FAQs

Here are some of the things you need to know as we start the year.

• Our Soft Start is from 7:35-7:45. You are welcome to drop off your child anytime during those 10 minutes. Kindergarten students enter through our classroom doors and do our daily "getting ready" routines like making lunch choices, hanging up back packs, table activities, etc. After the 7:45 tardy bell, students enter through the main door of the school.

• When arriving at school, the curb with the yellow paint right by our classroom is for daycare and emergency vehicles only. The Hug and Go Zone is past the crosswalk, by the playground. Please use extreme caution when arriving and departing from school. We have a lot of little people who can be unpredictable and we want everyone to be safe!

• Students go outside three times a day everyday, please bring a warm jacket that is appropriate for each season. Students will put on and take off all "outside clothes" (jackets, boots, hoodies) independently. Please ensure that your child can zip or button their jackets.

• Please have your child bring a water bottle to school, marked with their name. 

• Lunch will be eaten in our Kid's Café. Your child is welcome to bring a lunch from home or order a free lunch from school. You can find out more by looking under the Family Resources tab on the Mount Carbon website. Jeffco's School Cafe' web site

• We will wash hands often throughout the day. If your child's hands get dry, please feel free to put a small hand lotion in his or her backpack. Please label this with your child's name in case it gets misplaced.

• Kids are welcome to bring a healthy snack. Please send a snack that easy for a child to manage on their own and save pudding, yogurt, or fruit cups for home. When the weather is nice, we will  have our snack outside.

• Most communication will be done via email. Please regularly check your email. 

• Volunteers are welcome into our classrooms once we get our routines and expectations established. We will send out more information when we are ready.

• Online Registration begins at the end of July. Watch for an email in late July with instructions on completing your "Annual Update" in Infinite Campus and paying school fees for the year. 

• To help our youngest learners acclimate, we use an adjusted schedule for the first two days. Watch for an email in late July with information regarding our first few days of Kindergarten.

What do I do if my child needs support at school?

1. Mt. Carbon offers both academic and social emotional intervention to support students that need more targeted instruction. Mt. Carbon uses a Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS), which is a whole school, prevention-based framework for improving learning outcomes for every student through a layered continuum of evidence-based practices and systems.  The MTSS committee is comprised of teachers, administration, and learning specialists. The purpose of this committee is to identify additional classroom supports that help your child close deficits and/or increase growth in the areas of academics and social emotional development. MTSS uses data-based discussions to create layers of support from universal (every student) to targeted (some students) to intensive (few students). Interventions and strategies are based on evidence-based practices that can be applied in the classroom.The goal is to improve the outcome for all students.  Mt. Carbon has the support of related service provides including learning specialist, mental health, speech language pathologist, and occupational therapist. Mt. Carbon utilities plans such as a READ plan, IEP, or 504 plan to support intensive student needs.      

How can I have a voice in my child’s school day?

1. At Mt. Carbon, we have various ways we team with parents. Parent Advisory Committee (PAC), Parent Teacher Association (PTA), parent surveys, parent teacher conferences, volunteering, and school snapshot days.  

Will I learn about my child’s social development?

1. Yes!  We focus on both our students’ academic and social emotional development.  On our report card, we look for self-directed learners, respecting the rights of others, following school rules, and resolving conflict appropriately.  We use a problem-solving curriculum called Second Step. We also focus on teaching our students to be safe, respectful, and responsible in all locations of our school.  As educators, we work to teach students to have a growth mindset, optimism, persistence, flexibility, resilience, and empathy. 

What are Restorative Practices?

1. Restorative practice is a philosophy that focuses on building positive relationships, providing opportunities for students to take responsibility for their behavior, and creating community spaces where all voices are valued and heard.  Teachers use classroom circles to check-in with students and build a positive classroom culture. Mr. Hayes uses restorative circles when addressing discipline so that all student voices can be heard and so that discipline can focus on re-teaching positive choices, accepting responsibility, and repairing the harm.  When problem solving, students may do a formal conference. This conversation is mediated by an adult, with the goal of reaching an agreed upon solution to the current conflict.

Can I bring treats for my child's birthday?

1. We know that birthdays are a big deal! We will celebrate your child's special day at school. Jeffco's wellness policy does not allow for treats for birthdays. 

2. We try to keep all classroom activities or "gifts" equitable so that all Kindergarten students receive the same thing. We ask that if you want to give something to classmates that you use our parties (Halloween, Winter Break, Valentines, End of Year) to share with all the students in both the Kindergarten classrooms.

How can I volunteer? 

1. In Kindergarten we love volunteers! We ask that you wait to help out in our classes until we have our classroom community established. We will send home more information once we ready for extra help.

2. Our PTA is AMAZING, kind and a lot of fun. Please join the PTA and volunteer your time. They provide many student activities that cannot be completed without volunteers.  

3. Each classroom will need one parent volunteer to prepare and stuff Friday Folders every friday morning. Typically this begins the 2nd or 3rd week of school. We will send out an email when we are ready. 

4. Each grade level has a party planning committee, they help plan the 3 parties, Halloween, Winter Break, End of Year Celebration and help with treat distribution during the Valentine service day projects on Valentine's day. PTA sends out a sign up sheet in Friday folders shortly after the school year begins if you would like to join.