Join us Saturday, April 17, 2021, at 7:00 p.m. for the school's largest fundraising event! The evening will showcase our wonderful students and school community. Check out the video above as auction co-chairs Nancy May P'23 and Brooke Rawls P'30, P'32 share more about the big event.

Your Gala Checklist:

The Gala & Auction Committee has one more meeting, which will be held Tuesday, April 13, 2021, 11:00 a.m.-noon. Join here via Google Meet.

For more information on how you can connect and make the Gala & Auction a success, contact Brooke Rawls P'30, P'32 at bkrawls11@gmail.com or (317) 902-8157 or Nancy May P'23 at nmay9393@gmail.com or (719) 210-9089. Please direct any sponsorship questions to Jessica L. James, Director of Advancement and Communications, at jjames@css.org or (719) 434-3506.

Join us Wednesday evening via Zoom as Upper School students share what they learned during their recent Experience-Centered Seminars. Students will touch on essential questions from their seminars, challenges they faced, and reflections during and after their experiences. The evening will include videos from each ECS, as well as a student panel during which you may ask questions. All CSS families are invited.

For three weeks in March, students attended one of six seminars: Artful Recovery; The Science and Art of Rock Climbing; The Great Iron Pour; Playwriting and Performance; The Science and Statistics of Epidemics; and Wilderness Survival From Past to Present: Native Women to Mountain Men and Modern Day Adventurers in Colorado and Beyond.

ECSs approach broad, interdisciplinary questions to optimize the teaching of critical thinking, organized inquiry, in-depth analysis, and synthesis of information. They demand direct, active participation and primary research in an environment outside of the classroom. Academic requirements include oral and written presentations, term papers, group work and projects, or final exams. Click here to read ECS blogs written by students.

The ECS experience, which sets our students apart as they move into the collegiate world and beyond, is a continuum of seminar programs in Children's School and Middle School.

The business office notified families yesterday about new FACTS billing and action needed. If you are enrolled for 2021-2022, please complete the steps by Wednesday, April 14, in order to activate tuition payments. If you missed the email, please view it here. Thank you in advance for helping us streamline this process. Our goal is to make things easier for you!

Let's earn 1st Place again! Show your school pride and help us retain our ranking as the top Private School in the Pikes Peak Region with the Colorado Springs Business Journal.

Please vote online by May 13, 2021:

1. Click here to vote for The Colorado Springs School.

2. We are in the category of Education & Careers. Click on Private Schools on the left hand side, then scroll down to The Colorado Springs School.

3. You will be prompted to enter your email, name, postal code, and birthdate (you need to be at least 13 to vote).

4. Please vote in at least 19 other categories for your vote to count. Spread some love to your favorite local businesses!

Follow the latest on Kodiak athletics at www.csskodiaks.com. Girls' volleyball and boys' soccer is currently underway. CSS will continue to enforce strict regulations around COVID, and no fans will be allowed to watch volleyball as it's an indoor event. Volleyball players will remain masked during all practices and games. Since soccer is an outdoor sport, the variances allow for soccer players to remove their masks only during game play.

Experiential trips are BACK, and so are the gear lists. With Colorado Expedition, Middle School Seminars, and Walkabout around the corner, check out this Parents Association community connection. Many times members of our community have gear to loan, sell, or give away. This group is designed to allow members to connect and make it easy for all to have an excellent experience.

The CSS EX ED Gear Swap page has been launched to help families. You are invited to post TRIP GEAR items with pictures for loan, sale, or for free without the hassle of organizing a tag sale. Please keep postings to items that are relevant for The Colorado Springs School's expeditions and outings -- items such as camping gear, outerwear, appropriate shoes and accessories and clothing (including base layers). This is not the time/place to unload your child’s tutus or baseball gear -- remember to save that stuff and donate it to the PAB garage sale next year.

The Gazette is accepting applications for the 2021 Best and Brightest, which features high school seniors while highlighting their academics, service, and community engagement. It also comes with a $500 scholarship. The deadline to apply is Friday, April 9. Click here to learn more and to apply. The Gazette features each student to receive the award.

Some past CSS students who have received this distinction are Bee Franklin, Robin Tsamo, Harry Gilbert, and Tye Tutt.

Volleyball, soccer, chess, video game creation, and Legos will be offered as summer camps at CSS this year! Basketball is expected to be added soon. Learn more and register here.

The Colorado Springs School has been providing summer camp experiences for more than 30 years. All programs are open to the public, and we encourage CSS families to take advantage of these experiential education programs.

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.

Congratulations to the CSS Academic World Quest Team for earning 2nd place in the state Academic World Quest! The competition is a combination of Matchwits and Model UN, and all the questions are related to International Affairs.

Team captain Aadi N. '21 wasn't feeling well, so Dane C. '21 stepped into the captain role to lead teammates Finnegan T. '22 and Nathan G. '23. Questions covered 10 topics: Global Protests, Exploring Peace, Post-pandemic economics, International Labor Organization, Great Decisions (A World Affairs Council magazine and documentary), Shifting Sands: The Arab Spring 10 Years On, Uzbekistan, Fraying Alliances, and Current Events.

The Kodiaks earned 66 points on Saturday to place second, coming in ahead of Air Academy High School for the first time in five years. The Kodiaks will compete in the national tournament, held virtually April 17. This is the second time CSS has qualified for the national event. Best of luck, Kodiaks! #academicworldquest

Fourth graders spent some time outside this week learning the water cycle. They also worked together to identify different cloud types in the beautiful Colorado sky.

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 calendar. We will make changes to the 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.

First Day of School, PreK - 12: August 25, 2021 (some Back-to-School events, First Day of Sports and Orientations to occur the week prior; details to follow)

Thanksgiving Break: November 22 - November 26, 2021; Classes resume on Monday, November 29, 2021

Winter Break: December 20, 2021 - January 3, 2022; Professional Day January 3, 2022, Classes resume for Semester II on Tuesday, January 4, 2022.

Spring Break: March 21 - March 25, 2022; Professional Day on March 28, Classes resume on Tuesday, March 29, 2022.

Graduation: Thursday, May 26, 2022, 8:30 a.m.

Late Start Wednesdays: The school plans to continue the late start Wednesday schedule next school year. This collective planning and collaboration time amongst our entire faculty/staff has proven beneficial to execute the school's signature programs and prioritize academic goals for students' benefit.