Hello Park Hill 2025-2026 Families! 

     It is with great pleasure that I introduce myself to you as the  Pre-K (ECE) teacher  here at Park Hill Elementary. As a part of the Park Hill-City Park neighborhood, I am very excited to be able to teach in my community. My eight years here at Park Hill have been more than I could have dreamed of. I immediately felt like a part of an amazing family, and I know that you and your child will as well. My husband and I raised our two children, both East High Angels, right here in the City Park area and continue after 23 years to reside just across the Blvd. I have been teaching for Denver Public Schools for 15 years. I began as an Integrated Arts and Literature teacher for Pre-k and Kindergarten at Stephen Knight Center for Early Education. I continued on there as a Pre-K teacher in a full day, four year old's classroom until coming here seven years ago to teach two half day classes. Two years ago we switched to a full day class and we couldn't be any happier. I have been honored to receive the Denver Public Schools Distinguished Teaching Award consistently during my years here, and have also received the Denver Preschool Program's Achievement Award for the work we do in our classroom. I continue to actively learn how to best serve you and your child. I have a Master's Degree in Integrated Arts for Classroom Curriculum and I am always taking classes in professional development in order to be the best that I can be. I strongly believe that the arts and literature provide students, each with their own learning styles, equal access to classroom content. My focus on movement and cognitive development designs our classroom practices. Each child is unique in how they learn and who they are, and I am committed to teaching to the whole child. I put great importance on  social-emotional development, understanding, and equity for our young learners. The unique life experiences that children bring to our classroom guide our investigations and explorations. All cultures, experiences, identities, and belief systems are honored and cherished in our classroom. Becoming a lifelong learner takes much more than letters and numbers. I will do my best to provide your child with life and academic skills that will follow him/her/they throughout their educational career.  Thank you for letting me into your lives. I look forward to getting to know each and every one of you. 

​                                                                                                                  ​Ms. Belle

Welcome to Park Hill Pre-K (ECE)

Classroom phone- 720-424-4958

​School Office - 720-424-4910 

Below I have listed some general information for you to refer to throughout the year. If you have questions about any of this information, we can discuss it at parent orientation in the fall, through emails, or by phone. 

Pre-K GOALS-

-To engage and nurture your child's love of learning through hands on investigation of developmentally appropriate curriculum. 

-To develop children’s social-emotional development and cognitive skills so that they may actively participate in their journey throughout their education.

-To actively participate with parents in the education of their children.

ATTENDANCE-

-Regular attendance is important for your child’s success in school. We know that vacations, illnesses, and other life occurrences happen but for events that you can schedule, please try to use the built in days that we do not attend school. Many of our lessons will span multiple days and when your child misses part of these activities they can feel left out and we are not always able to recreate what they have missed. Remember, this is school and we are very purposeful in our planning, lessons, and activities that will inspire and educate your child.  

Please email me and inform the main office in case of an absence.

       ILLNESS - Your child must stay home if they have any symptoms of illness. Keep your child home until they are symptom free for 24 hours without medication

 ECE EXTRA DAY OFF-

Please note this is in addition to regularly scheduled days off on the district calendar. (Remember, if you have older children in DPS they will still attend on this date.)

April 17, 2026

DROP OFF AND PICK UP- 8:10 and 3:00

We have arranged for PreK pick up to be before the bell rings in order for families to be on time for older students in the building.

- ECE drop off and pick up is located on the ECE playground outside the north gate. Our playground is located on the West side of the building on Elm street. You will sign your child in and out at the gate. Children enter independently after saying good-bye to you. If you are tardy  please go to the main office through the front entrance on the North side of the building, sign in, and a staff member will bring your child to the classroom. 

-Please arrive on time at 8:10. Our class time starts out quickly and we don't want your child to miss anything.

If you arrive late and our gate and door are closed, please go through the main office. 

If you need to pick up your child early for any reason, you will need to go to the front office. If it is a scheduled event, please let us know so that we can have your child in the office at your desired time. 

-At 8:10 you will sign your child in and say good-bye at the gate. Make a plan for drop off good-byes! This can be a stressful time for you and your child. Make it easier for your child to anticipate your departure and discuss with them a routine for hugs and kisses. When children ask for "one more"  and you continually comply, it creates more stress. Don't let your child see your stress or sadness on your face. This validates their feeling of sadness. A big smile and encouragement will work wonders. I promise that Ms. Tracy and I will provide love and care in the few seconds it takes your child to feel better about you being gone. If for some reason your child continues to be upset after a little while, I will phone you to make a  decision on how to proceed for the day. (In 14 years, I have never had to do this.)

-Please pick your child up on time at 3:00 p.m.  Please wait at the gate for the teacher to call your child and bring him/her/they out to you so that we see them with you as they leave.  Ms. Tracy and I have a lot of work to do for your child's education at the end of the day so please be respectful of pick up time. 

 **Students must be signed in and out by an approved adult (18 and over) Please do not step away from the sign out sheet before having your child in hand. It seems like a nice gesture to step away and let the next person sign, but then we can lose track of who has signed out a child.  

If you pick up late, you will need to go to the main office to pick up and sign out your child. Please understand that Ms. Tracy and I have responsibilities that do not always allow for us to care for your child after this time.  We all can run late sometimes, but plan for pick up at 3:00.

WHAT TO BRING TO SCHOOL-

-A labeled water bottle full of fresh water every day! ONLY WATER. We will refill with filtered water as needed. 

- Prek students do not bring backpacks to school. Blue DPS nap bags will be provided and stay at school during the week. On Fridays Blue Bags will go home with a sheet to be laundered and brought back on Monday. Students may keep a stuffy/lovey in their bags for the week, (please make sure it is a small special stuffy just for school. We will not send them home during the week). No pillows or blankets please. 

-Make sure your child comes dressed to play! We will get messy! If your child is unable to tie their own shoes they will need to wear slip on or Velcro shoes. 

-Provide layers, appropriate footwear, jackets, gloves, and hats as we will go outside rain, snow, or shine,(children not prepared for the weather miss out on important development time outdoors. Let us know if you are in need of any boots, gloves, or other items, we can help).

-Mark your child’s name in everything! LICENSING REQUIRES NAMES ON WATER BOTTLES. 

-Pack a change of clothes in case of an accident or mess. These will remain in the classroom all year.

Remember to change out these clothes for the seasons and your child's growth. 

ACTIVITY/SUPPLIES FEE-

-We will collect a $50 donation for each child at the beginning of the school year.  This fee will cover our extra classroom supplies (art, writing, science, cooking etc.), and other special events. If this fee is not possible for your family, please let me know so we can assist you.

PARENT VOLUNTEERS-

 Friday Family Readers will begin after fall break as an opportunity for you to participate in the classroom. A sign up will be provided before the break. 

PARENT MEETINGS/CONFERENCES-

-I am always happy to answer questions via email. Please know that I will not check email while I have students in the room. If you need to reach me in the case of  something that can not wait, call the office or classroom.

-If your concerns or questions are not answerable to your satisfaction through email or casual hello and good-bye time, I am available to meet before or after class  upon request. Please set up a time with me in advance so that I can be prepared to provide you with what you need.

    Office-  (720) 424-4910

    Classroom- (720) 424-4958

         SNACKS and COOKING

-As part of our curriculum we will cook, use food items in lessons, and consume treats on occasion. The amazing Mr. Dennis provides us with a daily snack and an amazing lunch. We will be joining kindergarten in the lunchroom and students are welcome to buy hot lunch or bring a lunch from home. Make sure to inform me of ANY allergies or food items you do not want your child to consume on the parent permissions. We provide snack options for all students who need it.

BIRTHDAYS- If you are handing out invitations for a home party to less than the WHOLE CLASS, you may not bring them to school to distribute. Only invitations for the whole class can be distributed during classtime.

 You are welcome to bring store bought treats to class for us to have during our snack time or feel free to use the playground after 3:20 to bring treats to share with classmates. Please respect parent wishes and allergy situations. If your family does not celebrate birthdays, please let us know so that we can respect your traditions. 

CHOICE and ACADEMICS-

-We have learning targets in the following domains to teach the whole child: Social–Emotional, Physical, Language, Cognitive, Literacy, Mathematics, Science  and Technology, Social Studies, The Arts, and English-Language Acquisition.

-It is important for young learners to have choices as they learn through play. Students will engage in hands-on, self directed activity choices with resources and activities created with intention  by the teachers, as they play both in the classroom and outside. 

-We will follow Creative Curriculum for themes and literary support, supplement with teacher created activities, and differentiate for all students.

-We always speak about our work in academic terms, validating their approximations in learning.  If they scribble, it is writing; if they tell a story while looking at a  book, it is reading! Please do not correct their spelling. Ask your child to write the letters that they hear in the word. When they are done congratulate them on all of  the sounds they identified. (these may be approximations! D for the TH sound, C for K, O for A, etc...) Later in the year you may offer to provide the "book spelling"  after they have written phonetically for their own reflections and resource.  

- Read with your child everyday! This is the foundation for reading and writing. Have conversations that include rich vocabulary. Use your adult voice, no baby talk  please! Explain and define new words and use them in context that your child can understand. Look for letters, words, and numbers in the world around you.  Together we can bridge home and school in order to provide ample opportunities for your child to succeed in his/her personal ownership of learning. 

UNITS OF STUDY- (Subject to change and alteration due to student interests)

-Beginning of the Year, Health, Trees, Autumn, Buildings, Winter, Family Celebrations,  Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle, Earth, Pets, Spring, End of Year. 

CONFLICT RESOLUTION and DISCIPLINE-

-We will begin the year slowly in order to establish clear expectations, rituals, and routines in our classroom. The children will help make a list of classroom rules  (respect and responsibility). If a child struggles with the expectations, that child will be asked to go to a quiet part of the room or playground (redirection) until they  feel they are ready to follow the expectations. We do not use a "time-out" method. Students are welcome to rejoin the group or situation when they feel they are  ready to respect classroom expectations. We promote “I” statements and talking between children so that conflicts can be resolved quickly, safely and respectfully  with words.

-We use apologies of action. Instead of asking children to ‘say sorry’ we will ask them to check on their friend. Students are responsible for asking their friend if they  are OK, and what they need to feel better.  Children are part of the process to make sure their friend is alright, promoting empathy and positive social interactions.

COMMUNICATION-

-Email-   michelle_newman@dpsk12.org

​tracy_lutz@dpsk12.org

-The classroom phone number is 720-424-4958.

-I will update here on our class website as needed to keep you informed on what is happening in the classroom ( usually this will be a weekly post). 

-Additional classroom updates will go home via email. I will send email reminders when we have important  information that is time sensitive.

 Please let me know if you do not have access to email or if you need an email added to our class group. 

Centers

Students independently move through centers throughout the day. See below

for descriptions and understanding of how we learn while we play.