January 5, 2024

Family Social for Adoption, Fostering, and Kinship Families

Has your family been touched by adoption, fostering, or kinship guardianship? Come eat, play gym games or board games, and connect with other MacLaren families who share this unique journey.

Join us Saturday, January 6, 4:00 - 6:00 p.m., in the MacLaren gym. This is a free event and pizza will be provided. Please register here so we may plan accordingly. Contact Mrs. Oram with any questions.

Half Day – January 9

Tuesday, January 9, is a half day for all students. As lunch will not be served, please send your children to school with water and a hearty snack. Morning student drop-off remains the same. As a half day, please pick up your children with your placard in view, and according to this schedule:

Lower School only: 11:30-11:55 a.m.

Lower School and Upper School combined: 12:05-12:15 p.m.

Upper School only: 12:15-12:25 p.m.

Report Cards Coming in January

Student report cards/transcripts will be sent to parents via the Secure File Delivery email system the second week of January. The password to retrieve the reports is your child's birthday in this format, slashes included: mm/dd/yyyy.

If you have any questions about the delivery of these reports, please email the Registrar.

Snow Day? Two-Hour Delay?

Announcements about weather-related changes to MacLaren's school day may be found:

• as an alert on MacLaren's website
• posted to Facebook and Instagram
• as a text alert
• added to local TV broadcast lists

Adults and high school students (with parent approval) can opt in to MacLaren texts. Text messages are used for emergency alerts, reminders of upcoming events and deadlines, and weather-related alerts. To receive MacLaren texts, text "Y" or "Yes" to 67587. (Those already receiving text messages from MacLaren do not need to sign up again.)

Project Days for Lower School

Lower School Project Days were a success! Students enjoyed a variety of hands-on projects and experiments. We hope these special days ignited your child's curiosity and love of learning. Ask your child to tell you about something they learned during Project Days. With projects ranging from marble tunnels, to pillow crafting, to constructing (and erupting) a clay volcano, the halls were filled with laughter and excitement.

Wear Athletic/Tennis Shoes Daily

Daily P.E. class is a special component of MacLaren's Lower School experience. Please send Lower School students to school wearing athletic/tennis shoes every day. Thank you for helping protect our gym floor! Visual examples of daily uniform footwear can be found here.

Chess Club Coming Soon!

Students in second through fifth grades are invited to join the Lower School Chess Club. The Chess Club begins Wednesday, January 24, 3:15 - 4:15 p.m., and will run for eight weeks. Attendees will learn the rules of the game, chess puzzles to improve tactics, and play games together. No previous chess experience is needed. The cost is $5, and sign-up is available on MySchoolBucks. Please contact Mrs. Finch with any questions.

Project Day – January 9, Parents Welcome

All Upper School students will turn in their projects on January 9; however, only sixth through eighth graders and twelfth graders will present. Ninth, tenth, and eleventh graders will present their research to their classes later in the semester.

Project presentations will begin at 8:25 a.m., and will continue on a rotating basis. Please note, Project Day will follow a more flexible format this year, allowing students greater opportunity to view the projects of other grades. Parents are invited to view projects at their leisure, after completing check-in at the Main Entrance.

Upper School Evaluation Conferences

Upper School Evaluation Conferences continue on January 8. Upper School teachers look forward to meeting with parents to discuss student evaluations. Please find instructions for Evaluation Conferences here, and arrive fifteen minutes before your scheduled conference to allow for check-in. Please contact Mrs. Finch with any questions.

Bring Uniform Donations to Upper School Conferences

Have your children outgrown their uniform pieces or spirit wear? Please bring donations of clean, gently used items to the Main Entrance, anytime 7:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m., January 8. Uniform donations assist other MacLaren families in outfitting their children for school. Thank you!

Please Cover Student Textbooks

Many Upper School students will receive different textbooks this semester. Please assist your child in covering all textbooks (hard cover, soft cover, and spiral bound) with sturdy, brown paper as soon as possible. Please find video instructions here.

Now would also be a good time to check on previously covered books. Do they need to be covered anew? Please email Mrs. Pokorny with any questions. Thank you for your assistance!

Upper School Only In-service – January 12

Upper School will not have school Friday, January 12, giving faculty time to grade Project Week projects. Thank you for supporting your child during Project Week!

Lower School will have school as normal on Friday, January 12.

Friday, January 5:

MS Girls' Basketball Scrimmage, ECA @ HOME, B Team 6:30 p.m., A Team 7:30 p.m.

Saturday, January 6:

HS Boys' Basketball vs. Alumni @ HOME, 10:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

Pre-Season Athletic Conditioning, *adjusted time* 12:00 - 1:30 p.m., waiver required through MySchoolBucks, *HS Students and MacLaren Staff only*

Monday, January 8:

MS Girls' Basketball @ Manitou, C Team 4:00 p.m., B Team 5:00 p.m., A Team 6:00 p.m.

HS Boys' Basketball @ CSS, JV 4:00 p.m., Varsity 7:00 p.m.

HS Girls' Basketball @ CSS, Varsity 5:30 p.m.

Wednesday, January 10:

MS Girls' Basketball, Vanguard @ HOME, C Team 4:00 p.m., B Team 5:00 p.m., A Team 6:00 p.m.

Friday, January 12:

HS Girls' Basketball @ Swallows Tournament

HS Boys' Basketball, Mancos @ HOME, JV 4:00 p.m., Varsity 5:30 p.m.

Saturday, January 13:

Pre-Season Athletic Conditioning, 10:00 - 11:30 a.m., waiver required through MySchoolBucks, *HS Students and MacLaren Staff only*

HS Girls' Basketball @ Swallows Tournament

Alumni Basketball Game Saturday

The HS Boys' Basketball team will face off against MacLaren alumni, Saturday, January 6, 10:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m., in the gym. There is no charge for this game. Come cheer on your Highlanders!

Spring Sports Schedules Posted

Spring sports are just around the corner! Preliminary season schedules, including pre-season activities can be found here. Please note that schedules are subject to change as the season progresses.

MacLaren's spring sports include:

• High School and Middle School Track
• High School and Middle School Boys' Volleyball
• High School and Middle School Girls' Soccer

Please ensure your child has an updated physical form before the spring athletics season. Registration for spring sports will open in two weeks at MySchoolBucks.

Contact Mrs. Steigerwald with any athletics-related questions. Go Highlanders!

High School Girls Invited to Join Golf Team

High school girls interested in playing golf this spring are invited to try out for Palmer High School's golf team. Tryouts are slated for the end of February/beginning of March. For more information, contact Coach Brett Courter (by email, or by phone 719-328-5338), or Mrs. Steigerwald.

Come support our Highlanders at our HOME events! HS event admission is $6 for K-12 and senior citizens, $7 for adults. MS event admission is $2 for K-12, senior citizens are free, $3 for adults.

Click for the Athletics calendar or Athletic schedules. Add the Athletics calendar to your personal calendar through Apple iCal.

It Was Soup-er

We appreciate you! Thank you for encouraging faculty and staff with a variety of delicious snacks, beverages, desserts, and a soup lunch this week. These donations helped fuel conference conversations and Project Week preparations. Thank you for your generosity!