School & District News

Last week, the CDC recommended the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for children ages 5-11. Now, everyone in the Durango community ages 5 and older is eligible to be vaccinated and can help protect themselves and their loved ones against COVID-19. The approval of the COVID-19 vaccine for young children is an important step to helping reduce our risk for infection and transmission in our schools and our community.

Every month the school district strives to compile updates and information for families and the community regarding the impacts of COVID-19 in schools. We are grateful for the continued support of our mitigation efforts, which have allowed schools to remain open. Thank you to all our students, staff and families for their perseverance and diligence.

The November Coffee Chat will be on Monday, November 15, 2021, 5:00-6:00 PM at Durango Joe's coffee shop on East College Drive.

Park Elementary School, Escalante Middle School, and Durango High School are participating as the pilot schools enrolled in Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment’s free, voluntary, and statewide COVID-19 school testing program for the 2021-22 school year. The COVID-19 testing program is available to all students and staff, regardless of vaccination status or presence of symptoms.

We have begun our weekly serial testing program at Durango High School, Escalante Middle School, and Park Elementary School. Please be aware that if your student is registered, but is not on campus, participating in an outdoor classroom, or absent during the timeframe that testing is offered at their building, they will not be tested that week.

The 9-R Board of Education has their next work session scheduled for Tuesday, November 9, 2021 starting at 5:30 . This is a work session, so there is no public participation. Community members can watch the work session via Zoom. Click READ MORE for Zoom information and a topic summary.

Transitioning back to in-person learning has had its challenges, but ESPs have been there for our students every step of the way. They're cleaning and repairing buildings with old infrastructure, navigating multiple bus routes and preparing healthy meals amid staffing and supply shortages, addressing social-emotional impacts of the pandemic, and so much more.

Did you ever feel nervous going to the principal’s office? Some feelings never leave us and, as adults, parents can still be uncomfortable with it. Enter a Parent/Guardian School Liaison.

Durango School District 9-R has created a new program to give parents/guardians someone to discuss school matters with, without visiting the principal’s office.

We are ready to start sign-ups for FIRST LEGO League Robotics, grades K-12. We have a limited number of spaces, due to the number of volunteer parent coaches, so please encourage students to sign up here as soon as possible.

So many Panther Pride winners this week!🎉

🌟Dary CR 🌟 Silas B 🌟 Getsemani C 🌟 Lily C 🌟 Lewis C 🌟 Maya LG 🌟 Christian PS 🌟 Kaia R 🌟 Jasper S🌟 Alan TH

They were all nominated by a teacher this week to receive a Panther Pride Award!🏅
🐾These students are recognized for exhibiting the habits of a mindful scholar:
Teamwork - Wonder - Empathy - Responsibility - Perseverance
💫Way to go Park Panthers!🐾