IMPORTANT DATES
** Tuesday, January 26: Restaurant Night at Oblios

** 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
For there is always light,
if only we’re brave enough to see it
If only we’re brave enough to be it

On Wednesday, we witnessed the inauguration of our first female and first person of color elected to the White House as Vice President. It was an inspiring day that gave so many of our young people a new hope for what is possible. I am grateful for this history being made right in front of us.

The moving poem read by a young black woman also stirred the hearts of our country. Her words were powerful and poignant. Her story is too. I am thankful to be a part of a community that is putting more Amanda Gormans out into the world. I can't wait to see what the future holds because of it. For now, I leave you with her poem:

The Hill We Climb, by Amanda Gorman

When day comes we ask ourselves,
where can we find light in this never-ending shade?
The loss we carry,
a sea we must wade
We've braved the belly of the beast
We've learned that quiet isn't always peace
And the norms and notions
of what just is
Isn’t always just-ice
And yet the dawn is ours
before we knew it
Somehow we do it
Somehow we've weathered and witnessed
a nation that isn’t broken
but simply unfinished
We the successors of a country and a time
Where a skinny Black girl
descended from slaves and raised by a single mother
can dream of becoming president
only to find herself reciting for one
And yes we are far from polished
far from pristine
but that doesn’t mean we are
striving to form a union that is perfect
We are striving to forge a union with purpose
To compose a country committed to all cultures, colors, characters and
conditions of man
And so we lift our gazes not to what stands between us
but what stands before us
We close the divide because we know, to put our future first,
we must first put our differences aside
We lay down our arms
so we can reach out our arms
to one another
We seek harm to none and harmony for all
Let the globe, if nothing else, say this is true:
That even as we grieved, we grew
That even as we hurt, we hoped
That even as we tired, we tried
That we’ll forever be tied together, victorious
Not because we will never again know defeat
but because we will never again sow division
Scripture tells us to envision
that everyone shall sit under their own vine and fig tree
And no one shall make them afraid
If we’re to live up to our own time
Then victory won’t lie in the blade
But in all the bridges we’ve made
That is the promised glade
The hill we climb
If only we dare
It's because being American is more than a pride we inherit,
it’s the past we step into
and how we repair it
We’ve seen a force that would shatter our nation
rather than share it
Would destroy our country if it meant delaying democracy
And this effort very nearly succeeded
But while democracy can be periodically delayed
it can never be permanently defeated
In this truth
in this faith we trust
For while we have our eyes on the future
history has its eyes on us
This is the era of just redemption
We feared at its inception
We did not feel prepared to be the heirs
of such a terrifying hour
but within it we found the power
to author a new chapter
To offer hope and laughter to ourselves
So while once we asked,
how could we possibly prevail over catastrophe?
Now we assert
How could catastrophe possibly prevail over us?
We will not march back to what was
but move to what shall be
A country that is bruised but whole,
benevolent but bold,
fierce and free
We will not be turned around
or interrupted by intimidation
because we know our inaction and inertia
will be the inheritance of the next generation
Our blunders become their burdens
But one thing is certain:
If we merge mercy with might,
and might with right,
then love becomes our legacy
and change our children’s birthright
So let us leave behind a country
better than the one we were left with
Every breath from my bronze-pounded chest,
we will raise this wounded world into a wondrous one
We will rise from the gold-limbed hills of the west,
we will rise from the windswept northeast
where our forefathers first realized revolution
We will rise from the lake-rimmed cities of the midwestern states,
we will rise from the sunbaked south
We will rebuild, reconcile and recover
and every known nook of our nation and
every corner called our country,
our people diverse and beautiful will emerge,
battered and beautiful
When day comes we step out of the shade,
aflame and unafraid
The new dawn blooms as we free it
For there is always light,
if only we’re brave enough to see it
If only we’re brave enough to be it
MARADE

We hope you were able to celebrate Dr. King's legacy this week!
FREE BOOKS FROM PTA

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

Remote Learner Pick Up will be on:
Friday, January 22nd, from 1:00-3:00pm 
(Please come by the school to pick up your students FREE book! Tell the front office, at the intercom, your child's name and teacher and we will bring your book out to you!) 

Thank you for supporting our Book Fair so our PTA could make this gift possible! Enjoy!
HEALTHY FOOD FOR DENVER KIDS
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.
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!!
PTA MEETING

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

Wednesday, Feb. 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.