It's Good in the Middle
We operate on a 7 period day. Students have four core classes. (Math, Science, English/Language Arts and Social Studies/History). We offer electives such as Art, PE, Robotics, Spanish, Outdoor Education, Computer Science, and STEAM . Students can choose to take Band and/or Choir at the High School.
Meet with Us!
We hold school-wide conferences twice a year; however, you may schedule a meeting with a teacher or group of teachers at any time during the year by emailing the teacher with whom you would like to meet. Teachers meet every day and are happy to meet with you! Visit the academic content pages to find contact details.
Daily Schedule
Attendance matters! We expect your student to be at school every day unless they are ill. Please use the information below for planning.
| Students eating breakfast at school may come inside | 7:45 am |
| All students enter the building through the front doors | 7:50 am |
| Bell rings late students must check in at the front office before going to class | 8:00 am |
| Students released for the day | 3:20 pm |
If your student is going to be absent, please contact the front office to excuse the absence.
Call: 970-586-4439 ext 3203
Email: emily_sims@estesschools.org
Text: Reply only to the text sent by Emily Sims. The number will be unique to each user.
Bell Schedules
Students have four core and three elective classes each day.
All Grades
|
Period |
Time |
| 1 | 8:00 - 8:56 |
| 2 | 9:00 - 9:55 |
| 3 | 9:59 - 10:54 |
| Lunch/Recess | 10:54 - 11:34 |
| 4 | 11:38 - 12:29 |
| 5 | 12:33 - 1:27 |
| 6 | 1:31 - 2:25 |
| 7 | 2:29 - 3:20 |
Grading
Teachers assign formative or summative assessments. Formative assessments may include exit tickets, classwork, quizzes. Summative assessments may include traditional tests, projects, presentations or extended writing assignments and are weighted more heavily than formative assessments. We are constantly assessing student progress and adjusting our instruction to support students as they work toward mastery.
Practice assignments are not always graded but must be completed.
Teachers allow retakes and redos (with a focus on sections/skills/standards not mastered) until end of unit to ensure mastery. If a student has completed the practice assignments for the unit, they may retake the formative and summative assessments.
We do not penalize late work. This does not mean there are no deadlines; teachers may issue cut-off dates for submissions.
There are multiple ways for students to demonstrate understanding/mastery.
We use a mathematically accurate scale (see below) with a 10-point range between letter grades. A 50% is a failing grade.
| Rubric/Scale Rating | Equivalent Letter Grade | Percent range |
| 4 Mastery | A | 90-100 |
| 3 Proficient | B | 80-89 |
| 2 Nearing | C | 70-79 |
| 1 Not Quite | D | 60-69 |
| 0 Insufficient Evidence | F | 50-59 |
Advisory
Advisory is one way we provide Excellent Educational Experiences for Every Student Every Day. Every student is assigned to an advisory led by a core or elective teacher. We use advisory to create community and culture by building relationships, promoting healthy competition and checking academic progress. It's a time during the day when kids can rejuvenate, refresh and reset if they need to. During advisory time, students check in on their academic progress as well. Once a week, advisors direct students to check Schoology and Power School to ensure they are completing work to satisfaction, and that their work is evidence of learning.
Behavior Expectations
ROARS
We ask students to follow ROARS in all areas of our school campus. Teachers review these behavior norms at the beginning of the year each year, including what each component looks like in the classroom, hallways, lunch room, recess fields, bathrooms, office and buses. Violations of ROARS may result in disciplinary actions and/or Restorative Practices.
R: Respect
O: Ownership
A: Attentiveness
R: Responsibility
S: Safety
The Restorative Approach is a set of guiding principles for the school community, which sees relationships as central to learning, growth , and an inclusive, respectful school culture. It is a paradigm shift from traditional rule-based, punitive discipline systems. The five core values are Respect, Relationship, Responsibility, Repair and Reintegration. Instead of a focus on the wrong that was done, we focus on the direct and indirect harm to the learning community and how to repair it. Using a restorative approach does not mean students do not receive consequences for their actions.
In the classroom, we use a matrix that adheres both to our ROARS values and the Restorative CORE values.
Respect: the norm for general classroom behavior (following ROARS)
Remind: when a student is not following ROARS--teachers remind them about being respectful
Redirect: If the behavior continues, the teacher redirect sthe student.
Remove/Reflect/Return : A teacher may send the student out of the classroom to an adjacent teacher's room for a reflection form. They fill out the form, and return to class and give it to their teacher. If the behavior continues it may result in an office referral
Restore/Repair: If sent to the office, the student meets with Ms Greenway and we decide how to restore and repair the harm that was done, and in most cases, is sent back to class. If it's a serious offense, the student will receive a consequence and parents will be notified.
Attendance Plan
Estes Park School District Attendance Partnership Plan
At Estes Park School District, our vision is to provide excellent educational experiences to every student every day. Our mission is to engage all learners in authentic learning for global application. We believe that family partnership is critical for student success. The first step to learning is being present, we rely on families to get students to school. Therefore, this plan outlines our response to chronic absenteeism and truancy that are consistent across the district.
Our goals
-
Partner with parents to support 90% and above attendance for every child
-
Maintain consistent response practices throughout all schools in the district
-
Communicate to all members of the EPSD community our expectations and response to chronic absenteeism and truancy in our schools
State Law: “It is the obligation of every parent/guardian to ensure that every child under their care and supervision receives adequate education and training and, if of compulsory attendance age, attends school.”
Habitually Truant A student is considered habitually truant when they have missed 4 total days of unexcused absences from school in any one month, OR 10 total days of unexcused absences during any school year. If a child becomes habitually truant, the school can begin a truancy case. These cases follow the process laid out in CRS 22-33-108.
Chronic Absenteeism A student is considered chronically absent when they have missed 16 total absences in a school year, whether the absences are excused or unexcused.
We believe
-
Every day matters
-
Being at school improves academic learning and social and emotional development.
-
We are all partners in supporting good attendance
-
School should be an engaging and welcoming community
-
Families should prioritize school attendance
-
Good attendance leads to a more successful future
-
Attendance is important for habit setting and developing responsibility and ownership
-
Every child and staff member contributes to our positive school environment, therefore it is important for everyone to be here every day
-
To be respectful to the learning community, we need to be on time and present
-
A restorative approach to supporting truancy and attendance is effective
Roles and Responsibilities
Parent
Read and understand the attendance policies JH and JHB
Ensure your child arrives at school on time every day.
Notify the office in a timely manner of any absences.
Follow the How Sick is Too Sick guidelines. English Version / Spanish Version
-
If your child is absent for more than 3 days due to illness, provide a doctor's note or consult with the school nurse for approval.
If your child will be absent more than two days, fill out the Pre-Arranged Absence Form to inform the building administrator.
Respond to attendance notifications from the school in a timely manner.
Attend attendance success meetings for your child if required.
Follow expectations and commitments in the attendance plan if applicable.
Student
Teacher
Take attendance within the first 5 minutes every day.
Be aware and notice trends in attendance.
Welcome students into the classroom every day and meet them at the door.
Purposefully plan engaging lessons every day and utilize all of the class time.
Connect with parents/guardians when students are absent for more than two days.
-
share why you miss the student and what they contribute to the community
-
share your concern about missing class
-
share what has been learned in class while they have been absent
-
ask when you can expect them back
-
explain suggest a plan for the to catch up
Connect with students one-on-one when they return and ensure they understand what to do to catch up in class and get back on track.
Office Staff
Monitor attendance for the building first thing every morning every day.
-
At the secondary schools, monitor attendance within the first 5 minutes of every class period.
Connect with teachers who have not taken attendance within the first 5 minutes.
-
Inform administration when teachers are consistently tardy on taking attendance
Connect with the parents/guardians of all unreported absences after first period attendance has been recorded every day.
After 3 days of excused illness, request a doctor's note from the parent/guardian. HERE is an example message.
-
Inform that parent/guardian that absences will be unexcused without a doctor's note.
-
If needed, encourage them to consult with the school nurse for further excusal.
-
Share the How sick is too sick guidelines with parents.
Run weekly attendance reports for principals to review
-
Report the number of excused absences and unexcused absences for students.
-
Flag students with 10 or more absences either excused or unexcused
-
Flag students with 3 unexcused absences in one month or 8 unexcused in one year
Maintain record of parent contact from the office
Principal
Communicate attendance policies with all students and parents prior to the first day of school.
Ensure every parent has signed that they understand the policies in the Family Handbook.
Monitor attendance of students in the building.
Call parents when students are at risk of habitual truancy or chronic absenteeism and notify them of the letter that will be coming home requesting a meeting for an attendance plan.
-
When a student has reached 10 absences, either excused or unexcused
-
When a student has reached 3 unexcused absences in one month OR 8 unexcused absences in the school year.
Review pre-arranged absence forms and notify parents/guardians if the absence is excused or unexcused.
-
Excused up to 10 days
Conduct attendance success meetings and develop attendance success plans with families.
Monitor attendance success plans and follow up with students and parents regarding improvement or lack of progress.
-
Revise plans as needed
-
Exit students from plans when appropriate
-
Attendance Success Plan - Example English Version / Example Spanish Version
-
Notify the School Resource Officer if a child is unexcused for more than 2 days without parent notification.
-
Notify the Superintendent if a student is unexcused from 10 consecutive days of school, and parents cannot be reached.
School Resource Officer
Dress Code
Use this diagram as a guide
If it’s covered in the diagram, it needs to be covered!
EPMS follows a dress code policy that adheres to our ROARS expectations and demonstrates respect for all members* of our learning community.
Hoods must be down when inside the building.
Hats may not be worn inside the building Monday through Thursday. Religious head coverings are exempt from this policy.
Students may wear hats on Fridays.
Shoes must be worn at school.
Exceptions can be made with principal approval for school activities, religious beliefs, medical reasons or special events.
Clothing/jewelry that depicts or advertises drugs, alcohol, tobacco, violence, hate speech, obscene language, weapons, or sexual activity is not allowed.