Secondary News and Updates (09/18/20)

Upcoming Opportunities

• Driveline still needs volunteers. Click here to sign up.
• For more opportunities, click here.

Donation Opportunities

• Donation items are still needed, click here to view.

Nutrition Services is excited to announce that, effective immediately, ALL meals served in school are now free for all students. This includes one breakfast (where available) and one lunch per day. Signage will be posted in all schools showing what is included in a free meal. Free meals include all entrees (except Subway at High Schools) with fruit/veggies and/or milk.

For Virtual/Online Learners, DCSD will begin weekly remote meal bag pick-ups at all neighborhood Elementary and Middle Schools in Douglas County (pick-up not available at STEM) every Friday from 1-2 p.m. Start date for remote bag pickups is Friday. Sept. 18. These bags will contain five breakfast/lunches for Virtual/Online Learners and three breakfast/lunches for Hybrid learners. Meal pick-ups do NOT require pre-order. Simply pull up to our curbside pickup locations and request a meal for kids, just like our Summer Feeding sites. Kids do not need to attend DCSD Schools and do not need to be present for pickup.

Career Countdown
Career Countdown is a virtual event consisting of Lockheed Martin engineers, interns, a science communicator, and a former astronaut. Participants will learn about different engineering disciplines, educational paths required to work in a STEM career, and we will showcase the advanced technology Lockheed Martin is currently utilizing. Lockheed Martin high school interns will share their intern experience and what it means to have a STEM career. Participants also will have the opportunity to ask guest panelists questions. We hope you can join us on September 22.

This event will be through Zoom and powered by TALLO. Our goal is to motivate and educate students in grades 9-12 on the benefits there are to taking on a career in science, technology, engineering and mathematics field.

Event Details:
What: Career Countdown – Presented by Lockheed Martin and Powered by Tallo
When: September 22, 2020 at 11 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Where: Virtual – Zoom Webinar

P-TECH is a program developed to offer your student an Associate’s degree with FREE tuition, paid internships, pathways to meaningful well paid careers, and more. If you’re interested in learning more, join our webinar on September 24 from 6-7 p.m. The webinar is open to students grades 8 and up, along with their parents. Students MUST be signed up before October 1 of their junior year (11th grade) to be eligible.

On September 23, seniors will take the SAT or SAT with Essay; students have already selected which version of the assessment to take. No lunch will be provided, as the cafeteria will not be open. Students in grades 9-11 will complete remote assignments from home. Students who have selected the 100% Virtual/Online Learning as their Academic Plan will attend at their scheduled cohort time. Testing rooms will be capped at 15 students, and social distancing will be maintained. Masks are required. Click here for the day’s schedule.

Due to SAT testing for seniors on September 23, all students in grades 9, 10 and 11 will conduct their instruction virtually for that day. Please make sure to mark your calendars.

SteMed Introduction Meeting

• Field Trips
• Volunteer Opportunities
• Leadership Positions
• Medical Speakers
• Hands-On Experiences

SteMed Jr Introduction Meeting

• Field Trips
• Volunteer Opportunities
• Leadership Positions
• Medical Speakers
• Hands-On Experiences

On October 6, STEM seventh and eighth grade students in Cohort A will take the PSAT 8/9, and on October 8, seventh and eighth grade students in Cohort B will take the PSAT 8/9. This assessment is not part of the state-mandated accountability testing, but an opportunity for parents, students and teachers to see what skills students need in order to prepare for high school and college. More information about the PSAT 8/9 can be found here. Also, click here to view the PSAT 8/9 Overview that includes the schedule for October 6 & 8, as well as FAQs.

We’ve been adding new Enrichment offerings each week. Take a look at what is available for Elementary, Middle and High School students.

Please Help With Student Count Day

Douglas County Pupil Count Day is Thursday, Oct, 1. Please be sure to have your student in attendance for the full day whether it be in person or  virtual. If possible, we ask that you avoid scheduling any appointments for your student on that day. We want to have all of our students present and counted. This will affect the overall funding for our school. We appreciate your help!

Attendance Line – 303-683-7836

• Please call the line before class begins to let us know if your student will be tardy or absent for hybrid OR virtual students – otherwise they will be marked unexcused.
• Please visit the student/parent Handbook to review the attendance policy.
• Virtual students that opt to attend in person classes must do so on their assigned cohort days only. The student must check in at the front office before attending class.

Early Dismissal

• Students will be excused to leave class with an Early Leave pass from the office. The student may exchange a note from the parent for the pass at the office. Younger Elementary students may need to rely on their parents calling the office ahead of time to set up an early release.
  • Students will still need to be signed out by a parent at the respective office (Elementary or Secondary).
  • The course of action that will cause the least amount of disruption to the classroom is to:
    • Pick your student up during passing period
    • Send a note in with your student to receive an Early Dismissal Pass (students will be able to show this to their teacher before class begins, and leave at the appropriate time).
    • NO unscheduled early pickups will be allowed after 1:15 pm.

*Parents MUST call the attendance line when student is not following the Academic plan that was chosen.

All Secondary Students can pick up their yearbooks from last school year at the Middle School Front Office. People who have yet to purchase their yearbooks from the 2019-2020 school year still can through www.yearbookforever.com. Just search for STEM School Highlands Ranch.

The last date to submit a senior picture for the yearbook is October 30, 2020. Aaron Guggenheim (aaron.guggenheim@https://stemk12.org) is our new Yearbook Advisor. Click here to view a helpful flier with important date and information on photos.

• Tuesday, Sept. 22, 3-4:30 p.m. – First Open Gym – MS Gym

• Canvas LMS for Parents Video
• Parent Pointers for Canvas Part 1
• Parent Pointers for Canvas Part 2
• 10 Tips for Observers

We are seeking members for the Curriculum Committee which represents K-12 teachers, parents, students, administrators, and board members. This committee meets once per month in order to engage in conversations and understand curricular related issues and processes pertaining to the school. This year the committee will be focusing on a review of academic data, course offerings, instructional materials, while highlighting the various opportunities in each department and grade levels across the school. We will also be focusing on providing recommendations related to equity across all aspects of curriculum while aligning to the STEM Instruction Model (Problem Based Learning). If you are interested in serving on the Curriculum Committee or have further questions, please contact Dr. Karen Johnson (karen.johnson@https://stemk12.org), Director of Curriculum and Accountability.

If you pre-ordered face masks or gators they have arrived and are at the MS Office for pick up.  If you are a fully remote student, please come to school to pick up your purchases. Spart Mart does not have shipping capabilities at this time.  Click the button below if you would like to purchase one. We have youth and adults sizes available.