Secondary News and Updates (08/04/23)

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, 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 visit the respective Front Office to pick up your placard. If you are picking up an Elementary and Secondary Placard, please go to the Elementary School Front Office.

All Secondary families must sign-up for one of two timeslots (2:55 p.m. or 3:05 p.m.). Click the button below to sign-up for a timeslot. All families must have a placard to use Driveline and must only come at their designated time. Carpool placards will also be available during this time, but families must complete the Secondary Carpool Sign-Up first, and must meet the requirements of the Carpool program.

Monday, Aug. 7, from 9-11 a.m. or 12-2 p.m. – Secondary Gym (Students please arrive 15 minutes prior to your start time)

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. 8. This event is for students only. Please enter through the Secondary School Doors.

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!

Please fold your driveline placard in half and place it on your dashboard as you enter the Secondary School parking lot in the afternoon. Please do not laminate the placard as it creates a glare with the sun and windshield, making it difficult to see.

You will only need the placard in the afternoon for dismissal. If you need a replacement or an additional placard, email support@stemk12.org with Placard in the subject line. Please include your student’s name, grade and number of placards needed.

STEM School Highlands Ranch is a standards-based learning school. Standards-based learning (SBL) is a way for students to demonstrate mastery of standards, and a way for teachers to determine which standards students still need help to understand. It is a way for parents to determine what their student knows and might be struggling with.

For the 2023-24 School Year, below are the lunch times for Middle School Students.

• Sixth Grade – A Lunch (11:15-11:45 p.m.)
• Seventh and Eighth Grade – B & C Lunches (12-12:30 p.m. or 12:45-1:15 p.m.)

Seventh and eighth graders will learn on the first day of school from their teacher when their lunch time is. NEW this year! Seventh and eighth graders will have mixed lunches during B & C lunches. This is a change from last year so that we can provide more Elective opportunities for students to chose in their schedule.

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.

We are asking all families, K-12, to please download the PikMyKid Parent App and set up an account. We will continue to use the PikMyKid App for dismissal for Elementary Driveline, and will be adding PikMyKid to our Emergency Messaging platforms for all of K-12. We will not implement the dismissal component for Secondary at this time, and will release more information in the coming months.

If you have set up your account and do not see your student, please click the button below to complete the PikMyKid Help Form so that we can help you.

Join STEM School Highlands Ranch’s Schoolpool program to connect with other families to drive, walk or bike to school together.

Looking for help getting your student to and from school to after-school activities, or want to find a buddy to commute to school with? STEM School Highlands Ranch is pleased to once again partner with Schoolpool, a free program to make it easier to get to school.

Signing up is simple!

1. Using a computer (not a smartphone or tablet), create an account and enter your address or intersection here. (Your information will only be shared with same school families. To maintain the highest level of privacy and security, each school’s registration link is unique.)
   Add comments to indicate interest, such as “can provide morning rides in exchange for afternoon rides,” “student is in after-school activities,” or “looking for a walk buddy in the mornings.”
2. Find and contact interested STEM School Highlands Ranch families in your neighborhood or along your drive to/from school.
3. The more families that register, the more likely you will find good matches. Even if your family doesn’t need a ride, consider signing up to drive other students. Your participation builds a stronger school community.

Privacy and security: STEM School Highlands Ranch and Schoolpool do not run background checks, confirm valid driver’s licenses, or assess insurance coverage on participants. Potential users are advised to screen participants to their personal satisfaction and check their own insurance coverage for carpooling to ensure that they are covered under these voluntary arrangements. Schoolpool does not provide drivers, vehicles, or insurance.

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.

Laptops are only required for middle and high school students. For STEM laptop purchase recommendations, please click the button below. New for this year! All fifth-grade students will receive a laptop provided by STEM. One important note! Older computers will need a dongle.

Our new wireless structure will require that all computers connect to 5GhZ radio. This may impact students with older computers. Most newer devices already have a wireless card installed that connects to 5GhZ radio. If your computer is older or does not connect to 5GhZ radio, you will have to purchase a WIFI dongle. It can be purchased online or at any tech retailer starting at about $30. Search for “WiFI Dongle 5 GHz.” There should be a lot of options!

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.

For those who haven’t completed this step yet, please click the button below to sign-up for a secondary locker. The yearly fee for a locker is $5 and will be added to the student’s MySchoolBucks account. Lockers are separated by grade level and will be assigned on a first-come, first-serve basis. Students will receive an email with their locker number and combination.

Students with valid driver’s licenses can put their names on the Parking Pass Waitlist via the button below. Parking passes cost $50 for the school year, and the fee will be added to the student’s MySchoolBucks account. The fee must be paid prior to picking up the parking pass. Students who are approved will receive an email with instructions on how to pick up.

There is no designated Secondary Supply List. All Secondary Students will receive supply lists from each teacher, depending on the course, during the first week of school.

Middle School Student Government is looking for students in grades 6-8 who would like to be involved in becoming a leader in our Middle School. Please access the application via the button below. Applications must be submitted by Tuesday, Aug. 8.

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.

We are changing our web filtering this school year to Securly. We have filtering set as default when on the network. If a student installs a certificate on their machine, they can get filtering according to their grade level. You can get the installation file by clicking the button below. This only filters when on the school network. All students will join the “Students” WiFi network at the school As long as the student has the certificate installed, they will get filtered correctly.

It’s time to register for Fall Sports! All students in grades 9-12 who wish to participate must register and have an up-to-date physical submitted prior to starting any practices or games. Click the button to the right to register.

• Boy’s Golf – Practice starts July 31
• Boy’s Soccer – Practice starts on August 7
• Co-Ed Cross Country – Practice starts on August 7
• Girls’ Volleyball – Practice starts on August 7

Students who wish to participate in eSports must also register but do not need to submit a physical.

Please note: Now that we are a CHSAA school, students can no longer play for other high schools if we offer the sport at STEM. For the sports we do not offer, such as football, a student can still play for their neighborhood school.

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.