Steele Stallion Press 8.27.21

STEELE STALLION

PRESS

Main Office: (720) 424-3720

Attendance Line: (720) 424-3725

Weekly News from Steele Elementary: August 27, 2021

Dates to Remember

8/31: Steele Dines Out at Birdcall

9/2: Back to School Night (Virtual), 6pm

9/6: No School, Labor Day

9/13-14: Steele Dines Out at Chook Charcoal Chicken

9/14: First CSC Meeting (Virtual), 5pm

9/14: First PTA Meeting, 6pm

9/27: No School, Teacher Planning Day

10/19: Steele Dines Out at Campus Lounge

11/13: Fall Fundraiser

Quick Links

Diamond Steele Sponsors

From the Principal

Dear Steele families,

What a wonderful week it has been! Students are so excited to be back at school and we are so happy to have them here. It has also been so great to have families back on campus. We love our Steele community!

There have been a few questions coming our way this week so we have compiled this little FAQ to help you navigate some of the changes we have this year. If you have questions that aren’t answered here please feel free to call the main office at 720-424-3720.

Are masks required outside? Masks are optional outside.
Is lunch free? School lunch is free. However, if your child brings lunch from home and wants milk there is a charge for the milk. Add money to their account here.
Bus questions? Click here . Buses are only for students who live within Steele’s boundary and a certain distance away from the school. Steele has 3 buses this year.
Can we bring our dogs to drop off and pick up? Absolutely not! Dogs are not allowed on Steele’s campus at any time. Families who bring dogs to drop off or pick up will be asked to stay on the sidewalk.
When will enrichments begin? At Steele, The Department of Extended Learning oversees our enrichment programming. This process allows for all students to have equitable access to enrichments and provides a set structure for oversight to ensure safety protocols, such as background checks, are occurring with our partners in accordance with DPS Policies. You may hear of some schools that are starting Enrichments now. These schools have PTA run programs and do not have the safety oversight of the district. The earliest the Department of Extended Learning will start enrichments is October. If you have any questions please contact Randy Geary.
Do you need volunteers? Yes, we sure do! We are currently looking for volunteers during recess each day. Our Green Team is also recruiting volunteers to get our recycling and composting program up and running.
Is there parking on Marion Parkway in the morning? No. All of Marion Parkway is reserved for our Kiss and Drop line and our 3 buses. Please do not park or leave your car anywhere on Marion in the morning. Families may briefly park on Marion in the afternoon but double parking is not permitted. Emergency vehicles regularly use Marion Parkway and we want to make sure we are good neighbors.
Do we need to send back borrowed technology? Yes. We need to inventory all of our technology and will be redistributing devices.
It’s Hot! What is Steele doing to keep our kids cool? It is hot and we are in an unairconditioned building. Steele has a giant building fan that we put on each night. We leave some windows open and the fan draws in lots of cool air. The building is quite comfortable in the morning. We monitor the temperature in classrooms each day. In the event of extreme heat, we may make the decision to have an early release. We will notify families by no later than 5:00 pm the night before if we think an early release is necessary. Read this Heat Letter for more information.
How will Back to School Night work this year? Back to School night will be a mix of pre-recorded information and virtual Q&A via Zoom. We will send out a slide deck the morning of September 2nd. The deck will have links with welcome videos from the principal/AP and all teachers. It will also include the Zoom links needed for the evening.
Here is the BTSN evening schedule:
4:30-5:00 Optional Q&A with Ms. Brittani, our Gifted and Talented teacher
5:00-5:30 Zoom Q&A with Marti and Natalie
5:45-6:00 Zoom Q&A #1 with Grade Level Teams
6:15-6:30 Zoom Q&A #2 with Grade Level Teams
6:30-7:00 Zoom Q&A with Specials Teachers and Specialists

If you are new to Steele and would like more information about how things work, please check out our PTA Welcome Packet. It has everything you need for a successful school experience!

Caught in the Act winners will return next week!

Marti

Marti_Rosenberg@dpsk12.org

School News and Announcements

Volunteers:

Be a Part of It! Steele is not just an amazing school, but a wonderful community of involved families! Whether you're new or are just looking to be a more active volunteer this year, there are opportunities for all schedules, skills and interests.

Sign up to volunteer on Membership Toolkit for positions. All volunteers in the building must be vaccinated and have a free, quick and easy background check through DPS. On your first day of volunteering, bring proof of vaccination to the office, which will be copied and kept on file.

Green Team - Are you passionate about helping students create life-long sustainable habits and reduce waste? Join our Parent-Led Green Team! Volunteer tasks include: volunteering at lunch two times a month, offering words of encouragement and answering students’ recycling and composting questions at the sorting station, and occasionally power-washing recycle and compost carts. Please contact Becky Goyton to sign up or ask questions.
Family Event Committee - This group organizes events throughout the year for the whole Steele community to come together. They can always use volunteers to help make events a success.
Lunchroom and Recess Volunteers - This is a great volunteer opportunity if you would love to volunteer with kids and see your own child! Steele is looking for volunteers to support supervision in the lunchroom, help kids open things as well as supervise recess.
Room Parents - We need one more room parent for classrooms West, Lantz, Pigford, Durling, Summerville and Talamo. Please sign up with Heather Kazerian today!

Steele Auction - November 13th, 2021 at 6pm,

DU Cable Center:

What we need from the Steele Community now:

Live Auction - We need big ticket items!! Trips, timeshares, vacation homes, suites to sporting events, celebrity contacts or memorabilia, can't buy anywhere items / experiences. These items will be bid on at the Gala and tend to raise A LOT of money for the kids!

Silent Auction - We are looking for items valued at $100 or more...get creative, anything goes!!!! Think gift cards / tickets / art / memberships / sports memorabilia. Or if you want to create a Family Basket click here.

Steele Exclusives - For those families or groups that would like to host fun / interesting / unique private parties for the Steele Community, now is your time to shine! Please contact Mindy Bray if you have an idea or would like to host a party that is already in the works. Ideas include Bike and Booze, Gingerbread House Extravaganza (kids party), Bar and Barre (mom's day), or Guy's Golf Outing (dad's day).

Wine - Please donate any bottle of wine valued over $20 for the WINE WALL. Drop off your donations at the Steele Office.

Support our amazing school in this year's "Casino Royale - Bonded Together for Steele'' Auction! Sign up to help plan the event, donate auction items, and host Steele Exclusives. Download the Handbid App and purchase your tickets TODAY! Contact Kelly Gloeckler or Meredith Aberle with questions.

Student Steele Community Action Team (S.C.A.T!) Kick-Off Meeting, 9/15 3:15 - 4:45:

Do you have a Steele student who is interested in making a difference and learning more about issues in our community?

Then the Steele Community Action Team (S.C.A.T.) is for them! S.C.A.T. is a parent-led community service group for students in grades 2-5. Service projects are identified based on student interest and on existing Steele community partnerships. S.C.A.T. plans to meet after school on the 3rd Wednesday of every month.

Students in grades 2-5 are invited to attend our kick-off meeting on Wednesday, 9/15 from 3:15-4:45. To align with Covid guidelines, we will meet outside on the grass in front of the school.

If your student would like to be part of S.C.A.T. this year, please complete and submit this short Google form . Questions? Email Sarah Almy Moore or Julie Lees.

Online Directory:

Every year it is important for each family to update our online school directory so families can be easily connected. It is a quick and easy process!

Visit steelepta.membershiptoolkit.com.
Login with the same email and password you used last year OR create a new account by filling in your name, email, and password information, then clicking verify email. Follow the emailed link within two hours to verify your email (if you don't see the email, make sure to check your spam).
Update the Parent/Student Information forms and choose your child's classroom teacher from the drop down menu of their grade.

Any questions can be directed to Mary Thomas at steelecommunication@gmail.com.

Steele Dines Out (SDO):

Mark your calendar and join us on Tuesday, August 31st for our first Steele Dines out at Birdcalll! 35% of proceeds go back to Steele to support our fundraising! Also mark your calendars for September’s SDO at Chook Charcoal Chicken on September 13th and 14th.

Grocery Loyalty Card Fundraiser:

Every year Steele raises funds when families simply shop for their groceries at King Soopers and Safeway. Please join the program to give back to Steele while you shop! Learn more here.

To submit information to this newsletter, send it in edited, final-draft format to the appropriate person listed below by 5 PM on Wednesdays.

School News: melissa_nawrocki@dpsk12.org
PTA News: Mary Thomas at steelecommunication@gmail.com

For all other questions, please email Tracy White and Katherine Nicholas (parent volunteers) at steelestallionpress@gmail.com.