Dear Families:

Niwot Elementary has a reputation as being an exceptional school within the St. Vrain Valley School District. As a school community, we share an ethic of academic excellence which fosters a safe, respectful, collaborative, and fun environment. We focus on all aspects of child development in order to positively impact every child's future.

In terms of academics, Niwot Elementary has been the recipient of the "John Irwin School of Excellence Award" for several years, placing the school in the top 8% of schools in the state. We also have received the Governor's Distinguished Improvement Award for outstanding academic growth. Our school has an exceptional gifted and talented program which provides enrichment opportunities for our 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade students. We also have an amazing literacy program and Response to Intervention (RtI) in place to provide additional assistance to those students who may be struggling academically.

Character education is an important aspect of our school environment. Students at Niwot are recognized for positive behavior through our PAWS program: P - positive attitude A - always safe W - we are repectful and responsible S - striving for excellence

The staff at Niwot Elementary has embraced the concept of a Professional Learning Community where everyone works together to address the needs of students at our school. Grade level teams meet on a weekly basis to plan, collaborate, and discuss how to impact student learning. We also have focused on having structured conversations around student achievement in order to maximize our time spent together as a staff.

We are a "School for Differentiated Instruction" which means we work to create multiple pathways so that students of different abilities, interest or learning needs experience equally appropriate ways to absorb, use, develop and present concepts as part of the daily learning process. This approach allows students to take greater responsibility and ownership for their own learning, and provides opportunities for peer teaching and cooperative learning.

Finally, it is important to note the tremendous amount of support that we receive from Niwot parents and the community. We are fortunate to have over 40 volunteers in the building on a daily basis that help support teachers and students. We also have a very involved Parent Teacher Advisory Council (PTAC) which supports the school in a variety of ways in addition to putting on some wonderful events like the Niwot Trot, the Talent Show, the Sock-Hop and the Back to School Movie.

All of these combined factors make Niwot Elementary a place where everyone is valued and respected. We are proud of our school and our reputation as being one of the best elementary schools in the state of Colorado.

Thank you for your interest in becoming part of our school community!

Sincerely, Nancy Pitz Principal - Niwot Elementary

[email protected]

"A School for Differentiated Instruction"