Please anticipate delays in carline as we adjust to COVID-19 check-ins. A few more carline volunteers are needed for the week of September 28.

When going through carline, please attach your child's name card to the passenger sun visor to help us streamline the check-in process. As the weather changes and we look to limit the amount of time outside, we will need to have full visibility. Placing the name card on the dashboard does not make the name card visible to volunteers.

It's time to catch up with the annual State of the School presentation. Join us Wednesday, September 30, 2020, from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. to learn more about the school's sixty-year history as an innovator in education. You will hear from our new Head of School Tambi Tyler as she guides the school through the challenges of COVID-19, undoubtedly one of the greatest disruptors of our time. We will gain an insight on enrollment trends, academic benchmarks, and school finance 101.

Families, faculty/staff, grandparents, alumni, past parents, donors, and friends are all encouraged to attend this presentation. While typically we gather in person, we respectfully ask this diverse audience to tune in virtually as we continue to mitigate exposure and risks with our closed campus policy.

As our autumnal rhythms cause us to reflect, we will also offer our utmost gratitude for being able to host classes on campus and celebrate each and every day the return of students for in-person learning. Returning to campus is a feat that deserves shared accolades.

When presented with the challenge of COVID-19, schools across the country have had to pivot, hold to their mission, and build community like never before. We are working diligently to provide robust programming in the face of the pandemic. Academic programming has had to shift and through the collective efforts of our community, we are continuing to provide quality experiential learning experiences.

Our outdoor education and seminar programs are an opportunity for students and teachers to come together as a class, grade level, and school. We create experiences that allow students to take risks, develop leadership skills, independence, and teamwork, thus preparing them for a dynamic world. Students and teachers create lasting bonds and foster positive partnerships that make them college-ready.

We would like to inform the community of upcoming shifts in the calendar. All of these events are being assessed for risk and reimagined to align with COVID-19 friendly protocols.

Please continue to consult the All-School Google Calendar for shifts in the calendar. Subscribe to the calendar here (scroll to the bottom of the page).

Friday, September 25, 3:15 p.m. dismissal - Unfortunately, the All-School Carnival is canceled this year. We believe hosting this Carnival would unduly risk large groups of parent volunteers, faculty/staff, and students across grade levels and cohorts, thereby jeopardizing our goal of in-person learning. Additionally, there will NOT be a Founders' Day Hall of Fame assembly or Alumni Reunion festivities throughout the weekend. In order to prioritize in-person instructional time, we will NOT have a noon dismissal on this day in favor of a full instructional day with a 3:15 p.m. dismissal. The Parents Association is looking to send a little Carnival flare home in the near future to mark this long-standing tradition.

Saturday, September 26, 7:00 - 10:00 p.m., Quad

Upper School Homecoming Dance with COVID-19 safety guidance.

Wednesday, September 30, 6:30 p.m. - Head of School Tambi Tyler will host the State of the School presentation virtually. Learn more here.

Friday, October 2, 5:00 - 6:30 p.m. (time change to accommodate daylight hours) - The annual Revue will be a COVID-19 friendly outdoor showcase featuring student performances from 4th - 12th grade students. The Trianon Terrace will serve as the stage and seating will be defined as pods on the quad. More details on COVID-19 protocols and procedures to follow. CSS will not host the Bonfire following this event due to burn ban fire restrictions.

Wednesday, October 14, 7:30 a.m. - PreSAT begins at 7:30 a.m.; Upper School will NOT have a late start due to this testing. Daily Health Screenings and temps will still be taken.

The CSS Revue will be held as an outdoor performance this year. A variety show of sorts, the CSS Revue will wow you with musical, acting, dance, and improv performances by students in grades 4-12. This is an opportunity to see students deliver both original material and acts that have been modified to bring to the stage. Prepare yourself to laugh, clap, smile, and be impressed by the multitude of talents that CSS students have.

For Views & Vibes, an annual All-School Parent Social, we will enjoy each other's company in a COVID-mindful way: outdoors, masked, and socially distanced.

We have missed having you on campus! Join us for a beautiful Colorado Springs evening on the Trianon Terrace and Quad with views of our majestic Rocky Mountains and for music, delicious treats, and beverages.

Space will be limited for this complimentary event on Saturday, October 10, 2020, from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. Stay tuned for details on how to RSVP.

Questions? Please contact Joy Maguire-Parsons at 719-434-3520 or joym-p@css.org.

CSS Cross Country is off and running! Led by senior captains Heather H. '21 and Orlando M. '21, the Kodiaks are well into their season and gaining momentum and confidence with each meet. Click here to read more.

Even with a compressed season due to Covid-19, the CSS Kodiak boys’ tennis team shared some season highlights. Click here to read more.

Disc Golf is gaining a following among the CSS middle school students, largely due to an on-campus course that CSS veteran Technology Manager, Joe Thomas, designed and installed a few years back. Click here to read more.

As one of the Middle School Fall activities choices, the Chess Club seeks to build critical thinking, along with tactical, and spatial awareness skills, while having fun learning to be better chess players. Click here to read more.

Tune into csskodiaks.com for the list of upcoming schedules.

In a time of a global pandemic, not only are we thrilled to welcome students back on campus, but Chef Lori Burgess is enthusiastic about continuing lunch service. We are asking families to pre-order lunch online through Family Portal to help us determine how much food to order and prepare.

Lunch orders need to be placed by 10 p.m. the Wednesday before the start of the next week. For example, if you want to order lunch for your child for Tuesday, October 6, the order must be placed by 10 p.m. Wednesday, September 30. Please note that due to supply, there may be times menu items are substituted.

Lunch must be ordered through a parent's login to the Family Portal, not a student's account. This limitation is tied to billing.

Your child’s lunch account must have funds in it to buy lunch. Here are several ways to add funds:

Check the balance of your child's lunch account through Family Portal by clicking "Family." Refer to Family Billing, where the lunch balance is listed. A negative balance indicates a credit, while a positive balance indicates amount owed.

There are known and unknown risks in navigating these uncertain times. But individuality and isolation from one another are not long-term solutions to the adversity presented by our current world. Instead, we aim to build and promote a community that is solution-minded, embraces the mindset and practice of "we before me", and collectively adheres to the guidelines of medical professionals and elected officials. The Community Pledge has been written in the spirit of developing a common language and understanding by which we will all commit for the 2020-2021 school year.

As a result of COVID-19, CSS applied for and was subsequently funded with a Payroll Protection Plan (PPP) loan through the CARES Act. We're proud to put these dollars to work for our school. As a result of this loan/grant, CSS is a Federal Funds Recipient for the next several weeks. Members of the CSS administration have participated in several training sessions on Title IX (and Section 504, Title VI, and the Age Discrimination Act among other pieces of relevant Federal legislation), which apply to us as temporary federal funds recipients. Read the full notice here.

The Parents Association Board will hold virtual meetings for the foreseeable future on the first Thursday of each month. Anyone is welcomed to join.

Next Meeting: 11:30 a.m. Thursday, October 1, 2020

Where: Google Hangout, Let's chat during lunch!

Join by phone: ‪+1 617-675-4444‬

PIN: ‪881 238 046 0913#‬

Click here to learn more about the role of the Parents Association in building community in our school. Email the Parents Association at parentsassociation@css.org.

The Parents Association is excited to launch Parent Mixers, grade-level events that are designed to give new and returning parents an opportunity to socialize at the beginning of the school year.

In previous years, a families have hosted mixers in person. This year, the Parents Association is seeking hosts to plan virtual mixers. Maybe it's a trivia night via Zoom, a scavenger hunt on Google Hangout, or perhaps a virtual mixology class. The host gets to decide!

Questions? Contact Parents Association President Lynn Shepherd at lynn@docshepherd.com or (623) 680-3442.

Learning how data moves on the internet meant heading outdoors for 4th grade and for Upper School students in AP Computer Science.

The internet is based on a concept called a distributed network. Originally developed during the Cold War as a means of resiliency, this system provides for the extremely high reliability of the internet.

For this hands-on lesson, three AP students played the role of network engineers, while 4th graders were packets. Data is transported by packets from their origin to their destination along routes with nodes. Each node in the network connects to multiple others, meaning that if a single node is destroyed, there are always available alternative routes.

Fourth grade students selected a picture of an animal - an arctic fox, a snow leopard, and a mallard duck, for example - to indicate their destinations in the network. AP students held up signs such as foxes, big cats, and ducks so 4th graders knew where to go.

The packets tested the network by running to their destinations as quickly as possible, briefly stopping in nodes, which were indicated by hula hoops.

"What is the problem with a single server node?" teacher Peter Wade asked.

"It gets backed up," a 4th grader said.

The network engineers observed how quickly - or slowly - the packets moved and determined where to make improvements, which sometimes meant placing server nodes in different configurations.

When Mr. Wade asked AP students how they would improve the network to make it more efficient, they added another node so data could transfer faster.

"We are learning about networks, and this is a way for us to visually see it and see how we can go to each server to help the internet connection," said AP student Lydia M. '21. "I'm a visual learner, so this helps me because it's a much easier way for me to understand it."

Congratulations to the Upper School Matchwits Team for an incredible kick-off to the season! The Kodiaks competed against some of the top 5A teams across the state in the first-ever Colorado Statewide Online Quizbowl on Saturday.

Our varsity team - Aadi N. '21, Dane C. '21, Owen W. '21, and Nathan G. '23 - finished 1st place among 2A/3A schools and 5th place overall.

Our junior varsity team - Micah R. '24, Adhista E. '24, Alex H. '24, Oliver P. '24, and Finnegan T. '22 - finished 2nd place overall in the state and 1st place for 2A/3A schools.

Quizbowl is a new format for CSS in which students take on a battle of knowledge against one other team. Each time a team answers a question correctly, they have a chance to answer 3 bonus questions, which means the scores can add up quickly. The Kodiaks adapted quickly to this new format as they competed in this marathon 8-hour tournament. They are gearing up for what could be an amazing season. Go Kodiaks!

Students in Natalie Hanson's AP Psychology class dissected sheep brains to identify the major lobes subcortical structures and the protective meninges surrounding the brain. Knowing the location and function of these parts helps students understand what happens when these areas become damaged. Next up: dissecting eyes. View more photos here.

Second grade students used the scientific method to find out why the small beads teacher Katie Vincent gave them for the experiment are so special. Each student made a prediction, made and carried out a plan based on that prediction, observed what happened, recorded the results, and drew a conclusion.

A few students predicted they would change color when put in the freezer. Others predicted running water over the beads might have an effect. When several students stepped outside to place their beads in the sunlight, they screamed in excitement.

"They changed colors!" said Annika K. '31. "Let's have a science dance party!"

"We were right, yes!" Eva H. '31 said, while joining in to dance. "That is an amazing thing. It's so cool."

Mrs. Vincent explained the beads are special because they are ultraviolet beads, which means they turn colors when exposed to UV light. Students then learned about ultraviolet light.

Parents, teachers, and students are encouraged to submit nominations and digital photos of student achievements to Anslee Wolfe, Communications and Marketing Manager, at awolfe@css.org. These extracurricular achievements make us a well-rounded school and highlight the many unique talents and passions of our student body. A diverse selection of achievements is highlighted in ROAR and shared on social media. We also welcome alumni achievements!

Due to COVID-19 we will continue to make adjustments to the Major Dates calendar. We will continue to update school's google calendar as we progress from week to week. We are adhering to local, state, and federal guidelines regarding on-campus, in-person learning. As a result, planning for the 2020-2021 school year is ongoing and requires the school to respond with agility, grace, and a heavy dose of patience. View the calendar here.