Independence Elementary
Patriots Press
January 2017
Main Office: 720-886-8200
Attendance: 720-886-8295
www.indep.ccsd.k12.co.us
Lisa Morris, Principal
Independence Elementary
4700 South Memphis St.
Aurora, CO 80015
We are dedicated to inspire the heart and mind to achieve excellence.
We are united…when one succeeds, we all succeed.
Important Dates to Remember
Monday, January 16
Martin Luther King Jr. Day - No School
Tuesday, January 17
PTCO Meeting in Library – 6:00-7:00pm
Thursday, January 19
Choir Concert, Gym-6:00pm
Wednesday, January 25
Laredo Middle School Counselors Visit 5th Grade
Thursday, January 26
All State Choir Conference, Colorado Springs
Friday, January 27
District Spelling Bee
Tuesday, January 31
Class Picture Day
Monday, February 6
Unity Meeting-5:30-7:00pm
Thursday, February 9
5th Grade Parent Night @ Laredo – 6:00pm-7:00pm
Friday, February 10
K-5 STAR Awards Assembly – 9:15-10:15am
Greetings Independence Families,
I hope your Winter Break was one of much relaxation and rejuvenation for you and your
family. My family enjoyed our time together at a relaxed pace, which was so nice for all of us.
We visited with friends and family, played a lot of games and completed a couple puzzles (OK,
we are still working on one puzzle – it may be on the table until Spring Break!) I treasure the
time we spend together as a family.
As we transition back to school we already have so much to celebrate!
Congratulations go out to our Independence Choir! They were one of only two elementary
school choirs in the state selected to perform at this year’s Colorado Music Educator’s
Conference in Colorado Springs. A special thanks to our choir director/music teacher, Mrs.
Angela Howard for her commitment to our students and for her extra effort to provide these
incredible opportunities for our students! The choir is selling popcorn every Friday in January
to help defray the travel costs. Popcorn is just $1 a box. Thanks to the choir parents for
helping to organize our Popcorn Fridays!
Also, congratulations to our students who attended the District Math Challenge Competition.
Our team was the top scoring school in our division! Please see the article and photos in this
newsletter with the names of students that represented Independence!
Recently we were awarded a grant from the Living Closer Foundation. In partnership with
LiveWell Colorado they provided us a grant to promote making healthy choices. In early
February, we will provide students with healthy fruits and vegetables two times during their
classroom snack time. We will also use this time to have conversations with students about
how to make healthy choices when selecting snacks for school. We look forward to reinforcing
the importance of making healthy, nutritional choices with our students.
There are so many wonderful things happening at Independence Elementary! Thank you for
your ongoing support of our school, and we will continue to share our celebrations with each
of you.
In partnership,
Lisa Morris
Principal
Independence Elementary
ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL’S CORNER (Mrs. Christa Seger)
Dear Families,
I am so excited to be back from winter break and ready to finish out the
rest of this school year strong! Each month I try to write about a topic that is pertinent to our
community. This month I would like to address another area of safety. Morning drop-off and
afternoon pick-up are very busy around Independence, especially in the winter as we have
more families driving, rather than walking. Staff are outside in front and back of the buildings
ensuring the safety of everyone. We ask that if you are dropping off or picking up in either the
front or back that you do the following:
 Pull your car all the way up to the end of the fire line. We know that you want to drop
our students off and pick up as close to the door as possible; however, this causes
congestion in the parking lot and into the street, creating unsafe situations for families.
 If the car in front of you has left, please continue to pull all the way to the end of the
fire lane and wait for your child to come out or to drop off.
 If staff are directing traffic and/or asking you to pull up, please pull all the way to the
end of the fire lane.
 If you need to leave your car, please park in a designated spot. Cars may not be
unattended in the fire lanes.
As always, if you have questions or concerns, please contact me via phone or email. We
appreciate your assistance in keeping everyone in our community safe.
Have a wonderful month of January!
Sincerely,
Christa Seger
Assistant Principal
SCHOOL CLOSURE AND DELAYS
Please refer to the Cherry Creek Website for school closures or delays at
www.cherrycreekschools.org or by calling the Hotline at 720-554-4702.
WHEN A SCHOOL IS CLOSED:
 Before and After School Day Care Programs at the closed schools will be canceled and
closed.
 All activities scheduled in District facilities are canceled.
 In-District sports events and team practices are postponed.
WHEN A SCHOOL IS ON DELAYED START:
 All before school activities will be canceled.
 Elementary school bus pickup and school start times are delayed 1 hour (Independence
will start at 10:00am. For bus pick-up times add 1 hour to the time your child usually
gets on the bus.)
 Afternoon dismissal times will be the same as usual for all schools unless otherwise
announced.
 Before and After Daycare operates on a normal schedule.
SAFETY PROCEDURES AT INDEPENDENCE
As you know, when anyone enters our school, we ask that they ring the doorbell and upon
confirmation, be buzzed into the school. If you are leaving the building, please refrain from
holding the door for others as it allows us to follow the same procedure for everyone. We will
ask via the intercom about your visit to school. Please know, we are doing that to ensure that
anyone who enters our school has a valid reason to visit. Also, please remember your driver’s
license or other ID so you can check in at the office and get a visitors sticker. If you have any
questions about these procedures, please speak with our Principal or Assistant Principal.
Thanks for your cooperation as we continue to work together for everyone's safety.
ATTENDANCE
Parents remember to call the attendance line if your student will be
absent or late coming to school. The number is: 720-886-8295. This
ensures that every student is accounted for every day. Thank you!
PE NEWS
During the month of January, 3rd-5th grade students will be finishing up
Floor Hockey, participating in Flickerball, working on Individual Jump
Rope tricks, and starting Volleyball.
Kg-2nd grade students will be finishing Indoor Soccer, participating in Parachute activities,
Basketball, and starting Volleyball.
Please make sure that your child brings athletic/tennis shoes for all 3 days of each P.E.
rotation.
MUSIC NEWS
All of the Independence 2nd and 3rd graders are busy preparing for their
musical, “Go Fish!” which they will perform on Thursday, February 23rd at
6:00pm in the gym. Remember that this involves EVERY 2nd and 3rd grader at Independence.
2nd and 3rd grade students will receive a letter to take home with all of the details of the
musical. A reminder note will go home week of the performance. This musical is very fun and
the kids look and sound great!! We are very excited to perform for you!! Please contact Mrs.
Howard at [email protected] with any questions!
Choir News!
The choir will be presenting three concerts in the next two weeks! Choir families – please
remember to have all concert attire for performances. Watch for emails about performance
details!
Thursday, January 19th – Colorado Music Education Association Send Off Concert: 2:30 and
6:00pm – Indy Gym
Thursday, January 26th – Colorado Music Education Association!!! 4:20-4:50pm Broadmoor
Hotel, Colorado Hall D/E
Tickets are all gone for the Colorado Music Education Association performance on the 26th;
however, you may buy a day pass to the convention at the Broadmoor. Please contact Mrs.
Howard at [email protected] with any questions!
SPELLING BEE
The winners of the spelling bee will represent Independence in the district spelling bee taking
place on January 27th at SARC. In first place was Shuaib A., Kiara H. came in second, Caleb W.
was third and Amari W. is the alternate. Congratulations to all!
Congratulations to the following students who made it into the school
Spelling Bee that took place in the gym on Wednesday January 11th.
Third Grade
Abbey B.
Debbie A.
Paige H.
Fourth Grade
Caleb W.
King M.
Margad M.
Mickey M.
Shuaib A.
5th Grade
Adam A.
Adam H.
Aidan P.
Amari W.
Brady L.
Brilliance C.
Gloria N.
Ivan H.
Juan F.
Kaiden M.
Kiara H.
Miranda P.
Nathan H.
Payton M.
Russell L.
.
MATH CHALLENGE
On December 3, 2016 nine students attended the Rich Morrow Math Challenge. We are proud
to say that each of the 9 students who attended won at least one award and Independence
was the top scoring school in our division! In the Team Awards, the
3rd grade team of Liana Bastian, Paige Pierce Hull and Carter Jensen came in 3rd place for the
division. The 4th grade team of Luc Angello, Alexandra Crowe, and Christopher Brown came
in 2nd place team for the division. The 5th grade team of Adam Anwaar-Maximo, Gloria
Namgung, and Russell Leech came in 2nd place team for the division. Additionally, 3 students
won individual awards. Alexandra Crowe was the top Scoring student for our school.
Adam Anwaar-Maximo came in 2nd place in the division amongst all the 5th graders and
Chris Brown came in 3rd place in the division amongst all the 4th graders in the division. We
are so proud of these students and their hard
work!
SCHOOL OF CHOICE
The Cherry Creek School District allows its resident students to apply for
enrollment in the Cherry Creek school/program of their choice. In other words,
you may request that your child attend a Cherry Creek school outside your
assigned attendance area. The School of Choice applications are an electronic
application that you can access online during the month of January from any computer, at any
time. Please note that there are NO PAPER FORMS available for the School of Choice
application process. - See more at:
http://www.cherrycreekschools.org/Admissions/Pages/SOCandIDT.aspx#sthash.kxuMlRqv.dpuf
There is a limit of one (1) application per student and all information is verified for accuracy.
Applications are considered on a space available, lottery basis with priority given to families
with siblings at the school and to the children of employees of the district. Parents will be
notified of the decisions by March 15th and any appeals must be submitted in writing to
District Admissions by April 15th.
- See more at:
http://www.cherrycreekschools.org/Admissions/Pages/SOCandIDT.aspx#sthash.kxuMlRqv.dpuf
Please note:



Students currently attending a school under School of Choice or an IntraDistrict Transfer
approved to the highest grade level do NOT need to submit an application to return to that
school next year.
Non-Resident applications will be available online starting April 1st.
There is not a specific "time" that the forms will be made available or removed on Feb 1, so
please do not wait until the last minute to submit your application. Late applications
(submitted on/after Feb 2) cannot be accepted.
CHALLENGE SCHOOL
Challenge School is a K-8 magnet school in Cherry Creek School District charged with the mission of
meeting the needs of academically advanced and motivated students. Any student in the district may
apply to Challenge.
Challenge School is now accepting applications for the 2017-18 school year. Applications are
accepted online only until midnight on January 18, 2017.
More information and the online application may be found at:
http://challenge.cherrycreekschools.org/Pages/Prospective-Students.aspx
Aurora’s annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Commemoration will celebrate its 31st year in 2017
with events from Jan. 9 through 25. - See more at:
https://www.auroragov.org/cms/one.aspx?pageId=6047407#sthash.BQvIoPxz.dpuf