February 28, 2020

Dear Odyssey Elementary School & ALLIES Families,

On Friday, at approximately 1:45 p.m., our law enforcement partners at the CSPD told OES and ALLIES administrators, as well as D49 safety and security about an active investigation in a nearby neighborhood of the school. Following the guidance from CSPD, and out of an abundance of caution, administrators immediately initiated a lockout. Students and staff remained inside the buildings, and the school restricted visitors, which follows our lockout procedures. 

OES and ALLIES carried on with regular activities indoors as our partners at CSPD carried out their mission, and our students and staff remained safe. 

At 2:10 p.m. the lockout was lifted, which will allow for normal dismissal procedures to take place.

D49 thanks our law enforcement partners and encourages all of our staff, students and families to stay alert and report any suspicious activity. We will stay proactive and partner with local law enforcement to ensure a safe learning environment awaits every District 49 learner.

Sincerely,

Sarah McAfee
OES Principal

Jeff Moulton
ALLIES Acting Administrator

November 6, 2019

Dear Odyssey Elementary and ALLIES Families,

On Wednesday at approximately 10:10 a.m. school administrators were notified that a person who is considered violent was possibly in a nearby neighborhood. Administrators immediately reported the information to our law enforcement partners at the Colorado Springs Police Department and initiated a lockout status at OES/ALLIES as police searched the surrounding area. Students and staff remained inside the buildings, and the schools restricted visitors, which follows our lockout procedures.

Our schools operated as normal during the investigation, and our students and staff remained safe. The lockout was lifted less than an hour later, just before 11:00 a.m., when CSPD gave the all clear.

D49 thanks our law enforcement partners and encourages all of our staff, students and families to stay alert and report any suspicious activity. We will remain proactive and partner with local law enforcement to ensure a safe learning environment awaits every District 49 learner.

Sincerely,

David Nancarrow
Director of Communications

May 2, 2019

Dear OES, ALLIES, SES, SRES, SCHS and PPEC Families,

On Thursday at approximately 8:41 a.m. our law enforcement partners at the Colorado Springs Police Department told our safety and security team a man who may have been armed was reportedly seen in an area just north of Sky Sox Stadium. D49 safety and security immediately notified the staff at Odyssey, ALLIES, Stetson and Springs Ranch Elementary Schools along with Sand Creek High School and Creekside Learning Center to go into lockout status as police searched the surrounding neighborhoods. Students and staff remained inside the buildings, and the schools restricted visitors, which follows our lockout procedures.

D49 safety and security lifted the lockout at SRES, SCHS and Creekside 16 minutes later at 8:57 a.m. when the CSPD determined there was no immediate threat to those campuses. OES, ALLIES and SES remained on lockout until approximately 9:20 a.m. at the request of CSPD, which continues to monitor the situation that caused the initial lockout announcement.

D49 thanks our law enforcement partners and encourages all of our staff, students and families to stay alert and report any suspicious activity. We’ll continue to be proactive and partner with local law enforcement to ensure a safe learning environment awaits every District 49 learner.

Sincerely, 

David Nancarrow
Director of Communications 

Dearest ALLIES Families,

Last March the Academy for Literacy, Learning, and Innovation Excellence and Odyssey Elementary School teamed up to create a new learning facility. This partnership aimed at accomplishing the following goals:

Providing ALLIES with its own school space.
Removing modulars for OES to provide a permanent learning structure.

As last school year ended, a note was sent informing of a change to the plan, and a new timeline. As you may recall from that note, building a permanent steel structure instead of a temporary sprung structure would push completion to Dec. 2017. Our plan was to begin the upcoming spring semester in the new spaces.

As design and material work started moving forward, we’ve encountered some delays. We are committed to transparency and I need to inform you that we currently expect a completion date between spring break and the end of the school year.

Increased permitting requirements, unexpected land preparation needs, and labor constraints have all caused this unfortunate shift in timeline and yet another end date.

I know this is not what you want to hear and I share your disappointment. It is not what you deserve to hear, either. We are all rightly excited for the new ALLIES and OES facility as it will provide unique and innovative learning environments for our ALLIES and OES students. I would personally like to assure you that not a day goes by that there is not direct and specific time and effort put into ensuring this project is successfully completed on the most efficient timeline possible.

This is also a good time to remind you that we will continue to provide the same quality teaching and learning that is currently occurring within our classrooms. I was visiting classrooms in both schools at the end of last week and am amazed at the amount of passionate instruction and engaged learning that is exuding from so many learning spaces.

The excitement of new school visions and greater opportunity is almost palpable in these current environments. Both schools are educational environments filled with engaged teaching and learning. I’m excited to see what additional heights our students and educators reach once our new learning environments are complete.

Please visit the​ project page on the​ ALLIES website for a refresher on the plans of the new permanent structure for both schools.

I appreciate your continued patience and understanding. Please know we are committed to being as proactive as possible in communicating any additional changes should they arise.

If you have questions please feel free to contact me at mpickering@d49.org.

- Dr. Mike Pickering
POWER Zone Leader