Ryan's Weekly Family Update
11.12.25
Message from the Principal
Dear Ryan Elementary Community,
I hope everyone had a wonderful, safe, and happy weekend! Happy Veterans Day!
Staff Updates
We’re excited to welcome Mona Hays as our new custodian. Mona is currently the Head Custodian at University Hills in Boulder and will officially join Ryan on December 1st. We’ve been fortunate to have substitute custodians most days during this transition. Please contact the office if you notice any areas that need attention.
Sarah Osborn is currently supporting Ms. Peterson’s kindergarten classroom in the mornings and will be adding additional time to assist with our lunch and recess coverage.
We are so lucky to have a full staff here at Ryan Elementary!
New Classroom Furniture
Our new classroom furniture exchange began on Friday, November 7th and was completed on Monday, November 10th. Today, Ms. Lauren and I will conduct one final walkthrough with our furniture team while students are in the building. If any adjustments are needed based on chair or table sizing, we’ll make a plan accordingly.
We were able to advocate for this upgrade through the bond process, ensuring our students have classroom furniture that meets current standards. For reference, the recommended chair heights we used as part of this process:
14 inches for 1st–2nd grade
16 inches for 3rd grade
18 inches for 4th–5th grade
BVSD Climate Survey
Students in grades 2–5 will participate in the BVSD Climate Survey between November 12–19. Please review this letter for more information: Ryan Elementary: 2025-2026 Parent Notification Letter for the School Climate Survey
November 12th Events
Today, we’re hosting the first of two Choice Enrollment Tours beginning at 4:00 PM. If you know families considering Ryan for the 2026–2027 school year, please encourage them to attend. We’re especially hoping to welcome more kindergarten and first-grade families to help us maintain three kindergarten teachers and bring back an additional first-grade teacher next year.
Later this evening, our Parent Teacher Association (PTA) will hold a general meeting at 6:30 PM here at Ryan Elementary. This meeting is open to all parents and caregivers. We’re incredibly grateful for our dedicated PTA and always welcome new members!
It’s always a great day to be a Rhino!
Go Rhinos!
Sincerely,
Stephanie Jackman
Principal
In this newsletter you will find details on the following:
- Letter from Principal Jackman
- Important Dates and Events
- School Breakfast is FREE Everyday!
- Book Fair Information
- Student Council Updates
- STEAM Night is Coming Up!
- Original Works Ordering due on Friday, 11/14th
- Dental Screenings at Ryan Details
- PTA Updates & Store
- Parent Support Now Offered
- Important Parking Instructions
- Attendance Policy Information
- Volunteer Instructions
- BVSD Weather Delay/Closure System
- BVSD Messenger Notifications
- Calendar Links
If you have an immediate need, please call the main office at 720.561.7000
Mrs. Asher's Class won Cartoon-iest Door in the Halloween Door Decorating Contest
Mrs. Montoya's Class won the Best Overall Door
Mrs. Choy's Class won for the Spookiest Door!
Important Dates & Upcoming Events
November 1st- January 7th Open Enrollment, now called Choice Enrollment, window is open
November 12th No School for Preschoolers only, Preschool Professional Development Day
November 12th Choice Enrollment Tour 4:00-4:45pm
November 12th Parent Teacher Association general meeting 6:30pm
November 17th-21st Book Fair
November 19th (Peterson), 20th (Choy), 21st (Lewandowski) Poetry & Pie
November 20th PTA STEAM Night 5-7pm
November 24th & 25th Fall Conference Exchange Dates - No School
November 26th-28th Thanksgiving Break - No School
December 10th Choice Enrollment Tour 4:00-4:45pm
Reminder: Breakfast is free every day at school!
We want to remind all BVSD families that in addition to free lunch, we offer a full breakfast every morning at schools. Breakfast schedules vary by site, so be sure to check in with your school office about how and when it is served at your school. You can find the 2-week breakfast cycle on our website, or toggle to “Breakfast” on our interactive menu calendar to see what is served each day!
Book Fair is Coming!
The library's BOOK Fair is coming! One goal of the book fair is for every student to receive at least one book from the book fair. If you would like to contribute to a fund to purchase a book for students who aren't able to shop on their own, please visit https://shop.scholastic.com/stf/fund?orgUCN=600115443 Thank you for your generosity!
Book Fair News!
The Book Fair is coming to Ryan Elementary November 17-21, 2025! Book Fair is an exciting event when students are able to purchase books to keep. Each purchase benefits the Ryan Library as a fundraiser. The book fair is run by volunteers. Please visit Help At Schools for volunteer opportunities!
STUDENT COUNCIL UPDATE!
We had a spooktacular showing for our Annual Halloween Door Decorating Contest. Our winners were Mrs. Choy's Class for the Spookiest Door, Ms. Asher's Class for the Cartoon-iest Door, and Ms. Montoya's Class for the Best Overall Door.
Hey caring and sharing Rhinos. Thank you SO much for sharing your Halloween Candy. We collected a car full of candy to deliver to the Ronald McDonald House! Let's continue to choose kindness.
As we show gratitude for all we have this time of year, please consider sharing your $ change next week during our Annual Penny Drive. All $ collected goes towards purchasing Thanksgiving Dinners for Ryan Families. The grade level that donates the most money will earn an extra recess. If you would like to contribute to our Thanksgiving Dinner with venmo you can send donations with the subject THANKSGIVING to the venmo below.
Halloween Door Decorating Contest Winners!
Annual Penny Drive is going on now
If you'd like to contribute to our Thanksgiving Dinner donations, you can use this scan to venmo
Families! Don't forget that the Main Order Deadline Date for Original Works is: November 14, 2025
Orders placed by 8pm Mountain Time on that date will receive your order at your home address in time for the holidays.
The sooner you order the sooner your products will ship!
Orders placed after that date will be considered Late Orders and may not arrive at your home in time for the holidays.
Thank you!!!
Original Works Ording deadline in November 14th
Many Original Works Products are under $15
Preventative Dental Services provided at Ryan!
This school year BVSD is partnering with Clinica Family Health to provide preventative dental services at our school. Dental services may include screenings, fluoride applications, sealants, and referrals for additional care not available at schools.
All students are eligible to participate and there is no cost to families. To receive these services for your child, please fill out the attached consent form. No action is needed if you do not want to participate. If a paper consent form is completed, please return it to the school office. For questions regarding this school-based dental program, please contact:
Clinica Family Health - School Based Oral Health Team: sboht@clinica.org
Or Joanna Harrison, BVSD Medicaid Resource Nurse: joanna.harrison@bvsd.org, 720.561.8545
PTA Update
Ryan Family Night at Bounce Empire Ryan Family Night at Bounce Empire is Back! Join us Thursday, November 13th for a night of fun, food, and bouncing! This event is for Ryan families only with 15% of proceeds for the night going directly to our school. Buy your tickets today at: https://feverup.com/m/430251 Mod Pizza Dining Night Out Our next Dining Night Out of the year will be at Mod Pizza (1137 Diamond Circle, Suite 400, Lafayette) Thursday, November 13th. Mod Pizza will donate 25% of all digital and in-store sales back to the PTA! Just order using the coupon code MODGIVES25 online or at checkout! STEAM Night Join us for STEAM night, November 20th! Join fellow Ryan families for a night of fun, pizza, and all things Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math! Register today at: Registration Link for STEAM Night
Take a night off from cooking while supporting Ryan!
Next PTA Meeting: Nov. 12th!
All PTA members are invited to our November meeting, 6:30pm at Ryan Elementary, in the library. We hope to see you all there!
PTA Family Store Link!
Are you looking for some Ryan Rhino gear? Please click on the link below for tshirts, sweatshirts, mugs, etc! These items would make great gifts for your favorite Rhino.
No Parking in Bus Lanes!
The bus lane is reserved for buses only at all times!
Our school is a busy place! We have buses coming and going throughout the entire school day with Preschool pick ups and drop offs, field trips and early arrivals.
We also have the bus lane available to Emergency Vehicles, when needed.
Please use the Northeast parking lot or park in the neighborhood.
Also, do not park in the South parking lot, which is a staff parking lot, or in the Handicap parking spaces unless you have a sticker displayed in your vehicle.
Thank you for your cooperation!
Attendance Policy Information
Daily Attendance
Please help your child develop good attendance habits. Research shows that missing just two days per month severely impacts reading and math growth. To make expected academic and social emotional gains, students should be at school at a rate of 95% or more. Habits developed in elementary school often carry over into middle school and high school.
If your child will be absent:
Please let us know online via Infinite Campus OR call Ryan’s attendance line at 720-561-7002 by 8:05 a.m. If your student is arriving late, please note that in the comments section online. Always notify the office of an absence or late arrival, not just the classroom teacher.
Attendance - Ryan Elementary School. Please include the following information in your voice message: your name, student’s name, grade & teacher, and the reason for the absence.
As a safety precaution, all primary contacts of students marked as unaccounted absences will receive notification by BVSD’s automated attendance system to verify a child’s absence. Promptly calling in absences and tardies will prevent your home or workplace from being disturbed.
If at all possible, make every attempt to schedule doctor and dentist appointments before or after the school day, as this tends to take away from a student’s learning time. If your child does have a medical appointment, providing us with documentation helps us code these absences properly.
Automated calls are made by 9:00 a.m. for students who are marked as “unexcused absence”.
Procedures and information about student absences are explain in the March 2024 Revised Board Policy, JH and Attendance & Engagement - Boulder Valley School District
We understand sometimes our students need to be out for an extended period of time. We ask, if you know your child will be out for more than 3 days, to please fill out this form in addition to reporting the absence through the portal or attendance line.
Attendance Letter Communication Details
When students in BVSD reach a certain number of absences (you can find the breakdown below), you will receive an AUTOMATED attendance letter. All absences excused or unexcused will receive these communications when the number of absences reach the particular threshold. Also please note, three (3) unexcused partial absences or five (5) unexcused tardies will equal one unexcused absence.
Letter Criteria:
Friendly Letter after 5 days missed
Letter A after 10 days missed
Letter B after 15 days missed
Volunteer Opportunities
Volunteering is a fun, simple way to get involved within the Ryan community. We have all sorts of opportunities to get involved. Whether you volunteer regularly in your teacher’s classroom, bring breakfast and coffee to teachers for late start or volunteer for the book fair, the impact can be huge. Not only does it benefit the school but it benefits your kids and families in our community as well!
Volunteers and field trip chaperones that volunteer once and are under line-of-sight supervision by BVSD staff at all times only need to go through the front office Raptor check-in process.
Individuals interested in volunteering and interacting with students on an ongoing basis under line of sight supervision of BVSD staff, complete the appropriate yearly application; ENGLISH or SPANISH. Please note, there is a $32.00 background fee due at the time of submission.
For volunteers, partners, or field trip chaperones who will not be under line-of-sight supervision of BVSD staff at all times – CBI fingerprint check is required through a third party vendor (these background checks are now valid for 5 years), paid by the volunteer or partner AND volunteer must sign a BVSD volunteer agreement (Spanish) each year.
Please see the Volunteers/Visitors Flowchart and the Volunteer/Visitor FAQ for additional details.
BVSD Weather Delay/Closure Information
BVSD weather delay and closure procedures
Under all but the most extreme conditions, school officials have a responsibility to keep school in session. During Colorado winters, snow and ice may result in a delay or closure if necessary. No notices means no closures or significant delays have been reported.
As always, BVSD respects a parent's decision to keep students home from school or delay their arrival due to weather conditions. Contact the school's attendance office and the absence will be excused.
BVSD's School Messenger support and notifications
BVSD uses School Messenger to communicate with families as needed via email, phone call and text message to those opted in to receive BVSD Communications.
Users can adjust their communication preferences and opt-in to text messages as desired via instructions found on the BVSD School Messenger Support webpage.
BVSD Calendar Links
If you have any questions please be sure to reach out!
Ryan Elementary STEAM School
Website: https://rye.bvsd.org/
Location: 1405 Centaur Village Drive, Lafayette, CO, USA
Phone: 720-561-7000
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RyanElemSTEAM