Secondary News and Updates (07/19/24)

Wednesday, July 24, from 9 a.m.-12 p.m. – Secondary Gym – Sixth Grade Students

Thursday, July 25, from9 a.m.-12 p.m. – Secondary Gym – Seventh Grade Students

Friday, July 26, from 9 a.m.-12 p.m. – MS Cafeteria – Eighth Grade Students

Middle School students will have the opportunity to complete in-person schedule changes if needed. Dates are organized by grade-level. If students cannot make the assigned dates, please email the appropriate counselor to set up an appointment.

• Lily Williams (A-L) – lily.williams@stemk12.org
• Lisa Clay (M-Z) – lisa.clay@stemk12.org

Schedule changes will not be accepted via email.

Wednesday, July 24, from 9 a.m.-12 p.m. – Secondary Gym – 12th Grade Students

Wednesday, July 24, from 1-3 p.m. – Secondary Gym – 11th Grade Students

Thursday, July 25, from 9 a.m.-12 p.m. – Secondary Gym – 10th Grade Students

Thursday, July 25, from 1-3 p.m. – Secondary Gym – 9th Grade Students

Friday, July 26, from 9 a.m.-12 p.m. – HS Counseling – Make-Ups

High School students will have the opportunity to complete in-person schedule changes if needed. Dates are organized by grade level. If students cannot make the assigned dates, please schedule an appointment using the following links.

• Colene Belisle (A-L) – https://calendly.com/cmbelisle 
• Madison Grebe (M-Z) – https://calendly.com/madison-grebe

Schedule changes will not be accepted via email.

Wednesday, July 24 & Thursday, July 25, from 8 a.m.-2:30 p.m. – Student Parking Lot

Seniors who have purchased a parking pass (and paid for it via MySchoolBucks) and who have had their artwork approved will be able to paint their parking spaces on July 24 and July 25. For more information on how to purchase a parking pass and how to submit artwork if you’re a senior, please see the blurb below.

Monday, July 29-Friday, Aug. 2, from 7:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. – Secondary Front Office

Families can drop off their student’s medication at the Secondary Front Office during the week of July 29-August 2. See the important medication forms that school policies below. If you have any questions, please email nurse@stemk12.org.

Monday, July 29-Friday, Aug. 2, from 7:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. – Secondary Front Office

Families can pick up their Driveline Placards for Elementary Driveline via the Secondary Front Office during the week of July 29-August 2. Placards will be printed on demand. All families must have a placard for their car to access driveline. The purpose of the placards is to help identify at what time slot cars are supposed to be in driveline. Click the button below to learn more about our Driveline.

On Monday, July 29, from 12-1 p.m., a Welcome Back to School Zoom Webinar will cover how our driveline operates for Elementary and Secondary. See below for more information.

Monday, July 29-Friday, Aug. 2, 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 29 through Friday, Aug. 2, from 12-1 p.m. each day. Each session will cover important topics, outlined below, that all families should know 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 this page for those who couldn’t attend.

• Monday, July 29 (12-1 p.m.) – Driveline Procedures & PikMyKid (Elementary Families)
• Tuesday, July 30 (12-1 p.m.) – Getting Informed (Attendance line, using IC, visiting STEM, Student/Parent Handbook, Fees, School Photos, etc.)
• Wednesday, July 31 (12-1 p.m.) – Getting Connected (Communications Pathways, who to contact when?, communications at STEM, etc.)
• Thursday, Aug. 1 (12-1 p.m.) – Getting Involved (volunteering, donating, STEM PTO, STEM SAC, etc.)
• Friday, Aug. 2 (12-1 p.m.) – The STEM Experience (Enrichment and Athletics)

Monday, Aug. 5, from 9-11 a.m. or 12-2 p.m.

New students to STEM who will be entering secondary school (grades 6-12) are invited to participate in our Secondary Spartan Launch! (this includes first-time students at STEM and first-time students entering Secondary who were in STEM Elementary last year)

Come meet new friends, learn about STEM School’s culture and student expectations, team building, and tour the school. Participation in Spartan Launch will help prepare all new students for their first school day on Tuesday, Aug. 6. This event is for students only. Please enter through the Middle School Doors. Click the button below to sign up for one of the two sessions being offered.

Wednesday, Aug. 7 and Thursday, Aug. 8, during school hours

Secondary Students will get their photos taken during the English/Language Arts courses and have their badges printed on-site. DR-Photo will be emailing families directly with information on how to purchase photos. Please submit any questions to info@stemk12.org.

Secondary students do not have a school-wide supply list. Each teacher will include any supplies needed in their syllabus. Students in grades 7-13 (including P-TECH) must provide their own laptop. Click the button below to see the laptop requirements.

Student Safety is the Primary Concern and Goal During our morning drop-off and our afternoon pick-up. Click the button below to check out our Driveline page that outlines important information that each family must know for the drivers of our Elementary (West) and the Secondary (East) Drivelines, as well as for walkers. Please review this information before the start of school to assist us with a smooth drop off and pick up.

The Free and reduced benefits expire in June and every family must apply for FRL benefits every year. VERY IMPORTANT: Families must elect to share their information with STEM, otherwise the school will not be able to see that you have been approved for waivers.

Here are the directions to apply:

• Log onto DCSD MySchoolApps FRL Application.
• Select Begin Application Process
• Complete all information required
• Once approved they will receive a letter confirming the date and student name, ID, and School year (one letter per student)
• Forward all letters to Ashley.westfall@stemk12.org (not required if you checked yes to share your information)

Secondary schedules will be released in the morning of Monday, July 22 via Infinite Campus. An email reminder with further instructions will go out on Sunday afternoon. New this year, counselors will provide in-person schedule change opportunities next week for students and parents. Please see the schedule above for more information.

Please place your student’s name on the waitlist for a locker. The yearly fee for a locker will be $5.00. Lockers are being assigned over the next few weeks. Lockers are separated by grade level and will be assigned on a first-come, first-serve basis. You will be able to pay for the locker fee through MySchoolBucks. Parents and students will receive an email with their locker number and combination. If you have any questions, please contact info@stemk12.org.

High School Students with a valid driver’s license and registered vehicle can sign up for a parking pass. Parking passes cost $50 for the school year. There is no assigned parking. Seniors will be given priority in the order that they sign up, followed by juniors and sophomores. If students receive their driver’s license during the school year, they can put their name on the waitlist, and if there are any available throughout the school year, they can purchase one.

Fees for the parking passes will be added to each student’s MySchoolBucks account and must be paid for prior to picking up the parking pass in August. Click the button below to complete the form.

For seniors who would like to paint their parking space, an addition $25 fee will be applied to their student’s MySchoolBucks account if it is indicated on the Student Parking Pass sign-up form. All artwork must be submitted for approval prior to painting. Please use the form below to submit any remaining artwork.

This just in! Student fees should now be in every family’s MySchoolBucks account. Please log in to review and pay your student’s fees. If your student is approved for a locker, a $5 locker fee will be charged to their MySchoolBucks account. Additional fees that might appear in MySchoolBucks include the student parking pass (if approved) and the fee to pay to paint the student parking space. Please reach out to ashley.westfall@stemk12.org with any questions.

Instructions to View Report Cards in Infinite Campus: Grades 6-12

1. Login into your Portal Account.
2. Click on the three (3) lines in the top-left corner to open the Menu.
3. Click on “Grades” to view your student’s grades.
4. Click on “Reports” and select “MP1 HS Report Card” to view and print the report card.

PLEASE NOTE: If you are looking for specific class assignment details (e.g. rubric, teacher comments, etc.), you should log in to your Canvas account for more information. Grades for new assignments sync from Canvas to Infinite Campus every Thursday evening. If there happens to be a discrepancy between an overall grade in Canvas and Infinite Campus, the grade posted in Infinite Campus is the grade of record for your child.

We are very excited to welcome back our students to STEM for the 2024-24 school year. We want to make sure all students with medication needs have the proper forms on file at the beginning of the school year. Please review the DCSD medication policies for Elementary students and for Secondary students if your child requires medication while at school, their physician will need to fill out the following forms before the first day of school. These forms can be returned to our K-12 school nurse, Mallory Jimenez, at nurse@stemk12.org or turned in to one of the health offices along with the medication starting on August 1.

Elementary Students (K-5)

1. The use of medication at school is discouraged in most instances. Most medications are available in long acting form and parents are encouraged to administer such medication at home.
2. Medication to be given at school (prescription medication and over-the-counter) must have a completed Student Medication Request and Release Agreement and Provider Authorization form on file.
3. All prescription medication must be furnished in the original pharmacy-labeled container, with the student’s name, medication, dosage, and physician on the label. Over-the-counter medications must be in an original container (these requirements are state regulations). Medication in baggies will not be accepted.

Middle School Students (6-8)

Middle school students may assume responsibility for bringing to school and administering their own medication, provided they carry only enough for one day and have the “Permission to Self-Carry and Self-Admin Medication” form on file in the school office. Students using poor judgment in carrying and taking their own medication will have such medication confiscated by school personnel, and parents or guardians will be notified. A structured plan will then be developed for the administration of the medication. Any parent or guardian who chooses not to sign the permission to carry medication form may request that a structured plan be devised for his or her student.

High School Students (9-12)

High school students may assume the responsibility of bringing to school and administering their own medication, provided they carry only enough for one day. Students who appear to be using poor judgment in carrying and taking their own medication will have such medication confiscated by school personnel, and parents or guardians will be notified. A structured plan will then be developed for the administration of medication. Any parent may also request that a structured plan be devised for their student. On an overnight field trip, students may bring enough medication for the duration of the field trip.

We are always looking for ways to improve our security posture. This coming school year, we are going to implement MFA for all students. The first question that probably comes to mind, my student doesn’t have a phone so how can we do this? U, we can use another source.

We are writing to inform you about an important update regarding the security measures we are implementing to safeguard our students’ online activities.

As part of our ongoing commitment to ensuring a secure digital environment for our students, we will be introducing Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) for all student accounts on our school’s digital platforms, implementation will start at the beginning of the new school year. We will accomplish this by using Clever Classroom MFA.

What is MFA and Why is it Important?

MFA is an additional layer of security that helps protect accounts by requiring multiple forms of verification before granting access. This typically involves something the user knows (like a password) combined with something they have or know (such as a card to scan or the need to identify pictures they have chosen). By implementing MFA, we are enhancing the security of our students’ accounts and reducing the risk of unauthorized access or potential breaches.

What Does This Mean for Your Child?

Starting a couple of weeks after the start of the new school year, your child will be prompted to set up MFA when accessing their school accounts. One of the ways to help the youngest would be to have pictures that have to be chosen after the password. The first screen would show a group of animals and the student would have chosen one after they set up the MFA. The second would show pictures of foods. With the two pictures chosen, they would use these to complete their MFA. There are also options for using Apple Touch ID or Windows Hello if your machine has this configured. We will provide detailed instructions and support to ensure a smooth transition for all students. We will start to send out the detailed instructions prior to the start of the new school year.

How Can You Help?

We kindly ask for your support in helping your child set up MFA for their school accounts. Encourage them to follow the provided instructions and emphasize the importance of keeping their login credentials and authentication methods secure.

Questions or Concerns?

If you have any questions or concerns about the implementation of MFA, please do not hesitate to reach out to support@stemk12.org. We are here to assist you and ensure that this transition is as seamless as possible for your student.

Thank you for your cooperation and understanding as we continue to prioritize the safety and security of our students’ online experiences.

STEM IT Department

Dear STEM School Highlands Ranch Sixth Grade Families,

The issuance and use of school-owned 6th grade devices is a new process for everyone and we are looking forward to a collaborative effort with families to make it a positive experience.

This email is the first message going out to provide an overview of the current configuration and process. If the content we provide here doesn’t answer your questions, please email me directly. We will compile all questions and send another message next week to everyone since many people will probably have a few questions. Please send questions before Tuesday, July 23. Please send these emails to mike.pritchard@stemk12.org.

We have configured the computers to be completely locked down. Students will not be able to install software that is not already approved. The approval will come from what teachers need for their coursework. We don’t believe for this first year that we will need any additional software besides what is already installed.

We do want to let you know that the filtering that will happen at home is the same as what occurs at the school. This also is new since devices prior were owned by students and we did not want to filter their personal devices when not at the school. We need your help in the process. Even as we are filtering offsite, we need you to be a part of the process to monitor what is accessed. We’ll share more information in the coming weeks as to what that looks like.

For questions after these two emails, please send them to suppport@stemk12.org.

In partnership,

Mike Pritchard, IT Director

Want to connect with other families in your student’s grade? Join your student’s class page on Facebook to connect with other parents, get class-specific info, and more. Click the button below to visit our Get Connected back on the website that lists all of the Community Facebook pages. Be sure to answer all required questions in order join. Email info@stemk12.org with any questions.

Have a question for Laurie? Email registrar@stemk12.org.