IMPORTANT PARENT REMINDERS
Please call the attendance line at 328-4703
if your child will be absent from school. Leave your
child’s name, teacher’s name, date, and the reason for the absence. All
attendance calls are forwarded to your student’s homeroom teacher. If you do not notify the office, the absence
will not be unexcused. Also, if your
child will be late or is returning to school after an appointment, please
walk your student into the office and sign them in.
PHONE MESSAGES
PARENTS OF 5TH GRADE STUDENTS
If your student will be attending middle school on
a permit next school year, please let the office know which school they will be
going to as soon as possible. The middle
schools are beginning to ask us to change Future Tracks for students whose
permits have been approved. However,
many students have applied to more than one school and we need to know where to
send students’ records at the end of this school year.
PLEASE LET US KNOW!
If your child will NOT
be attending Steele next year (current K - 4th grades only), please
stop by the school office to withdraw your student(s). This information will assist us in
determining whether or not we are able to grant new permits, and to make class
lists for next school year. You may
call, 328-4700, or stop by the office any time between now and the end of the
school year.
SHAKESPEARE PERFORMANCE
LORDS AND LADIES OF THE REALM!
On
April 17th, the Steele Shakespearean Players will present William
Shakespeare’s “The Taming of the Shrew”.
Showtime is 7:00 p.m. in the Steele gym.
This
will be the 19th annual Shakespeare production – a Steele tradition!
KINDERGARTEN REGISTRATION IN DISTRICT 11
District 11 will
hold kindergarten registration for school year 2009-2010 at all D-11 elementary
schools on Friday, April 24th from 8:00 am to 3:30 pm.
(This is for children residing inside Steele School
boundaries only!) Children must
be five years of age on or before October 1, 2008 to enroll in
kindergarten and six years of age by the same date to enroll in grade one,
unless previous public school attendance can be verified.
A student enrolling in a D-11
school for the first time needs to submit a birth certificate, Social Security
number, up-to-date immunization record and proof of residency at the time of
enrollment. Kindergarten enrollment packets may be picked up from the school office
beginning the week of April 13. Please share this
information with friends and neighbors who have kindergarten age children.
SCHOLASTIC
BOOK FAIR
Once again Steele is
sponsoring the Scholastic Book Fair from Monday,
April 6 to Friday, April 10.. More
information will be sent home with your child listing all the book fair
activities. Lots of
great books will be available for purchase.
Visa, Master Card, Discover, personal checks, and, of course, cash will
be accepted. Please remember to enter
the Book Fair through the outside door on Espanola Street.
MONUMENT VALLEY
PARK CLEAN UP – MAY 2, 2009
Bring your family!!!
Bring your friends!! Be a part of your community and join the Friends of
the Monument Valley Park
for the Monument Valley Park Spring Cleanup on Saturday, May 2 from 8 AM to 4
PM. Come for all or part. If you sled, swing, play baseball, had picnics, run or walk the trails,
you have taken advantage of this wonderful gift that General Palmer gave to the
people of Colorado Springs over 100 years ago. Help us take care of this
community treasure.
Please bring heavy duty trash
bags, work gloves, water, sunscreen, and closed-toe shoes. Community
service forms will be available.
Sally Broomfield is
organizing a team of Steele families. Please contact her at
448-0313 or
broomfields5@msn.com
LOST AND FOUND
Parents, please remember to check the Lost & Found whenever you are
in the building for items that may belong to your children. By checking on a regular basis we may be able
to keep our Lost & Found closet from overflowing. Remember that items left in the Lost &
Found after the last day of school will be given to a local charity.
ART STROKES
The following students
artwork has been selected to represent our school in the 47th Annual
Young People’s Art Exhibit (YPAE) in the Citadel Mall from April 3-11, 2009: 2nd-Ms.
Utterback: Emma Johnson; 3rd-Ms. Couper: Makenna Hylton; 4th-Mrs.
Kohn: Avery Gates, 5th-Ms. Gaeta: Drew Dickey and Leta McWilliams.
Take a moment to enjoy the
artwork that the students of Ms. Ramirez’ classes created based on the African
theme now displayed in the school’s hall walls.
They are truly remarkable! Such
talented “student” artists at Steele!
Loretta Ramirez, Art
Specialist
Hunt/Whittier/Steele
Elementary
ART FOCUS DAY
“MEET AN ARTIST:
BE AN ARTIST”
Just a reminder that April 14th
is Art Focus Day. Please remember to
send your children in clothes and shoes that can get messy!
K-8 SUMMER SCHOOL 2009
The K-8 2009 Summer Program is a reading,
writing, and math intervention program designed for students who are not at
grade level. This summer, Steele
Elementary students will attend Bates Elementary for Summer School:
July 1 – July 29, 2009
Elementary School times will
be 8:00 a.m. to 12 noon
Middle School times will be 8:45 a.m. to 12:45 p.m.
·
Registration
forms are available at your child’s school beginning April 6, 2008.
·
Please
fill out, attach payment, and return to your child’s school no later than May 22, 2008.
·
Registrations
received without payment will be wait-listed and placed, upon receipt of fees.
Registrations received after the
May 22 deadline will be wait-listed and placed IF space is available on July 7.
LAS NOTICIAS DE ESPAÑOL
The Ribbons of
Color are coming to perform at Steele on Wednesday, April 8 at 6:30. Ribbons of Color is a Mexican Folkloric Dance
Troupe. It will be a fun evening filled
with wonderful Mexican music, dance, and desserts. Please come and join us.
It is now April, and we have accomplished
much in Spanish. Kindergarteners are
learning the names of different farm animals. They are making a book to share with you. First graders have finished making their Oso Pardo, Oso Pardo(Brown Bear, Brown Bear)
books. I hope they shared them with
you. They are now learning the names of
the days of the week.
Grades 2nd-
5th will have tests in April over what they have been studying. Second grade is learning the parts of the
body in Spanish. Third grade has been studying modes of transportation and some
countries. Finally, fourth and fifth
graders are learning how to say different articles of clothing in Spanish and
how to tell time to the hour. They have
been having fun trying on clothes from my suitcase
PTA ENRICHMENT
PROGRAM
Thank you to all the people
that have made the enrichment program a success this year. We will not have a spring enrichment program
due to time constraints from the early dismissal schedule. We will be back next Fall! Please contact Mandy Collins for new
enrichment program ideas at mandyvitz@comcast.net.
END OF YEAR PICNIC
The annual end-of-year
all-school picnic will be held at Monument Valley Park on Thursday, May 7. All
students will walk from school to the park at approximately 11:00 a.m., and
will leave the park at approximately 1:30 p.m. to return to Steele. Students need to bring a sack lunch, a drink,
a hat and sunscreen. The students will
play games and eat lunch in the park. Look
for permission slips to come home soon.
Families are welcome to attend.
If parents want to sign their students out before 2:30, teachers will
have sign-out sheets at the park.
“AS THE ROPE TURNS” – PE NEWS 2009
It always amazes me how
quickly the years go by. This year has seemed to be busier than most, must be
the early end to the school year, and the longer days. Thought a quick recap would be appropriate.
But First….
To this year’s 5th grade class:
It seems not too long ago you
were Kindergarteners, wide-eyed, excited, clumsy and pretty silly if I recall
correctly. Today I see a group of young ladies & men ready to face all that
the future may have in store for you.
Two of my favorite memories: playing
traffic tag in Kinder, somehow the Zawacki twins were cops together and they
instinctively knew how to trap on the purple lines. That hadn’t happened before, or since. At the last boy’s basketball game of this
year, Isaac and Behr had Shakespeare practice until the 4th quarter.
When they made it to the gym, the team
quickly reported that they were the only two who hadn’t scored in this game,
the focus became to pass the ball to them until they scored. Countless open shots were passed up to pass
the ball to these two, finally Isaac scored on a lay-up to complete the team’s
last game. I have coached for many years
in the past and never have I had a team where everyone on the team scored in a
single game.
That last memory is the
example of the compassion and teamwork this group has developed during their
years at Steele.
It has been my honor and pleasure to teach you…go forth and make me
proud.
Love ,
Mrs. Alden
Fall -
Cross Country Meets – Mary Weeks and her crew managed over 50 Steele runners in the running
club. A series of five track meets all over the district found students from
Kinder to 5th grade competing and having fun. Thanks to all who helped
make this a great opportunity for our students.
Field Day – As
usual, volunteers came out in masses to make this day a fun one for all
involved. I can’t express my gratitude
enough to all who worked, took pictures, and enjoyed the day with their children.
Thanks also to the teachers and staff
who are always so flexible. This year, due to class size, the classes were
divided to allow maximum participation, and less time waiting in line. This
also caused a need for more volunteers, like always the Steele community came
through.
Winter -
Basketball – December
arrived and so did Basketball tryouts. I
tried my hand at coaching Basketball again after 20 years off from coaching. I struggled with the decision because it is
against my philosophy to have competitive sports at this age.
That last memory is the
example of the compassion, and teamwork this group has developed during their
years at Steele.
It has been my honor &
pleasure to teach you…go forth and make me proud
Love ,
Mrs. Alden
Fall -
Cross Country Meets – Mary Weeks and her crew managed over 50 Steele runners in the running
club. A series of 5 track meets all over the district found students from
Kinder to 5th grade competing and having fun. Thanks to all who
helped make this a great opportunity for our students.
Field Day – As
usual, volunteers came out in masses to make this day a fun one for all
involved. I can’t express my gratitude enough to all who worked, took pictures,
and enjoyed the day with their children. Thanks also to the teachers and staff
who are always so flexible. This year due to class size, the classes were
divided to allow maximum participation, and less time waiting in line. This
also caused a need for more volunteers, like always the Steele community came
through.
Winter
Basketball – December
arrived and so did Basketball try-outs.
I tried my hand at coaching Basketball again after 20 years off from
coaching. I struggled with the decision because it is against my philosophy to
have competitive sports at this age.
Once again, the students and parent support made this an enjoyable
experience. The 27 students who participated showed great character, and skill
development. Their leadership qualities came out in ways that affected them on
and off the court, and in PE class. They demonstrated compassion for their
teammates and opponents.
Special thanks go to Ms. Peggy Vigil Co-Coach, Maggie
Couper Statistician, Anne Dickey, and Lisa Corte Scorekeepers
Spring -
Cupstacking – The
cupstacking club or to be technically correct “sportstacking club” met every
Monday after school from October to
March culminating in the D11 tournament on
March 14th at Wasson High School. Over 50 students participated every Monday,
and it would have been chaos without the help of a few dedicated parents. Thank you to Fred
Wright, Leslie Votava, Sam Walton, Sarah
Simec & Mark Kolb.
Jump Rope
For Heart – Every year Steele
students jump rope to support The American Heart Association. Steele has consistently been in the top ten
fundraising schools in our region. The generosity of our community never ceases
to amaze me. Our goal this year is $7,600, which is 3 dollars more than last
year. To reward our school, Subway has
generously offered 50 subway meals. Twenty-five for the class that raises the
most money and 25 for the top individual raisers, to qualify for the class
prize each student must have brought in at least $5.
The event date this year is
Thursday, April 9th. Money
must be turned in by the 10th to be considered for thee class prize,
and by the 16th for the individual Subway reward.
HELP HELP HELP HELP HELP
I can always use parent help to turn
rope, or monitor the water /juice station, so if you have the time & energy
help would be greatly appreciated especially for the lower grades.
2nd 11:00 – 11:50
K – 1:20 – 2:10
1st – 2:10 – 3:00
Ron Hein Track
Meet. I will end the year with the annual 4th &
5th grade track meet. On Thursday May 14, students are chosen to participate
from their times at Field Day, as well as behavior and participations during
the school year.
I have said it before & I
will say it again, thanks for sharing your child with me!
Jenny
Alden, PE Teacher
MUSIC NOTES
First Grade
Japanese Opening
Congratulations to the first
grade students for a wonderful opening assembly on March 20th! You
sounded and looked great presenting the songs and activities you learned about Japan!
Thank you for doing your personal best!
3rd Grade Recorder
Ensemble
Steele's 3rd Grade Recorder Ensemble has been
working very hard preparing music for the opening of this year's 5th grade
Shakespeare play to be presented on Friday, April 17th at 8:30 a.m. for the
school and again that evening at 7:00 p.m. for families and the public.
Recorder performers may wear clothing from Shakespeare's era or traditional
concert attire - black pants/skirt, white and/or red shirt/top, black
shoes. More information will be sent home this week to help prepare for
their performance. Thank you for volunteering your mornings to prepare for
this special event. You've done a wonderful job learning new notes,
fingerings, and playing skills! Break a leg!
3rd Grade Sign Up for
Instrumental Music Classes for 2009-2010
All 3rd grade students will be attending a school
assembly soon to present the different types of band and orchestra instruments
available to learn next year. 5th grade students will demonstrate the
instruments during the assembly. Mr. Deepe, Steele's Orchestra Director,
and I will explain how students can join Steele's Beginning Band or Beginning
Orchestra next year. An information flier will be sent home after the
assembly so that students and parents may discuss this opportunity and the responsibilities
that come with being a band or orchestra musician. Please look for the
information flier and feel free to contact Mr. Deepe or Ms. Stauffer with any
questions you or your child may have about joining our instrumental programs.
"Rising
Stars" Choir
Steele's "Rising
Stars" Choir will be participating in the 15th annual D11 Elementary School Choir Festival on
Saturday, April 11th at Mitchell High School's Auditorium. The students
should arrive dressed in their choir uniform at 8:15 a.m. and will rehearse
until 9:30. They may bring a snack and a water bottle with their name on
it for a quick break at 9:30. The concert is free and begins at 10:00
a.m. Students will be released to parents when the concert ends at
approximately 11:45. Hope you enjoy a morning of wonderful music by our
Stars and the students of other D11 elementary schools!
** Choir rehearsal days &
times are changing for the month of April in order to be prepared for the
festival and our final school concert on Tuesday, May 5th. Rehearsal
times are as follows:
Thurs., April 2 - 3:20-4:15
Thurs.,
April 9 - 3:20-4:30
Tues.,
April 14 - 3:20-4:30
Thurs., April 23 - 3:20-4:30
Thurs., April 30 - 3:20-4:30
Tues., May 5 - 8:20-9:15 School Assembly
Tues., May 5 - 7:00 pm Final School Concert
Thank you to all the choir
members for their hard work and dedication to learning as much as they can
about reading music notation, correct singing methods and performing with
expression! You are truly shining "Rising Stars!"
Steele Beginning
& Intermediate Bands
Steele's Beginning Band
and Intermediate Band are working very hard to prepare music for their final
school concert on Tuesday, May 5th at Steele in the gym at 7:00 p.m.
Please help make sure they bring their instrument and music to class every week
from now until May 5th. This has been a problem for some students
recently and will affect their performance skills. 5th Grade band
students only have 7 more class rehearsals to prepare their selections.
Every student is vital to the success of the concert on May 5th.
We need parents, siblings, or
community volunteers to help fill parts on the 5th grade selections which
include film and movie themes which are written in band arrangements. We
especially need the following instrumentation: flutes, clarinets, tenor & bari saxophones, trombones, baritone horns, trumpets and
percussion.
If you are available to play,
please let Ms. Stauffer know by April 10th so that music can be sent to
you.
There will be one final dress
rehearsal on Monday, May 4th from 6:30-8:00 p.m. in Steele's gym to rehearse
all Beginning and Intermediate Band selections. All Steele Band students
and volunteers need to attend this combined final rehearsal so that we can end
our 2008-2009 school year on a "happy note" and provide wonderful
memories. Hope to see you for the May 5th concert for a wonderful evening
of music!
Thank you for your fabulous
support of music in our school! I enjoy every day helping your children
learn the art of making music and how to appreciate all types of music. I
appreciate the opportunity to work with your child and enrich their lives
through music. Hope you have a fun and memorable summer and I look
forward to next year!
Vanessa R. Stauffer
Music Education Specialist, Steele
E.S.
328-4755
TARGET’S “TAKE CHARGE OF EDUCATION PROGRAM”
Remember
that when you use your Target® Visa® or Target® Card (REDcard), Steele will
receive a percentage of the amount of each purchase in the form of a cash
donation from Target through the Take Charge of Education® program. It's
easy. Just visit target.com/tcoe, or
call 1-800-316-6142 to designate our school.
Our School ID# is 37273. Don’t have a REDcard? It’s easy to apply. Just pop into any Target store to apply in
person or go to Target.com/apply and apply instantly online. So if you're going
to Target anyway, please consider using your Target® Visa® or Target®
Card. Big thanks to those who are
already doing their part to make a great school even better.
·
Grandparents,
alumni, neighbors and friends are all welcome to participate in this program.
·
Check out
Target.com/tcoe to find out how much money our school has already received.
OFFICE DEPOT 5% BACK TO SCHOOLS PROGRAM
Help our school get credit for
FREE SUPPLIES!
Our school will get credits equal to 5% of the
qualifying purchases to use for free supplies.
You can credit the school
throughout the year!
When you shop at Office Depot,
remember to give our school ID# every time you make a
purchase.
Steele’s ID# is 70017263. If you have any questions, please go to www.school.com and click on the 5% Back to
Schools Program link, call 877-567-5287, or visit your local Office Depot
store.
KING SOOPERS/SAFEWAY GIFT CARDS
The office is once again selling
King Soopers and Safeway grocery gift cards this school year. This is a vital part of our fundraising
efforts at no additional cost to you. Cards may be purchased at face value and Steele
earns five percent of the total sales.
Buying and using these certificates is a great way to help our school. Purchases may be made anytime during the
school day.
BOX TOPS FOR EDUCATION
Please
continue to clip and send in your Box Tops for Education. Box tops can be found on hundreds of
products. Visit www.boxtops4education.com for a
complete list of participating products.
Collecting box tops is an easy way to earn cash for our school at no
additional cost to you. A collection bag
is located in the hallway next to the office.
COMING IN 2009/10
July 1-29:
Summer School
Aug. 18:
First Day of School
