Elementary News and Updates (03/04/22)

Wednesday, March 9, from 3:30-4:30 p.m. – Theater Room 167

The STEM Comedy Club will have a show on Wednesday, March 9 from 3:30-4:30 p.m. in Theater Room 167. Come see our Secondary students put on a great performance full of laughs. Cost is $5 and can be purchased via the button below. Cost includes a pizza and a drink. Please park in the Secondary Parking Lot and enter through the Secondary Main Entrance.

Wednesday, March 9, from 6:30-8 p.m. – Zoom

Tuesday, March 22, from 3:30-5:30 p.m. – High School Commons

The Math Honor Society is hosting our annual Pi Day on March 22nd. Families and children of all ages are welcome to attend. It will be in the High School Commons beginning at 3:30 p.m. The cost will be $5 for general admission and $1 if you have a Wish Week Activities Band. All grades! We encourage attendance from all ages.

All proceeds will go towards the Make-A-Wish foundation. We will have a wide variety of activities, such as, but not limited to: pi reciting competition, mental math competition, pi bracelet-making, pie teachers, and pi game. If you have any questions, please email ankit.mukkamala@s.stemk12.org.

Wednesday, March 23, from 5-6 p.m – Zoom

This webinar will focus on our implementation of SBL for next year. We will answer the following questions:

• What is Standards Based Learning?
• Why are we making the switch?
• What does this mean for my student?
• How will grades be reported when we implement SBL?
• What does SBL mean for college acceptance?”

Contact: Michelle Gasser, michelle.gasser@stemk12.org with any questions

Thursday, March 24, from 6:30-9 p.m. – Mission Hills Church

The annual STEM’s Got Talent Show will be on Thursday, March 24 from 6:30-9 p.m. at the Mission Hills Church at 620 Southpark Drive, Littleton. This is a night filled with our STEM students and staff showcasing their talents. Cost of tickets are $10 each. Click the button below to purchase tickets.

Thursday, March 31, from 5-8 p.m.

Save the Date! All STEM Families are invited to join us for STEM Fest 2022, which will be a celebration of who we are and what we do. More details will be shared in the coming weeks.

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 for two weeks starting on Monday, Feb. 28. It will directly impact the Elementary morning and afternoon drivelines, and indirectly impact the Secondary morning and afternoon drlivelines.

Elementary Driveline will be rerouted through the parking lot, along the East side of the Elementary Building, exiting through the Secondary exit. This is the same impact that took place in January.

This will cause delays during the morning and afternoon driveline. The drop-off in the morning begins at 7:10 a.m. Secondary Driveline begins picking up 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.

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) and stack in all three lanes.
• 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 be allowed to make left and right turns out of the Secondary Driveline onto Ridgeline and will be directed by a Sheriff deputy. In the event there is no one to direct traffic, all cars should make a right out of the parking lot.
• 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.

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 in all three lanes.
• 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.

Access to the Elementary School Entrance will still be accessible for BASE and for normal operations. There will be parking spaces open in front of the Elementary School Doors.

Thank you so much for your understanding.

STEM School Highlands Ranch Communications

Thank you so much to all of the many volunteers who read to our students this week. Additionally, we want to thank all those who donated books, snacks and more. We could not have done all of it without the support and help from our amazing volunteers. We love having parents back in the building and also helping out in driveline.

Ms. Kovalesky, Elementary School Director

Want to help our a class project? Click the button below to take part in a Carbon Emissions survey for a student entrepreneurship class project.

STEM PTO is providing 100 Home Depot build kits for our Elementary students, right before Spring Break! Have a fun, educational activity to keep them busy for a bit and their minds working even when away from school. Fill out the form below to reserve your kit and receive the details!

Our 5th-grade team with 100+ students wants to study existing ways we explore space. The teachers were hoping that each class (6 classes) could be assigned a mentor to listen to student ideas (Status Reports).

Time Commitment for Mentors:

Only one hour per week for 3 weeks. (virtual or in-person)

• Week One: March 7-11
• Week Two: March 21-25
• Week Three: April 4-8

At the end of this adventure, the students will present a proposal for a mission to explore space. The final proposals may end up as podcasts, videos, websites, art, or other creative formats. The mentors listen and offer simple advice. Please email michelle.gasser@stemk12.org if interested.

Attention Elementary Families! It’s time to go through the Lost and Found area. All items that are unclaimed with be donated before Spring Break.

My name is Amy Dupays. I am the elementary BASE Manager for STEM. The STEM BASE team is looking for additional staff to support the after-school child care demand in our Elementary STEM community. If you or someone you know is looking for a fun job after school, is great with kids and ready to work with a dedicated, fun team this is the job for you. We need you 3-5 days each week 3-6 p.m. Full-time hours are available during school breaks and summer. NO WEEKENDS – Yay!

Please email me acdupays@dcsdk12.org for more information or submit your application using the following link: DCSD STEMBASE Program Leader Position.

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#

Check out AllHealth Network’s Colorado Spirit Youth & Family Offerings which are all offered at no cost.

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Long Range Planning Committee Seeks Members

DCSD’s Long Range Planning Committee (LRPC) is currently accepting applications for members. This citizen-based group keeps close track of new housing developments and student enrollment trends in order to provide the Douglas County Board of Education with feedback regarding school district facility and capacity needs. If you reside within the Douglas County School District and are interested in serving on this important committee please complete and submit the LRPC Application for Membership. Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis or until all positions are filled.