About our School

Welcome Letter

"If we are to have new forms of learning,
we must have a different theory of learning."

Seymour Papert

Dear Coal Creek Families,

On behalf of the faculty and staff, it is my pleasure to welcome you to Coal Creek Elementary School. As part of the Boulder Valley School District, we are proud to share our school with you, and are confident that your child(ren) will thrive in our learning community. This Family Handbook has been created in order to share valuable information on a variety of topics. Whether you are new to Coal Creek or a “veteran” family, please take a few moments to review the contents as some material may have been revised for the upcoming academic year.

As you will read later in the Handbook, a primary focus of the staff’s mission at our school is to help youngsters learn how to learn so that they are able to deal with ambiguity in our ever-changing world. We want to ensure that children not only have a strong foundation in their reading, writing, math, and science skills, but also apply this knowledge in order to solve challenging problems, communicate effectively, and work successfully on teams.

Over the years, the Coal Creek K-5 staff have identified and studied current literature on a variety of topics including action research, integrated content, balanced literacy, reading intervention programs, assessment, and differentiated learning, in addition to a host of other focus areas. We have worked to implement common language and common teaching strategies in the best interests of children.

At Coal Creek, you will see evidence of our collaborative efforts to make the Mission Statement a reality in the lives of our students. Consistency and continuity are essentials of our decision making process. Both students and parents are actively involved. Instructional methods are varied based on the learner and intended outcome. The research process and information standards are integral to all that we study. We use technology as a tool for learning in all content areas.

Our work has paid off in the lives of our students and in the outstanding reputation of Coal Creek School. According to a recent Snapshot Survey, 98 percent of parents say their child has a positive attitude about his/her school, while the same number indicated that their student(s) felt safe at school and that all students are taught with respect. Our Achievement Data has demonstrated a continued “incline” over the years, with students in grades three, four, and five scoring well above district and state proficiency rates in reading, writing, and math, as measured by state assessments.

Coal Creek has many students who enter middle school at advanced levels in math; several children also are represented in the honor society, on the honor roll, and participate in Gifted and Talented contests and events. They take foreign languages and are musicians, athletes, and accomplished artists. We have found that our students make the transition to middle school with ease and excitement.

Together, students, staff, and parents have developed a school with a strong sense of community based on a culture of care. We see ourselves as a family and work together to expand our understandings of diversity, differences, and commonalitites. Children help one another at Coal Creek to make sure that our school is a peaceful place for learning and growing. We look for ways to give back to the greater community through service projects and activities during the year, such as when our Golden Oldies group visits with the elderly in retirement homes through singing and dance.

We hope that you will find our school a most inviting place for your child(ren). We value new ideas and appreciate your taking the time to learn about our school and our traditions. Please feel free to contact me personally if I may be of assistance in answering your questions.

Warm Regards,

John Kiemele, M.Ed.
Principal

Coal Creek Staff

The staff at Coal Creek includes 21.5 classroom teachers, 3 part-time literacy teachers, 3 Special Education resource teachers, a G/T educational advisor, a librarian, specialists for art, music and physical education, paraprofessionals, a kindergarten enrichment teacher, principal, secretaries and custodians. We share instrumental music teachers, social worker and psychologist, occupational therapist, and communications specialist with other schools. 68% of our teachers have advanced degrees. All of our teachers collaborate in grade level teams to implement BVSD curriculum.

Our curriculum is designed to enhance the total learning process, emphasizing basic skills, while recognizing and valuing individual needs and differences. Parent involvement is an integral part of the dynamic process of educating our children at Coal Creek. Volunteers dedicate hundreds of hours and an enormous amount of energy to our children and our programs.

Frequently Requested Information

Address:		Attendance Line: 303-447-5492
Coal Creek Elementary School		(Call this number by 8:00 a.m. when your child is absent)
801 West Tamarisk Court
Louisville, Colorado 80027 USA		Transportation (Lafayette Bus Terminal):
		303-447-5126
Phone Number: 303-666-4843
		Inclement Weather - Is school in session? 303-447-0793
FAX Number: 303-661-9892
		School Aged Childcare (SAC): 303-666-0793
Web Site Address:
http://schools.bvsd.org/coalcreek/index.html		BVSD Address:
John Kiemele, Principal: John.Kiemele@bvsd.org		Boulder Valley School District
		Administration Center
Office Hours: 7:15 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.		6500 East Arapahoe Road
		P.O. Box 9011
School Day:		Boulder, Colorado 80301
Grades 1 through 5 - 8:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.		303-447-1010
Morning Kindergarten - 8:00 a.m. to 10:45 a.m.
Afternoon Kindergarten - 11:45 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Morning Kindergarten Care - 8 :00 a.m. to 11:45 a.m.
Afternoon Kindergarten Care - 10:40 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Mission of the Boulder Valley School District

The Boulder Valley School District challenges students
to achieve their academic, creative and physical potential
in order to become responsible, contributing citizens.

Coal Creek Mission Statement

Confident, competent students entering the 21st century need. . .

to learn how to learn
strong reading, writing, math and science skills
to be able to deal with ambiguity as the world changes
research skills and the ability to find in-depth information
to apply appropriate information to solve current problems
experiences working on teams and with people
effective communication skills
experiences in defining roles and responsibilities
to be held accountable for decisions they make
opportunities to practice flexibility
to be open to new learning a broad range of skills
opportunities to market themselves and their abilities

Academic Emphasis

Balanced Literacy Program
Emphasis on differentiation in math, science and the arts
Challenges for gifted/talented and high ability students; In-depth Learning Center
Technology and Research
Implementation of new curriculum adoptions, i.e., Science and Social Studies

Coal Creek Beliefs about Learning

We believe in building trust and rapport with our students as the foundation of learning
We believe all children can learn and want to learn.
We believe each child brings a unique perspective.
We believe children respond positively to success.
We believe strong academic accomplishments build confidence and esteem.
We believe children need a sense of belonging and identity.
We believe children learn by doing.
We believe children learn from each other, from teachers, from mentors and from role models.
We believe children gain confidence as learners by knowing how and where to gather information.
We believe students need the arts and physical education to strengthen learning, esteem, creative and cooperative work skills.
We believe modeling the process of thinking, making decisions, and solving problems creates effective learning.
We believe technology enhances learning.

In the words of students, Coal Creek inspires students to. . .

learn	succeed	participate	think freely
think	achieve	be joyful	be educated
treat others with respect	be strong	cooperate	be happy
include everyone	help people	be respectful	read & write
have fun	be creative	be intelligent	be thoughtful
care and share	be challenged	be curious; imagine	be dramatic
never give up	go for it!	be generous	learn, achieve and explore

... be all that we can be!

The school colors are blue and silver. The school mascot is a puma cub.