FROM THE PRINCIPAL
A Learning Community
We are committed to building a trusting
community in which adults and children
are safe, happy and encouraged to take
risks while learning together.
DARTMOUTH ELEMENTARY
3050 South Laredo Street
Aurora, CO 80013
TELEPHONE:
303-690-1155
ABSENCE LINE:
303-326-1612
FAX:
303-326-1212
OFFICE HOURS:
7:45 AM – 4:15 PM
SCHOOL HOURS:
9:15 AM – 3:45 PM
WEBSITE:
dartmouth.aurorak12.org/
Jeanne Ulrich
Principal
Janelle Marshall
Secretary
Cammie Smith
Clerk
Dear Friends of Dartmouth Community,
Welcome back to the 2011-2012 school year. We are excited to
have all of our students back in school, ready to learn and grow every day.
Our focus this year will be on differentiation in the class room, so we can
meet the needs of all of our students in Reading, Writing, and Math. Your
teachers’ will be assessing students formally and informally to collect data
on where your child is academically and then work on bringing them to the
next level of learning.
Our Dartmouth data, tells us 50% of every classroom is below
proficiency in Reading, Writing, and Math. As a learning community, we
have a lot of work to do. We need to work together as partners, so all of
our students will have success. As parents, please take the time to Read
with your child daily, practice Math facts, and Write a paragraph about
their school day, taking the time to this daily will help you see where your
child is academically.
We will continue to focus on being Responsible, Respectful, and
Safe here at Dartmouth. We are proud of all of our students who have
earned many Dolphin tickets in the first couple of weeks of school. We are
giving Dolphin tickets to all students that are exemplifying these
characteristics. Some examples of this are: raising their hands, voices off
in the halls, and keeping their hands and feet to themselves.
Please remember the parking lot is only for staff parking, and
cannot be used as a drop off or pick place for students. We want to make
sure all students are safe here at Dartmouth. If you
are dropping a student off for breakfast the earliest time they may arrive is
at 8:45. Our school day starts at 9:10, with the students entering the
building at this time and announcements will start at 9:15. If your child
arrives after 9:15, they will be marked tardy and need to check into the
office for a late slip.
We look forward to another year of working hard and our students
learning and growing every day. Please feel free to contact me if you have
any questions regarding our school community.
Sincerely,
Jeanne Ulrich Principal at Dartmouth 
In order to meet the state guidelines requiring teachers to
conference with parents regarding Individual Literacy
Plans (ILP), conferences will be held on September 9th
from 4:15-8:15 p.m.
Because of these conferences, all students in grades K-5
will be dismissed early Monday, September 12th, and
Monday, September 19th at 12:00 p.m. No lunches will be
served on these days.
DATES TO REMEMBER
SEPTEMBER 2011
5
9
12
13
19
LABOR DAY - No School
ILP Parent / Teacher Conferences 4:15 – 8:15 pm
ILP Early Release - All students dismissed 12:00 p.m.
Individual Student Pictures
ILP Early Release - All students dismissed 12:00 p.m.
OCTOBER 2011
7
10
11-19
13
18
20
24-28
31
End of 1st Quarter
Teacher Workday—No School
Book Fair
Parent Teacher Conferences
Parent Teacher Conferences
Skate City 6-8pm
Fall Break
Hats on Day
All parents are welcome and encouraged to visit the
school during the school year. We ask your cooperation
in the following ways to maximize your time spent at
Dartmouth.
 Always call ahead. It reduces the possibility of your
arriving during an assembly, recess or special.
 Always stop in the office to sign in and receive a
visitor’s name badge to wear while in the building.
 Leave toddlers/infants at home. It minimizes
disruption in the classroom.
 Shorter, more frequent visits are preferred by staff
members. You’ll get a better picture of life at school
that way. Thank you for your cooperation and
understanding.
EARLY RELEASE DAYS
SCHOOL HOURS/ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE
Dartmouth’s school hours are 9:15 a.m. - 3:45 p.m. If your
child is eating breakfast, it starts at 8:45 a.m.
Arrival: Classes begin at 9:15 a.m. We request that
students do not come onto school grounds until 9:00 a.m.
to line up. There is no adult supervision on the
playground before school.
New for the 2011-2012 school year, we will have one
bell at 9:10 a.m. which indicates it is time to go to class.
The morning announcements at 9:15 a.m. indicate that
your child should be in class ready to learn. It is very
important to have your child arrive on time as they miss
out on very important instructional time.
Departure: Please make after school arrangements with
your child before they leave for school each day. We ask
that you tell your child before school where he or she
should go and what should be done after school. Of
course we understand that emergencies may arise, but
as a general rule, we urge you to make arrangements to
make sure your child is picked up by 3:45 p.m.
If it is necessary to pick up a student early for a
doctor’s appointment, etc., parents must come into the
office and sign out the student. The student will then be
called to the office.
.
KINDERGARTEN NEWS
Welcome Kindergarten families! We are looking forward
to a great and exciting year with you. This year in
kindergarten we will be learning to read many sight words
along with short stories. The kindergarteners will also
become authors. We will go through the entire writing
process of planning, drafting, editing, and publishing
stories. The genres of writing we work with are Small
Moments, How To's, and All Abouts. We will also
be focusing on counting with one to one correspondence
which by the end of the year will transfer to simple
addition and subtraction problems. We look forward to
meeting and working with all of you!
FIRST GRADE NEWS
Welcome to a new school year! First graders begin the
year with activities that reinforce classroom procedures
and expectations to support us in our academic goals.
There is great emphasis on personal responsibility for
cooperative and independent work as students learn to
work toward, and support each other with, their own
learning goals.
In reading we stress learning our 100 high frequency
words as quickly as possible to reach proficiency in
reading and writing. We encourage students to practice
until they know all 100 in a snap! Our first grade math
expectations include counting accurately to 100 and
effective strategies for putting together and taking apart
numbers, so that is where we begin the first quarter. In
writing we start with stories about ourselves to develop
planning, drafting and editing skills. Our social studies
unit helps us to learn how to be good citizens in school
and in science we begin the year with a study of insects.
We have a lot of ground to cover in first grade and look
forward to developing a partnership between school and
families to accomplish our goals! It is going to be a
fantastic year!
SECOND GRADE NEWS
Second grade is excited to start a new year! We will start
the year going over rules and routines of second grade,
as well as, a variety of team building activities. We feel
that it is important to start the year doing team-building
activities since we will be supporting each other’s learning
throughout the year. Once the quarter gets into full swing
we will be exploring and learning about many fun things.
In reading, we will be learning about story elements,
predictions and background knowledge, just to name a
few. Through the year in reading we will be working on
fluency. Fluency is the speed at which the student reads.
Our goal is to have them read like they talk and not like a
robot!  Small moments are a big part of writing
curriculum the first quarter. We will encourage students to
write about an event that happened in their life and
expand on the details. When your child comes home with
a story about what they did that day, encourage them to
write about it! In math, we will continue to build upon the
skills they have learned in first grade. We will be working
on addition and subtraction facts with sums to 40. We
really hope to have these facts automatic by the end of
the year. Money and time are a tricky skill for second
graders; any extra practice of these skills at home will be
helpful to your child. We are very excited to start the year
off in Science exploring plants. We will also begin our
Social Studies units about communities. The second
grade team looks forward to a great year working with
you and your child!
THIRD GRADE NEWS
We are excited to meet our new 3rd grade students this
year. Wooooo! This year your 3rd graders will be learning
lots of exciting material. In Writing we will explore minigenres such as Personal Narratives, Essays, Fiction, and
Poetry. This year in Reading we will be focusing on
comprehension strategies in a variety of genre. We also
have an exciting new Accelerated Reading (AR)
program. In Science we will learn all about Aviation,
Structures of Life, and Water. Students will learn about
communities in Social Studies. In Math students will
learn about efficient addition and subtraction strategies
with answers over 1,000. Students will also learn
multiplication, division, and fractions. We look forward to
a wonderful year with your 3rd grade student!
MUSIC AT DARTMOUTH
This year, your child will be participating in
a music class designed to foster lifelong
appreciation of music through active music
making. The sequenced music instruction
will help your child develop musical skills and
understanding, using music of various styles from the
United States and around the world. In addition to
developing specific musical skills, your child’s studies in
other areas will be enhanced by instruction that links
concepts across the curriculum.
You can also reinforce your child’s music learning at
home. Consider listening to music together and talking
about it. Ask your child to share songs learned in music
class. Attend local concerts to help foster appropriate
audience behavior. These experiences will help make
music meaningful at school, at home, and in the
community.
Mrs. Roldan
ART NEWS
Welcome back Dartmouth! I hope you had a good
summer. This year we have a lot of new and fun projects
planned for art. We will be starting off the school year with
our sketchbooks. Your sketchbook will be yours to create
art, practice your ideas, plan your projects, take notes,
and journal throughout the year. Our first project will be a
landscape based off some practice sketches we will be
making in our sketchbooks. This year we will also be
learning about community in art.
It's going to be a great school year so stay tuned for more
updates from the art room!
-Ms. Gonzales
LITERACY CONFERENCES
WHAT IS AN ILP?
The Colorado Department of Education requires all
districts to annually report the number and percentage of
third grade students who read at or above the third grade
level. A student’s reading proficiency is based on an
individual reading assessment, and the state third grade
reading assessment (CSAP). Additional assessments
may also be included.
Students (K-3) who do not read on grade level must
have an individual literacy plan (ILP). ILPs are maintained
for fourth and fifth graders. This plan is developed
collaboratively by school staff members and parents to
help students meet or exceed the grade level reading
proficiency. It is extremely important for Dartmouth staff
members and parents to work together to encourage and
develop proficient readers.
Students who arrive late for school (after 9:15 a.m.) interrupt the
instruction that is already in progress. Students who are late miss
important information, and the rest of the class loses learning time
while the teacher takes time to repeat what the late student has
missed. Students may not be on school property until 9:00 a.m.
unless they are here to eat breakfast.
Leave on time: Students who are pulled from their classrooms prior to
dismissal (3:45 p.m.) interrupt the instruction that is in progress.
Students who are pulled before dismissal miss important information,
and the rest of the class loses learning time while the teacher takes
time to quickly gather items for the student who is leaving. Students
must leave the school grounds immediately after school at 3:45 p.m.
WHEN IS A CHILD TOO SICK FOR SCHOOL?
…To school or not to school… The following guidelines
were developed to assist parents with this dilemma. If
you child has symptoms listed below, we suggest you
consult your health care provider before your child returns
to school. If your child becomes sick at school, we will
call you to take him/her home.
General Guidelines for Keeping Children Home
Due to Illness:
1. Temperature over 100 degrees (orally)
2. Contagious disease like chicken pox (until lesions no
longer draining and no fever present) or strep throat
(until antibiotic is given for 24 hours).
3. Vomiting or diarrhea.
4. A respiratory infection causing the child to cough
constantly or have yellow, brown or green discharge
from the nose.
5. Any illness causing the child to be too sick or sleepy to
continue with normal school activities.
6. Rash or skin lesions not yet diagnosed or being
treated by a health care provider.
7. Lice or nits, until appropriately treated.
INSTRUCTIONAL TIME
Instructional time is not only valued at Dartmouth, it’s a
priority
supported by state laws, district policies and our community’s focus on
learning. Multiple interruptions to classrooms during the school day
can create unnecessary delays in instruction. Parents, we ask for your
cooperation and support in the following ways. Arrive on time:
If parents are not able to pick up children at 3:45 p.m. they should go
to daycare located in the Gym. You may sign your child up for
daycare by calling YMCA, Kasey Perrella at 720-810-7280.
DARTMOUTH PTO
Welcome back from your Dartmouth PTO!
We are excited for a new year and have lots of fun
activities scheduled.
Our first meeting this school year will be on August 16th at
6:30 pm in the staff lounge. And we meet most months on
the first Tuesday of the month at 6:30 pm, childcare is
provided by YMCA.
We do 4 Skate City nights, 2 McTeacher’s nights, and
various other “family fun” nights throughout the year.
We are always looking for great parents who want to be
involved with their child’s school!
Upcoming events:
August
8/22 - Skate City night – 6-8 pm
8/26 – PTO Fall Fundraiser begins
September
9/6 – Meeting – 6:30 pm – Staff Lounge
9/12 – PTO Fall Fundraiser ends
2011-12 PTO Board
Lacy Gonzales-President
Holly Sloan-Vice President
Lisa Maresca-Secretary
Cammie Smith-Treasurer
YMCA BEFORE AND AFTER SCHOOL CARE
Are you looking for convenient, inexpensive, quality child care for your
School Aged child? If so –YMCA before and after school care meets
right here at Dartmouth Elementary School. Before School Care is
offered from 6:30-9:00am, After School care is offered from 3:45-6
p.m. and Full Day care (when school is not in session 6:30am-6pm)
Drop-in care is available upon request.
YMCA will be closed on September 5th in observance of Labor
Day. If you are interested in enrolling or have any questions, please
contact Kasey Perrella at 720-810-7280.
SAFETY BEFORE AND AFTER SCHOOL
The Playground is not supervised in the morning. .
ALWAYS use the crosswalk and sidewalks.
The circle drive is for buses, day care vans and
permit vehicles only. Please do not park in this area.
The south parking lot at Meadowood Park is for visitor parking.
Use this lot to pick up and drop off your children.
The north parking lot next to the school is for staff
members only. Please do not park, drop off or pick
up your children here. It is for their safety.
Thank you for your cooperation and helping
to keep our children safe.
NO DOUBLE PARKING IS PERMITTED EVEN FOR A MINUTE!
This means no stopping or parking next to parked cars.
This activity results in most of our traffic flow problems.
Pull forward to make room, when possible. Please pull over,
drop off and pick up quickly to help keep traffic moving.
Try picking a convenient place to drop off and pick up your
child a short distance from school. Not only is this easier
for you, it will ease congestion and help your child learn
how to properly cross a street.
There is very limited space for school buses, day care vans and ca
drive. There is plenty of side street parking.
Observe the NO U TURN signs on both sides of the school an
U turns are dangerous and they hold up traffic. Park only in design
in a traffic violation.
WELCOME TO DARTMOUTH FROM THE KITCHEN
STAFF
We would like to welcome you to Dartmouth Elementary School and
look forward to meeting your children.
My name is Lesley Newcombe and this will be my 14th year as kitchen
manager here at Dartmouth. My staff includes Laurie Hornsby and
Victoria Ashton. The best time to reach me by phone is from 7:00
a.m. to 10:00 a.m. and then 1:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. each afternoon,
Monday through Friday. The kitchen phone number is 303-3261112. You may also contact me via e-mail at
lanewcombe@aps.k12.co.us.
BREAKFAST
We serve breakfast from 8:45a.m. to 9:05 a.m. each day starting on
August 08, 2011. Cost for a student breakfast is 85¢. If your child
receives free lunch or reduced price lunch, they are entitled to a free
breakfast.
Please do not send your child to school for breakfast before 8:45 a.m.
REHEATING OF FOOD
as there is no adult supervision before that time.
For safety reasons, the use of the kitchen microwave and/or ovens is
prohibited. There are several “hot jars” on the market which will keep
LUNCH
soups, stews and leftovers hot for several hours.
Lunch is served starting at 10:45a.m. with kindergarten, and our last
group is fed at 1:05 p.m. ending with 5th grade.
Thank you for allowing your child to join us for breakfast and lunch at
Dartmouth Elementary School. We want to provide them with the best
SACK MILK
meal possible! If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to
Children with a sack lunch may purchase a carton of milk from the
call.
person running the computer. The milk cost is 65¢ per carton. White
and chocolate milk will be available.
ALLERGIES
We are aware that some children have allergies and some, for
religious reasons, cannot eat certain foods. All food allergies must be
reported to the school nurse and she will, in turn, notify me. A
doctor’s statement must be submitted for all food allergies. Religious
restrictions need to be provided to me in writing. In both
circumstances, it is highly recommended that the child bring a cold
lunch on those days when the menu does not coincide with their
particular needs.
LUNCH ACCOUNTS
The cost of a student lunch is $1.80. You are encouraged to purchase
at least 10 lunches at a time to avoid having to pay daily. If you do
purchase ten or more lunches at a time there is a 5¢ discount on each
lunch purchased, i.e.: 10 lunches would cost $17.50 An average
school month is 20 days. Our computer is set up as a debit system:
Money is deducted from their account only when they purchase
breakfast or hot lunch or buy milk for their sack lunch. Your child will
receive their own personal keypad number on the first day of school.
Your child’s hand will be stamped with a “LAST PAID MEAL” stamp
when they have used up all of the money in their account. Please
deposit money promptly into their account to avoid any problems.
Lunch accounts may also be paid for in the morning when dropping off
your children.
You are also able to pay on your child’s account by computer. Go to
PayPAMS.com and click on the ‘Register Now!’ button on the home
page. You will receive prompts from there on how to set up an
account for your child.
INSERT SEP LUNCH & BREAKFAST MENU
INSERT EARN CASH ARTICLE