s good to know because students love it. For hot lunch, you can bring $1.85 or sign your student up for a “My School Bucks” (www.myschoolbucks.com) account online. Kids enter their student ID (which teachers help them learn the first few weeks) and get their lunch. Menus are on www.dpsk12.org if you’d like to print one our and also posted on our app. Students are always welcome to bring “cold” lunch from home. Also, free breakfast begins at 8:00a.m.
5. Fundraising is integral to Southmoor Elementary. > Last year the PTO (Parent Teacher Organization) raised $157,000+ through all our fundraising efforts. Money raise supplements the district-approved school budget by paying for a teacher salary, funding teacher grants, funding field trips and more. We have three large fundraisers each year (Dollar-A-Day, Boosterthon, Auction) and several smaller ways to collect passive income (Amazon Smile, King Soopers cards, restaurant dine-out nights).
4. Safety is #1. > We have 480 students and growing. Doors and gates are locked during the school day. To enter, you must be buzzed into the front door (Magnolia Way). Then, proceed to the office to sign in as a volunteer/visitor or log that you’re signing out your student. Students will be supervised on the playground from 8:30-8:55 in the morning.
3. Passion Projects. Specials. Enrichment. > One Friday each month, students participate in two, 45-minute Passion Projects of their choosing. There are fall and spring Passion Project sessions, so each student will have a total of four different Passion Projects each year. Passion Projects are successful because of parent volunteers. For more information about how you can help, go to the Passion Project tab on the website. Before- and after-school enrichment are coordinated through our DiscoveryLink program chair, Jon Miller. There are multiple free and paid opportunities each year. Students K-5th participate in specials daily, rotating between: physical education, music and art.
2. It takes a village to make Southmoor amazing, and there are so many ways to get involved > We always want volunteers and there are many ways to help. Contact your student’s teacher for ways to help in the classroom or volunteer to be a classroom parent. Reach out to the PTO President to learn about a gamut of volunteer opportunities. Look for the Collaborative School Committee (CSC) election information in the spring.
1. The foresight and innovative thinking of our leadership & staff is amazing. > In the last several years, we’ve overhauled the interior of our building for 21st century learning, retained great new talent in the building, rolled out online curriculum enhancement for language arts and math through iReady, implemented a new math curriculum-Investigation, increased intervention and GT supports, increased psych time, implemented platooning so kids that need more move up to work with similar-ability multi-grade groups, many grade-level teachers are specializing allowing students to move classrooms during the day, we’re moving to project-based learning to connect lessons across subjects, we’ve secured Imaginarium, Lowe’s and CenturyLink grants for our Maker’s Space and classrooms, we have 1:1 in 3red-5th and moving towards 1:1 in K-2nd. And much, much more.
Additional details on the above information can be found in our Parent/Student handbook, which is updated annually. http://southmoor.dpsk12.org/parent-student-handbook/
The school day begins at 9:00 a.m. and ends at 3:45 p.m.Free Breakfast and playground supervision is available beginning at 8:30 a.m.No supervision will be on the school grounds before 8:30 a.m. or after 3:55 p.m., so please see that your child is dropped off and picked up within these time limits. Students who are not picked up by 3:55 p.m. are brought to the office.
Students are expected to attend school regularly. When absent, there should be a reasonable excuse. Reporting to school on time is expected. If your child will be late or absent, please contact the school as soon as possible, or no later than 9:00 a.m. When your child returns to school after an absence, please send a note explaining the reason for the absence. Excessive absences or tardiness may result in a parent/pupil/principal conference. Pupils are responsible for any make-up work due to absence or tardiness.
| Grade | Recess | Lunch |
| 1st | 11:30-11:55 | 11:55-12:15 |
| 2nd | 11:40-12:05 | 12:05-12:25 |
| Kinder | 11:50-12:10 | 12:10-12:35 |
| 4th | 12:00-12:25 | 12:25-12:45 |
| 5th | 12:00-12:25 | 12:25-12:45 |
| 3rd | 12:15-12:40 | 12:40-1:00 |
Announcements of school closing, delayed opening or early closing due to hazardous weather or other conditions are made on radio stations KOA-AM 850 and KHOW-AM 630, and on local TV stations. During bad weather, please keep your radio or TV on for pertinent announcements.
Parents are always welcome to visit the school and volunteer. In order to provide adequate security, you must sign in at the school office and obtain a visitor or volunteer badge.
Students who arrive late or leave early, must sign in /out at the school office. A parent or guardian must also sign out students who leave early. Without parental notification and consent, no student may leave the school grounds without the teacher or principal’s permission.
When minor injuries occur at school, the school staff will administer first aid. In the event of a serious accident, paramedics will be called and parents will be contacted. Keeping your phone number and your emergency number current is extremely important. Please notify the school office of any changes to your phone number or address.
Parents will be called to pick up a child who has a fever above 100 degrees, or who is obviously in pain, or has a contagious disease.
As a general rule, a student ill enough to require several doses of medication during the school day should probably stay home. If your child requires medication during school hours, please contact the school nurse or principal. No medication will be dispensed to students without require, signed consent and doctor’s directions.
If your child has any existing medical problems or allergies, please notify the school. If necessary, an “emergency medical plan” should be on file (such as asthma, allergic to bee stings, etc.).
Appearance plays a significant role in a student’s behavior and attitude at school. All children are expected to come to school looking clean, neat and dressed in a manner that is appropriate, safe and not distracting to other students. Hats or caps must be removed prior to entering the building. Cropped shirts, torn attire, spaghetti straps, short-shorts or flip-flops are not allowed. Students should dress according to the weather and for outside playground conditions. If inappropriate dress is a disruption to the learning process and classroom environment, a student may be sent home to change clothes. Please label all articles of clothing so that lost items may be retrieved from the Lost and Found.
Every student has a right to obtain an education in an orderly, safe environment and to be treated with respect by others. Coupled with this right is the responsibility to conduct oneself in an appropriate manner. Students are expected to respect themselves, each other and school property and environment. Denver Public Schools has adopted a formal discipline policy that will be used to promote a safe and respectful school environment. This policy sets forth specific expected rules of conduct and the manner by which these rules will be enforced.
Denver Public Schools provides a free breakfast program to all Southmoor students. Free breakfast is provided daily between 8:30 and 8:55 A.M.
Hot lunch is served daily during the lunch period. Free and reduced lunches are available for qualifying students. Lunches may also be purchased at full price. Parents may pay in advance for lunches.
Collaborative School Committee (CSC) is the governance committee of the school. This committee includes the principal, four parent representatives, four teacher representatives, a classified staff member and a community/business representative. Elections are held yearly for open positions.
The board meets the first Tuesday of each month. Information regarding general membership meetings is sent home in the Thursday take home folder and school web site. Although core funding for Southmoor School comes from Denver Public Schools, this organization provides additional funding for learning and teaching supplies/equipment and additional instructional and support personnel and additional funding through the generous fund-raising projects such as the Annual Silent Auction, Moose is Loose Walk, and Dollar-a-Day campaign. All donations are tax deductible. The generosity of our school’s families and community businesses has enriched the lives and education of our children.
As always, student safety is one of our priorities at Southmoor. Parents are encouraged to talk about bicycle and pedestrian safety with their student. Parents are also asked to help us with the efficient and safe flow of traffic around the school. The parking zone on Peach Street between Magnolia and the play park fence is designated as passenger drop-off and pick-up. Please do not leave your car unattended while parked in this area. The Southmoor faculty tries to help students get to the awaiting vehicles after school. This will allow cars to safely drive in and out of the limited parking spaces on Peach Street, and avoid double parking or “J” walking across the street. Please respect the bus/fire lanes in the front of the school (marked by the yellow-painted curb. Everyone’s help and cooperation will help make the streets around our school safe for everyone.
