Welcome to the new school year! Though the calendar says its back-to-school time, the weather feels a lot like summer. We see many students in the health office with headaches, stomach aches, dizziness, fatigue, and nosebleeds due to minor dehydration. Good water intake helps keep students healthy, happy, and in class learning.

Please send your child to school with a reusable water bottle to use throughout the day. There are several filling stations around campus where students are encouraged to refill their bottles after recess or during passing periods. If your child has lost a water bottle, encourage them to check the lost and found. Thank you for helping your child stay hydrated!

D11 Food and Nutrition Services has moved MacLaren's school lunch menus online. Find more information and a link to the menu here. (At the time of this email, D11's link was under maintenance. The direct menu link, once fixed, will be here.)

To access the correct menu from D11's site, please select the Menu Plan according to your student's grade: Elementary Lunch for Lower School students, 6-8 Charter Lunch for Middle School students, and 9-12 Charter Lunch for High School students.

As the weather turns colder, students may only wear a MacLaren fleece jacket or uniform cardigan over their uniform polo while in the school building. The fleece jacket is now available on MySchoolBucks. Lower School wears navy; Upper School wears burgundy. Fleece orders placed through MySchoolBucks will be delivered to students at school. Please contact Mrs. Hanson with any questions.

Should fleece sizes sell out on MySchoolBucks, orders may be placed through French Toast, with more details here. Spirit wear is also available for purchase and can be worn in lieu of the MacLaren uniform polo on designated spirit days. Spirit wear information can be found here.

MacLaren's K-12 calendar is available online, with half-days highlighted.

Thank you for efforts to help make student pick up a safe and increasingly smoother experience. We appreciate your patience and kindness!

Afterschool clubs provide an opportunity to build friendship and pursue extracurricular activities together. Lower School students interested in forming an afterschool club are welcome to do so with parent support. If interested, please contact Mrs. Finch and submit an application by Friday, September 15. Each club needs two adult leaders. More information on MacLaren clubs can be found here.

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.

Party on the Plaza – Tomorrow Night

MacLaren invites current high school students to enjoy a cookout and games Saturday, August 19, 6:30-8:30 p.m. Tickets are $10, and available for purchase at MySchoolBucks. Student attire should follow Outdoor Field Day guidelines found here. This event is for MacLaren students only.

Parent volunteers are needed to ensure a fun and safe evening. Approved volunteers may sign up here. Contact Mr. Pingel with any questions.

For occasions when you need an early release for a high school student, please submit an Attendance Monitor report through PowerSchool at least 24 hours in advance. Our attendance team will issue a pass for your child to be released early and walk to your car. With these steps, parents are not required to sign high school students out at the Main Entrance. (When picking up a K-8 student, please park and walk to the Main Entrance to sign out.)

Are you ready to start a club this year? Please submit an application by Wednesday, August 23. Each club needs two adult leaders. More information on MacLaren clubs can be found here.

Please email Mrs. Finch or ask your child to visit her in the Upper School Textbook room with any questions.

Tune in to see MacLaren take on The Classical Academy this Sunday in the Rocky Mountain Quiz Kids show! Filmed last spring and now airing Sundays at 6:30 p.m. on SOCO CW, The Rocky Mountain Quiz Kids is a tournament-style contest featuring 30 local high schools in a 28-week single-elimination tournament.

If you miss MacLaren vs. TCA on CW Sunday at 6:30 p.m., you can catch the rerun on Fox21 at 11:30 p.m.

Save the Date – Thursday, August 31

MacLaren asks at least one parent/guardian per Upper School family attend the Upper School Back-to-School Night on Thursday, August 31, from 6:30-8:00 p.m.

Meet your child's teachers, walk their daily schedule, and learn how to best support your child in each of their courses. More details can be found here.

Please assist your child in covering all textbooks (hard cover, soft cover, and spiral bound) with sturdy, brown paper such as a paper grocery bag or mailing paper. It is not necessary to cover novels. Please tape around all edges with packing or duct tape, but do not adhere tape to the book itself. Find video instructions here.

Student books range in cost from $20 to $240. Covering them reduces wear and tear, increases their life and could save you money. Families are financially responsible for any damage done to a textbook checked out to their child. Please contact Mrs. Pokorny with any questions or for assistance.

HS Boys' Soccer Scrimmages @ Cañon City MS

MS Girls' Volleyball @ Banning Lewis, C team 4:00 p.m., B team 5:00 p.m., A team 6:00 p.m.

HS Girls' Volleyball @ Vanguard, JV 5:00 p.m., Varsity 6:00 p.m.

Thursday, August 24:

MS Cross-Country CCAL #1 @ Peyton, 4:30 p.m.

Friday, August 25:

HS Cross-Country CM Stampede @ Norris Penrose Events Center, 1:15 p.m.

HS Boys' Soccer, Varsity @ Denver Christian Tournament, 5:00 p.m.

Saturday, August 26:

HS Boys' Soccer, Varsity @ Denver Christian Tournament,10:00 a.m., or 12:00 p.m.

Highlander fans may purchase an annual pass for admission to MacLaren-hosted home sporting events for the 2023-2024 school year. These passes may be purchased at the gate of any home sporting event or in the MySchoolBucks School Store. Pass options include:

Passes may be used for admission at any MacLaren-hosted middle school or high school sporting event, except high school playoff games.

Weekly HS Boys' Basketball open gym sessions are held Saturdays, from 1:00-2:30 p.m., in the MacLaren gym. Contact Mrs. Steigerwald for more information and to complete the waiver for participation.

Athletic practices for Boys' Soccer, Girls' Volleyball, and Cross-Country have begun! The season schedule for each team is listed on our Athletics Schedules. Daily athletics practices and competitions can be found on our Athletics Calendar. Periodic changes are made to these resources as the season progresses.

Parents are also notified by email and text of day-of changes due to weather, coach, or venue cancellations. Contact Mrs. Steigerwald with any athletics-related questions.

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

MacLaren invites parents, guardians, and grandparents to invest in the success of the school as volunteers.

Volunteers who wish to serve in the classroom, or at school events, must become an approved volunteer. With many volunteer opportunities on the horizon, we invite you to complete the online Volunteer Application. Email Mrs. Vines with any questions.

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