Secondary News and Updates (12/10/21)

Tuesday, Dec. 14, in the morning

STEM will be offering COVID Testing for students and staff again on Tuesday, Dec. 14 in the morning.

SECONDARY FAMILIES: Secondary students whose parents have consented to testing will need to sign-up to be scheduled for a testing time on Tuesday. Please sign up your Secondary student for COVID testing at the link below. The sign-up will close at 8 a.m. on Monday, Dec. 13. Only students that are signed up will be tested. You will receive an email late on Monday, Dec. 13 to let you know your student’s scheduled time for testing.

FYI: Mobile Health’s CSR team is making phone calls to some parents to verify consent form information if the form is missing information or if the information is inaccurate. CDPHE has requested this of Mobile Health so that they can get accurate information.

Tuesday, Dec. 14, from 6-6:30 p.m. – HS Commons and Zoom

Sixth-grade parents who are interested in sending their children on the Keystone Trip (February 9-11) can attend to learn more about the trip, necessary paperwork, and what to expect for their child. Attending the session is not required to attend the trip, but encouraged. Contact Evan Voorn at evan.voorn@https://stemk12.org with any questions.

Wednesday, Dec. 15, from 10-11 a.m – Secondary School Entrance

Each Wednesday, STEM opens up its doors from 10-11 a.m. for a building tour to interested families who would like to learn more about our school. We’d like to encourage our families to spread the word to anyone they know who might be interested in having their student(s) attend STEM. Interested tour participants should arrive 10 minutes early to get checked in and badged. They must bring a valid ID in order to get checked in.

Wednesday, Dec. 15, from 3:30-5:30 p.m – MS Classroom

Middle School Student Government will be holding a Middle School Movie Night on Wednesday, Dec. 15 from 3:30-5:30 p.m. in select Middle School Classrooms. The four movies that will be shown are:

• Mrs. Doubtfire
• Big Daddy
• Christmas Chronicles
• Narnia

A permission slip, along with a sign-up for each movie was sent home to Middle School Families earlier in the week. Please check your email for more information. Email michelle.gasser@https://stemk12.org with any questions.

Wednesday, Dec. 15, from 5:30-7 p.m. – HS Commons

The monthly STEM School Accountability Committee (SAC) meeting will be on Wednesday, Dec. 15 from 5:30-7 p.m. in the High School Commons. The meeting will also be available to watch via Zoom as a trial. In-person participation is strongly encouraged to help build engagement. Additionally, those who would like to participate in Public Comment must do so in person. Please park in the High School parking lot and enter through the High School Entrance.

The purpose of the SAC is to inform, encourage and provide opportunities for parent and community members to be involved in the planning and evaluation of the school’s instructional program and quality improvement processes. The SAC makes recommendations concerning the School’s performance, improvement, priority improvement, or turnaround plan, and meets to discuss the implementation of the School’s plan and other progress pertinent to STEM’s accreditation contract with the Board of Education. The SAC makes recommendations to the director for prioritizing the spending of school money.

Wednesday, Dec. 15, from 6-7 p.m. in the Middle School Cafeteria

It’s Saturday Night Live, but on a Wednesday! It’s like Who’s Line is it Anyway?, and we REALLY don’t know who’s line it is! Come see STEM’s brand new sketch and improv comedy show!!! You’ll see hilarious original comedy sketches, witty improv from STEM’s brilliant middle school and high school minds, and an original comedy video to top it all off!!!

For enrollment planning purposes, please let us know, either way if your child plans to return to STEM School Highlands Ranch next year. Please complete the Intent to Return Form for each of your currently attending STEM students. If you are currently enrolled at STEM please let us know that your child is returning. You do not need to “open enroll” to remain at STEM. If your child is currently attending STEM, they will be automatically enrolled for next year. Please also complete the form if your student is planning to seek enrollment at another school so that we can have an accurate count of returning students.

Final Fall semester grades will be available in the Infinite Campus Parent/Student Portal by 5 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 17. Please log in to your Parent Portal account to view your student’s grades. All High School grades will be posted to the transcripts by 5 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 1. If your student is enrolled in a Concurrent Enrollment class on our STEM campus, credit values will be adjusted when the staff returns in January. For students that are taking courses off the STEM Campus, please send an official transcript of your grades to the registrar, Tiffany Klenke at tiffany.klenke@https://stemk12.org.

If you have not yet set up an Infinite Campus Parent Portal account please see the instructions below and complete the process before December 17. The registrar will be out of the office and will not be available to assist with the Parent Portal set-up after December 17. If you have a Parent Portal account and need to reset your password, please see the password reset link below.

Setting up your portal account:

Please click here to watch the instructional video from the district on creating a portal account.

Here is the link with instructions on setting up an account: 

After you set up the account and are able to access your Parent Portal you should then be able to access the Express Check-In using the same credentials.

Infinite Campus Portal password reset:

To reset a forgotten/unknown password using a PIN Reset, click here.

If you have not set up your observer account for your student(s), please do so as soon as possible. This is one of the ways that teachers use to let parents know about what is happening in classes. You can go to the Technology Support page and click on the “Quick Guide to Syhttps://stems.” You will see a video in this area that shows you step by step in creating an observer account.

If you run into difficulty, please email the IT team at support@https://stemk12.org and they can help with any technology issues that arise.

Following the groundbreaking of the new CHSAA Gym/Building Remodel Project, the High School Staff Parking Lot will be fenced off to allow the construction company to stage all their equipment. No staff parking or vehicle access will be allowed in this parking lot. We are sharing this information because we know that several parents are using this lot as a pick-up and drop-off area, which is not permitted via our Transportation Management Plan. We are asking all families to please use the approved avenues for pick-up that are outlined in our TMP.

A failure to find mathematics challenging, interesting, or relevant are significant factors when children lose interest in mathematics. All children, but especially those who are talented in mathematics, must be exposed to material that lights a fire and nurtures their gift. Ed Zaccaro will, a popular presenter in mathematics will be hosting a parent session on Thursday, Feb. 3 from 6-7 p.m. in-person and/or virtuall. Click the button below to view the flier. This session will give parents information that will not only help them develop mathematical thinking in their children, but also ideas on how to nurture a passion for mathematics.

Ed is a popular presenter at math, homeschool and gifted education conferences around the country and has approached gifted education as a parent, teacher, and school board member. His students will testify to his ability to make math fun and challenging for them as well as his unique sense of humor which comes through in his classes and workshops. Ed has taught students of all ages and abilities since graduating from Oberlin College in 1974. He has a masters degree in Gifted Education from the University of Northern Iowa. Ed’s work is currently being used around the world and has been translated into several languages including Chinese and Korean.

Please have your student check the lost and found as we will be donating it over the Winter Break.

In the event that DCSD determines that the district should follow the DCSD Delayed Opening protocol, STEM School Highlands Ranch will abide by its Virtual School Day Policy. When it snows, our school’s operation and instructional expectations will be determined by one of these three scenarios:

1. Snow Day – Douglas County Schools (check www.dcsdk12.org) calls a snow day – The STEM building is closed and implements a Virtual School Day with 20% of the learning being synchronous. (NEW; STEM will not have Snow Days morning forward)
2. Late Start Day – Douglas County Schools calls a Late Start day – STEM is closed and implements a Virtual School Day with 20% of the learning being synchronous.
3. All Schools Open – Douglas County Schools declare Highlands Ranch area schools open – STEM is open and operating to our regular schedule.

Applications for the next class of VISA Black Scholars and Jobs Program are open now through January 10, 2022. This program offers eligible college-bound, High School seniors in the U.S. a scholarship and opportunities for internships and full-time employment at VISA. Let’s unlock access to education so that everyone, everywhere can thrive. If you know of anyone who would benefit from this opportunity, send them to TMCF.org/Visa #LifeatVisa #Proud.

We are looking to add more teams to our Athletic Department’s Spring Schedule.  Sports that we’re interested in adding are Girls Tennis, Girls Golf and Girls Lacrosse. If you or your student are interested in taking part in a Spring Sport, please complete the interest survey below.

The Colorado League of Charter Schools celebrates members and supporters of the charter school movement annually. Please take a moment to nominate someone you feel deserves recognition for being an outstanding member of the charter community. Submit your nominees through Wednesday, January 5.

“Applications are no being accepted from STEM juniors and Seniors for the Spring 2022 Lockheed Martin Virtual Internship Program.

Interested STEM Juniors and Seniors

1. Fill out the Career Discovery Application ASAP https://stemk12.org/student_support_services/career-discovery/

2. Submit the signed description form to Dr. Cannady ASAP

3. Each student is individually interviewed

4. Students who are accepted submit out STEM Internship Policy/Paperwork by December 16.

Attention High School students! The NACLO 2022 Linguistics Competition registration is now open!

Students compete in linguistics problem solving, computational thinking, and natural language processing challenges. Winners move on to the International Linguistics Olympiad, which this year will be held on the United Kingdom Isle of Man. Last year 54 teams representing 34 countries competed in Latvia. Sponsors include Carnegie Mellon, National Science Foundation, University of Michigan, and the Linguistic Society of America.

STEM School Highlands Ranch is currently the only high school competition site in Colorado. No prior experience is necessary and there is no fee to participate.

• The competition date is January 27, 2022.

Click the button below to register and choose STEM School Highlands Ranch as the competition site from the drop-down. Please go to nacloweb.org for further details or drop in on a session of the STEM Linguistics Club on Tuesday for further details.

Nominations are now open for the CBS Denver Future Leaders Scholarship. If you know a High School student who is thriving in the STEM core subjects please consider nominating them for this $1,000 scholarship.

Click the button below to access the nomination form and to find out more. One student will be selected each month to receive this special recognition award that will include a $1,000 award along with a student profile on CBS4. The nomination window will run through April 22, 2022.

The Colorado School Nutrition Association will be holding their annual conference this summer on June 15-16. Part of the conference is the One Plate Challenge at the Embassy Suites in Loveland, Colo. Check the flier to the right for more information.

Attention Middle School and High School students!

Don’t forget to purchase your yearbooks. Go to Yearbookforever.com to buy your yearbook for $45. Buy it while you can because come October 31 the price goes up to $55. Additionally, if you would like your photo in the yearbook, you can share your photos with us. You can share them using the Yearbook Snap app using the code STEM22. It’s available on the App Store and Google Play Store, download it today and share those photos. If you have any questions about the yearbook or how to use Yearbook Snap, please email one of the yearbook editors-in-chief at elizabeth.noethlich@s.https://stemk12.org and cadence.coan@s.https://stemk12.org or stop by room 110 after school.

Families can access their photos by visiting the link to the right or going to dr-photo.com, selecting the School Portrait Proofs link, and when prompted enter their private password in the following format: Student ID#

For virtual students, appointments will be available Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. from September 14 – October 21. Click the link to the right to schedule your appointment.

I Matter: Free Counseling Sessions for Colorado Youth

In October, the Colorado Department of Human Services, Office of Behavioral Health launched I Matter⸺a program that provides up to three free counseling sessions for any Colorado youth. Youth and their parents can visit the I Matter platform to take a confidential online survey about their mental health and schedule sessions with a licensed behavioral health clinician, primarily via telehealth.

All Colorado youth ages 18 or younger—or 21 and younger if receiving special education services—are eligible to receive free services. Youth 12 and older can sign up for counseling sessions without a parent or guardian’s consent. More than 700 counseling appointments have been scheduled with a growing list of clinicians since I Matter launched.

Storytime at Douglas County Libraries

Did you know that children learn about reading and writing before they can actually read or write? Join Douglas County Libraries for indoor or virtual Storytime. Storytime nurtures six important pre-reading skills in your child: narrative skills, phonological awareness, letter knowledge, print motivation, vocabulary, and print awareness.

Healthy Holiday Challenge – Action for Healthy Kids

Action for Healthy Kids challenges you to participate in the Game On Holiday Challenge each week this month! Check out these weekly activities you and your family can do to support physical, mental, and emotional well-being during the holiday season.

We value and appreciate all of our outstanding educators and staff here in DCSD and are thrilled that the Foundation for Douglas County Schools is gearing up to host the 16th Annual Apple Awards on April 2, 2022. Nominations for Apple Awards are now open until Sunday, December 12! Please consider nominating a DCSD educator or staff member who is inspiring a love of learning in students.