September 2004 Steele Filings

September 2009

Sunday

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

Saturday

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Back-To-School Open House

5:30 – 7:00

LABOR DAY

NO SCHOOL

COFFEE WITH THE PRINCIPAL

8:00-9:00 AM

ART ROOM

USW/PTA Meeting – 2:45-3:45 pm – Art Room

Grandparent’s Day

BAAC Meeting

7:00-8:00 pm – Community Center

Steele Fall Concert (SteveWeeks & Joe Uveges)

Professional Development Day

Entertainment Book Sale Ends

NO STUDENTS

First day of Rosh Hashanah

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Steele Grand Reopening-Community Invited 6:30-8:00 pm

(First day of Autumn)

Skate City Night 6-8:00 pm

Student Picture Day

Yom Kippur

Principal’s Corner

WELCOME BACK! September is here and we are off to a great start! The staff and I are looking forward to seeing you at Open House, September 3^rd from 5:30 pm – 7:00 pm. We will start in the gym at 5:30 pm. There will be time for everyone to visit the classrooms, meet staff, and spend a short time going over expectations and goals for each class. Everyone on staff is geared up and enthusiastic about this year and working with your children!

The building looks wonderful and we are getting used to the changes! A special Steele Grand Re-Opening is planned for Tuesday, September 22 from 5:30-7:00! Please come and meet Dr. Nicholas Gledich, new D11 superintendent; BOE members; Terry Johns, Project Manager; Bryan Keyes, Architect; and others who were part of Steele’s Extreme Makeover! We will start at the gazebo , take tours of the building, and end with refreshments in the gym. If you have a neighbor, bring them along; this is a community event!

One of Steele’s endearing charms is that it is a neighborhood school and students and parents can walk to school each day, and bring their dogs! For the sake of safety and respect for others, please remember to use a leash and clean up after your pets. Some children and adults are afraid and uncomfortable around dogs, especially when they are running free. There are also people with allergies to dogs and animals. Please be aware of others, and remember dogs are not allowed inside a D11 school building unless they are a certified service dog, as this is a violation of El Paso County Health Department regulations.

As I close and we begin another year, I want to say thank you for your support. I invite you to come to me directly with concerns, questions, or for any other reason. If an issue, question, misunderstanding, or great new idea does not get discussed, there is no way for change to occur. Sometimes a chat on the playground or a short meeting can determine different outcomes, and make a big difference! Decisions may be driven by D11 or BOE policies, protocols and/or amendments to existing regulations. I will always welcome the opportunity to meet, listen and collaborate if you have questions.

I hope each of you has a wonderful long weekend!

Georganne Barnes

Principal

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 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.

If you have not returned the Student Emergency Information card, Emergency Dismissal Information/Inclement Weather Plan form, Generic Standard Permission Slip, or Health Information Form, please do so as soon as possible. These forms were included in your student’s first-day packet. It is very important that we have these forms on file should your student become injured or ill at school or if we have an emergency or early dismissal.

The parking lot between the mural wall and the alley is for District 11 staff parking only. Also, the medical building across the street on Weber has asked that parents not park in their parking lot as this space is limited and for patient parking only. We know that parking can be hard to find, especially before and after school, but perhaps by carpooling or arriving a few minutes earlier, some of the congestion can be alleviated.

Please 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.

Text Box: PARENTS! COFFEE WITH THE PRINCIPAL!
Tuesday, September 08, 2009
8:00-9:00 am-Art Room
Learn about USW/PTA; BAAC; VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES and MORE!

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SCHOOL LUNCHES

If you have questions about your child’s lunch account, please call the lunchroom manager, Mrs. Alirez-Mimm, at 328-4732 and leave a message. She will return your call as soon as she can. District 11 Food and Nutrition Services has a website containing healthy recipes, nutrition tidbits, fun food facts and healthy lifestyle web sites that may be interesting for both students and parents. Visit this web site at www.cssd11.k12.co.us/fns/nutrition_tidbits.htm.

For students who were enrolled in the district database and who qualified for meal benefits on the last day of school in the previous year, all free and reduced price meals will be continued for up to 30 school days in the new school year or until a new form has been completed and approved or denied. Households are required by USDA federal guidelines to fill out new applications each school year. Free and reduced price meal applications were mailed to households in the district the first part of August. If you did not receive one and would like to complete an application, copies are available in school office. Only one application per household should be turned in to the school office. All students are full pay students until determination on free or reduced meals has been made. Parents are responsible for providing lunches from home or lunch money. School District 11 Food & Nutrition Services does not allow charges. Students who forget their money are provided an alternate meal on a case-by-case basis.

Families are encouraged to pre-pay for student meals. Pre-payment may be made at either the school or online at www.d11.org/fns/prepay.htm , where a credit card may be used, or by calling 1-866-896-7594. Student meal account balances may be viewed at “no charge” by registering at www.d11.org/fns/prepay.htm. Questions may be directed to the Food & Nutrition Services office at 520-2924

VOLUNTEERS

Whether you volunteer in your student’s classroom or for various PTA or school-sponsored activities, all persons wishing to come into the building to volunteer must complete and sign a Volunteer Registration form. These forms were sent home in your student’s first-day packet. A separate form needs to be completed for each volunteer (i.e., mom, dad, grandma, grandpa, etc.) Additional forms are available in the office or online at www.d11.org under Volunteer. You may also register online through this same website; however, the online registration form must be printed, signed and returned to the office for forwarding to Volunteer Services.

In order for our Volunteer Coordinators to properly keep track of our volunteer hours, it is important that you log in your time on the volunteer tracking form each time you volunteer at school. You may also log your volunteer hours through the District 11 website.

Additionally, if you will be volunteering to drive for a field trip, a Volunteer Driver’s form must also be completed and left on file in the office. A copy of your valid Colorado Driver’s License and your current proof of insurance will be made when you turn in this form. If you have any questions about volunteering at Steele Elementary, please contact our Volunteer Chairman, Tina Horwitch at 520-1646.

ENTERTAINMENT BOOK SALE

Our annual Entertainment Book sale envelopes with the book inside went home on August 31. If you have not yet seen this envelope, please check your student’s backpack. If you decide to buy the book , payment must be sent back in the envelope provided. If you do not want to purchase the book, send the book back in the envelope provided. Entertainment Books are $30 and Gold C Books are $10. These books usually pay for themselves in 1 to 2 uses and there are also printable offers posted weekly at www.entertainment.com for those who have purchased Entertainment Books. Profits from the sale of these books go toward funding our annual Pancake Breakfast in October and various school activities throughout the school year. All orders, with payment included, are due by September 18, 2008. You may also purchase books from the office during the school day. Thank you for supporting our school!

FROM OUR SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGIST

Interested in Charitable Offerings from Our Community?

Throughout the year, a number of charitable organizations (Operation School Bell, Holy Apostles’ Brown Bag & Giving Tree Social Ministries, our own USW, and others) make offers to support families facing hardship. The schools are occasionally contacted regarding offerings such as children’s clothing, school supplies, holiday gifts &/or food, and more. If you are interested in getting information about these offers, please call Lori Sampson, School Psychologist, at 328-4738, or let the office staff know.. A confidential list will be kept and you will be contacted as opportunities arise.

SCHOOL PICTURES

It's that time of year again – capture school memories with portraits by Lifetouch. Mark your calendars and get ready for Picture Day on Friday, September 25, 2009.

All students will be individually photographed and group class pictures will also be taken on this date. Watch for order forms to come home in your student’s backpack.

BUILDING ADVISORY ACCOUNTABILITY COMMITTEE (BAAC)

The Building Advisory Accountability Committee (BAAC) will have its first meeting on Tuesday, September 15 at 7:00 pm in the Steele Community Center. BAAC is an oversight committee of parents and school staff who work to monitor and improve academics for all Steele Students. Please join us to see what BAAC is about and what you can do to help Steele achieve its high academic goals. Please contact co-chairs Angela Sullivan (angelapaul32@msn.com), and Jessica Babbs (jessica.babbs@asd20.org) with your questions.

SKATE CITY

Our first Skate City Night of the school year will be held on Wednesday, September 23rd, from 6:00 to 8:00 pm at the Skate City located at 1920 N. Academy Blvd. (corner of Academy & Palmer Park). Skate City has developed a new incentive program that runs throughout the entire school year. They will be awarding $500 to the school that has the most skaters for the entire school year, and $500 to the school that skates the highest % of their enrollment. Please join us for a fun-filled evening at Skate City!

SPANISH NEWS

Las noticias de español

¡Bienvenidos a Steele! Welcome to Steele. I am looking forward to another year teaching your child Spanish. It has been exciting to use the new technology in Spanish class. So far we have learned phrases and vocabulary which will help students communicate their needs to me in Spanish such as “May I get a drink of water?” or “I need a pencil.” We will quickly review what they learned last year before we dive into our curriculum for the year. In September we will also talk about Mexican Independence day. If you need to reach me, you can send me an email: eicklj@d11.org or call me at 328-4734. Thank you for allowing me to share Spanish with your child. ~Señora Eick

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QUICK MUSIC NOTES

Greetings for another fantastic & musical new school year! The students are off to a great start and our "new school" looks fantastic! Here are a few quick notes to be aware of as we begin a new year:

1) All 4th & 5th grade band students should bring their Membership Form, participation fee, instrument & instruction book to class beginning Tuesday, Aug. 25th or no later than Tuesday, Sept. 1st so we can get off to a good start.

2) Band lessons are held Tuesday & Thursday mornings during special's time or before school (7:20-8:00 am) depending on which section your child is in. A rotating quarterly schedule will be sent home by Aug. 24 and the schedule will begin Tuesday, Aug. 25. If students are scheduled to practice in the morning, they will have an extra day of P.E. & Gen. Music during special's time. This was the only solution to having such a wonderful, large beginning band, but reality is there is only one of me to provide individual instruction. I do not want anyone bored or not receiving the attention they need and deserve. Please call me if you have concerns or further questions. I'm excited to work with your child in a new musical adventure!

3) Steele's "Rising Stars" Choir will resume with an organizational meeting on Thursday, September 10, from 2:40-3:00 in the music room. Rehearsals will be held on Thursdays from 2:40-3:30 pm, and will begin Thursday, September 17th. Any 3rd, 4th or 5th grade student is welcome to join and participate in our school's choir! If your child is interested, they should attend our meeting on September 10 to hear the news and take a flyer home to their parents. I hope to see your child in our "Rising Stars" choir this year!

Musically yours truly,

Ms. Vanessa R. Stauffer

Music Education Specialist

PE NEWS

The United States Air Force Academy is offering schools to participate in the 2009 Bring Your “A” Game program. The program is designed to reward students for successful performances in the classroom by providing them with free admission to various Falcon athletic events throughout the Fall. It’s our hope to re-introduce community youth to their favorite sports through a new perspective.

Specific dates for men’s and women’s soccer and volleyball have been selected. To request tickets, please complete the attached request and return to me.

Also, please see the attached flyer for Field Day, October 1, 2009.

Jenny Alden

P.E. Teacher

PTA NEWS

The United Steele Workers (USW) – The PTA welcomes you Back to School!!!

I am Debby Van Orden, and I have the honor of being your PTA President for the upcoming school year. On behalf of the USW board, I would like to welcome every one back to our “new” school. Doesn’t it look great! We would especially like to welcome all of our new families to Steele. We are so glad you are here!!

The PTA and BAAC will be hosting a “Welcome to Steele Coffee Hour”, Tuesday, September 8^th, from 8:00-9:00a.m. in the Art Room. This is an opportunity for all parents new to Steele to come and learn about the school. Everyone is invited to come, meet, and welcome our new families; a program will be presented from 8:30am-9:00am.

PTA activities the month:

Enrichment Classes- This program is designed to benefit our students with opportunities for them to enroll in a wide variety of after-school classes ranging from gymnastics, yoga, pottery, science, etc. Registration will begin towards the end of September, with classes starting shortly thereafter. Classes are held once a week for six weeks. There is a fee attached to each class; however, PTA scholarships are available. Look for enrichment information to be in your child’s backpack in the upcoming weeks. Huge thanks go to Mandy Collins, Susie Milani, and Sandy Brown, our terrific Enrichment Coordinators.

Used Book Sale - My favorite PTA event of the year will be October 2^ndright after school. This sale is a Win-Win!! Clear out books that your family no longer reads and stock back up with great “new-to-you” books at $1 for hardback, $.50 for paperbacks. Milk and cookies will be for sale. Donations of your used books will be taken at the school beginning the week of Sept. 14^th. Collection boxes will be placed in all of the class rooms as well as in the main front hall. All books are welcome: board books, cook books, travel books, kids and grown-up books. Ann Dickey will be running the sale this year, so you know it will be great. Every penny earned from this sale goes directly to support our spectacular library.

Are you ready to ROCK and ROLL!!!

Mark the Calendar for Thursday, September 17^th 5:45-7:30 for the first annual Steele Elementary Fall Concert Series (1 of 1). The PTA presents our very own and extremely gifted musician, Steve Weeks as well as the wonderful and friend to many, Joe Uveges. Bring a blanket for sitting on the grass, a picnic supper, and enjoy an evening of music with friends. The PTA will have pizza and drinks available for sale if you really want to make it easy. It should be a great evening!!

Hope to see you all at our first meeting of the year, September 8^th, 2:45 pm.

STEELE STARS!

Steele Elementary School