Elementary News and Updates (07/28/23)

Dear STEM Families and Community,

I hope that everyone had a wonderful, relaxing summer. It is hard to believe that students will be back in the building in a little over a week. The staff has been busy all summer preparing for your student’s arrival. We are excited to have students back in the classroom and hallways, filling them with energy and enthusiasm for learning. It is always our goal to help every student feel welcomed, connected, and a part of the STEM family.

Here is a quick update on staffing. Great News!! We are fully staffed in Elementary. This year we will be welcoming four new teachers, three new IAs, and a new ES office assistant. If you see our new staff members, please give them a warm welcome. I have already been bragging about our amazing parent community.

• Carlie Kmak – Kindergarten
• Danielle Rose – 3rd grade
• Rhiannon Usher – 3rd grade
• Hannah Vest – 4th grade
• Kara Howell – IA
• Dani Ngo – IA
• Sara Wagner – IA
• Ann-Marie Vallone – ES office assistant

As the new school year approaches, I wanted to give a few important reminders.

Placard Pick-up for Driveline will be held:

• Wednesday, Aug. 2, from 7:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. – Secondary Commons (Athletics Entrance)
• Thursday, Aug. 3, from 1-5 p.m. – Secondary Commons (Athletics Entrance)
• Monday, Aug. 7, from 8:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. – Elementary and Secondary Lobbies

Spartan Launch for grades 1-5 (New to STEM Students Only)

• Monday, Aug. 7
  • 1st and 2nd grade is from 9-11 a.m.
  • 3rd-5th grade is from 12-2 p.m.

Kindergarten Spartan Launch (All Incoming Kindergarteners)

• August 8-10
  • Must sign-up for ONE spot only
• Class Assignments will be released on the afternoon of Thursday, Aug. 10
• Friday, Aug. 11 – soft start – 8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
• Monday, Aug. 14 – 1st full day of school

Back to School Night

• Mark your calendars for Thursday, Aug. 17; More details to follow.

I am truly honored to serve as the elementary director and look forward to forming a partnership with you over this next school year. It is truly a privilege to be part of a community where parents, teachers and students care for each other and strive to build positive relationships that support academic and social growth. Please feel free to connect with me by email at amie.mcelroy@stemk12.org if you have any questions or concerns.

In Partnership,

Amie McElroy, Elementary School Director

Please take a moment to check the STEM All-Events Calendar on our website.

There are lots of events already scheduled so please take a moment to take a look at the calendar to familiarize yourself with some of the events at the start of school. This calendar will continue to be updated throughout the summer as we get closer to the start of school.

Monday, July 31-Friday, Aug. 4, starting from 12-1 p.m. – Zoom

To help our new and returning families be as prepared as possible for the start of the new school year, we will be offering five Welcome Back to School – Parent Info Sessions the week of Monday, July 31 through Friday, Aug. 4, from 12-1 p.m. each day. Each session will cover important topics, outlined below, that all families should know in order to start the school year off on the right foot. Following a brief presentation on each topic, we will allow families to ask questions related to that topic. Each session will be over Zoom. We will record each session so that it will be available on the stemk12.org website for those who couldn’t attend.

• Monday, July 31(12-1 p.m.) – Driveline Procedures & PikMyKid (Elementary Families)
• Tuesday, Aug. 1 (12-1 p.m.) – Getting Informed (Attendance line, using IC, visiting STEM, Student/Parent Handbook, Fees, School Photos, etc.)
• Wednesday, Aug. 2 (12-1 p.m.) – Getting Connected (Communications Pathways, who to contact when?, communications at STEM, etc.)
• Thursday, Aug. 3 (12-1 p.m.) – Getting Involved (volunteering, donating, STEM PTO, STEM SAC, etc.)
• Friday, Aug. 4 (12-1 p.m.) – The STEM Experience (Enrichment and Athletics)

Tuesday, Aug. 1, from 5:30-7 p.m – Mechatronics Lab in P-TECH/KOSON Building

The KOSON/STEM Board of Directors will be holding its Monthly Meeting on Tuesday, Aug. 1, from 5:30-7 p.m. via Zoom.  The BOD is comprised of parents and community members who volunteer their time. The Board’s role and purpose is to provide oversight of the KOSON Schools Chief Innovation Officer, who implements the policies set forth by the Board. The Board also provides support and direction for STEM’s long-term vision and mission. Additionally, the Board is active in making sure that KOSON Schools remains in compliance with all DCSD, state and federal compliance requirements, as well as STEM School Highlands Ranch’s Charter Contract.

Meetings are open to anyone to attend. Anyone who would like to address the Board Members must sign-up in advance by completing the Public Comment Form no later than 12 p.m. the day of each Board meeting. If written testimony or a handout is submitted, presenters are asked to supply one (1) copy via email to communications@stemk12.org.

Wednesday, Aug. 2, from 7:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. – Secondary Commons (Athletics Entrance)

Thursday, Aug. 3, from 1-5 p.m. – Secondary Commons (Athletics Entrance)

Monday, Aug. 7, from 8:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. – Elementary and Secondary Lobbies

Families can pick up their Driveline Placards during this time. Please park in the Elementary School Parking lot and enter through the Athletics Entrance to visit the Placard Pick Up Table. We will be printing placards for families as they arrive, so please be patient while we help all families. All families must have some form of a placard. No Sign-up is needed at this time.

Monday, Aug. 7, from 9-11 a.m. or 12-2 p.m.

All new to STEM Elementary School students are invited to spend a portion of their day on Monday, Aug. 7 at STEM to kick off the year. Students will meet all the teachers and staff, tour the school, and engage in STEM activities. No sign-up is needed.

• Students in grades first and second will be invited to attend the morning session from 9-11 a.m.
• Students in grades third, fourth and fifth will be invited to attend the afternoon session from 12-2 p.m.

All STEM kindergarten students are invited to Kindergarten Spartan Launch. This is an abbreviated school day where students will meet all the teachers and staff, tour the school, engage in STEM activities, and be informally assessed for classroom placement. We ask that all kindergarten students attend ONE SESSION on either of the dates below.

Available session options will be:

August 8

• AM Session from 8:30-10 a.m.
• PM Session from 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m.

August 9

• AM Session from 8:30-10 a.m.
• PM Session from 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m.

August 10

• AM Session from 8:30-10 a.m.

Click the button below to sign-up for one of the sessions. If you have more than one child entering kindergarten, please sign-up for each student individually.

Parents will receive classroom and teacher notification on the afternoon of Thursday, Aug.10. The first day of kindergarten will be on Friday, Aug. 11. To ease parents and students in the initial drop-off and the transition into kindergarten, Friday, Aug. 11 will be a half day from 8:30 a.m. -12:30 p.m. The first full day of kindergarten will be Monday, Aug. 14 (7:40 a.m. – 2:25 p.m.). Teachers will meet students out front of the Elementary School Entrance driveline drop-off area.

Friday, Aug. 11, starting at 6 p.m. – Playfield

The PTO is excited to move forward with a great start to the new year! We are switching around the first and last event of the year, and with that said, Movie on the Green is back on to kick off the year, with hopefully amazing weather and great attendance!

Registration is now open for many of the Fall First Quarter after-school Enrichment programs at STEM Elementary. Programs run from 2:30-3:30 p.m.

* more details are coming in the August 4th newsletter.

** Registration is through the Mountain Performing Arts website.

A limited number of after-school program scholarships are available for families in need of financial assistance. Please see individual registrations for more details.

This is a friendly reminder for ALL families to please complete Express Check-In as soon as they can. In addition to completing DCSD’s Express Check-In, ALL families must complete the STEM Express Check-In Google Form that is located under the Additional School Forms section of the Dashboard.

If you’ve already completed Express Check-In in the DCSD Engage Platform, but did not complete the STEM Express Check-In Google Form that was included in the dashboard, please log back in and complete that form.

That Google Form is critical for all families to complete.

Express Check-In will close on Sunday, Aug. 6. Following the start of school, Express Check-In will open for NEW Families who join STEM after August 8. While Express Check-In is open for a number of weeks, we strongly encourage all families to complete the process early to reduce stress.

Exciting news! Starting next school year, all fifth-grade students will be provided with a Google Chromebook from STEM in order to complete their work in class. Families will no longer need to provide a laptop for their students. Chromebooks will be distributed at the start of the school year in their classrooms. Please email support@stemk12.org with any questions.

If you’re interested in getting involved with our School Accountability Committee and would like to receive meeting notifications, please email sac@stemk12.org to be included on the Meeting Reminder email list.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released some updated information about COVID-19 regarding isolation and precautions for people who have it, and have asked for schools to share the information with families. Click the button below to learn more.

FREE lunches are back for students! Starting in August of 2023, students will once again receive free lunches. Students must chose an entree, fruit/vegetable a milk for the free lunch. Snacks are not free.

While lunches will be free, it is important for families who need additional financial support to still complete the Free/Reduces Lunch application. Those who qualify for FRL status will only receive the additional benefits (free/reduced school fees, free/reduced trips, priority for scholarships in non-FRL field trips or Enrichment programs, and/or graduation fee reductions, etc.) of the program if they complete the application.

In order to assure that the District and STEM receive accurate data, DCSD and STEM are requesting that ALL families complete the FRL application that opens on July 15, regardless of financial status. A new application must be completed each school year. Families can also still apply for this school year using the link below.

We are looking for 2 Program Leaders to work in a busy and fun after-school program. If you or someone you know likes working with kids, has some experience working with children ages 5-12, and is eager to develop and learn new skills in a growing program with a fun, experienced, and dedicated staff, this is the right move for you. Program Leader hours are M-F, 1:30-5:30/6 p.m. Part-time and full-time hours are available during school breaks. This position is a “Select Charter Position” and offers an additional 10% (to hourly base rate) monthly stipend. If you are interested but need more flexibility, we are hiring Program Leader substitutes. Substitutes can work 2-3 days each week. We are also happy to coordinate with STEM who are looking for more hours. Feel free to call or email me for more details or questions at amy.dupays@dcsdk12.org, or (720) 688-2928.