Family Connection

Thursday, Sept. 17, 2026

Be Present, Be Proud, Be YOU! Attendance resources

Thursday, Oct. 1 is October Count Day

Middle Matters Minute

Away for the Day - school cell phone policies and practices

Meal Benefit Applications

Bond refinance saves taxpayers money

Mapleton Matters - help put together the agenda

Mapleton App and Chat

Community Resources

Consistent attendance helps your child show up for school, build confidence in their accomplishments, and discover who they want to be.

Absences add up more quickly than most parents realize. Just two days a month can mean 18 absences a year. Each missed day means missing an important building block for future learning. Think of learning like building a tower: every day, your child's teacher hands them a specific block of information. When your child misses just one day of school, they miss the foundation needed to understand the very next day's lesson. While worksheets can be sent home, they can't replace the live teacher guidance, hands-on projects, and peer collaboration that happen inside the classroom.

Did you know?

• Being late to school may lead to poor attendance.
• Students should miss no more than nine days of school each year to stay engaged and on track to graduation.
• Frequent absences can be a sign that a student is losing interest in school, dealing with a bully, or facing some other difficulty.
• By sixth grade, chronic absence (missing 10%, or two days each month) is one of three signs that a student may drop out of high school.
• By ninth grade, attendance is a better predictor of graduation rates than eighth grade test scores.

Mapleton has a lot of resources to help your family build habits of good attendance. From food to housing, health, wellness, and transportation, we can help connect you to the resources your family needs to be present, be proud, and be in school every day. Please contact your child's teacher or your child's school principal for more information.

Thursday, Oct. 1, is our official attendance count day! In Colorado, schools receive funding based on the number of students in attendance on Count Day.

What is October Count?

October Count is the day the Colorado Department of Education asks all public schools in Colorado to count and report the number of students enrolled and attending classes (in person or online) at their school.

Why is October Count important?

October Count is important because the Colorado Department of Education provides funds to schools and school districts based on the number of students who are actively enrolled and attending classes on Count Day.

How can I help on Count Day?

Start prioritizing attendance now and ensure your child is present and in class on time on the official Count Day.

Middle school is a time of tremendous growth. Students are developing academically, socially, emotionally, and physically at a rapid pace, and becoming more independent every day. It can also be a time when academic motivation shifts, friendships become more complex, and stress can feel bigger.

This year, Mapleton's middle school teams are learning research-backed strategies and practical tools to create classrooms where students are engaged in their learning, connected to their teachers and peers, and confident in their ability to grow.

To support our parents of middle school students, we are introducing the Middle Matters Minute. This short video provides families with information about how to support their students and find the magic in middle school.

As a reminder, there is no school for sixth-, seventh-, and eighth-grade students on Tuesday, Sept. 22.

All middle school teachers will be participating in the second session of The Middle Matters training.

Please note that students in all other grades, and sixth graders at Adventure Elementary and Welby Community School of the Arts, do have school on Tuesday, Sept. 22.

All Mapleton schools have established clear rules and procedures for student use of personal technology devices during the school day. The district policy, as well as rules and procedures by school, are available on Mapleton's website.

Emergency Communication

When schools restrict cell phone use, parents and guardians often worry about being unable to reach their child during an emergency. However, school security and safety specialists caution that widespread phone use during a crisis can actually increase risk. Calls and texts can tie up phone lines needed by police and emergency responders, distract students from following safety instructions, and fuel the spread of rumors or inaccurate information at a moment when clear guidance matters most.

Schools are equipped with landlines, two-way radios, and other reliable communication systems for emergencies. In the event of a crisis, the school and/or district will provide families with official updates as quickly as possible.

Thanks to the Healthy School Meals for All (HSMA) program, Mapleton will continue to provide all students with one free breakfast and one free lunch daily through the 2026-27 school year, regardless of income.

To ensure your child's school receives important federal funding and your family has access to important resources, take a few moments to complete the Meal Benefits Application. Completing the Meal Benefits Application can help connect you to other important resources, including:

• State or federal funding for your child's school and district

• Waived school fees or testing fees (AP testing, PSAT/SAT) or college application fees for your child

• Discounted phone and internet services, bus passes, as well as other utility assistance and state resources (SNAP, TANF, Medicaid, or FDPRI) for your family.

Information provided during the application process is confidential and protected. Only one application per household is needed. Please complete your Student Benefit Application today by visiting the My School Apps page.

In 2016, voters approved a bond that created debt for the district. With this bond, Mapleton rebuilt or renovated seven school buildings, provided the required local match for more than $40 million in Building Excellent Schools Today (BEST) grant funds from the state of Colorado — stretching every dollar invested by the Mapleton community — and made important updates and improvements to nearly every school building in the district.

In August, we refinanced that debt at a lower interest rate, saving taxpayers $8.7 million in interest. This is money that would otherwise have been paid through property taxes. This means future interest payments will be lower, which reduces the potential impact on property taxes going forward. The savings go directly back to the taxpayers in our district.

This outcome was enhanced by our positive credit rating. When investors reviewed the district's strong financial standing, interest in purchasing our bonds increased. This pushed our interest rate down further than we anticipated, resulting in greater savings than originally projected.

We're excited to bring back Mapleton Matters — Mapleton's community update!

Hosted by Mapleton's Board of Education and Superintendent Mike Crawford, Mapleton Matters is your go-to source for staying connected, informed, and engaged with everything happening across Mapleton Public Schools.

Help us shape the agenda for our upcoming show on Monday, Sept. 28. Have a question or topic you'd like us to cover? Email us at communications@mapleton.us.

View the instructions below for more information on how to download the app and access Chat.

Wolverine Den Food Pantry

The Wolverine Den is a free food pantry open to all Mapleton families. The Wolverine Den offers a simple way to pick up essentials each week, including a variety of grocery items and household staples to support your family.

You can visit the Wolverine Den on the southeast side of Achieve Academy (9100 Poze Blvd., Thornton, CO 80229) every Thursday from 9 to 11 a.m. No appointment is needed. Please enter using the ground-level door on the southeast corner of the building, near the gym.

To get started, you can create an account through the Food Bank of the Rockies. This information is kept confidential and shared only with the Food Bank of the Rockies: https://newclient.link2feed.com/

The Wolverine Den is made possible through a partnership between Mapleton Public Schools and Food for Hope, working together to support and nourish our community.

New this year, the Wolverine Den will be open the first Thursday of every month from 4-5:30 p.m. This begins on Thursday, Oct. 1.

The statewide, toll-free Food Resource Hotline is open Monday- Thursday, 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m., and Friday, 8 a.m.-12 p.m., and helps Coloradans across the state connect with food and nutrition resources. The Hotline is available to all Coloradans, regardless of legal status, in 150+ languages. All caller information is confidential.

Food Resource Hotline: 855.855.4626

Kids First provides services to any child or young adult between the ages of 0 and 21, regardless of where they reside. No one between the ages of 0-21 will be denied access to services due to inability to pay, and there is a discounted/sliding fee schedule available based on family size and income.

Pediatric primary care services available include:

• Physical health – well-child check-ups, sports physicals, vaccines, reproductive health, sick visits, management of chronic disease such as asthma, and more.
• Mental health care – brief visits with a counselor, as well as one-on-one therapy.
• Enrollment in Medicaid and CHP+, and support accessing other immediate needs resources.

Alto has a Walk-In Clinic! Walk-In appointments are scheduled on a first-come, first-served basis. Our Walk-In clinic is available at the following times:

• Monday 9 a.m.-3 p.m.; closed for lunch 12-1 p.m.
• Tuesday 11:30 a.m.-5 p.m.; closed for lunch 1-2 p.m.
• Wednesday 9 a.m.-3 p.m.; closed for lunch 12-1 p.m.. Note that the clinic is closed until 11 a.m. for meetings on the 1st and 4th Wednesday of every month.
• Thursday 9 a.m.-3 p.m.; closed for lunch 12-1 p.m.
• Friday 9 a.m.-3 p.m.; closed for lunch 12-1 p.m.
• 
  

Please note the clinic is not an Urgent Care and does not have imaging (X-ray or ultrasound) services.

Kids First Health Care Alto Community Clinic
3075 W. 71st Avenue, Suite 200
Westminster, CO 80030

303-428-4384

Adams County Health Department Immunization Clinic
303.451.0123
1401 W. 122nd Ave. Westminster, CO 80234
Immunizations@adamscountyco.gov

By Appointment Only
Mondays 8:00 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
Tuesdays 1:00 p.m.-4:30 p.m. (open until 7:00 pm on the second Tuesday of the month) Walk-In Thursday 8:00 a.m.-4:30 p.m. (no appointment necessary) Thursday 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.

After-Hours Appointments
Second Tuesday of each month, 1 p.m. - 6 p.m.

Walk-In Hours
Wednesday: 8:30 a.m. - 11 a.m. & 1 p.m. - 4 p.m.

Closed daily 12 p.m. - 1 p.m.

Immunize Colorado: https://www.immunizecolorado.org/what-we-do/no-and-low-cost-vaccines/

Shots for Tots and Teens’ goal is to make sure every child receives the immunizations needed to keep them healthy. The program offers low-and-no-cost immunization clinics on convenient dates and times throughout the year in Aurora, Westminster, Longmont, and Lakewood. All recommended immunizations are available for children ages 0 to 18 years and most clinics offer adult vaccines

KIND’s Clinic is housed in the Commerce City Community Campus (C4) and provides low‑cost and no‑cost comprehensive dental care for Colorado children ages 0–18, ensuring every child can access high‑quality treatment regardless of their family’s ability to pay. Services include oral exams, cleanings, sealants, restorative care, emergency treatment, and specialty services offered on a case‑by‑case basis, all delivered by a compassionate team dedicated to creating positive, judgment‑free dental experiences, serving thousands of children each year and helping families build a strong foundation for lifelong oral health.

KIND also hosts Chopper Toppers at several Mapleton schools. Contact your child's school for more information.

Free Youth Therapy: I Matter provides six free and confidential mental health therapy sessions for all Colorado youth 18 and under. Share I Matter with your students and families by visiting IMatterColorado.com.

The 988 Colorado Mental Health Line has officially launched a new Youth Landing Page. This page is designed to meet young people where they are and provide mental health resources in a way that feels accessible, relevant, and supportive. The page offers age-appropriate guidance, stories, and tools that help youth recognize when they need support and know exactly where to turn.

Colorado Mental Health Line | 988 is always available, 24/7, 365 days per year via call, text, or live chat.

Victor Olivas from Adams County Human Services will be available to meet with families and students who need assistance with Medicaid or SNAP benefits. He will be in the district on the first Tuesday of each month from 1-4 p.m.

If you would like support in managing benefits or have questions about eligibility, please contact Enid Nieves, Student Success Coordinator, at 303.853.1083 or nievese@mapleton.us.

The Adams County Resources site is made possible by Adams County, the Adams County Health Department, and the Early Childhood Partnership of Adams County. Use the site to search for financial assistance, food pantries, medical care, housing, transportation, and other free or reduced-cost assistance. The site is available in multiple languages and searches by zip code.

A Precious Child offers support to families with children ages 18 and under who are experiencing financial hardship or an emergency situation. Eligible families can access a cost-free Resource Center that provides clothing, food, diapers, baby essentials, books, toys, and household items. The organization also offers programs that help children participate in sports, arts, education, school supply assistance, and holiday gift support. Families must have a referral from an approved agency partner and live in select Colorado counties to qualify.

For more information or help getting connected, contact Enid Nieves, Student Success Coordinator, at 303-853-1083, or nievese@mapleton.us.

RTD will continue to welcome a future generation of transit users to experience all the benefits at no cost.

Zero Fare for Youth aims to enhance the lives of RTD customers and communities by reducing transportation costs for families. By inviting ages 19 and under to ride at no cost, RTD hopes to remove barriers to education and employment. Check out our How to Ride video.

What Do I Need to Show When I Ride?

To ride at no cost as part of this program, you must be prepared to show one of the following to the bus operator or fare inspector:

• Current school ID
• Valid government-issued ID
• Alien registration/permanent resident card
• Military ID/dependent card with date of birth
• RTD-issued youth special discount card.

To request a RTD-issued youth special discount card please contact: specialdiscount@rtd-denver.com

Athletics

Career and Technical Education

Curriculum and Instruction

District Performing Arts

Early Childhood Education (preschool)

Health Services

Junior Air Force ROTC

Nutrition Services

Transportation