August 2025 - Welcome Letter for All Families
Dear Southmoor Families,
With heartfelt excitement, deep gratitude, and renewed optimism, I welcome you to the 2025–2026 school year at Southmoor Elementary! I hope your summer was filled with joy, adventure, and meaningful time with your children. On behalf of the entire Southmoor team, we are honored to partner with you in what promises to be a year of meaningful learning, growth, and connection.
As we prepare to welcome over 400 incredible students through our doors, we do so rooted in a shared belief: when we unite as one community, every child can and will thrive. At Southmoor, this belief fuels everything we do—from our daily classroom experiences to the way we build relationships, respond to student needs, and engage our broader community.
This year, we remain deeply committed to building an equity-centered school culture that supports and empowers every student. Our priorities as a school are grounded in the following core pursuits:
Promoting diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging by ensuring every student feels seen, valued, and celebrated in our classrooms and school community.
Fostering social-emotional learning and resilience by creating safe, consistent, and caring environments where students can build skills that help them thrive academically, socially, and emotionally.
Delivering high-quality instruction through rigorous, engaging, and inclusive learning experiences that challenge and support all learners.
Implementing responsive instruction that includes targeted interventions and enrichment to meet every student where they are and help them grow.
As your principal, I am grounded in three guiding beliefs that shape our daily work:
We believe in supporting all students through intentional, data-informed, and student-centered practices.
We believe in safe, predictable, and joyful classrooms where students feel a sense of belonging and are empowered to learn.
We believe in strong home–school partnerships, recognizing that collaboration, communication, and trust between families and staff are essential to student success.
🔑 Getting Ready for a Strong Start
To help you prepare for a successful year, please review the important information below. Click each section title for more details:
Meet the Southmoor Staff: Our passionate and dedicated team is ready to welcome your children and support them every step of the way. I would like to share that one of our teachers accepted a position with the District office last week. However, we have identified a highly qualified candidate to fill that position, and we will be able to start the year fully staffed.
Southmoor Community Calendar: Stay informed about all school-wide events and important dates specific to Southmoor. We’ll update the calendar regularly based on our community’s needs.
Bell Times & Office Hours: School runs from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Students may arrive five minutes early and must be picked up promptly at dismissal. The front office is open from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Southmoor Family Guide: The new Southmoor Family Guide is a valuable tool that outlines key information, including school procedures, expectations, contact information, and ways to support your child’s learning. It’s designed to help families feel informed and confident every step of the way.
The Southmoor Way: This guide outlines our shared expectations, safety protocols, and schoolwide routines designed to create a secure, respectful, and thriving environment.
School Supplies Drop-Off: Families are invited to drop off supplies on Monday, August 18, 2024, from 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Please see the teacher's names for the specific drop-off location.
Grades ECE–2: Peach Street
Grades 3–5: S. Magnolia Way
📣 Staying Connected
As we transition to the new DPS communication platform, please check our Southmoor website, Instagram, and Facebook for regular updates. You can also contact our staff directly via the email addresses listed on our site.
📅 Beginning-of-Year Events
Southmoor All Family Orientation
📍 Virtual: Join the meeting using the Google Meet Video call link: https://meet.google.com/fge-gjrc-ozo
🗓 Tuesday, August 12 | 5:00–6:00 p.m.
Southmoor Kindergarten Families Orientation (Grade K Families ONLY):
📍 Southmoor Cafe
🗓 Thursday, August 14 | 4:00 p.m.–5:00 p.m.
Southmoor Meet and Greet (Grades ECE – 5):
📍 Southmoor Playground
🗓 Thursday, August 14 | 5:00 p.m. –6:00 p.m.First Day of School:
🗓 Tuesday, August 19 | 8:00 a.m.
Full-day schedule begins for all students except Kindergarten, which will follow a half-day schedule (8:00–11:30 a.m.) from August 19-21 to allow time for individual assessments. Kindergarten teachers will share sign-up links for assessment appointments soon. Full-day Kindergarten will start on Friday, August 22, 2025.Southmoor Back to School Night:
🗓 Thursday, September 11, 2025 | 5:00–6:30 p.m.
Learn more about your child’s learning environment, curriculum, and how we will partner to support academic success and well-being.
We cannot wait to welcome you back and begin this exciting new chapter together. This year, we will continue to uplift one another, learn with passion, and lead with purpose. Thank you for choosing Southmoor—where every child is known, supported, and inspired to thrive.
In service of the most important person in the world - YOUR CHILD,
Jonell Pineda
Principal
Southmoor Elementary School
3755 South Magnolia Way, Denver, CO 80237
720-424-3930 | Fax: 720-424-3955