Elementary News and Updates (02/11/22)

Tuesday, Feb. 15, from 8-9 a.m – Elementary School Cafeteria

On Tuesday, Feb. 15 we will be holding a Coffee with Administration event from 8-9 a.m. at our Elementary School Cafeteria. We are asking our families to sign up in advance so that we can plan for coffee and light pastries.

Wednesday, Feb. 16, from 10-11 a.m – Secondary School Entrance

Each Wednesday, STEM opens up its doors from 10-11 a.m. for a building tour to interested families who would like to learn more about our school. We’d like to encourage our families to spread the word to anyone they know who might be interested in having their student(s) attend STEM. Interested tour participants should arrive 10 minutes early to get checked in and badged. They must bring a valid ID in order to get checked in.

Wednesday, Feb. 16, from 5-8 p.m. – Torchy’s and Gelato & Co.

YAY! Restaurant Night is coming up! Take the night off from cooking, grab some great dinner AND dessert and hang with your fellow Spartans. Wear your STEM gear. All proceeds go back to the school. Will you be there?

Wednesday, Feb. 16, from 5:30-7 p.m. – Room 101/Zoom

The monthly STEM School Accountability Committee (SAC) meeting will be on Wednesday, Feb. 16 from 5:30-7 p.m. We will be conducting this month’s meeting in Room 101 in the Secondary Building. We will also be broadcasting the meeting via Zoom. In-person participation is strongly encouraged to help build engagement. Additionally, those who would like to participate in Public Comment must do so in person. There will be no meeting in March due to Spring Break.

The purpose of the SAC is to inform, encourage and provide opportunities for parent and community members to be involved in the planning and evaluation of the school’s instructional program and quality improvement processes. The SAC makes recommendations concerning the School’s performance improvement, priority improvement, or turnaround plan, and meets to discuss the implementation of the School’s plan and other progress pertinent to STEM’s accreditation contract with the Board of Education. The SAC makes recommendations to the executive director for prioritizing the spending of school money.

Thursday, Feb. 17, from 3-6 p.m. – Room 149

Do you have talent? Do you sing? Dance? Play and instrument? Are you a comedian? Do you do improv? Please come audition for the 10th annual Stem’s Got Talent. Prepare an act that does not exceed 3-5 minutes. All students should come with their acts polished! No karaoke or sing-alongs. If you are singing to music, please bring the music with you. If your act is too complex to audition in person, contact Mrs. Ridder about submitting a video audition. Remember, this being our 10th year, the competition is heavy. We usually have about 100 – 150 acts audition, and can only place around 20 in the show.

We are also looking for 1-2 masters of ceremonies to host the show. If you would like to audition for that role, please prepare a one-minute monologue on how you would open the show.

If you cannot make the audition day, contact Mrs. Ridder at maura.ridder@stemk12.org for an alternative date.

Friday, Feb. 25, from 6-8 p.m. – Elementary Gymnasium

STEM PTO will be hosting an Elementary Sweetheart Dance on Friday, Feb. 25 from 6-8 p.m. in the Elementary Gymnasium. Elementary families are welcome to attend the Red & Black Masquerade Ball. Cost is $5 per person. There will be dancing, crafts, selfie station and games. We hope to see YOU there! Get tickets via the button below.

Every March, STEM celebrates a week-long fundraiser for the Make-A-Wish Foundation called Wish Week!

This year, STEM is proud to represent Samuel, a five-year-old battling leukemia from Morrison, Colo. His wish is to visit Noah’s Ark in Kentucky, inspiring this year’s Wish Week theme: Animals!

Help us reach our goal of $15,000 by buying your Wish Week shirt via the button below. Please make sure that you are signed into your MySchoolBucks when ordering. Please let them know to not check out as “Guest.” Orders close on February 21, so buy yours today.

For any questions, email nhs@s.stemk12.org

STEM’s National English Honor Society is putting on a Book Drive This Month! All of the books that we collect will go to Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library of Denver which promotes getting books in the hands of everyone who wants to read. New and Used books can be donated at the Secondary School Front Office until Monday, Feb. 28.

Honoring The Masters, Encouraging The Young

Welcome to Colorado Kids Create Inc., a trade-marked, 501(c)3 and member of the Colorado Art Education Association. We hope you all enjoy this year’s 9th annual, state-wide contest and the opportunity to become a published illustrator! Remember to carefully follow the instructions found in the Contest Details. This year there is a mail-in entry option. Be proud that YOU are doing your part to see Art education flourish in the beautiful state of Colorado.

2022 Prizes

Grand Prize

• A Blick Art Gift Certificate
• Tickets to The American Museum of Western Art – The Anschutz Collection
• One month of Monart Online EduArt Studio Class

1st Place (1 winner from elementary, middle, and high school)

• A Blick Art Gift Certificate
• Tickets to The American Museum of Western Art – The Anschutz Collection
• One Monart Project from the Monart Store

2nd – 4th Place (1 winner from elementary, middle, and high school)

• A Blick Art Gift Certificate
• Tickets for The American Museum of Western Art – The Anschutz Collection

NoCo Regional Prize

• Hayride for 20 people at Sylvan Dale Guest Ranch

For further information, contact Rachel Casale, Executive Director, at Coloradokidscreate@gmail.com.

Contest Details

Be inspired by Colorado’s rich, Western heritage. Read the 2022 contest stories here!

Contest requirements:

1. All children must be residents of Colorado.
2. Children must be between the ages of 5-18 years old.
3. Artwork must be horizontal (landscape).
4. Artwork must be done with markers or paint. We like bright and colorful images!
5. Artwork must be scanned and electronically submitted through our submission form. Please scan and upload at the highest possible resolution. DO NOT SEND PHOTOS OF ARTWORK. ARTWORK MUST BE SCANNED AND SENT AS PNG OR JPEG.
6. Parents or teachers must sign an electronic permission form for entry to be valid.
7. Deadline – March 7th, 2022
8. There will be a grand prize winner, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th place winner for elementary, middle, and high school entries. Awards will be sent through the mail to the participant’s Art Teacher.
9. Winning artwork and honorable mentions will be posted on this website on April 11th, 2022.
10. Mail in option: send to Colorado Kids Create 852 Welch Ave Berthoud Colorado 80513 along with signed permission form.

To enter, please visit the Artwork Upload/Permission Form page. Thank you for participating in this year’s contest!

**Please note: While this directly impacts Elementary (West) Driveline, this message is for All Families as it will indirectly impact Secondary (East) Driveline.**

Dear STEM School Highlands Ranch Families,

Due to the construction, the West side of the Elementary Parking Lot (active loading zone area in front of the Elementary School Doors) will be closed from Tuesday, Feb. 22 through Friday, Feb. 25. There will be a large crane that will be installing the precast walls for the new building addition and it will need to be in that part of the parking lot for the entire week. It will impact the Elementary morning and afternoon driveline.

Elementary Driveline will be rerouted through the parking lot, along the East side of the Elementary Building, exiting through the Secondary exit. (see graphic)

This will cause delays during the morning and afternoon driveline. Elementary drop-off in the morning begins at 7:10 a.m. Secondary Driveline begins dropping off at 7:30 a.m. We are asking all Elementary families to please arrive prior to 7:30 a.m. to avoid a conflict with the Secondary Driveline. In the afternoon, we are asking parents for patience during pick-up as students and staff will be getting used to a different pick-up pattern.

Elementary Driveline Morning Directions to follow:

• Enter ES driveline through the West Entrance (normal entrance)
• Families will either be direct to go straight and stack or turn to the right to snake around the parking lot (like normal)
• Please follow all directions from the driveline attendants.
• Cars will be stacked in the Unloading Zone on the East side of the Elementary School Building and attendants will come to unload students; Please do not unload students anywhere other than the unloading zone.
• Once cars are unloaded, driveline attendants will direct cars to proceed forward along the East side of the building to then exit the Secondary Parking Lot.
• Cars will merge several times throughout this process so please be patient, show kindness and allow cars to merge for the driveline to proceed efficiently.
• Cars will only be allowed to make left and right turns in both directions out of the Secondary Driveline onto Ridgeline, Directed by a Sheriff deputy heading south.
• All ES students will be let into the elementary school cafeteria once dropped off.  Students will be picked up by their teachers at 7:30 a.m.

Elementary Driveline Afternoon Directions to follow:

• Enter ES driveline through the West Entrance (normal entrance)
• At 2:10 p.m., families of K-1 students will be allowed to enter the parking lot and go straight and stack, following the instructions of the driveline attendants.
• At 2:25 p.m., families of students in grades 2-5 will be allowed to enter the parking lot. Driveline attendants will direct families to either go straight or go right to stack.
• Only cars in the Active Loading Zone on the East side of the Elementary School Building will be loaded.
• Please make sure that you are using PikMyKid and that your account is updated.
• Once cars are loaded, driveline attendants will direct cars to proceed forward along the East side of the building to then exit the Secondary Parking Lot.
• Cars will merge several times throughout this process so please be patient, show kindness and allow cars to merge for the driveline to proceed efficiently.
• Cars will only be allowed to make a right turn out of the Secondary Driveline onto Ridgeline, heading south.

Walker Pick-Up: Walker pick-up will be from the front of the Elementary School Building (West Side).

Access to the Elementary School Entrance will still be accessible for BASE and for normal operations, however, only parking in the front half of the west side of the building will be allowed. Visitors should park in any available parking spot on the south side of the building.

Just a reminder that if you are picking up your student from an after-school program, there is no active Driveline during that time. You must park in a spot and wait for your student to come out. By waiting in a lane, you may block other cars from exiting and create a chaotic and unsafe environment. Please park when picking up your student from an after-school club.

Click the button below to access the prepayment site for the Elementary Yearbook. Soft Cover books are $20 and Hard Cover books are $30.

Families can access their photos by visiting the link to the right or going to dr-photo.com, selecting the School Portrait Proofs link, and when prompted enter their private password in the following format: Student ID#

Action for Happiness Friendly February Calendar

Get ideas for daily acts of kindness and connection from Action for Happiness’s colorful February calendar.

World Read Aloud Day Book Lists

World Read Aloud Day was Wednesday, February 2, and many of our schools participated. If you want to bring reading aloud home, check out these book lists for all ages!

20 Family Bonding Activities

Spending quality time with family and loved ones can improve social skills, boost children’s confidence and increase feelings of happiness.

Supporting Our Students Forum: Mental Health Resources and Supports in DCSD Schools
Hosted by the DCSD District Accountability Committee (DAC)
Thursday, February 17 | 5:30 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.
Rock Canyon High School
More information >>

Parents, guardians, students and community members are encouraged and welcome to attend this free event. Breakout sessions will include topics like Social Emotional Wellness and Learning, The Role of the School Counselor, Calming Strategies and Interactive Sensory Experiences, and more

DCSD Parent University – Postsecondary Readiness: Preparing for Life After High School
Wednesday, February 23 | 5:30 p.m. – 6:15 p.m.
Free virtual event
Register here >>

Postsecondary Readiness [PSR] programming prepares students for what is next after high school, whether it be a career, college, military, advanced training, and/or continued education. Learn from the DCSD Postsecondary Readiness team about pathway programs and how they help students make informed decisions about their future, develop necessary skills, and potentially save time & money.