From The Principal February

February 7, 2023

From the Principal clipart of kids with backpacks

My Wonderful Heritage Community,

Happy New Year!! It is hard to believe we are already through the month of January. It was so great to have all of our students back after our holiday break with smiling faces on and ready to learn. I love seeing them each morning as they come to school; it makes my day! January was a busy month with students honoring Martin Luther King and celebrating his legacy. I loved seeing our students writing about their dreams to make our world a better place. Having such empathetic and kind students at Heritage makes me proud to be their leader.

Battle of the Books teams have been working diligently for the past few months and have started their weekly battles this month. I am always so impressed with these book-smart students who represent Heritage. It is so exciting to watch their battles at the Highlands Ranch Library. They will continue having book battles during the month of February and hopefully into March for the championships. A very special thanks to Heritage parents Melissa Crooks and Joy Evans for working with both of our teams!

We hosted our Heritage Spelling Bee in January. Congratulations to Kason Ford who is our champion for the second year in a row, and to Alivia Olsen, our runner-up. We applaud all of our students who participated in this spelling bee as they all did a wonderful job. Kason will move on to the district spelling bee and we wish him the best of luck!

Heritage is doing a fabulous job of supporting Mountain Vista High School’s Wish Week. Candy Grams are on sale now for Valentine’s Day with all proceeds supporting Wish Week and the Make-A-Wish Foundation. We are hoping to become the feeder elementary school that raises the most funds for Vista’s Wish Week. Thank you all for your support!

It is that time of the year when all schools in Douglas County are given their projections and budget for the 2023-2024 school year. We are working hard to keep all the wonderful opportunities we have for our students here at Heritage. I will update you all when we have our budget finalized.

As you all know I will be retiring at the end of this school year. As difficult of a decision as it was, I am excited about our new grandson arriving in May. Mr. Ian Wells, our director, will be here tomorrow from 4:30-5:15 pm to meet with our PTO, SAC, and parent community regarding the process for hiring a new principal. Our staff and community will have an opportunity to be a part of this process and I will certainly support and partner with the new principal these last few months of school to ensure a smooth transition.

We are also beginning to plan for our annual Auction at Legacy Campus. We are in need of auction items and so appreciate any donations. Save the date - Friday, April 14, 2023 - to join us for a wonderful evening in raising money to support Heritage.

As always, I want you to know how much I appreciate your support in making Heritage Elementary the best school for our students. My heart is full each day as I watch our students learn and grow.

Warmly,

Jean Wolach

Principal

In compliance with Titles VI & VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967, the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2008, and Colorado law, the Douglas County School District RE-1 does not unlawfully discriminate against otherwise qualified students, employees, applicants for employment, or members of the public on the basis of disability, race, creed, color, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, national origin, religion, ancestry, or need for special education services. Discrimination against employees and applicants for employment based on age, genetic information, and conditions related to pregnancy or childbirth is also prohibited in accordance with state and/or federal law. Complaint procedures have been established for students, parents, employees, and members of the public. The School District's Compliance Officer and Title IX Coordinator to address complaints alleging sexual harassment under Title IX is Aaron Henderson, 620 Wilcox Street, Castle Rock, Colorado, [email protected], 720-433-1083.

Outside Agencies

Complaints regarding violations of Title VI, (race, national origin), Title IX (sex, gender), Section 504/ADA (handicap or disability), may be filed directly with the Office for Civil Rights, U.S. Department of Education, 1244 North Speer Blvd., Suite 310, Denver, CO 80204. Complaints regarding violations of Title VII (employment) and the ADEA (prohibiting age discrimination in employment) may be filed directly with the Federal Office of Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, 303 E. 17th Ave., Suite 510, Denver, CO 80202, or the Colorado Civil Rights Commission, 1560 Broadway, Suite 1050, Denver, CO 80202.

NOTICE OF DESTRUCTION OF SPECIAL EDUCATION RECORDS

Special Education records which have been collected by Douglas County School District related to the identification, evaluation, educational placement, or the provision of special education in the district, must be maintained under state and federal laws for the period of five (5) years after special education services have ended for the student. Special education services end when the student is no longer eligible for services, graduates, or completes his/her educational program at age 21, or moves from the district. This notification is to inform parents/guardians and former students of Douglas County School District's intent to destroy the special education records of students who exited special education services as of June 30, 2016. These records will be destroyed in accordance with state law unless the parent/guardian or eligible (adult) student notifies the school district otherwise. After five years, the records are no longer useful to the district, but may be useful to the parent/guardian or former student in applying for social security benefits, rehabilitation services, college entrance, etc. The parent/guardian or eligible (adult) student may request a copy of the records by requesting the records at this link ( Douglas County School District Transcripts and Records Requests ).

From The Principal February

Heritage Elementary School