Elementary News and Updates (04/15/22)

April 20, from 5:30-7:30 p.m. – HS Commons

Originally scheduled to be at the STEM Center for Strength, the meeting will now be held in the High School Commons. We will still have an opportunity to learn about mental health and what the center does for the community. There will be a tour if time permits.

There will be no Zoom for this meeting, as we want to encourage everyone to come in person for the benefit of learning about the Center. Please request ahead of time to participate in Public Comment by emailing sac@stemk12.org.

Our upcoming meetings:

May 18th – Standard meeting w/ Zoom

The purpose of the SAC is to inform, encourage and provide opportunities for parents 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 director for prioritizing the spending of school money.

Monday, April 25, from 5-7 p.m. – High School Commons & Zoom

If you’re interested in getting involved in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at STEM, we encourage you to attend to find out more information. Email amie.mcelroy@stemk12.org with questions.

Tuesday, April 26, from 6-8 p.m. – DCSD Wilcox Building

Please join us on Tuesday, April 26 starting at 6 p.m. for an in-person board meeting at the DCSD Wilcox Building for an in-person presentation for our STEM School Sterling Ranch Application. The KOSON Replication Team will be presenting to the Board about what STEM School Sterling Ranch will be all about. We’d like to ask members of our community to come to the meeting to show their support for our proposed new school. Have questions about any of our replication efforts? Email info@kosonschools.org.

Wednesday, April 27, from 5:30-6:30 p.m. – High School Commons

On Wednesday, April 27, our Middle School and High School Directors will be holding a Welcome to STEM Secondary School Information Session in the High School Commons. This event is for all New to STEM students, as well as current fifth and eighth-grade students who will be moving into Middle and High School, respectively. No sign-up is necessary. Please park in the Secondary parking lot and enter through the Secondary Main Entrance.

Thursday, May 5, from 10:30-11:30 a.m. – Coors Field

Dear STEM School Highlands Ranch Families,

We are so excited to share that the Colorado Rockies will be hosting a STEM Day at Coors Field on Thursday, May 5, collaborating with Steve Spangler of 9News.

Formerly called Weather and Science Day, this event will focus on educational events incorporating physics, math and meteorology into unique science experiments.

The interactive presentation will run from 10:30-11:30 a.m., with parking lots opening at 9 a.m.

Part of the event will hopefully include a special presentation by our engineering students, who are building a robot that will be competing to throw out the first pitch. Audience participation will factor into the best robot being picked to make history. This is a feat not yet accomplished by anyone in history at the Rockies stadium. This is so special that there will be a news presence, and maybe even Guinness Book of World records will be there.

While this is an instructional day for students, we want to recognize that many families may want to attend. We want to remind and encourage parents to please call the attendance line at (303) 683-7836 to excuse their student. Families can call this line in advance of May 5 to tell us that their student will not be in attendance that day. Please understand that the Administration Team discussed possibly making this Day a no-contact day; however, we were unable to make this accommodation due to testing and other logistical reasons.

Those who would like to attend the interactive presentation must purchase a ticket to the game. The Colorado Rockies game vs. the Washington Nationals will begin at 1:10 p.m.

Tickets can be purchased directly through the Rockies website and TicketMaster. STEM is not coordinating tickets, but there is an option for group sales if you have a large group. Here is the link to the Rockies STEM Day page, and it has a link to buy tickets and other details. To purchase more than 12 tickets, please call 303-ROCKIES or grouptix@rockies.com.

Thank you,

STEM School Highlands Ranch Communications

As Ms. LynAnn Kovalesky transitions to into her role of interim Executive Director, we are happy to share that Mrs. Amie McElroy will move into the role of interim Elementary School Director for the remainder of the school year. The position of Elementary School Director will be posted in the coming months with the hope of filling the role permanently at the start of the next school year.

STEM PTO After Prom Donation Request

STEM PTO After Prom Committee is in need of donations for Decorations, Food, Door Prizes and Monetary Donations for After Prom on Saturday, April 23. Click the sign-up buttons below put your name down. Please email stemafterprom@stemk12.org to arrange the drop-off of item donations.

Creating class lists for the next school year is a collaborative and thoughtful process that involves input from multiple perspectives. Teachers know your students best and will be an integral part of this process in order to place your student in the best learning environment. We appreciate your thoughts and insights into your student and their specific needs.

Throughout this process, we consider a wide range of student variables. Parent input is one of many factors that are taken into consideration. In order to achieve a balance among classes other factors include the academic, social, and behavioral characteristics of all students, gender
balance, and other diverse learning needs.

STEM School Highlands Ranch cannot guarantee parent requests for specific classroom teachers and we request that you please refrain from discussing potential class placement with staff. We strive to optimize student learning with a class placement process, and ask that you trust and respect the professional advice and perspectives of our committed and caring staff.

We will inform everyone of class assignments in early August as part of our school registration process. Thank you for your engagement and partnership in your child’s education!

Click the button below to access the prepayment site for the Elementary Yearbook. Soft Cover books are $20 and Hard Cover books are $30. The deadline to order your yearbook is Friday, April 1.

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#

Six Ways to Respond to Your Child’s Big Feelings

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DCSD Digital Resources

While the school library is only open during school hours, our DCSD digital resources are available 24/7! Douglas County students and staff have access to amazing digital sources like the renowned World Book Encyclopedia, as well as an extensive collection of popular magazines and many other eBooks and audiobooks through Sora. For more literacy resources for both educators and students, be sure to also check out TeachingBooks. Talk to your school librarian for help accessing these resources.

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