February 2019 Thoughtexchange results

The results from D38’s February Thoughtexchange event are now available.

Thank you to all who participated. We asked the question, “What are some important ways Lewis-Palmer School District 38 can build trust and ensure confidence?” These are the top five thoughts which received the highest overall ratings:

1. First of all, I appreciate the teachers and their efforts with my grandchildren. Teaching surely is a gift that should be acknowledged and supported.
2. Be sure to separate issues. Combining funds for the charter school and the public school on the same ballot does not seem transparent.
3. Ensure the School Board gives equal attention and funding to ALL district schools, not just to the loudest constituents. Monument Academy is a great school - but it doesn’t deserve special consideration above any other D38 school. All our schools are equally important.
4. Respect the professionalism of our amazing teachers, and start supporting what is best for student learning. The bickering that is happening between some people and the board has nothing to do with our what our students need for learning.
5. We need to continue to prove the need and show the impact of a lack of funding. Until people realize how many students and families will be impacted, the negative and false information spread via social media will win out.

Top themes included board feedback, communication/transparency, and funding and finances.

We will be looking at this feedback and incorporating many of these ideas. You may continue accessing information regarding D38 on our website. Recently, we have made improvements to our website and will continue updating it and making improvements over the next few weeks. You may access all the Thoughtexchange results and the interactive tools by clicking here. 

LPSD Hall of Fame now accepting nominations 

The Lewis-Palmer School District 38 Hall of Fame Committee is now accepting nominations from the community for inductees to the 2019 Hall of Fame. Anyone may nominate a person who has made significant, ongoing contributions to the excellence of LPSD schools. The award seeks to honor retired staff, volunteers, elected officials, and community members. Nomination forms can be found under the Community tab on the district website. 

The deadline is April 19, 2019.

2019 Hall of Fame 

 Superintendent Search

 On March 4 during a work session, the Lewis-Palmer School District 38 school board chose three finalists from the 17 applicants for the superintendent position created by Karen Brofft’s retirement at the end of this year. 

The finalists are Dr. Josh J. Middleton (Middleton, Idaho), Dr. Matthew J. Mann (Pleasanton, Texas), and Dr. Kenneth Christopher (K.C.) Somers (Aurora, Colorado). 

The board is working with the Colorado Association of School Boards (CASB) in filling the position. According to CASB, “Finding the right superintendent to lead a school district is one of the most important - and most difficult - tasks for a school board.” Finalists will interview next week with three teams prior to interviewing with the school board. The three teams will be led by a D38 administrator and consist of administrators from each school, teachers from each school, parent representatives, and a community representative. D38 received and reviewed over 60 applications for the superintendent interview committees. Individuals were selected for interview teams based on participation in D38 and in the community in order to represent K-12 education as well as a cross-section of the community. 

The school board will announce the new superintendent on: date TBD. Please check back.

Superintendent Brofft's Retirement Announcement

CASB Superintendent Search Information

CASB Posting for LPSD Superintendent Opening

Superintendent Interview Teams 

Feedback CASB gathered 

Community Focus Group Responses

Board of Education Focus Group Responses

D38 Staff Focus Group Responses

Electronic Survey Responses

Important Dates
Monday, January 14, 2019 - Superintendent Position Posted
Thursday, January 24, 7:00 p.m. - Community Input
Thursday, February 14, 2019 – Posting Closes
Tuesday, February 19, 2019 – Board Screens Applications in Executive Session
Monday, March 4, 2019 - Board Announces Finalists
TBD, April 2019 – Superintendent Interviews with Staff
TBD, April 2019 – Superintendent Interviews with Board 
TBD, April 2019 – Board Announces Superintendent

Lewis-Palmer School District 38 welcomes two new principals

Our new principal of Prairie Winds Elementary School is Alicia Welch. Alicia joins us with over 20 years of experience in education. She has served as principal of Global Village Academy in Colorado Springs since 2013. Alicia believes “that an educator’s mission is to make school enjoyable and exciting - if students look forward to attending school, they will want to LEARN.” 

LPSD is hosting an opportunity for families and the community to meet Alicia Welch between 5:00-6:00 p.m. on Tuesday, March 5, at Prairie Winds Elementary School.

Our new principal of Palmer Ridge High School is Dr. Terry Bramschreiber. He has served as assistant principal at Discovery Canyon Campus High School since 2009. Terry joins us with 25 years in education. Terry values “helping multiple stakeholders come to consensus about new ideas and strategies while preserving the culture” that makes a school unique.

LPSD is hosting an opportunity for families and the community to meet Terry Bramschreiber at Palmer Ridge High School in the Sunset Room on Wednesday, March 6, between 4:30-5:30 p.m.

Please join D38 in welcoming them both.

Board of Education Intent to Pursue Bond in the upcoming fall election

 During D38's February monthly board meeting, the board made a resolution stating their intent to pursue a bond in the 2019 November Election. The Board recognizes the urgent need to address current enrollment and future growth, which prompted the decision to pursue a cost-effective bond to build a single elementary school. If the bond passes, D38 will then convert Bear Creek Elementary School back to Creekside Middle School using district reserve funds.

The Board understands the community rejected a bond for many reasons, which have been taken into account. The Board will ensure clear and specific bond language stating the bond funds will be spent only on a single new school; any additional costs will be paid for by D38. 

Resolution Regarding the Intent to Pursue a Bond in November Election 

Viral Social Media challenge targeting youth: Momo Challenge

Lewis-Palmer School District 38 recently became aware of a viral social media challenge targeting youth. The Momo challenge centers around a disturbing character that encourages children to perform dangerous tasks, including hurting themselves. According to sources, most children are learning about the Momo Challenge on YouTube. The challenge has been surfacing on YouTube, Facebook, and Whatsapp, which can be accessed on a phone or tablet in addition to the computer.

In an effort to keep children safe, parents are encouraged to talk to students about these types of challenges and safe internet practices. LPSD will continue to use security measures to keep students safe while using school technology.

For more information and online safety tips, click here.

For questions or concerns, please email info@lewispalmer.org. 

LPSD Ranked Third Best School District in Colorado 

Among the Best School Districts in Colorado of 2019, Lewis-Palmer School District 38 was ranked third in a list of 25 districts, as reported by the Denver Business Journal. The Denver Business Journal reported this information based on comprehensive research done by Niche. 

Some of the factors and methodology used in compiling this list included academics, teachers, culture and diversity, parent/student surveys, health and safety, sports, and more. 

The 2019 Best School Districts ranking is based on analysis of academic and student life data from the U.S. Department of Education along with college data, test scores, and ratings from Niche users.

LPSD Tied for Region's Highest Graduation Rate

Lewis-Palmer School District 38 is one of two districts with the highest graduation rate in the region, according to the Colorado Department of Education. This year's percentage increased to 95.5, a jump from last year's 95.4 percent.

Lewis-Palmer and Palmer Ridge high schools were also in the top three schools with the highest graduation rates in the Pikes Peak Region, as reported by the Gazette. Graduation rates have increased to 80.7 percent statewide, according to the CDE. 

Lewis-Palmer District 38 tied with Calhan RJ-1 for highest graduation rate in the region. 

• Prairie Winds Elementary                     
• Lewis-Palmer Elementary School 

This John Irwin award is given to schools that demonstrate exceptional academic achievement over time. These schools received an Exceeds Expectations rating on the Academic Achievement indicator of the School Performance Frameworks reflecting exceptional performance in Math, English Language Arts, and Science. More information is available in Schoolview. More information regarding LPSD and other Colorado districts' data is available through the CDE's online resource District Dashboard. The District Dashboard provides district and school level trend data in a variety of visual formats (graphs and charts) so that users can more easily see patterns. 

Preschool D38 Deliberates Summary

Thank you, to all of the parents and staff members who participated in the D38 Deliberates event on December 5, 2018 

Summary of December 5 D38 Deliberates 

LPSD continues to be rated as Accredited with Distinction by the state of Colorado
The CDE released PRELIMINARY DRAFTS of District and School Performance Frameworks (DPF and SPF). This information may be accessed under the Assessment and Accountability Department page.

Free Math Tutoring at the Monument Library

Mondays from 3:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. starting September 10, 2018. See the After Math flyer for details.

LPSD Employment Opportunities

Lewis-Palmer School District 38 is looking for quality individuals to support immediate job openings for the following positions. More flexible, substitute positions are also available.

Bus Drivers,

Food Service Workers,

Custodians,

Paraprofessionals,

Substitute Teachers.

Join a great team and support students. Work schedules align with your children's school calendar and open positions offer competitive wages and benefits. More information is available on LPSD's Personnel Services page. To apply for a specific position, visit LPSD's Job Listings.

LPSD Receives Financial Recognition 

Early in May 2018, Lewis-Palmer School District received notification that the Association of School Business Officials (ASBO) International awarded the district with ASBO’s Certificate of Excellence in Financial Reporting for the fiscal year ended 2017.  According to ASBO, "This award represents a significant achievement and reflects your commitment to transparency and high-quality financial reporting."

ASBO Certificate of Excellence

ASBO Announcement

LPSD Finance Audit Results 
Lewis-Palmer School District’s credit rating is again Aa2 which is above the nationwide school district median. Moody’s Investors Service, an independent credit rating agency, judged LPSD’s  financial position as very strong exhibiting sound financial management. More information is available in Moody's Report.

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Prom

April 6th 

7:00 p.m. - 11:00 p.m.

Location - TBD

Guest Form - completed form due April 2nd 3:00 p.m.

We will be running on a 

Basketball Championship Assembly Schedule

March 21, 2019

Prom Attire

Prom night is a very special night for our juniors and seniors who attend Prom and After Prom.  Many students, staff, and parents have put in countless hours to make this a memorable event. We want this night to be a positive, lasting memory for all attendees.  Safety and security of our students is a top priority for us. Appropriate dress by our students will help us achieve this goal.

As you are searching for prom attire with your students, please help us by reminding them that prom is a formal event and even though it is offsite, it is a school sponsored activity and school dress code policies apply.  

All Prom attire should be formal in nature and reflect a dressing “up” for the occasion. Young men should wear a suit or tuxedo, and young women should wear a dress. Casual dress, or clothing that is low cut, too tight or too sheer that bares or exposes traditionally private parts of the body including, but not limited to, the stomach, the buttocks, back, and chest could be considered inappropriate.

Students wearing inappropriate prom clothing may be:

• Required to leave the event
• Required to cover the questionable attire with more appropriate clothing

If you or your student have any concerns about their clothing choices, please feel free to ask our opinion ahead of time.  Thank you for your continued support of our school community and for your help in maintaining a safe and enjoyable environment for our students.

Senior Announcements, Events, and Graduation Information