Information for West Park Families about the School Year Calendar

The summer issue of Paw Prints – Lake County School District’s parent newsletter is in the mail!  Please use this as a resource for the upcoming school year and never hesitate to contact us with questions!  719 486 6800!

Here is the link to our calendars for the upcoming school year. The first day of classes for grades 3-12 will be August 31^st.  This year West Park Elementary is setting a priority on all students and families being ready for a strong start of the year.  Like some of our neighboring communities, we will be holding Orientation Family Conferences at West Park Elementary on August 31^st from 12-8pm and September 1^st from 10am-6pm. The first day of classes for WPE students will be on September 2^nd.  This new calendar is similar to others in our area, and helps develop more one-on-one time for the classroom teacher to learn about each student and creates a strong, positive relationship between the teachers and families. Ultimately, this allows us to cater to the individual needs of our learners. We are so excited to create this strong platform for the rest of the year.

This was outlined in a letter to all WPE families in June and a more detailed packet will be sent to all parents in preparation for registration early next week. Watch your mailbox!  Registration will be August 11^th-13^th for WPE.

Families will sign up for a family orientation appointment at registration, allowing each family personal time with classroom teachers and educational support staff before school starts.  During this meeting, the teacher can learn more about the student’s personality, abilities, and needs, being able to meet their educational goals.   During this time we will also do our vision, hearing, and literacy screenings, and have community partners available to hand out interesting information for families.  Anticipated time for a conference will be about half an hour with the classroom teacher and half an hour for the other screenings and introductions.

We understand that having a staggered start is new to our community. We feel that this will be a valuable way to jumpstart the year and best meet our learners’ needs.  In addition, we want to be responsive to families’ needs for individualized time with elementary teachers.   We so appreciate the family partnership that is crucial to early education and your flexibility in making this happen for our youngest students. Please reach out to us at 719-486-6800 with any questions or concerns. We value parents as partners, and always want to hear your thoughts!