Your Poudre School District newsletter

Thursday, Feb. 22, 2024

Photo: Image of a man in a police uniform and black baseball cap greeting students outside of a middle school. Video descriptive text: Video opens with a school resource officer greeting students outside of Webber Middle School on a rainy day. As he begins to talk, the video shows him walking the halls of the school, then an interview with him seated in the library. Text on screen: Mike Natalzia, Webber Middle School School Resource Officer. The rest of the video intersperses scenes of the SRO visiting classrooms, talking to students, greeting students outside again, walking the halls, and his seated interview.

PSD School Resource Officer Mike Natalzia chats with Webber Middle School students.

Connection is key for School Resource Officer Mike Natalzia

School Resource Officer Mike Natalzia is seen as a friend and trusted adult by many students at Webber Middle School. The relationships he has built with students over the last seven years make him both an integral and celebrated part of the school community. Walk the halls of Webber with Officer Natalzia in a new video from PSD by following this link to YouTube.>>

Two teen girls laugh as they visit with a person at a booth in the Commons area at Rocky Mountain High School. A younger girl stands next to them looking at items on the booth table.

Last year's Mental Health Matters event brought dozens of parents, students, and staff together at Rocky Mountain High School.

Get connected with mental health information April 16

Mental Health Matters is back for a ninth year, this time at Fossil Ridge High School. The April 16 event is from 5:15 to 8:30 p.m. and will feature a mental health resource fair; a keynote address from Michael Kutcher, who will discuss embracing a mindset of strength and possibility; and breakout sessions on various mental health topics. Follow this link to the Mental Health Matters website to learn more.>>

Bringing PSD's Strategic Plan to life in schools

Literacy. Mental Health and Belonging. Graduation with Options. These are the district's three priorities and the foundation of the PSD Strategic Plan. They are, however, more than words. Work in each of these areas is coming to life in schools and having a direct impact on student experiences.

A teacher seated at a semi-circle desk across from a student points at a piece of paper. The student is also pointing at the piece of paper.

A teacher helps a student at Livermore Elementary build a strong foundation in literacy.

Mental health specialists, teachers, principals, and other staff came together at Tuesday's Board of Education meeting to give an update about this important, focused work, talking through the successes and challenges of ongoing work. A video recording of the update is available on PSD's YouTube channel at this following link. Additional information will be available on the PSD Strategic Plan website soon at this link.>>

Fifteen adults and three children pose for a photo standing in the Board of Education meeting room. A woman in the center stands next to a toddler and holds a certificate in her hands.

Board members honored Eyestone Elementary bus driver Tracy Hernandez (center, holding certificate) at their Feb. 6 meeting.

Board recognizes PSD bus driver, passes resolutions

A hero bus driver's quick thinking and composure one December morning helped support a young student having a significant medical issue on her bus while keeping other passengers calm. The Board of Education honored the driver, Tracy Hernandez, for her actions at their Feb. 6 meeting. "I love children," Tracy told the board. "I wasn't there the day they were born, but when they're on my bus, they're mine, and the mother in me instinct kicked in that morning."

Watch video of the recognition at this link, and watch video of February's board resolutions below:

Keep up with Long Range Planning work

The Facilities Planning Steering Committee is hard at work examining data and scenarios to address declining enrollment. Updates from committee meetings are posted on the PSD website at this link, including updates from Feb. 5 (link here) and Feb. 14 (link here).

Follow this link to a related board presentation from the state demographer.>>

Join the long-range planning conversation by attending an upcoming listening session. There are five in-person sessions March 18-20, plus an online listening session March 27. There is also a listening session on April 4 for those who speak Spanish or Arabic. Find the full listening session schedule on the PSD website.>>