Join us Saturday for the school's largest fundraising event! The evening will showcase our wonderful students and school community. Check out the video above as auction co-chairs Nancy May P'23 and Brooke Rawls P'30, P'32 share more about the big event.

Your Gala Checklist:

Thank you to the families who have already completed setting up payment preferences in FACTS Family Portal. If you are enrolled for 2021-2022 and have not confirmed your payment plan option and preferences, please do so now.

We are excited to introduce FACTS Billing. Our goal is to make things easier for you! You will be able to conveniently view your tuition and billing statements and make payments directly through your FACTS Family Portal.

The business office recently notified families about how to set up FACTS billing, which you may view here. Thank you in advance for helping us streamline this process. Karen Grover at kgrover@css.org and Maria Smith at msmith@css.org in the Business Office are happy to answer any questions.

CSS Love Note: Thank you for choosing CSS. We love our Kodiak Community and can't wait to introduce you to the many new students and families that will be joining us for the 2021-2022 school year.

The school's expenses are fixed well in advance of the school year and therefore, the parents' obligation to pay the tuition and fees for the full academic year is absolute, unconditional, and non-refundable after May 1, 2021. Pre-payments of tuition are 100% refundable, less the non-refundable tuition deposit with a withdrawal in writing submitted to Joy Maguire-Parsons prior to May 1, 2021.

The Yummy Incentive: Much like other growth-minded organizations, your positive referrals can help us foster a dynamic learning community right here at CSS. We are piloting the Yummy Incentive to show our appreciation to families who refer families to CSS. When a current family makes a referral that results in a new enrollment for the 2021-2022 school year, the current family is eligible for a $250 Maytag dining credit. We want to nurture your student's mind and body as we build upon a diverse and welcoming community. Please reach out to Joy at joym-p@css.org to refer a prospective family.

The Upper School Spring Production is scheduled for April 23 and 24 at 5:00 p.m. (to take advantage of daylight) on Boddington Field. Students will be performing Shakespeare's The Comedy of Errors outdoors. Sunday, April 25 is reserved as an inclement weather day in the event one of the previous performances is canceled.

Let's earn 1st Place again! Show your school pride and help us retain our ranking as the top Private School in the Pikes Peak Region with the Colorado Springs Business Journal.

Please vote online by May 13, 2021:

1. Click here to vote for The Colorado Springs School.

2. We are in the category of Education & Careers. Click on Private Schools on the left hand side, then scroll down to The Colorado Springs School.

3. You will be prompted to enter your email, name, postal code, and birthdate (you need to be at least 13 to vote).

4. Please vote in at least 19 other categories for your vote to count. Spread some love to your favorite local businesses!

Follow the latest on Kodiak athletics at www.csskodiaks.com. Girls' volleyball and boys' soccer is currently underway.

Senior Tribute Night has been rescheduled to Tuesday, April 20, after the opposing teams cancelled today due to weather concerns. Please see details below. Saturday's games have also been canceled due to quarantine concerns with the opposing teams.

Experiential trips are BACK, and so are the gear lists. With Colorado Expedition, Middle School Seminars, and Walkabout around the corner, check out this Parents Association community connection. Many times members of our community have gear to loan, sell, or give away. This group is designed to allow members to connect and make it easy for all to have an excellent experience.

The CSS EX ED Gear Swap page has been launched to help families. CSS families are invited to post TRIP GEAR items with pictures for loan, sale, or for free without the hassle of organizing a tag sale. Please keep postings to items that are relevant for The Colorado Springs School's expeditions and outings -- items such as camping gear, outerwear, appropriate shoes and accessories and clothing (including base layers). This is not the time/place to unload your child’s tutus or baseball gear -- remember to save that stuff and donate it to the PAB garage sale next year. The CSS EX ED Gear Swap is currently open to current CSS families.

Volleyball, basketball, soccer, chess, video game creation, and Legos will be offered as summer camps at CSS this year! Learn more and register here.

The Colorado Springs School has been providing summer camp experiences for more than 30 years. All programs are open to the public, and we encourage CSS families to take advantage of these experiential education programs.

There are known and unknown risks in navigating these uncertain times. But individuality and isolation from one another are not long-term solutions to the adversity presented by our current world. Instead, we aim to build and promote a community that is solution-minded, embraces the mindset and practice of "we before me", and collectively adheres to the guidelines of medical professionals and elected officials. The Community Pledge has been written in the spirit of developing a common language and understanding by which we will all commit for the 2020-2021 school year.

Fourth grader Emma L. '29 stepped into the shoes of Principal for a Day. Her duties included pulling the fire alarm in Children's School for a fire drill, covering recess duty for 1st grade, reading her favorite book "The Day the Crayons Quit" to kindergarten, a trip to the roof of the Trianon, and in-person and Zoom meetings with Tambi Tyler, Head of School, Nicole Goyette, Middle and Upper School Division Director, and Ann Petit, Director of Student Programs.

"I would like to do that every day, and I am considering being the principal of this school," Emma said. "Thank you for making my day awesome."

Jody Bates Bliss, Children's School Division Director, hosted Emma for the day, sharing insight into her role, and treated her to lunch at The Golden Bee.

Principal for a Day was an auction item offered at the 2020 e-Gala & Auction. It is being offered again this year and will take place during the 2021-2022 school year. If you are interested in bidding on it for your Children's School student, learn more here.

After reading about the anatomy and physiology of various phyla and kinds of animals, 9th grade biology students took a deeper dive into Phylum Mollusca with a squid dissection. They observed the various organs and structural adaptations that enable it to survive in its habitat such as the siphon, ink sack, gills, and digestive system. This hands-on lesson helps students solidify what they learn about the animals they are studying.

First graders are loving learning about and exploring the polar regions. They recently experimented with building their own igloo out of a variety of materials.

Parents, teachers, and students are encouraged to submit nominations and digital photos of student achievements to Anslee Wolfe, Communications and Marketing Manager, at awolfe@css.org. These extracurricular achievements make us a well-rounded school and highlight the many unique talents and passions of our student body. A diverse selection of achievements is highlighted in ROAR and shared on social media. We also welcome alumni achievements!

Due to COVID-19 we will continue to make adjustments to the calendar. We will make changes to the school's google calendar as we progress from week to week. We are adhering to local, state, and federal guidelines regarding on-campus, in-person learning. As a result, planning for the 2020-2021 school year is ongoing and requires the school to respond with agility, grace, and a heavy dose of patience. View the calendar here.

First Day of School, PreK - 12: August 25, 2021 (some Back-to-School events, First Day of Sports and Orientations to occur the week prior; details to follow)

Thanksgiving Break: November 22 - November 26, 2021; Classes resume on Monday, November 29, 2021

Winter Break: December 20, 2021 - January 3, 2022; Professional Day January 3, 2022, Classes resume for Semester II on Tuesday, January 4, 2022.

Spring Break: March 21 - March 25, 2022; Professional Day on March 28, Classes resume on Tuesday, March 29, 2022.

Graduation: Thursday, May 26, 2022, 8:30 a.m.

Late Start Wednesdays: The school plans to continue the late start Wednesday schedule next school year. This collective planning and collaboration time amongst our entire faculty and staff has proven beneficial to execute the school's signature programs and prioritize academic goals for students' benefit.