Elementary News and Updates (05/06/22)

Wednesday, May 11, from 6:30-8 p.m. – Zoom

STEM PTO is comprised of parents from the STEM community who work together to help foster a strong sense of community, provide enhancement activities for students, faculty, staff and families, while also helping to increase educational, social and emotional experiences for the members of their families.

STEM PTO is organized for the purpose of enhancing the quality of each students’ education, the school as a whole, and the entire community through the development of resources and participation of parents, school staff, and the community. Meetings are open for anyone to attend.

Friday, May 13, from 7:50-10:55 a.m.

On Friday, May 13, fifth-grade students will spend the morning with fellow sixth-grade students for the morning to get a first-hand glimpse into what Middle School at STEM is like.

Friday, May 13, from 6-9:30 p.m.

Join us for a fun night of outdoor movie watching of Sing 2 on the field! Food trucks, bounce house, and face painters will be there to make this event a great way to get ready for summer! These vendors will be on site from 6-8 p.m. and movie showing will begin after (when the sun goes down!)

This event is for STEM Elementary and Middle School Families, students and staff. While the event itself is free, the please plan to pay for any items available by the vendors.

Please park in the Elementary School Parking Lot or the KOSON Schools/P-TECH Building Parking Lot (South of the school). Due to the Secondary Theatre showcase going on, we are asking all attendees to not park in the Secondary Parking Lot.

Contact: pto@stemk12.org or chelsea.bench@stemk12.org

Monday, May 23, from 8:15-9 a.m.

On Monday, May 23, Elementary students will move up a grade during this time to learn what the next school year will be like.

Monday, May 23, 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, May 24, from 8-11:30 a.m.

On Tuesday, May 24, kindergarten through second-grade students will rotate through PE, Art, Chinese and music events. A picnic lunch will follow.

Tuesday, May 24, at 5:30-7:30 p.m.

The meeting will also be available to watch via Zoom as a trial. 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.

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 director for prioritizing the spending of school money.

Wednesday, May 25, from 8-11:30 a.m.

On Wednesday, May 25, third through fifth-grade students will rotate through PE, Art, Chinese and music events. A picnic lunch will follow.

Wednesday, May 25, from 5-6:30 p.m.

On Wednesday, May 25 from 5-6:30 p.m., kindergarten families are welcome to attend our Kinder Continuation Ceremony in the Elementary School Gymnasium. Please park in the Elementary School Lot and enter through our Elementary School Entrance.

Thursday, May 26, at 11 a.m.

Elementary’s last day of school is Thursday, May 26 and it is a half day. Click the button below to access the Elementary Early Release schedule.

Do you want the community to know what’s great about our school and why their kids should attend here? Have you ever had a concern or frustration about our school but didn’t know what you could do to address it or change it? Do you know how to have a voice in what’s going on in our school? Do you know how to actually make a difference in our school? The School Accountability Committee may be the place for you!

The purpose of 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. SAC meetings give parents and community members a forum to discuss improvements and opportunities for the school.

What does that mean exactly? It means we discuss things like:

• Budget Priorities
• Staffing needs
• Technology
• Principal Evaluation Tools
• Community Concerns and Opinions
• Unified Improvement Plans (the school’s academic goals and action plans The Annual Report
• Safety Issues
• Testing
• Calendars
• Other items that may be impacting our school

The SAC makes recommendations to the Executive Director and STEM Board of Directors about the above priorities. This is how we can impact what happens in our school. We help influence the decisions that ultimately impact every student in the school, and possibly the district.

We need parent representatives that reflect our school’s amazing diversity to be a part of the SAC. That means you!

Becoming a member of the SAC means:

• attending the SAC meeting which occurs monthly. The SAC typically meets on the third Wednesday of the month from 5:30-7 p.m., and the time qualifies for volunteer hours.
• becoming informed about school programs and budgets – specialists may be invited to SAC meetings to help educate the members.
• becoming a voice for our school.

Each elected member serves a two-year term; however, your role on the committee may change from one year to the next within the elected term. We are currently assembling our SAC Committee for the next school year. The more parents involved, the better!

If you are interested in nominating yourself or another person for SAC, please contact Kelly Reyna (sac@stemk12.org) by Friday, May 20. We look forward to your participation in our SAC!

We desperately need to hire to support the STEM community, any assistance is greatly appreciated.

We are looking for two Senior Program Leaders and one Program Lead to work in a busy and fun program. If you, or someone you know, is looking to develop management skills and gain experience in a growing program with a fun, experienced, and dedicated staff, this is the right move for you. Hours would be M-F 1:30-5:30/6. Part-time and full-time hours are available during school breaks. I am happy to coordinate with BASE Managers who have staff looking for more hours.  Feel free to call ( (720) 688-2928) or email (amy.dupays@dcsdk12.org) for more details or questions.

Thank you,

Amy Dupays

We are hosting three summer camps at STEM and registration is open!

• Camp Invention (K-6th) – June 6-10
• Lego Robotics Camp (4th-6th) – June 13-17
• Girls Persist Summer Program (6th) – July 18-22

Visit our Enrichment site to register or email Sara.Phelps@stemk12.org with questions.

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#

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