The following information was sent to families via SchoolMessenger on Friday, May 17 with the subject "West Jefferson Middle School Follow-Up". The content has been formatted for the web.
May 17, 2024
Dear West Jefferson Middle School Staff and Families,
As educators, parents and members of the mountain area community, providing a safe, secure and welcoming learning environment for West Jeff staff and students is our top priority. We want to acknowledge that the bomb threats impacting our school were distressing. We apologize if the way in which we responded eroded trust with our community or the sense of security we work to build every day.
As Superintendent Dorland shared in her message earlier today, we are working closely with our district's Department of School Safety, along with our SRO, Deputy Jenkinson, to strengthen the West Jefferson Middle School community. As we head into next week you can expect the following supports to be in place:
The Jeffco Department of School Safety R1 patrol will be onsite for the remainder of the school year.
We (Mr. Paxton and Ms. Halingstad) will partner together in support of our staff, students and families.
On Monday, our mental health team and administrative team will facilitate a grade-level culture building activity to reflect on maintaining a safe and welcoming community.
The challenges we have faced this school year are not representative of the Colt community we strive to be. Our school is filled with talented and dedicated staff, curious and bright students, and families who are engaged partners in their child's education. When we return to school in the fall we will intentionally invest time and resources into building a stronger, prouder Colt culture that includes:
Learning environments that foster a sense of belonging and increased academic achievement.
Accountability to our school values and clear expectations around a culture of inclusion, respect, and tolerance.
A community that values a growth mindset, responsibility, ownership, and working with others.
Clear and transparent priorities and plans that are shared at the beginning of the school year and followed throughout the year.
We have faced some significant challenges this year and we recognize we need to lean in, listen and learn from our community. We realize that the opportunity before us lies in embracing what unites us - our shared commitment to our students and fostering a safe, welcoming environment where they will thrive. This is the expectation that we will hold ourselves and our West Jeff Middle School parents, staff, students, and community members to, every day.
Let's give our students an end to the 2023-24 school year that they deserve. They have worked so hard and so have you! Thank you in advance for taking a step forward with us into becoming the community we strive to be.
Sincerely,
Kim Halingstad, Principal
Wesley Paxton, Community Superintendent