Good afternoon Pueblo Academy of Arts families,

This is Mr. Farias with the last weekly update of the 2019-2020 school year. As we prepare to transition to our summer break and conclude the school year, I want to thank each and every one of you for making this a great year at Pueblo Academy of Arts. While our journey ended in the most untraditional way this school year, amidst the world responding to the COVID-19 pandemic, I want to tell you how proud I am of our students and staff and the way they have persevered and stayed strong during these most unique times. Our 8th grade students are ending their middle school journey and your entire Phoenix family wishes you the best experience in your upcoming high school years. As a token of appreciation and in the spirit of a culminating experience, we will be releasing our 8th grade celebration video later this week. It will be featured on the school website, our YouTube Channel, and our social media pages. In true PAA fashion, we launch our 8th grade students onward to high school. I want to remind our 8th grade students one last time that Once a Phoenix, Always a Phoenix!

Grades will be posted no later than this Friday, June 5th by 5:00 PM. Final grades will be posted for families to view on Infinite Campus Parent or Student Portal.

We have also placed a link to RevTrak, our online payment system, on the PAA website. We encourage all families to login and pay their student activity fees for the school year so that they do not continue to accumulate.

All of us here at Pueblo Academy of Arts wish all of our Phoenix families a healthy, happy and safe summer break ahead!

Have a great evening and a great summer break.

Good Afternoon Pueblo Academy of Arts Families,

This is Mr. Farias with the weekly update. We have several important messages regarding upcoming end of year activities included in this week’s update.

• The end of the school year is approaching quickly. Thursday was our last day of new academic assignments being posted in Google Classrooms. Next week, students will engage in end of year activities and any make-up work from 4th quarter can be submitted for credit. 

• Students will begin checking out for the school year on Tuesday, May 26th.  Staff have been calling families all week to schedule a time for your student to come into the building and retrieve their personal items and turn in any school issued or borrowed materials. If we have not yet been able to successfully connect with you to schedule an appointment, please call us at 549-7437 or email paa@pueblocityschools.us no later than Tuesday, May 26th. Please see safety guidelines posted on the PAA website that outline expectations that must be followed during student check out. For example, only students will be allowed to enter the building and everyone must wear a mask to enter the building. (Student Check Out Guidelines and Info.)

• One last call for current 6th and 7th grade students to enter their Encore course requests for next year. The request deadline will be extended until 5 PM on Monday, May 25th. Students should check into their Leadership classes for directions on how to make their requests today. 

• We received our yearbooks, just in time for student check out! Those students that have already purchased or reserved a copy will receive them during your scheduled check out. 

• Yearbooks are still available for purchase during Student Check Out. Quantities are limited and all fees will be applied directly to your student’s school fees. Current price is $25.

• All student fees to date have been updated in Infinite Campus. Families can make payment via credit card using our RevTrak link on the school website. 

I wish you and your family a healthy, happy, and safe week ahead. 

Have a great evening.

Good Afternoon Pueblo Academy of Arts Families,

This is Mr. Farias with the weekly update. 

I want to begin by wishing all mothers a beautiful and happy Mother’s Day today! A mother is she who can take the place of all others, but whose place no one else can take. Enjoy this special day to celebrate the mothers in your life. 

We are still reserving copies of this year’s PAA yearbook on the online reservation form currently located on the PAA website. Our yearbook distributor has reached out to us and has apologized for any disruptions caused by COVID-19 to their production schedule. Delays are possible due to several factors and we have been notified that while some schools may receive their yearbooks as scheduled, others may not receive theirs until late May and into June. We are not exactly sure when the PAA yearbooks will arrive, or how the distribution process will look, but I assure you we will be communicating this to our families as soon as we have additional information to share with you. Thank you for your patience. 

There are also plans being developed to coordinate a time in the coming weeks for students to get their belongings from the school, including medication, and turn in any items that have been checked out, loaned, or taken from the school.  Please listen for updates to come in the next few weeks regarding this process

I wish you and your family a healthy, happy, and safe week ahead. 

Have a great evening.

Good Afternoon Pueblo Academy of Arts Families,

This is Mr. Farias with the weekly update. 

We hope that you and your family have been able to enjoy some time in the warm Colorado sunshine recently during this beautiful weather we’ve been experiencing.

This Monday marks the beginning of Teacher Appreciation Week. We are so grateful to all our wonderful teachers at PAA who have been adaptable and stepped up during COVID-19.  We encourage all of our students and families to reach out to your teachers this week to thank them and let them know how much they make a positive difference to you, our community and the world. All of our teachers’ email addresses are found on the PAA website.

We also want to give a shout out to our school nurse, Mrs. Hansen, in celebration of School Nurse Day on May 6th. Thank you for helping us learn how to stay healthy, especially during these weeks of school closure. Catch Nurse Hansen’s recent videos that are posted on the PAA Twitter page. 

Be sure to reserve your copy of this year’s PAA yearbook on the online reservation form currently located on the PAA website. 

Lunch and breakfast pickups will continue at the eight locations on Tuesdays and Fridays, this week, in order to minimize exposure for both nutrition services workers and for families.

Newly adopted grading processes for fourth quarter have been published to the Pueblo School District 60 website. Our goal with this alternative grading process is that students will benefit from their efforts during distance learning, without harming them if they struggled or were unable to complete all assignments. 

I wish you and your family a healthy, happy, and safe week ahead. 

Have a great evening.

Good Afternoon Pueblo Academy of Arts Families,

This is Mr. Farias with the weekly update. 

A Yearbook reservation form is now located on the PAA website. They are currently being sold for $25 and are being sold on a first come, first serve basis. With limited quantities, you are definitely going to want to reserve your copy today. Payment will be collected at the time of distribution.

Families, we have seen a decline in the number of students participating in Distance Learning. Please take a moment to review your student’s grades in Infinite Campus and their work submissions in Google Classroom. Have your student walk you through the program, or follow the guidance provided on the PAA website instructing parents how to navigate Google Classroom. We appreciate your partnership in your student’s education. Progress grades will be posted soon. 

I wish you and your family a healthy, happy, and safe week ahead. 

Have a great evening.

Good Afternoon Pueblo Academy of Arts Families,

This is Mr. Farias with the weekly update. 

A Yearbook reservation form is now located on the PAA website. There are limited quantities. There are less than 100 yearbooks left for purchase. They are currently $25 and are being sold on a first come, first serve basis. Payment will be collected at the time of distribution.

We’ve heard from some families indicating that they are not sure where or how to check on their student’s work during distance learning. In response, we have posted a video on the PAA web site that will help parents navigate Google Classrooms. This short tutorial provides parents’ with essential directions for navigating the web based program. 

We encourage parents to sit with their students frequently to review their submitted assignments in the Assignments Tab. Teachers then transfer these grades into Infinite Campus. Grades for 4th quarter are being reported in Infinite Campus, not Google Classroom. Teachers are seeing that some students are just clicking "turn in" on assignments, but the assignments are empty. This can misinform parents with the illusion that the work has been completed when it, in fact, has not. I've asked our teachers to return these assignments back to the student. In some cases, messages from the teacher may accompany the returned assignment. 

Families and students are encouraged to reach out to their teachers if they have any questions or concerns around an assignment or grade.

Gear Up and Trio Upward Bound tutoring, unfortunately, will  be suspended for the remainder of the school year.

Closer to the end of the year, we are hoping to coordinate a time for families to collect their personal items from the school. As soon as we are able to do so, I will provide information to you through the weekly update and the PAA website. 

I wish you and your family a healthy, happy, and safe week ahead. 

Have a great evening.

Good Afternoon Pueblo Academy of Arts Families,

This is Mr. Farias with the weekly update. Last week, the District 60 Board of Education made the decision to close all school facilities for in-person instruction for the remainder of the 2019-2020 school year.  Although brick and mortar buildings will be closed, learning is not closed. The District, and PAA, will continue to implement the Distance Learning Plan for the remainder of the school year. All school-related activities and travel have been cancelled for the remainder of the school year.

Students in general education ELA and Math courses, including Mrs. Cid and Mrs. Austin’s classes, are asked to complete a daily attendance form. This daily check-in by students helps us to monitor the number of students who are logging into Google Classroom each day. While this is not a formal attendance record, and does not indicate that a student has successfully submitted their learning activities for the day, it does provide us with useful information to help us better understand the scope and implementation of our current instructional services to your students. 

Parents and students are encouraged to email a teacher or a staff member if any support is needed to successfully access the learning activities in Google Classrooms. We are here to help you and your students participate in these opportunities as best we can. Feedback is always being sought to make this a more successful endeavor for all. Our staff email addresses are located on the Pueblo Academy of Arts school web page. 

District 60 Nutrition Services will continue distributing meals to students at Pueblo Academy of Arts. However, the meal distribution schedule has changed. Meals will now  be distributed on Tuesday and Friday from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Meal packages will include enough meals for each day of the school week. To pick up a meal, parents are asked to drive to the kitchen door area. 

I wish you and your family a healthy, happy, and safe week ahead. 

Have a great evening.

Good Afternoon Pueblo Academy of Arts Families,

This is Mr. Farias with the weekly update. As we embark in our second week of distance learning, I want to thank all of our families for the support and warm receptions our staff have received as we continue to plan learning opportunities for our students’, communicate with families, problem-solve and adjust to best meet the needs of our students. I also want to take a minute to give the Phoenix staff a shout out for their dedication and professional grit in this new venture on behalf of our students. It is truly amazing to see a school’s staff, students, and families RISE in a time of crisis. As you may already be aware, Pueblo School District 60 will commence with Distance Learning through at least April 30th in compliance with Governor Polis’ recent orders. 

Students in general education ELA and Math courses should continue to complete the daily attendance form. This helps us to see how many students are accessing their Google Classrooms on a daily basis. Students in Ms. Cid’s and Mrs. Austin’s classes do not currently have access to this form, but this will not negatively impact these students in any way. 

Parents, please be advised that we have noticed some students submitting incomplete work assignments in Google Classrooms. You might want to check in with your students and set some expectations with them on work completion. When students submit incomplete work, it may appear that it has been successfully completed when viewing your students Google Classroom. If this happens, our staff will do their best to communicate this to you and your student using the email addresses  you’ve provided in Infinite Campus. 

Parents, please take a moment to update your Infinite Campus contact information to ensure we have the best contact information for you available. Student grades will continue to be reflected in Infinite Campus. If you need any help with Infinite Campus Parent Portal, you can call for support at 549-7111.  

Also, be sure to follow us on our Social Media pages, including Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, to get the latest news and information. 

District 60 Nutrition Services will continue distributing meals to students at Pueblo Academy of Arts. Meals will be distributed Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Each meal will contain one lunch and one breakfast. To pick up a meal, parents are asked to drive to the kitchen door area. Other school sites for meal distribution can be found on the D60 website. 

I wish you and your family a healthy, happy, and safe week ahead. 

Have a great evening.

Good Afternoon Pueblo Academy of Arts Families,

This is Mr. Farias with the weekly update. I’m sure that you’re aware by now that Pueblo School District No. 60 and Pueblo Academy of Arts will be closed next week. Up-to-date information can be found on the school district website regarding school closures and the school district’s responses to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

On Monday, March 16th, students, families, and staff will be allowed to come into the school building between 8:00 -12:00 PM to pick up personal items, medications, instruments, music, and school supplies that might be needed during the school closure and over Spring Break. Families picking up medication will need to sign it out of the building. If it remains at school, it will be stored in a secured and locked location as usual. As of noon on Monday, all school district facilities will be officially closed.

3rd quarter grades will still be posted by Friday, March 20th at 2:30 PM. Information can be submitted to teachers during this closure through their district email accounts which can be found on the PAA website. Teachers will be using this week to begin planning for instruction should schools remain closed past Spring Break. In this case, a distance learning plan will be enacted which will provide students with daily learning opportunities and assignments posted to Google Classroom, which students have been using throughout the year already. Information will be provided if this becomes the case.

Also, please check the PAA website for information provided by Comcast about giving low-income families access to free internet services for the next 60 days. 

Be sure to take the time that we are being provided to engage in proactive practices to maintain you and your families health. Focus on getting well if you are already sick. And spend lots of time making happy memories with your family. As always, I appreciate your time and attention. Have a great evening.

Good Afternoon Pueblo Academy of Arts Families,

This is Mr. Farias with the weekly update. 

This week we will begin clearing for Spring sports. All students interested in participating in Track and Field need to have a valid Physical Exam on file with the school and must have all district athletics paperwork cleared through the front office before they are allowed to participate. We will be accepting paperwork in the main office until after school on March 18th. 

We will also be having a Band Concert provided by students in our instrumental music program on Tuesday evening. Our Orchestra program will be performing on Thursday evening. Both performances begin at 7:00 PM in the PAA auditorium. 

On Tuesday, students involved in the My Life program will be going on a field trip to explore Community Opportunities. 

On Thursday, 8th grade students will receive information and begin scheduling for their high school classes next year. Students will work with counselors from their selected high schools to receive school specific guidance to their high school course selections for Central, South, Centennial, and East High School.

Parents, we are interested in finding a parent volunteer who would be interested in serving on the Secondary Literacy Task Force. The focus of this task force is to provide a recommendation to the Superintendent on Literacy Curriculum that will be adopted by the school district for next school year. This task force entails attending two Friday Task Force meetings from 8-4 PM that are planned to occur on April 3rd and April 17th. Lunch will be provided both days. If you are interested in participating, please contact our main office and leave your name and contact number. 

We are also offering our Math tutoring sessions after school this week. Please see our school website for a detailed schedule of when each grade level math tutoring session is planned to occur. We encourage all students needing any help in math to attend one or all of these sessions, especially as we inch closer to the end of the 3rd quarter grading term. 

As always, I appreciate your time and attention. Have a great evening.