Mr. Alsup Message

The start of an academic year is always an exciting time, but this seems to be the best one yet. I want to thank the parents, students, and staff for the great opening of school. The first week of school has been very busy. Teachers and students have spent the past few days establishing relationships with each other as well as exploring the new curriculum that every student faces as they move up in grade level and subject to the next. Each brings with it exciting new challenges as students use the prior knowledge gained with the new knowledge learned. This connection is important to both students and staff members as we strive to reach our full potential as life-long learners.

Safety and Security for all of our students and staff is always our top priority. Our goal is to provide a safe environment for our students to learn, which is why we have the Evolv system. We started off with long lines, but once students had the process down the lines disappeared. As a reminder, we have a bag scanner on the secondary entrance, so students entering that side do not need to take anything out of their bags. However, students entering the athletics entrance will still need to take their laptops, binders, etc. out of their bags prior to walking through the Evolv system. Students, thank you very much for your patience.

This past Wednesday, we had our Welcome Back Assembly during Access. During that assembly, I reviewed many of our policies with the students, including our cell phone policy. National and local data has clearly demonstrated that cell phones are a distraction and should not be in the classrooms. However, instead of banning them, we ask that every student power down their cell phones at the beginning of class and place them in the cell phone holders in each classroom. They are welcome to have their phones at the end of the class so they can use them during passing periods, lunch, etc. This is not a new policy, however we are asking our teachers to be more vigilant with enforcement.

Finally, a quick note about lightning delays. As you know, thunderstorms are highly unpredictable. They come in quickly, and despite the best weather-predicting technology, they can change directions. As a school, we follow the DCSD lightning policy. Anytime there is a strike within 6 miles, we must hold students for 30 minutes from the last strike. However, the district policy also allows High School students to make their own decisions and leave, but Middle School and Elementary students can only leave with a parent. High School siblings cannot take their Middle School or Elementary school siblings out during a lightning delay unless they are 18 or older and it is clearly documented in Infinite Campus. If you have any questions about the lightning policy, please feel free to email me at ryan.alsup@stemk12.org and I will do my best to answer your questions.

Looking Ahead…

Back to School Night will be Wednesday, August 20th from 5 PM –7:30 PM. This is a parents-only event. This is a wonderful opportunity to meet your student’s teachers as you follow an abbreviated bell schedule. Please be sure to print out a copy of your child’s SILVER day schedule.

The teachers are prepared to give you an overview of the class to give you a better idea of what to expect this year. However, please note, this is not a parent/teacher conference. If you need to meet with the teachers to discuss anything specific to your student, we ask that you schedule an appointment with the teacher.

Remember, please bring a screenshot or printed copy of your child’s SILVER day schedule. Below is a copy of the evening’s schedule. Please keep this handy as well.

Schedule:

• 5 PM - 5:20 PM - Principal's Welcome - Gym
• 5:25 PM - 5:35 PM - Period 1
• 5:40 PM - 5:50 PM - Period 2
• 5:55 PM - 6:05 PM - Period 3
• 6:10 PM - 6:20 PM - Period 4
• 6:25 PM - 6:35 PM - Period 5
• 6:40 PM - 6:50 PM - Period 6
• 6:55 PM - 7:05 PM - Period 7
• 7:10 PM - 7:20 PM - Period 8

Athletics Registration is open! Fall sports are starting, so it is important to register as soon as possible.

That is all I have for now. Thank you,

Sincerely,
Ryan Alsup
High School Principal
STEM School Highlands Ranch
Proud to be a STEM Spartan!