High Plains Elementary School

09/04/2026

🌎 Meet Our ESL Team! 🗣️📚

We are thrilled to introduce Mrs. Ania Tyrka and Mrs. Eunice Arias, our incredible ESL team!

One of the things that makes this team especially unique is that both Mrs. Tyrka and Mrs. Arias are second-language learners themselves—Mrs. Tyrka, whose first language is Polish, and Mrs. Eunice who lived in Mexico until she was 13. Their own experiences navigating a new language give them a special perspective and deep understanding of the journey our English Language Learners experience each day.

As a magnet school for English as a Second Language (ESL), we are proud to welcome and celebrate a diverse student body.

Mrs. Tyrka and Mrs. Arias work alongside classroom teachers to ensure our language learners feel welcomed, supported, included, and empowered to reach their full potential.

We are so grateful for the knowledge, advocacy, and heart they bring to our school community! 🌟

09/03/2026

📣 REMINDER: 2-HOUR LATE START TOMORROW!
Tomorrow, Friday, September 4, is our first Professional Learning Community (PLC) Two-Hour Late Start of the school year! 🏫✨
⏰ Doors open at 10:00 a.m.
🥣 No breakfast will be served.
Thank you for helping us make time for our staff to collaborate, learn, and plan for student success! 💙

09/03/2026

If you need to know anything and everything happening at High Plains, there are two people who probably already know the answer! 😉 Meet our amazing secretaries, Ms. Tracy Leach and Ms. Teresa Valdez! 🌟

From solving problems and answering questions to keeping the front office running smoothly, these ladies are truly the go-to team for all things High Plains. Not sure where to go? They’ll point you in the right direction. Have a question? They’ll find the answer. Need a problem solved? Consider it handled! ✅

They are often the first friendly faces our families see and the steady support behind so much of what makes our school day run smoothly. Their organization, knowledge, kindness, and willingness to help make a huge difference in our school community.

Basically, if High Plains had a “How Do I…?” department, Tracy and Teresa would be running it! 😄

We are so lucky to have these two keeping us in the know and on the go!

09/02/2026

📚✨ Meet Our 2nd Grade Team! ✨📚

Second grade is a year full of big growth, big learning, and big discoveries! We are excited to introduce the amazing educators who are helping our students take their next steps: Ms. Katy Sullivan and Mrs. Michelle Snow! 💙

These two teachers create classrooms where students are encouraged to be curious, confident, and excited to learn. From strengthening academic skills to building independence and problem-solving, they are helping our second graders grow into capable learners who are ready for whatever comes next.

We are so grateful for the energy, creativity, and care Ms. Sullivan and Mrs. Snow bring to High Plains each day! 🌟

Second grade is snow joke—it’s going to be a SULLIVAN-tastic year! 😉❄️📚

09/01/2026

Our SSN team has a heart for every student at High Plains Elementary! 🫶 We are thrilled to introduce Mrs. Jen Nelson and her extraordinary team of paraprofessionals: Ms. Deb Doldouras, Ms. Katherine Conlon, Ms. Alex Munoz, Ms. Cassie Hart, Ms. Kat Alford, and Ms. Hayley Jennings! 🌟
This incredible team works every day to support the unique needs of our students, partnering with teachers and staff to create a school where every student belongs, every learner is valued, and every heart has a place. ❤️
Their patience, compassion, creativity, and dedication help make High Plains a truly inclusive community where students can learn, grow, and shine in their own way.
We love the heart they bring to their work, and we’re pretty sure their biggest superpower is having hearts big enough for every student! 🫶

08/31/2026

Congratulations, Amanda Rhone!

Amanda Rhone, Library Paraprofessional, has completed all requirements for the Highly Effective Schools Through Libraries (HESTL) pathway and has earned her HESTL Accreditation for Library Paraprofessionals in recognition of her work and dedication to the High Plains Elementary School library.

We are truly grateful for all that Amanda does to support our students, staff, and school community. Her dedication, creativity, and commitment to making the library a welcoming and engaging place for all students have made a meaningful impact at High Plains Elementary.

Congratulations, Amanda, on this well-deserved accomplishment! We cannot wait to see what you can do next!

Congratulations to three amazing library professionals who completed their Highly Effective Schools Through Libraries (HESTL) pathways!

📖 Erica Leu from Cresthill Middle School in Douglas County School District
📖 Jolene Whitaker from Eastridge Community Elementary in Cherry Creek Schools

Additionally, congratulations to Amanda Rhon from High Plains Elementary School in Academy District 20 for completing all the requirements of the Library Paraprofessional pathway!

You can learn more about this special qualification from the Colorado State Library: https://ed.cde.state.co.us/cdelib/highlyeffective

08/31/2026

🎲 Meet Our 3rd Grade Team! 🎉
We’re excited to introduce our game-changing 3rd grade team - Mr. Scott Mears and Ms. Daphne Aganon!
Third grade is an exciting transition as students move from the primary years into the intermediate grades. They’re building independence, taking on greater responsibility, and strengthening essential skills in reading, writing, mathematics, critical thinking, and problem-solving.
With Mr. Mears and Ms. Daphne on the team, our students are in good hands — because they know how to play their cards right when it comes to learning!
And with a team this great, we’re calling it Operation: SUCCESS! 🩺⚡ They’ll help students navigate this important transition while making sure learning is engaging, challenging, and fun!
Let the learning games begin!

08/27/2026

📢Reminder: Thursday & Friday are Testing Days!

Students will attend school during one of the following testing sessions:
🕗 Thursday: 8:15 to 11:15 a.m.
🕧 Thursday: 12:20 to 3:20 p.m.
🕣 Friday: 8:15 to 11:15 a.m.

Please make sure you are signed up for a testing session on ParentSquare.

Please remember:
🚌 No busing will be available.
🥞No breakfast or lunch will be served.

Thank you for helping us make testing days a success!

08/26/2026

📚✨ Meet Our High Plains Library Team! ✨📚
We’re excited to shine a spotlight on Mrs. Colleen Scarpella and Mrs. Amanda Rhone. They are ready to make the library a place where every student can explore, discover, and grow this school year.
Library is now part of Specials! Students will visit regularly to enjoy great books, build literacy skills, explore technology and digital citizenship, conduct research, and get creative in our makerspace.

08/25/2026

Meet Our Preschool Dream Team: Ms. Ella Stahl, Ms. Amy Johnson, Ms. Kristin Richard, and Ms. Debbie Shipley.

Our youngest learners are in for a wonderful year of building friendships, exploring, creating, playing, and growing! We can’t wait to see all the magic this incredible team brings to preschool!