Secondary News and Updates (08/06/21)

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

New students to STEM (and students who were new to STEM last year who attended virtually) who will be entering secondary school (grades 6-12) are invited to participate in our Secondary Spartan Launch!

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. 10. 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.

Monday, Aug. 9 from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Families who still need to pick up their driveline placard can do so on Monday, Aug. 9 from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. in the Secondary Lobby. If you cannot make that time, placards will be available throughout the week in the Secondary Office. Please remember to sign-up for a time slot via the sign-up form below.

Tuesday, Aug. 10, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Medication drop-off for all students that require medications within the school day will be Tuesday, Aug. 10 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Elementary and Secondary offices. Parents are required to perform the medication drop-off. We cannot accept medication from your student. Please be sure to have all completed documentation associated with your student’s medication. We are unable to accept medication that does not have the appropriate documentation. All required documents are below:

Wednesday, Aug. 18, from 5-7:30 p.m.

Parents are invited to come to school and follow their student’s schedule for the evening. They will attend each of the student’s classes and hear a brief presentation about the class content and expectations from each teacher. Parents only please.

Please park in the Middle School Parking Lot and enter through the Middle School Entrance. No sign-up is needed.

Wednesday, Aug. 18, at 7 p.m.

The STEM Best Robotics club will be holding an informational meeting on Wednesday, Aug. 18 at 7 p.m. in the High School Commons.

Thursday, Aug. 19, from 5-7:30 p.m.

Parents are invited to come to school and follow their student’s schedule for the evening. They will attend each of the student’s classes and hear a brief presentation about the class content and expectations from each teacher. Parents only please.

Please park in the Middle School Parking Lot and enter through the Middle School Entrance. No sign-up is needed.

Friday, Aug. 20, during the day

Secondary students will go in small groups during their study hall on Friday to get their photos taken by DR Photo. If a student does not have a study hall, they can get their photo taken during their lunch break. Click the button below to order online.

Every car that enters our East Driveline needs to use a placard. Placards will be pre-printed at the start of the school year and will be made available for pick-up on Thursday, Aug. 5 from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Placards must be visible in the front window to assist our driveline staffers with identifying that your car should be in the driveline at that time. In order to be good neighbors, we need to divide our Secondary pick-up into two groups to prevent stacking on Ridgeline Blvd. The first timeslot is from 2:55-3:05 p.m. The second timeslot is from 3:05-3:15 p.m. Please do not enter the parking lot prior to your designated time.

How do I get a placard?

For Secondary only families, please complete the Secondary Driveline Placard Sign-Up form to request your timeslot. You will then receive instructions on how to pick up your placard. If you would like to take part in our Secondary Carpool Program, please follow the steps below. If you are a family with students in our Elementary and Secondary schools, please reference the Driveline information in the Elementary News/Updates Section.

Carpools enjoy special Driveline perks! There is a carpool “express” lane in the East (Secondary) Driveline Loop. Carpools (meaning three or more students, or three or more families riding together) will need to obtain a carpool sticker to use the carpool lane. The school has partnered with “Way To Go: School Pool” to help families find carpool groups. In order to register, follow the instructions below.

1. Log into DCSD Infinite Campus Parent Portal, select a student and then click on transportation on the left menu.
2. Use the secure link to get to the Way To Go site and create an account. For security reasons, this link is the only way to enter the system for STEM School Highlands Ranch. You can register with a nearby intersection instead of your home address.
3. Using the Way To Go website, create an account to find interested STEM families in your area.
4. Click the button below to request a Carpool Placard if you will be the one picking up the carpool.

All sixth through 12th-grade student schedules are available in the Infinite Campus Parent and Student portal. In order to find your student’s schedule and/or teacher assignment, please log in to IC, select your student and then select schedule from the tab options at the top. Your student’s schedule/teacher assignments will appear there. If you have any difficulties viewing your student’s schedule, please reach out to stephanie.webb@stemk12.org.  If you have recently enrolled and do not have a portal account, please reach out to tiffany.klenke@stemk12.org.

If your Secondary student is new to STEM and your student has not made their course selections, you can still do so at the following links for middle school and for high school students.

We will not longer have a High School Entrance. In order to better serve our students, our High School Office has been transformed into the Counseling Offices. This means that our Middle School entrance will now be the Main Secondary Entrance, and our Middle School Office will now be our Secondary Office Suite. All Secondary Students should enter and exit through the Secondary Doors.

2020-21 Secondary Yearbooks are ready for pick up!

Families can pick up their yearbooks from the Middle School Office starting the second week of school. We thank you for your patience as we help students and staff adjust back to school. If you didn’t purchase a yearbook and would still like to, we have a limited supply still available. Please bring a check for $55 to the Middle School Office to purchase your yearbook.

Senior Yearbooks Update! If you moved out of state, please email your new address to communications@stemk12.org so we can mail it to you. 2021 Seniors can pick up their yearbooks from the Middle School Front Office.

AllHealth Network offers mental health services for students and families onsite at STEM School Highlands Ranch with a licensed professional counselor, Kathleen Shook. Kathleen uses evidence-based treatment approaches to talk and play with kids of all ages to help them with anxiety, depression, trauma, and adjusting to life’s changes. Sessions happen during school hours for your convenience and most insurances are accepted.

Additionally, AllHealth Network offers free services such as counseling, support groups and opportunities for social connection to students, families, and community members affected by May 7th at the STEM Center for Strength located at 640 Plaza Dr., Suite 130.

To get connected to any of the services AllHealth has to offer, contact Kathleen at 720-462-9645 or the STEM Center at 720-980-5761.

Nutrition Services is excited to start the new 2021-2022 School Year. After a year of so much change, we too are looking forward to a return to “normal” operations. We wanted to make sure all Building Leaders were aware of how Nutrition Services will be operating this year. Below are some highlights of what you can expect from this upcoming year:

• USDA has extended Meals at No Cost through June 30, 2022. This means that breakfast (where offered) and lunch will continue to be provided at no cost to all students.
• Remote meal bags will no longer be provided once the school year begins. All meals will be served in school cafeterias to students.
• Nutrition Services will resume use of our Harvest Bars, allowing self-serve bulk fruit and vegetable options for kids at all levels to increase consumption. Self-Serve procedures are all Tri-County Health Department approved. Hand Sanitizer stations and gloves will be available on all serving lines for customer use.
• Nutrition Services has raised our starting wages for Kitchen Assistants to $15 per hour and Kitchen Managers to $18.26 per hour to assist in our hiring. Central Office
• Age-Appropriate Smart Snack-approved Ala Carte items will be served at all school sites in conjunction with breakfast and lunch. Parents can opt-out as well as add limits to their child’s account at any time by contacting Nutrition Services at paula.wilson@dcsdk12.org.

In addition to these operational changes, Nutrition Services will be resuming our fun, in-person events, such as Colorado Proud Day on September 15th, our Turkey Day feast on November 17th, National School Lunch Week October 12-16th and our Nutrition Services Taste of DCSD Open House (timing TBD). We hope to see more of you all this year as we work to provide delicious, nutritious meals alongside a sense of normalcy for our students.