Note From Principal Atkins

Families,

We did it! It's been a busy and full year, a year of growth and joy. We've continued to challenge ourselves, challenge our assumptions and biases, and push to be our best selves so that we can be the best in community.

I shared recently at some of our continuations an important quote I heard at an equity conference last month: "We need to understand the people to understand the numbers, we don't need to understand the numbers to understand the people." This quote has stayed with me, because this is exactly what we are trying to do here at Stedman. While we continue to see growth in our achievement across the board, we also know that our students are more than data, statistics, or grades. We all know that each and every one of our children bring their own unique gifts into the spaces they occupy, and it is up to us as adults to help them illuminate that gift. We all are helping to give them the skills of critical thinking, authentic listening, and advocacy that will help them navigate the world in an inclusive and powerful way. Thank you for helping us support our children growing and thriving as individuals.

Registration
We will be offering two days of in-person registration later this summer, however, all registration can be completed online. We will send an email and text when online registration opens again at the end of July. If you need support with registering, please stop by our office on August 5th or 8th between 9am-3pm.

First Day of School
The first day of school is Monday, August 22nd! Don't forget that we will release class lists at the Meet Your Teacher Event on Wednesday, August 17th at 3pm on our playground. PTA will be providing popsicles, so be sure to stop by to meet your teacher and classmates!

Summer Meetups
PTA has planned two dates for informal playground meetups this summer. We hope you can take advantage of this time to meet other current or incoming families! See below (June 15 and Aug 6) for more.

School Supplies
If you are interested in ordering the pre-packaged school supplies, remember that the deadline is June 12th. See below for more information on how to order.

Summer Activities
We put together a one-page flyer with suggestions to keep students' brains busy on summer break! In addition, all students will have access to Lexia this summer, and the top ten students who complete the most Lexia minutes will earn a prize in August!

Teacher Planning Days
Please be sure to have all of the DPS calendar dates on your calendar for next year. In addition, make sure you have noted the Stedman Planning Dates when Stedman students will not be in school. (Sept. 16, Nov. 11, Jan. 4, March 10)

Staying Up To Speed
Please be sure to stay up to date with information from our community via Instagram, Facebook, and our website. We try to post helpful or timely information on our social media, so be sure to follow us there.

We've got a lot of great resources in today's final newsletter of the year, please be sure to scroll all the way through, and don't miss this week's edition of News from the Stedman PATH.


Michael Atkins