Kodiak ROAR, March 4, 2021
Blast off! Middle School students built and then launched their own rockets Wednesday as part of the seminar Things that Fly. Other Middle School Seminar II groups are Backpacking, Poetry, Weaving, Predators, and Wild Winter. Seminars are designed to encourage students to learn about and try new things as a means of discovering themselves and the world around them. Stayed tuned for a photo album on social media capturing all of the seminars.
ROAR: Reminders
Upcoming School Schedule:
  • March 8-12: Children's School & Middle School attend in-person, on-campus learning.
  • March 1-19: Upper School students attend Experience-Centered Seminars.
  • March 22-29: Spring Break, classes resume on March 30.
Experience-Centered Seminars & Student Blogs
Experience-Centered Seminars kicked off Monday for Upper School Students. Each March, our students undergo a three-week study that immerses them in academic subjects through a hands-on, interdisciplinary approach.

The 2021 offerings are Artful Recovery: The healing properties of Art, The Science and Art of Rock Climbing, The Great Iron Pour, Playwriting and Performance, The Science and Statistics of Epidemics, and Wilderness Survival From Past to Present: Native Women to Mountain Men and Modern Day Adventurers in Colorado and Beyond. ECSs are local this year and COVID safety precautions will be followed.

ECSs approach broad, interdisciplinary questions to optimize the teaching of critical thinking, organized inquiry, in-depth analysis, and synthesis of information. They demand direct, active participation and primary research in an environment outside of the classroom. Academic requirements include oral and written presentations, term papers, group work and projects, or final exams.

Follow along with this year's ECSs on our social media channels. Students write ECS blogs that are posted here.

The ECS experience, which sets our students apart as they move into the collegiate world and beyond, is a continuum of seminar programs in Children's School and Middle School.
2nd & 4th Grade Dessert Theatre Performances Premiere Friday
Dessert Theatre Performances
2nd & 4th Grade
Friday, March 5, 2021
6:30 p.m. via Zoom

That's a wrap! Dessert Theatre performances are being filmed this year to abide by COVID guidelines. The 2nd grade show Go Home, River and the 4th grade show Some Folks Say were filmed. Join us for the virtual premiere on Friday from the comfort of your living room.

Use the guest link below to join and enjoy this shared community experience and live audience. Families may share the link with grandparents, extended family, and friends who wish to enjoy the performances. The performance will also be uploaded to YouTube and shared out in the event your family can not attend the synchronous viewing time. Join us in celebrating our young thespians!
Upcoming Dessert Theatre Performances:
Kindergarten & 1st grade on March 18, 6:30 p.m.


For more than four decades, The Colorado Springs School has billed a signature theatre experience called Dessert Theatre for Kindergarten - 5th grade students. It is integrated with a robust theme of study and concentrated over several weeks. Often the topics of these grade-level plays are original scripts inspired by the curriculum the children are studying in science, history, and literature. This interdisciplinary exercise allows for complex ideas to be expressed on stage. Click here to learn more about Dessert Theatre.
Gala & Auction Tickets on Sale! Book Your Delicious Dining Options!
Join us April 17, 2021, for the school's largest fundraising event! Meal tickets are on sale!
Gala & Auction Committee Meeting
Tuesday, March 9, 2021, 11:00 a.m. to noon
Google Meet: Click here to join

The Gala & Auction Committee are well into their work to support and promote the school's largest fundraiser event of the year. From veteran parents to brand-new families we are seeing this committee come together in new and exciting ways. Last year, we hosted one of the region’s first virtual Gala & Auction events, resulting in a budget-busting $147,000 for student-centered learning, as well as pioneering a sense of community togetherness during stay-at-home orders. While we had hoped to be in a place in which our entire community could gather in person, but alas we are prudently making plans for a virtual program, plus new experiences to celebrate student success and elevate community connections.

A primary focus of the volunteers currently is soliciting auction items, generating ideas for auction baskets, experiences, and sociables. Sometimes, the work of gala can be messy and beautiful, as is the case with wonderfully creative projects coming to fruition for each class in PreK - 5th Grade. Class Creations often generate enthusiastic bidding among parents seeking these one-of-a-kind kid art creations.

TOP 10 WAYS TO GET INVOLVED WITH GALA!
  1. Inquire about how your business can sponsor the gala and achieve your marketing goals.
  2. Coordinate a themed gift basket - sign-up for a themed basket or pick your own theme!
  3. Help introduce a small business, company, or professional service to the CSS family by soliciting an auction item donation that can be featured on our mobile bidding platform.
  4. Donate a vacation home or unique experience as an auction item.
  5. Share your talent or passion by hosting a sociable experience (virtual or in-person).
  6. Gift the gala wine or spirits from your private collection.
  7. Keep an eye on details about purchasing your gala & auction tickets starting in March.
  8. Research the benefits of the Colorado Childcare Tax Credit (50% tax credit) as you consider a Raise Your Paddle donation.
  9. Do business with last year's auction donors and sponsors as we aim to build up local businesses. Don't hesitate to ask for a business referral within our community.
  10. Does your student have a special talent (voice, instrumental, performance poetry, inspired reading, etc.) to share in our virtual gala program? Encourage your student to make a submission in our upcoming student contest. Inquire with Jessica James.

For more information on how you can connect and make the Gala & Auction a success, contact Brooke Rawls P'30, P'32 at bkrawls11@gmail.com or (317) 902-8157 or Nancy May P'23 at nmay9393@gmail.com or (719) 210-9089. Please direct any sponsorship questions to Jessica L. James, Director of Advancement and Communications at jjames@css.org or (719) 434-3506.
ROAR: Opportunities
CSS Scholastic Book Fair Kicks Off Monday, March 8
The CSS Scholastic Book Fair will run online from March 8-21, 2021. Selections include books for young children, young adult, and even adults. Support our school while helping your child discover new books, favorite characters, complete series, and more! You'll love the fun new option to shop for Book Fair exclusives directly from the interactive booklist and enjoy free shipping on book-only purchases of more than $25.
Consider creating an e-Wallet account for your child by adding funds and then your child can shop the book fair using the amount you set. You may also invite family and friends to add to your child's e-Wallet.

Interested in donating to the library to help teachers purchase their book wish lists? Click here.
Family Trivia Night March 12
Join us Friday, March 12, 2021, at 6:00 p.m. for Family Trivia Night! The Parents Association is hosting this community event. The details:

  • Three periods with 4 questions each.
  • First 2 periods, teams can wager 1, 3, 5, & 7 points on each question.
  • Third period the points increase to 2, 4, 6, & 8 points.
  • Teams may pre-register by emailing Lynn Shepherd at lynn@docshepherd.com to say who is on your team.
Celebrating 100 Years of Honor in March
The National Honor Society (NHS) celebrates its centennial anniversary this month. Through regular engagement in student activities and high visibility within the school, NHS improves the culture and quality of not just its members, but of the student body at large. Join us as we celebrate 100 years and counting of student excellence and innovation. Throughout the month of February, our NHS began honoring the organization through four focused presentations produced by member committees that highlighted the four tenets of the NHS: Leadership, Character, Scholarship, and Service. When we're all back together again in April, we'll share a special celebration as we wind down the year and prepare to start the next 100! As usual, we will close the year with our formal induction ceremony on April 26. Stay tuned for more details.
Senior Athletics Day
Senior Day on Saturday, March 6, will celebrate our fall and winter sport senior athletes. The event will take place at 2:00 p.m. at Tutt Field House in-between the junior varsity and varsity basketball games. Due to COVID safety protocols, only senior athletes and their families may attend. Others may watch it via livestream here with an $11 monthly subscription. Spectators may also watch the games and Senior Day from the windows of Tutt Field House, where the junior class will be selling refreshments.

The two games against Rye may also be viewed by livestream. Junior varsity plays at 1:00 p.m. and varsity plays at 2:30 p.m.

Tune into www.csskodiaks.com to follow the junior varsity and varsity boys' basketball teams this season and stay up on scores and schedule changes.
Gazette Best & Brightest Nominations Being Accepted
The Gazette is accepting applications for the 2021 Best and Brightest, which features high school seniors while highlighting their academics, service, and community engagement. It also comes with a $500 scholarship. The deadline to apply is April 2. Click here to learn more and to apply. The Gazette features each student to receive the award.

Some past CSS students who have received this distinction are Bee Franklin, Robin Tsamo, Harry Gilbert, and Tye Tutt.
Order Lunch Online Now for March
Families may order lunch online for the entire month of March.

If you prefer not to order for the month, please note that lunch orders need to be placed by 10 p.m. the Wednesday before the start of the next week. For example, if you want to order lunch for your child for Thursday, March 11, the order must be placed by 10 p.m. Wednesday, March 3.

Please note that due to supply and snow days, there may be times menu items are substituted.

Middle & Upper School students need to present their Lifetouch School ID when picking up lunch from Maytag.
CSS Community Pledge
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.
ROAR: Achievements
Eight Kodiaks Earn National History Day Awards
Congratulations to eight Kodiaks for earning awards during the National History Day Competition!

Ninth graders researched and created projects for National History Day with the theme of Communications in History over two months. Roughly 100 students across the region competed in the event, which was held online this past weekend. The following Kodiaks won awards:

-Individual Performance, Katelyn R. '24, "Capoeira through the Days," 1st place.
-Group Performance, Mia L. '24 and Nora V. '24, "Chilean Dance Protests: How the Cueca dance communicated the mourning of the Chilean People," 2nd place.
-Individual Documentary, Celina K. '24, "Mohammud Mossadegh and the CIA's Grey Propaganda," 2nd place; Kaisa D. '24, "How lack of Communication Made the Cambodian Genocide Possible; and Oliver P. '24, "The Station that Killed Rwanda," 4th place.
-Individual Website, Micah R. '24, "The Tiananmen Massacre," 3rd place; and Noah B. '24, "The Kogi People: How Communication with the Outside World Changed Conservation," 4th place.

All students who earned 1st to 3rd places qualify for the Colorado State History Day competition on May 1st. Students earning 4th place are alternates for the state competition if one of the top three is not able to attend. Congratulations, Kodiaks!
1st Grade Famous Americans
First graders delivered presentations Wednesday and Thursday on Famous Americans of their choice. At CSS, the project is their first presentation and public speaking opportunity in front of their peers, as well as their parents. Parents were invited to watch via a livestream. We're so proud of you, 1st graders! Stay tuned for a photo album on Facebook featuring all of the Famous Americans portrayed by 1st grade students.
Kodiak Wins Volleyball Championship
Elise L. ‘21 recently traveled to Atlanta, Ga., to compete in the Capitol Hill Volleyball Classic with her Coalition 18-1’s club team. After three days of competition, they emerged as the Gold Bracket Champions in the Club Division. Congratulations, Elise!

This is an exciting precursor to the leadership Elise, a senior captain, will bring to CHSAA's Season C play for high school volleyball. We can't wait to see those Kodiaks return to the Field House for volleyball later this month.
Middle School Matchwits Earns 1st Place
Congratulations to the Middle School Matchwits Team for earning 1st place in the region!

The team's final round of the Black Forest League (BFL) Matchwits season was Monday, an evening of challenging questions. The Kodiaks finished the season in 1st place - BFL champs!

The Kodiaks finished with an impressive lead of 20 points over the 2nd place team. CSS Green Team members are captain Abraham B. '27, Lawrence G. '27 (top scorer of the BFL this season), Graham M. '27, and Malakai W. '25.

Our second team, CSS Blue, also did a great job and finished in 7th place, at the top of room 3. Blue team members are captain Elliot P. '26, Tejin M. '26, and Wyatt N. '26.
Submit Student Achievements & Photos
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!
ROAR: Requests
2020-2021 Calendar
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.
Announcing 2021-2022 Major Dates for Next School Year
The school's leadership team is working diligently on calendar planning efforts for the 2021-2022 school year. A more complete calendar will be released in the months to come, but please use these dates to anchor the start and finish of the school year and major breaks for the next school year. 
 
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.
              PreK - 2nd grade, 9:00 a.m. Dismissal; follows children singing at graduation
              3rd - 12th grade, Dismissal; following graduation; ~11:00 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/staff has proven beneficial to execute the school's signature programs and prioritize academic goals for students' benefit.
The Colorado Springs School | www.css.org