Your Poudre School District newsletter

Thursday, Feb. 9, 2023

Collage of images. On far left, colorful, shiny balloons. On top middle, a smiling man, on bottom middle, two women hug, on top right, a woman holds balloons and surprises two people in a school kitchen, on bottom right, two women smile

Video caption: Click above image for video of Association of Classified Employees President Joni Baker thanking staff, followed by the words, "Classified Employee Week comes once per year, but wouldn't it be great if we could celebrate them all year round? Well, that's just what we did..." Next, footage of Joni surprising different classified staff groups with balloons, visits from PSD administrators, hugs, and food. The video ends with a message from Superintendent Kingsley and a frame that says, "Thank you, Classified Employees" with ACE and PSD logos.

Celebrate Classified Employees

Next week is Classified Employee Appreciation Week! Classified staff do so much to keep our schools going. They feed our students. They get them to and from school. They make sure our 50-plus buildings are safe, healthy, and functional, and so much more. Recently, we surprised a few of our 1,800 talented classified employees and captured each moment. Enjoy the video here.>>

C-O-N-G-R-A-T-S! Spelling Bee winners headed to state contest

"Accentuate" was the winning word for Traut Core Knowledge School third-grade student Nikhil Ganta at the PSD Spelling Bee. Nikhil captured first place overall in the Feb. 3 district competition and will compete alongside 10 other PSD students at the Colorado State Spelling Bee in March.

Learn more about the Spelling Bee and see a list of winners on the PSD website.>>

winning spelling bee student poses with three adults.

Photo Caption: 2023 Spelling Bee winner Nikhil Ganta poses with his parents and teacher.

Eleven students sit in chairs in a semi-circle

Photo Caption: The 11 PSD students pictured above qualified at the Feb. 3 PSD Spelling Bee to move on to the state-level Spelling Bee, which will take place March 11 in Denver.

two young girls sit in a basketball arena next to a ram mascot

a man in a dress shirt and tie claps on the sideline at a basketball game

Photo captions: Students from Harris Bilingual sit with CAM the Ram (top), Superintendent Kingsley cheers on CSU women's basketball (above).

Superintendent: Communities that cheer together are stronger together

Never have I experienced something as energizing or loud – think 117 decibels loud – as when roughly 5,500 Poudre and Thompson school district elementary students filled the stands of Moby Arena for the 2023 Education Day.

Our fourth and fifth graders screamed, danced, and chanted “C-S-U,” as they cheered the Colorado State University women’s basketball team on to a Feb. 2 victory against the Utah State Aggies. Although the Rams’ 86-64 win was impressive, what I am most proud of is...

Read the rest of Superintendent Kingsley's message on the PSD website.>>

Photo Caption: Education Day: Wyoming versus Colorado State University, $12 ticket, Promo Code EDU2023. Men's Basketball, 7 p.m. Feb. 24 at Moby Arena.

CSU Education Day tickets on sale now

If the Colorado State University women's basketball game for fourth- and fifth-graders looked fun, come cheer on the men's basketball team with your Poudre School District community Feb. 24 at Moby Arena. Tickets to the game are $12 for PSD staff, students, and families using promo code EDU2023. Follow this link to find tickets.>>

Photo Caption: Poudre School District Foundation image.

Foundation fund helps PSD families experiencing hardships

Join the Poudre School District Foundation (PSDF) this February and Share the Love by helping PSD students and families experiencing hard times. Established in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, the PSDF Compassion Fund provides immediate financial aid to students, families, and PSD employees who are experiencing hardships that create barriers to a student’s education. These funds have been used to fix cars, provide emergency rent assistance, purchase groceries, and so much more. The PSD Foundation would like to invite you to help Share the Love by donating to this fund so we can continue to provide relief to those who need it most in the PSD community.

Your gift at any level will help make a difference:

$25 assists with support such as meals, etc.
$50 assists with support such as heating bills, etc.
$100 assists with support such as a groceries, etc.
$500 assists with support such as family transportation, etc.
$1,000 assists with support such as rent, etc.

The needs in our community are ongoing, so please consider a sustained gift by making your donation reoccurring every month. Sustained gifts ensure the fund will continue to serve the students and families in the PSD community who need it most. You can make a gift online at this link.>>

PSD needs volunteers for dozens of school opportunities

From re-shelving library books to conducting vision-and-hearing screenings, volunteers are needed across Poudre School District to support our teachers and students.

PSD sends frequent emails to currently registered volunteers, but those are getting lost in some recipients' junk mail folders. If you are registered as a volunteer with PSD, please check your junk mail and mark those sent by "Volunteer Coordinator" as safe to receive.

For those who are not yet registered to volunteer but want to help in our schools, please visit the Volunteers web page.>>