Dear District 6 Families:

We at Greeley-Evans School District 6 are very excited to welcome back our students beginning August 12 for the 2021-2022 school year. I hope you had an excellent summer and that you all are ready to learn and have fun during this school year.

I know our students and families are eager to know what the new school year will look like as we continue to monitor and respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. The week of July 19, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment put out new guidance for K-12 schools, based on recommendations from the National Centers for Disease Control. We know, as we have throughout this pandemic, that these guidelines could change at any time based on the progression of COVID-19 cases in our schools, community and state.

We are deeply committed to keeping our students and staff healthy and safe, and learning in-person as much as possible this year. We continue to work with local health officials and other school districts as we respond to COVID-19. Based on the current state guidelines, District 6 plans to implement these protocols for the 2021-2022 school year:

• Students and staff who are fully vaccinated will not be required to wear a face covering at school unless that is their personal choice. We will respect any student and staff member who chooses to wear a face covering if they are fully vaccinated.

• For students and staff who are not fully vaccinated, wearing face coverings at schools is strongly recommended.

• Students and staff who are fully vaccinated will not be required to quarantine if exposed to COVID-19.

• Students and staff who tested positive for COVID-19 up to 90-days prior to being exposed to COVID-19 will not be required to quarantine.

• Students and staff who are unvaccinated or not fully vaccinated, but who properly and continually wear a face covering at school, will not be required to quarantine if exposed to COVID-19.

• District 6 will continue to do contact tracing and targeted quarantines as needed, with an emphasis on quarantining the least number of students possible in the case of a positive or probable exposure to COVID-19.

• Unvaccinated visitors and volunteers should wear face coverings when entering a school.

• Face coverings will not be required on District 6 school buses or other District 6 transportation for fully vaccinated students and staff. Face coverings are strongly recommended for those not fully vaccinated on District 6 school buses and other District 6 transportation. For now, students who ride the Greeley-Evans Transit buses to and from school will still be required to wear a face covering under city of Greeley rules.

• Parents, guardians and students must continue to check for COVID-19 symptoms on a daily basis at home before leaving for school. Temperatures will no longer be monitored for students upon entrance at schools; however, temperature taking kiosks will still be available at the entrance/office. IT IS ESSENTIAL THAT ANY STUDENT WITH ANY COVID-19 SYMPTOMS BE KEPT AT HOME AND NOT BE SENT TO SCHOOL! This is still the best way to stop the spread of COVID-19 and will help us keep our students safe and learning.

• District 6 will continue to offer COVID-19 testing for students and staff.

• Weekly testing will be available for families who want their unvaccinated child tested.

• Social distancing and frequent hand washing will continue to be reinforced.

• Air filtration systems will continue in our classrooms and meeting spaces.

• COVID-19 cleaning protocols will remain in place.

• Under federal guidelines, District 6 will continue to provide free meals to all students regardless of their family income. The classroom breakfast program will continue. Lunch will be served from the cafeteria in most schools, with an expanded menu from last year.

This pandemic is not over. We all must remain vigilant to keep our children and adults safe. If infection rates go up or we begin to see outbreaks in our schools, these protocols may change. In addition, if the state issues new guidelines or health orders, these protocols will change. Our staff will monitor the data by school to make these decisions going forward.

District 6 continues to offer online K-12 school this year for families who prefer this choice. For more information on the District 6 Online Academy, visit our website here.

COVID-19 vaccinations are still widely available and are approved for individuals 12 or older. There is no charge to receive a vaccine. If you are interested in getting vaccinated, a list of sites administering the vaccine is available here. Vaccines will be available at the School Kick-off Community Celebration on August 7 at Island Grove Regional Park from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Please note that District 6 is again implementing a rolling start to the school year. Here are the start dates for our students:

First Day of School:

Grades 9th - 12th: August 12

Grades 1st - 8th with Last Name A through L: August 12

Grades 1st - 8th with Last Name M through Z: August 13

Kindergarten with Last Name A through L: August 17

Kindergarten with Last Name M through Z: August 18

Preschool: August 19

I continue to appreciate your patience and adaptability as we work to keep our school open and our students learning in person. I know this has been a difficult time for some of our families and students. I am hopeful that we will soon be able to see the end of this pandemic, and our lives will look more and more like they did before we had ever heard of COVID-19. If you have questions or need assistance please call your student’s school or our District 6 Communications Office.

Thank you, again, for allowing us to educate your very precious children in District 6. We are honored to serve them, and we promise to make this an excellent school year for everyone!

Kind regards,

Dr. Deirdre Pilch, Superintendent

Greeley-Evans School District 6

Greeley-Evans School District 6 is hosting its eighth annual School Kickoff Community Celebration on Saturday, August 7 from 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. at Island Grove Regional Park, 501 North 14^th Avenue in Greeley.

Through sponsorships and donations, District 6 has raised enough money to give away 5,000 backpacks filled with school supplies.

Due to the ongoing pandemic, attendees who are NOT fully vaccinated against COVID-19 are strongly encouraged to wear a face covering to the event, including unvaccinated children. Those who are fully vaccinated can attend without a face covering. Social distancing is also encouraged.

Backpacks will be given out to District 6 students only, grades preschool through 12. Students must be present at the event to receive a backpack. Student names will be checked against registration lists. If students are not registered in District 6, registration must be completed at the event through the District 6 Registrar before a backpack will be given to the student.

Once a student’s registration is confirmed, they will be given a ticket to receive a backpack. All students who receive a ticket will be guaranteed a backpack. There are different backpacks and supplies for elementary, and middle and high school students.

The backpack giveaway will begin promptly at 10 a.m.

This year, students will also receive a free individual meal bag through District 6 Nutrition Services they can take with them. Because of COVID-19, no communal meal will be served this year.

More than 60 community booths will be featured at the event, providing information, services and entertainment for students and their families. The event also includes a petting zoo provided by FFA students from Greeley West High School, balloons, carnival games, emergency vehicles and a District 6 school bus to tour, as well as many other fun activities for families to enjoy.

The Weld County Department of Public Health will be providing free, onsite vaccinations to District 6 students. In addition, the COVID-19 vaccination bus will be providing free COVID-19 vaccines to anyone ages 12 and over who have not yet received a dose.

Sports physicals and sports registration will also be available. Families can also get information about schools and District 6 programs, register their student for school, and complete a free and reduced lunch application on site.

More than 150 volunteers help make this event possible, performing a variety of tasks from stuffing backpacks to serving lunch and handing out backpacks. District 6 is also partnering with The Success Foundation Serving Greeley-Evans Schools to host this event.

The title sponsor for the event is Banner Health/North Colorado Medical Center. Principle sponsors are PDC Energy, High Plains Library District, Adolfson & Peterson Construction and Roche Constructors. Premier sponsors are the North Range Behavioral Health, the University of Northern Colorado, Aims Community College, Sunrise Community Health, ABC Child Development Centers, Sampson Construction, The Weld Trust and the Greeley Redeye Rotary Club.

Major backpack sponsors are Leprino Foods, Credit Union of Colorado, Flood and Peterson, Comcast, the City of Greeley Parks and Recreation Department, DLR Group, Weld Community Foundation, Sea Level Operations, Weld Family Chiropractor Clinic, Weld Community Credit Union, Our Saviors Lutheran Church, Riley Law, LLC, Slaughter Roofing, and Michael and Jill Trotter. Other sponsors provided funding for school supplies, as well as in-kind services and supplies.

For more information on the School Kickoff Community Celebration, please visit www.greeleyschools.org/kickoff.

Greeley-Evans School District 6 is seeking volunteers to assist in various roles at the School Kickoff Community Celebration, to be held from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, August 7 at Island Grove Regional Park in Greeley.

The School Kickoff Community Celebration is annual event that uses sponsorships and donations to purchase backpacks and school supplies that are handed out for free to District 6 students who attend the event. This year, 5,000 backpacks will be distributed. There are also more than 70 community booths at the event, free immunizations and sports physicals, as well as entertainment including a petting zoo. Students must be present to receive a backpack.

More than 100 volunteers are needed the day of the event. District 6 is especially in need of reliable volunteers who can help set up and clean up after the event. Set up starts at 6:00 a.m. and cleanup begins at 12:30 p.m. and will end about 2 p.m. There is also an opportunity to volunteer on August 6, the day before the event, to assist with stuffing information into backpacks to be distributed.

Volunteers can sign up at https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0c44a9ae29a0fdcf8-school. Those with larger groups who want to volunteer, or anyone with specific questions can call Communications Office Manager Gizeh Martinez at (970) 348-6223, or email gmartinez22@greeleyschools.org.

Greeley-Evans School District 6 has received approval from the Citizens’ Bond Oversight Committee to complete additional building projects with proceeds from the bond sales in 2020.

Three additional projects will be added to the list of construction currently underway or planned in District 6 after voters approved a $395 million bond issue in November of 2019. The construction projects added to the bond projects include:

• The construction and renovation of the former Colorado Department of Transportation Building at the intersection of 14^th Avenue and 2^nd Street. Jefferson High School will move to this new building once it is completed.
• Additional classrooms at Meeker Elementary School to remove portable classrooms.
• Additional classrooms at Billie Martinez Elementary School to remove portable classrooms.

These projects are being paid for with a portion of the $64 million in bond premium that was realized after District 6 sold $250 million in bonds after the election. A bond premium occurs when the investor is willing to pay more than the maturity value of the bond in exchange for securing a long-term fixed interest rate. That means District 6 can complete additional building projects at no additional cost to taxpayers.

Prior to the bond initiative, District 6 purchased the CDOT property in August of 2019 for future expansion. It is located adjacent to property the district already owns at the Billie Martinez Elementary School site. The District is currently interviewing architects to design the new Jefferson High School, including an expanded Construction Trades Career Pathway Program on the site. The project is estimated to cost $30 million, including soft costs such as furniture and equipment.

The current Jefferson High School will undergo minor renovations that were planned in the 2019 bond issue and the school will eventually be the new home of the Fred Tjardes School of Innovation, which is currently located in downtown Greeley at the intersection of 8^th Avenue and 5^th Street. That school is now located in a rented building, and the lease expires in June of 2022.

The additional classrooms at Martinez and Meeker elementary schools were approved upon the recommendation of a demographer who conducted a boundary study for District 6. The Citizens’ Bond Oversight Committee agreed the additions will help further reduce the number of portable classrooms in District 6, an important goal of the 2019 bond issue. Right now, the district is on track to eliminate nearly 50 percent of the portable classrooms in the district by the time the bond projects are completed. The combined Martinez and Meeker projects are estimated to cost about $18 million.

The Citizens’ Bond Oversight Committee is composed of 16 Greeley and Evans community members and meets every quarter to review bond projects and consider additional projects to be paid for by bond premium. The committee also holds special meetings as needed, and recently toured some of the current bond projects under construction.

Other bond projects currently underway or planned include the construction of a new Greeley West High School, construction of a new Madison Elementary School and conversion to a Preschool-8 school, construction of the new Tointon Academy of Pre-Engineering, large renovations to McAuliffe STEM Academy and Chappelow Arts Magnet, construction of safe entry ways at all district schools, career and college preparation learning spaces at all schools, asbestos removal at select schools, and other repairs and renovations at identified schools. Additional renovations are also being completed at District 6 charter schools.

For more information about the 2019 bond projects, visit www.greeleyschools.org/bond.

Families with children who will be attending non-charter schools in Greeley-Evans School District 6 can now complete the online 2021-2022 Fall Registration Checklist at www.greeleyschools.org/FallRegistration.

Parents and guardians are urged to complete this online registration checklist before the beginning of the 2021-2022 school year. The checklist includes an annual data update for each student, application for meal benefits, a review of the new parent-student handbook, athletics and activities registration and a link to registration events at individual schools.

The website also includes information about start dates for students at various grade levels.

Families who have not yet registered their students for the 2021-2022 school year can complete the registration online at www.greeleyschools.org/Admissions. Registration questions can be directed to the District 6 Admissions Office at admissions@greeleyschools.org or by calling (970) 348-6062 between the hours of 9 a.m. and 3:30 p.m.