Excel Academy Eagle Update

Excel Academy exists to nurture student success through rigorous academics, hands-on enrichment, and a caring K-8 community. We offer real-world learning, deep relationships, and a place where students are known, challenged, and celebrated.

Reminder, Excel Families! Our 30th Anniversary Gala is coming up on Saturday, April 11, from 6–10 PM at the beautiful Chateaux at Fox Meadow. Join us for a dazzling Night in Monte Carlo with casino games, great food, music, and community fun as we celebrate 30 years of Excel Academy. If you can’t attend, you can still participate by joining our online silent auction.

Purchase Tickets Here

Tickets are available on the PTO website, via Venmo @Excel‑PTO (note “Gala ticket” and your name), or by paying with cash/check in the main office. We can’t wait to celebrate 30 years of SOAR‑ing with you!

Sign up now for May meals!

Please submit the Google Forms by Sunday, April 26th to ensure your child has meals for the first week of May.

Please help us get ready for CMAS testing by donating the following items. Other than the apples, you can deliver the items to the school beginning March 30, 2026. Items can be brought in by you or your student to the front office. Apples can be brought beginning on April 6. When you use Track-It-Forward (RSVP on Track it Forward), every $10 you spend equals an hour of volunteer time! If you prefer, you can utilize this list for the needed snack items. We need as much as you are able to donate.

Items need to be store-bought and prepackaged in individual sizes.

• Whole-wheat Goldfish or Annie’s Crackers individual bags
• That’s-It Fruit Bars
• No Sugar Added Squeeze Applesauce Packets
• Apples - uncut or in individually factory sealed bags
• Nature Valley Oat & Honey Granola Bars
• Unflavored Popcorn individual bags

Hey parents, as the warm weather continues to be a constant right now, we are seeing a lot of summer wear, including shorts and skirts, and have noticed how much the kids have grown over the fall. Excel Academy does have a dress code and you can find the full code here in the Excel Academy Student Handbook, however, we have also included a picture of the basics for your information.

Please be aware that if your child is wearing clothing that does not meet the dress code, we will do our best to find something appropriate to change into here at school. If we are unable to find anything, you may be contacted and asked to bring new clothing into the school for them to change into.

Dress Code

This is a great time to get into those closets and as you find leggings, shorts, socks (for ages 7 and up) that your child has out grown, we would be happy to give them a new lease on life! Just remember to wash them before bringing them in, and please no stains, rips or holes as we strive to make sure if a student does need to change clothing during the day, they feel comfortable and confident in what they are wearing.

Our Excel Academy students are reading more than ever, and we are looking to expand our collection of high-interest series! If you are cleaning out your bookshelves, please consider donating your gently used copies to the school library.

We are specifically looking for the following series in clean, good-as-new condition (no missing pages, heavy staining, or broken bindings):

• Dog Man
• Diary of a Wimpy Kid
• Calvin & Hobbes
• Garfield
• Guinness World Records (hard cover)
• Percy Jackson
• Warriors
• The Baby-Sitters Club (Graphic Novel versions)

Donations can be dropped off at the front office or sent in with your student.

Prefer to donate a brand-new copy? You can view our most-wanted titles and ship them directly to the school by visiting the Excel Academy Amazon Wishlist.

Thank you for supporting our young readers!

We’re thrilled to announce that several of our talented students have been selected to participate in this year’s Jeffco Art Shows! We encourage our community to stop by, enjoy these incredible works, and celebrate our young artists.

— Ms. Peters

Middle School Art Show

In partnership with the Jeffco Schools Foundation and the Lakewood Cultural Center

Dates: April 8 – May 3, 2026

Artist Celebration: April 23, 5–7 p.m.

Location: Lakewood Cultural Arts Center

470 S. Allison Parkway, Lakewood, CO 80226

Elementary Art Show

In partnership with the Jeffco Schools Foundation and Red Rocks Community College

Dates: March 18 – April 5, 2026

Artist Celebrations (by Articulation Area): April 2 & April 3, 5–7 p.m.

Location: Red Rocks Community College

13300 W. 6th Ave., Lakewood, CO 80228

Excel Academy’s Girls on the Run team is getting ready for the Girls on the Run Colfax 5K on Saturday, May 16! This joyful, family‑friendly event is open to anyone who wants to run or walk alongside our team. Register or learn more here!

Our final team meeting of the season will be Monday, May 18, when we’ll celebrate all the growth, confidence, and fun our runners have experienced this spring.

Come cheer on our girls and be part of the excitement!

Our 2nd graders are off to the Denver Zoo! After their visit, our students will be able to identify animals from different habitats (e.g., rainforest, desert, aquatic) and describe how animals’ features or behaviors help them survive in their specific habitats. Students will also use observations from the zoo visit to explain why diversity is important in nature.

Our Kindergarteners are off to the Lakewood Heritage Museum! Students will have the opportunity to compare life in the past and present by identifying multiple differences observed during their visit.

The Society of Physics Students at Colorado School of Mines is once again hosting Spring Into Physics, a hands‑on outreach event designed to spark curiosity and excitement about science. This annual program offers interactive physics demonstrations—similar to their popular Fall Into Physics event, but on a smaller, spring‑themed scale—giving students and families a chance to explore physics concepts in a fun, engaging way.

View Flyer Here.

Standley Lake High School is excited to welcome future Gators to try out for the 2026–27 Gator Cheer Team!

📅 Tryouts: April 15–17

⏰ Time: 3:45–5:45 p.m.

📍 Location: SLHS Auxiliary Gym

There will also be a mandatory parent meeting on April 13 in the SLHS LMC.

Learn more here.

• Excel Academy PTO Website
• Excel PTO Dates for the 25/26 School Year
• Parent Welcome Packet
• Sponsorship Information: Birthday Shout Outs $25
• Simple Ways to Contribute
• PTO Information
• EXCEL PTO NEWSLETTER- March
• Excel Academy PTO Volunteer Hour Tracker Information

• Track it Forward Volunteer Opportunities & Hours Tracking Site
• RaiseRight online gift card fundraising site and How It Works

Excel Academy Outreach Committee: Please reach out if your family would benefit from our care or if you can support a family in need. Email Tara Schirner, coordinator or the Excel Outreach Committee at exceloutreachcommittee@gmail.com.

Excel Business Directory: Do you own a business? We’d love to include it in the directory.

Add your business HERE.

• Excel Academy Business Directory and Request to be Added to the Business Directory
• Excel Academy Standards-Based Grading Scale
• Order Breakfast / Lunch
• Infinite Campus Parent Portal (Check grades, missing assignments, attendance, pay fees)
• Infinite Campus Parent Directions
• Jeffco Student Insights (CMAS, ACCESS, MAP, DIBELS, READ Plan, ALP Goals, etc.)
• Log Volunteer Hours and sign-up for volunteer opportunities
• 2025-26 Excel Academy School Year Calendar | 2026/2027 School Year Calendar
• Staff Shout-Outs
• Ideas for thanking a staff member: Treats and Deets
• Opt In for text messages: text "Y" to 67587
• Student Initiative: Plastic Recycling to Make a Bench for the School Garden

Email: Julie.Smith@jeffco.k12.co.us
Website: https://excel-academy.jeffcopublicschools.org/
Location: 11500 West 84th Avenue, Arvada, CO, USA
Phone: 303-467-2295
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ExcelAcademyK8