IMPORTANT DATES
** Tuesday, February 2, 5:30pm: VAC Meeting

** Wednesday, February 3, 6pm: PTA Meeting

** February 15 & 16: NO SCHOOL


(The Stedman Calendar can always be viewed HERE)
Note From Mr. Atkins
We were excited to receive word from DPS this week that they've partnered with Children's Hospital to begin COVID-19 vaccinations of our staff starting next week. Each school will likely be assigned one designated day for all staff to receive a vaccine. Because of this, the District has indicated that we should hold an ASYNCHRONOUS day when our vaccination date is scheduled.

What does this mean for you? It means that we hope you will keep an eye on communication from us, as there will likely be an asynchronous day coming up where no students will attend school or take part in live instruction but instead complete assignments and activities online while our staff receive their vaccines. Please stay tuned.

I am grateful to have received my 1st vaccine dose this week. Aside from the typical sore arm, I have felt great and even felt a huge sense of relief and gratitude after receiving the shot. Please view this video to understand why I chose to get the vaccine.

I eagerly await the days ahead when we can put this all behind us. Vaccinations will help us move slowly and cautiously toward some semblance of "normal" life.

For our ECE and 5th Grade families, please don't forget that SchoolChoice Round 1 ends soon (February 16th at 4pm). If you have questions or need support, don't hesitate to reach out to Ali Larson at alison_larson@dpsk12.org.

Thank you for being a part of our community. We love seeing these children grow and learn every day, and we hope you have a wonderful weekend.

Sincerely,

Michael Atkins
Nota del Sr. Atkins

Estábamos emocionados de recibir noticias de DPS esta semana de que se han asociado con Children's Hospital para comenzar las vacunas COVID-19 de nuestro personal a partir de la próxima semana. Es probable que a cada escuela se le asigne un día designado para que todo el personal reciba una vacuna. Debido a esto, el Distrito ha indicado que deberíamos tener un día ASINCRÓNICO cuando está programada nuestra fecha de vacunación.

¿Qué significa esto para ti? Significa que esperamos que esté atento a nuestra comunicación, ya que es probable que se acerque un día asincrónico en el que ningún estudiante asistirá a la escuela o participará en la instrucción en vivo, sino que completará las tareas y actividades en línea mientras nuestro personal recibe sus vacunas. . Por favor manténgase al tanto.

Estoy agradecido de haber recibido mi primera dosis de vacuna esta semana. Aparte del típico dolor en el brazo, me he sentido muy bien e incluso sentí una gran sensación de alivio y gratitud después de recibir la inyección. Vea este video para comprender por qué elegí vacunarme.

Espero ansiosamente los días venideros cuando podamos dejar todo esto atrás. Las vacunas nos ayudarán a avanzar lenta y cautelosamente hacia una apariencia de vida "normal".

Para nuestras familias de ECE y 5º grado, no olviden que la Ronda 1 de EscojoMiEscuela termina pronto (16 de febrero a las 4 pm). Si tiene preguntas o necesita ayuda, no dude en comunicarse con Ali Larson en alison_larson@dpsk12.org.

Gracias por ser parte de nuestra comunidad. Nos encanta ver a estos niños crecer y aprender todos los días, y esperamos que tengan un maravilloso fin de semana.

Sinceramente,

Michael Atkins
VALENTINE'S DAY

We know many students look forward to celebrating Valentine's Day here at school. It will look a little different this year, so please see below for the important information parents/caregivers need to know! Classrooms will be celebrating on Friday, February 12th (remote students will be given information about picking up their goodies at another time).

  • Cards/goodies needed to be brought to the classroom today, but you can have one final day for drop off on Monday, February 8th so that we can quarantine the items before they are distributed

  • No homemade treats- all items must be store bought and individually wrapped. These also need to be at school by Monday

  • No outside adults are able to participate in the parties

  • Teachers will distribute items to students during class parties on February 12th
HEALTHY FOOD FOR DENVER KIDS
FREE MEAL DELIVERY IN DENVER

Sign Up for Colorado Food Cluster Meal Deliveries:

Colorado Food Cluster (CFC) provides free meals to youth ages 6-18 in the Denver Metro Area (within 20 miles of downtown). Each student will receive a weekly delivery of 7 dinners and 14 snacks, including fruit and milk, until June 30, 2021.


Regístrese para las entregas de comidas del grupo de alimentos de Colorado:

Colorado Food Cluster (CFC) ofrece comidas gratuitas a jóvenes de 6 a 18 años en el área metropolitana de Denver (dentro de las 20 millas del centro de la ciudad). Cada alumno recibirá una entrega semanal de 7 cenas y 14 snacks, entre fruta y leche, hasta el 30 de junio de 2021.

¡Complete este formulario para inscribirse! https://www.coloradofoodcluster.com/sign-up-english
PLAYGROUND UPDATE

Dear Stedman Community,

There have been some questions surrounding after-school use of the playground and outdoor spaces at Stedman. As weather has gotten nicer and we approach the Spring Fever time where students need their exercise, we understand everyone has gotten a little more relaxed outside. It is important, however, even as more of our community gets vaccinated, that we continue to follow safety guidelines put in place by DPS and the CDC to keep our children, families, and staff safe. 

One of the best parts about Stedman is our community; the hours spent building relationships on the playground is extremely valuable and something I know many of us miss. Please note that due to continued COVID restrictions, we will be more strictly enforcing rules directly after school, but beginning at 3:45pm, we will not be monitoring use of these spaces. Our school is a community space, and once school is over, we want it to be a safe and fun place for the community to enjoy. We just ask that everyone abide by CDC and DPS guidelines which include everyone wearing a mask and keeping social distance at all times.

We apologize that there has been confusion, but we are anxious for this pandemic to come to an end and want to remain vigilant. As a recap, please remind your children that we should not be using the playground or outdoor grounds during official school hours (8:45am-3:45pm, with the exception of their assigned/supervised lunch/recess times). We ask that everyone on school grounds continues to wear a mask at all times and maintain social distance.

Thank you for helping us with this.
COVID RESOURCES
COVID-19 VACCINE INFO

Are you curious about the COVID-19 Vaccine? We want our community to be educated and knowledgable about the vaccine and how it can help us get back to "normal" as quickly as possible. Please reach out if you have any questions!
FREE BOOKS FROM PTA

Free student Book Fair books, purchased by Stedman PTA, are here! In person learners should have received theirs last week (we saw lots of excited faces!).

Remote Learners: if you missed last week's pickup, please stop by the front door to let the office know you're here for your book. All books must be picked up by Friday, February 5. If you need to arrange something else, please email Kait Parsons at kait.parsons@gmail.com.

Thank you for supporting our Book Fair so our PTA could make this gift possible! Enjoy!
Clothes To Kids of Denver (CTKD) provides FREE clothing to children and youth who are in need or in crisis. To shop, students must live in Metro Denver, be age 3 - 21 and be enrolled in school (remote or in-person) or working toward a GED.


Our wardrobe includes 5 outfits, 1 coat, 1 pair of shoes, 1 bra (optional) and 5 pairs each of new underwear and new socks. Students are invited to select clothing in a welcoming, store-like setting or can order a wardrobe for contactless curbside pick-up.
***
We are very excited to have in person shoppers in our store and are taking extra precautions to protect the health and safety of our visitors, volunteers and staff.
 
Take a look at our COVID-19 Safety Procedures to learn more.

***
For families who would prefer a contactless option, we are continuing to offer wardrobes via Curbside Service. This option enables parents and caregivers to request a wardrobe for any student in need, and our staff will shop on their behalf.

Families wishing to shop in person or request a wardrobe for pick-up should call us at 720-379-4630 or email us at appointment@clothestokidsdenver.org for an appointment. Up-to-date phone hours are on the Shop With Us page of our website.
 
No Referral Required! No matter how families choose to shop, we have temporarily loosened our referral requirements and are providing wardrobes to anyone who says the young people in their households are in need of our services, no questions asked.

Hours of Operation:
Tuesdays - Fridays 9:00 - 4:00
Saturdays 9:00 - 3:00
Sundays & Mondays Closed
 
Donations Accepted:
Fridays & Saturdays 9:00 - 3:00

We are now accepting clothing and shoe donations on Fridays and Saturdays only between 9:00 and 3:00. We are in need of the basic wardrobe staples (shorts, pants, tops, shoes, etc.). We still cannot accept "extras" at this time.

Donating is Easy!
 
Gather your clean and ready-to-wear items. Check our updated Donation Guidelines for ideas. Please sort items by category (girls, boys, young women, young men and shoes) to save time at drop-off.
 
·    When you arrive, pull into our loading zone and wait in your car until any staff members or other donors are at a safe distance.
·    Empty your donations into one of our rolling bins located outside of our door.
·    Please do not leave donations inside of plastic bags. Place your donations in our bins and take your bags with you to reuse.
LEADING EDGE UPDATES
Leading Edge is our before/after care provider and will be operating as normal as school resumes in-person learning on January 11th. If you are interested in registering, please check out the flyers below or email dhill@leadsschools.com. CCAP IS ACCEPTED.

Leading Edge es nuestro proveedor de cuidado antes y después y estará abierto nuevamente cuando la escuela reanude el aprendizaje en persona el 11 de enero. Si está interesado en inscribirse, por favor echa un vistazo a los volantes por debajo o por correo electrónico dhill@leadsschools.com. SE ACEPTA CCAP.
SCHOOLCHOICE STARTS JANUARY 15TH
Despite this being an atypical year, SchoolChoice is going on like normal! This means that Round 1 of SchoolChoice will open on Friday, January 15th at 8am and close on Tuesday, February 16th at 4pm. We recently sent THIS email to prospective families in the area with more information.

Basic information for your knowledge:
  • All families entering ECE, Kinder, Middle School, or High School MUST participate in SchoolChoice
  • All applications for SchoolChoice must be made online (schoolchoice.dpsk12.org)
  • If you do not participate by February 16th at 4pm, your chances of attending a school of your choice dramatically decreases
  • Updated Enrollment Guides from DPS are now available use this site to preview information about schools
  • Students in our ECE4 Immersion classrooms are guaranteed a seat in our Kinder Immersion classrooms unless they Choice elsewhere in Round 1.
  • Note: Current K-5 families do NOT need to reapply! ECE4 families - please do submit an application for your Kindergarten choice! (ECE4 Immersion families will receive a seat in Kinder Immersion, but we ask that you still apply)

Please remind neighbors and friends/family in the area about SchoolChoice and direct them to one of our Virtual Open Houses if they are interested in Stedman. If anyone has questions about this process, please reach out to our Choice Coordinator, Ali Larson, at alison_larson@dpsk12.org.

Here is a recording of our first Open House that you may enjoy or want to share:
COVID-19 Testing Now Free for All Community Members
Through the end of the year, COVIDCheck Colorado is now offering free testing to anyone in Colorado. This means that leaders, educators and staff can go with household members and invite other community members to test and help slow the spread of COVID.

Sign up here for FREE testing (anyone in the community!): www.covidcheckcolorado.org.
**PTA Corner**



While this year is unlike any other, there are still ways for us to continue supporting our students.

Please continue reading your emails from PTA and reach out to pta.stedman@gmail.com if you have any questions or want to jump in! We'll provide updates here in the newsletter as well.
LONGMONT DAIRY CAPS

  • If you order from Longmont Dairy, save all your milk caps! Send them to our front office and we are able to turn them in for a donation.
AMAZON SMILE

Do you shop on Amazon? An EASY way to help support our kids and teachers at Stedman is to link your AmazonSmile account to our charity, The Stedman Knights PTA. Click on the above image to be directed to our organizations link. Every purchase you make through smile.amazon.com sends a small portion of the purchase to our school! The money raised goes to supporting our students and the important work being done at Stedman!

Remind your family and friends to link to our school as well!

¿Tienda en Amazon? Una manera fácil de ayudar a mantener a nuestros niños y maestros en Stedman es vincular su cuenta AmazonSmile de nuestra caridad, “Stedman Knights PTA.” Haga clic en la imagen de arriba para dirigirse a nuestras organizaciones enlace. Cada compra que hagas a través smile.amazon.com envía una pequeña porción de la compra a nuestra escuela! El dinero recaudado se destina a apoyar a nuestros estudiantes y la importante labor que se realiza en Stedman!

Recordar su familia y amigos para enlazar a nuestra escuela, también!
King Soopers

Did you know that you can link your King Soopers account to Stedman and help us raise money without spending any extra dollars? It's so easy!

How To Use the King Soopers/ City Market Community Rewards Program:


Step 2: Sign in to your account (or create a new account with your email and King Soopers card #)

Step 3: Search for Stedman Knights PTA (NPO # -- XK374)

Step 4: Select Enroll

Congrats, you have successfully enrolled in the Community Rewards program and 5% of your purchases will support Stedman Elementary!!

***

¿Sabía que puede vincular su cuenta de King Soopers a Stedman y ayudarnos a recaudar dinero sin gastar dólares adicionales? ¡Es tan fácil!

Cómo utilizar el programa de recompensas de la comunidad de King Soopers / City Market:

Paso 1: vaya al sitio web: https://www.kingsoopers.com/account/communityrewards/

Paso 2: inicie sesión en su cuenta (o cree una nueva cuenta con su correo electrónico y número de tarjeta King Soopers)

Paso 3: Busque la PTA de Stedman Knights (NPO # - XK374)

Paso 4: seleccione Inscribirse

¡Felicidades, se inscribió con éxito en el programa Community Rewards y el 5% de sus compras apoyarán a la escuela primaria Stedman!

PTA MEETING

Join us for our next virtual PTA meeting on Wednesday, March 3rd at 6pm. We keep these limited to one hour and would love to see your face!

Wednesday, March 3 @ 6pm





Stedman Spirit Gear

Our new store for Stedman Spirit Gear is finally up! If you are interested in purchasing a new item, please visit this site. Orders will be handled individually and a portion of all sales will be donated back to the school by the vendor.

Emergency Financial Assistance
Knowing the COVID-19 pandemic continues to negatively impact the lives of Denver families, DHS is now offering emergency/disaster assistance payments up to $4,000 to qualifying residents.
 
These payments can be used for a variety of reasons – to cover rent or pay the mortgage, to pay for mental or medical care, to pay for home or auto repairs, to pay for food or school supplies, and more. To qualify, one must be:
  • TANF Broad-Based Eligibility Criteria for Disaster Aid: Denver resident
  • Household is determined to be ineligible for public assistance programs;
  • Annual household income is under $75,000;
  • Eligible child in the household (according to state rules and regulations);
  • Lawfully present in the country; and
  • Has a need for services directly relating COVID-19-related emergency
 
The program is open until funds are exhausted. To apply, go to Colorado.gov/PEAK and apply for Colorado Works/TANF. Please note that because this is a unique and temporary program, the “Am I eligible?” feature will not distinguish between this program and the regular Colorado Works/TANF programs. We encourage anyone with questions to call 720-944-4DHS (4347) to speak with a customer services representative.
Family Supports

If your family is in need of additional support, please be sure to reach out to our Family Liaison, Ali Larson, via text or email: alison_larson@dpsk12.org. We have access to some food and transportation resources that may be helpful during these stressful times.