Dear Elementary School Families,
I hope everyone had a wonderful spring break. This week was busy with students returning to school for the final quarter of the year. There is a lot of important information regarding the end of the school year and changes to next year. Please read this newsletter in its entirety.
NEW Start/End Times: Next school year we will have NEW start and end times for elementary as well as secondary. Our start/end next year are listed below.
Kindergarten – 1st Grade
School hours: 8:10 am – 3:00 pm
2nd Grade – 5th Grade
School hours: 8:10 am – 3:10 pm
With the new start and end times will come new drop off and pick up times.
Morning Driveline will run from 7:40 -8:10am. Students cannot be dropped off prior to 7:40am. All parents who drop off after 8:10am will be required to enter the building to sign their student in. Students are tardy after 8:10am.
Afternoon Driveline will be staggered based on grade. Your pick up time is based on your oldest students attending STEM.
- Kindergarten – 1st Grade: Driveline opens at 2:50pm. All K/1 students without siblings must be picked up no later than 3:15pm
- 2nd Grade – 5th Grade: Driveline opens at 3:05pm. All 2nd-5th grade students without secondary siblings must be picked up no later than 3:25pm.
- Elementary student with Secondary siblings: Driveline opens at 3:30pm. All students with secondary siblings must be picked up no later than 3:45pm
Morning BASE Survey: We are exploring the possibility of offering BASE before school from 6:30 – 8am and would love your feedback! Please take a moment to complete this quick survey to let us know if your family would use BASE in the morning. Your input will help us determine the need for this program.
CMAS: CMAS testing is right around the corner. CMAS will be the week of April 7th – 11th for all of our 3rd -5th grade students. Click here for the schedule. We ask that families try not to schedule appointments or vacations during the CMAS week. The overall goal is to ensure all students are prepared for college or careers when they leave high school. These tests provide a snapshot of how our students are progressing and areas where teachers can provide additional support. It is also important to remember these tests will be used as a baseline to measure student progress and are the only common measurement that helps us understand how they are doing in comparison to their peers around the state.
Here are a few ways to help your child on those testing days:
- Make sure your child gets a good night’s sleep
- Eat a healthy, high protein breakfast
- Dress comfortably
- Pack two high protein snacks and a filled water bottle for breaks
- Have a chapter book to read when finished with the test
2025/26 Learner Profile: Over the next couple of weeks we will begin creating classes lists for next year. During class selection we take into consideration academic strengths and challenges, social emotional strengths and challenges, the mix of students and teacher’s strengths when placing students. The process of placing kids is very thought out as we want to ensure we have a heterogeneous mix of students in each class. While you can make specific teacher requests I can not guarantee you students will be placed with a specific teacher. Learner Profile needs to be submitted no later than April 25th.
Enrollment and Withdrawal: We’re looking forward to a successful 2025/2026 school year. However, we recognize that some families may be exploring alternative educational options. If your child will not be returning to STEM next year, please complete the STEM Withdrawal Notification Form as soon as possible. This advance notice is crucial for our planning and resource allocation. Remember, this form initiates the process; you’ll also need to complete enrollment at your child’s new school. Thank you for your cooperation!
Yearbook: Families can order the 2024-25 yearbook by visiting the link below or going to dr-photo.com, selecting “Order Your Yearbook,” and when prompted, enter STEM The direct link is: https://www.prepaysystems.com/view/9d0spDJW/stem-highlands-ranch-elementary-yearbook
Important Dates:
April 1 – STEM Board Meeting
April 7-11 – Elementary CMAS Testing
April 9 – STEM PTO Meeting
April 11 – Early Release
April 16 – STEM SAC Meeting
April 18 – 3rd grade to Skate City
April 24 – PTO STEM Fest
April 25 – Early Release
May 1 – PTO Skate Night
May 2 – 5th Grade to Ameritowne
May 6 – STEM Board Meeting
May 7 – No School
May 8 – Field Day K-5
May 8 – K-12 Art Showcase
May 14 – Kindergarten Field Trip to Children’s Museum
May 15 – STEM PTO Meeting
May 16 – 4th Grade to Civic Green Park
May 19 – STEM Graduation
May 20 – Kinder and 5th grade Continuation
May 21 – Last Day of School
Have a wonderful week. Please reach out if you have any questions or concerns.
In Partnership,
Amie McElroy, Elementary Director
News and Updates
Hands Free Announcing with PikMyKid
New! If you use our West (Elementary) Driveline, you can now set up your PikMyKid to auto-announce for you as soon as you enter our parking lot. Please click the button below to view the flier that has the instructions listed on how to set up your account.
CMAS Testing Information
Click here to read our assessment update!