Please anticipate delays in carline as we adjust to COVID-19 check-ins.

Tomorrow marks 19 years since the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks against the United States that killed 2,997 people and injured thousands. The landscape of our country has changed substantially.

At 10:00 a.m. Friday, September 11, 2020, The Colorado Springs School will observe a moment of silence in the Children's Academic Center, Middle School, and Upper School to commemorate this historic event.

"Tomorrow is September 11th and though we are limited to how we can commemorate this event, I do not want us to let this day go by without pause, reflection, and giving our students the true importance of how this day forever changed our country," Head of School Tambi Tyler said.

In order to prioritize the schedule for learning, we opted to postpone Lifetouch Picture Day to next week. Picture Day has been rescheduled for Wednesday, September 16, 2020. Thank you for your patience and flexibility.

Lifetouch portraits will be used in the yearbook and for student achievements throughout the year. Class pictures will be taken on the quad, and students will be masked for group photos. While these won't be our typical class photos, they will still serve as a memory capturing this historic time and students who navigated this journey together. Students may remove masks for individual pictures.

Families will have the opportunity to customize packages with multiple portrait looks and place orders online. Pre-orders may be placed, and opportunities to place online orders following picture day also exist.

Enter Picture Day ID: EVTJDX2BC

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 Friday, September 25, the order must be placed by 10 p.m. Wednesday, September 16. Please note that due to supply, there may be times menu items are substituted.

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.

Are you receiving Parent Alerts via text? If not, please sign up for them as that is how we send emergency updates, school delays/closures due to inclement weather, and important school communications.

To check if you are signed up, log in to your Family Portal. Click "Family" on the left hand side, then refer to "Preferences" to check alerts. If you are not signed up, click the edit option to the right of "Preferences," then click "Custodial Parent Form" and go to "Parent Preferences" at the bottom.

Please make sure your family's contact information, including emails, phone numbers and address, are up to date as we begin work on the 2020-2021 Family Directory. If you have technical difficulties updating information, please contact Elena Hall at ehall@css.org or (719) 434-3546.

The boys' varsity tennis team swept the Fountain-Fort Carson Tournament on Friday.

Veteran coach Marc Knutila is impressed with the team's commitment. “Almost every returning player on the squad found time to play this summer, which is obviously having an impact," he said. "With such a condensed season, we had little time to prepare, so all the off-season work is paying off."

Congratulations, Kodiaks! Click here to read the full story.

Tune into csskodiaks.com for the list of upcoming schedules for boys' varsity tennis, Middle School mountain biking, varsity mountain biking, varsity cross country, and Middle School cross country. Go, Kodiaks!

Due to safety concerns and to minimize non-CSS families from using the campus for unapproved activities, chains will go up around 4:15 p.m. daily at the entrances. If you need to enter or exit campus after that hour, please use the entrance at 21 Broadmoor Avenue, which will remain open.

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: +1 540-680-4396 (PIN: 349712789)

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.

"Walk to the tree. Pick up a leaf. Dance the Macarena. Run back to me."

What better way to teach children about computer programming than by having them write instructions that their classmates carry out? This hands-on lesson is how Computer Science Teacher Peter Wade engaged 5th graders when teaching them coding by practicing the logic before actually programming computers.

He began by having a student write code for him to execute. "Walk to the fountain. Do the worm. Come back." When Mr. Wade headed to the fountain, he got stuck at the concrete wall surrounding it. "What's wrong?" he asked while repeatedly walking into the wall. "You need to jump or step up," a student said. "Yes!" Mr. Wade said. "This is called debugging." He explained they would have to rewrite the program to include each step needed to successfully carry out the set of instructions. "The computer will only do what you tell it exactly," he said.

He paired students up and they took turns writing code on handheld whiteboards for each other to carry out. They ran, danced, jumped, and laughed. "I really like it since it's like teaching us Coding 101," said Quinn W. '28. View more photos here.

Last week, the Class of 2021 participated in a senior retreat to kick off the year! We reflected on hopes and fears and were introduced to Capstone projects! #DiaryofaCSSsenior #Dynamicworld

Middle School students explored Red Rock Canyon Open Space last week. Eighth graders, 7th graders, and 6th graders each went on separate days to enjoy rock climbing, hiking, and other activities while taking a break from e-Learning. Grade-level experiences allow students to bond as a group, maintain cohorts, and build relationships with the teachers. View more photos here.

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.