Ryan's Weekly Family Update
8.18.25
Message from the Principal
Dear Ryan Elementary Community,
We are very excited to begin our first full week of school with all students, including our preschool and kindergarteners.
As of today, our total enrollment stands at 431 students. Please note that class sizes may vary by grade level, based on the total number of students in each cohort. On July 25th, our enrollment was 418, including 50 kindergarten students. With the increase in kindergarten enrollment since July 25th, we now have 58 students and were allocated an additional kindergarten teacher on August 12th. This position is currently posted and will close tomorrow. We’ve sent specific communication to kindergarten families regarding the transition from two to three classrooms. You can view the letter here: K August Teacher Letter
We encourage all families to review the 25-26 Ryan Elementary Parent Handbook which contains important information for the school year.
Important Updates & Events This Week:
Late Start Wednesday:
Our first late start is this Wednesday. School will begin at 8:50 AM.
We’ll also hold our Welcome Back Assembly for K–5 students later that day.
Changes:
This year, we’re implementing two important changes led by Boulder Valley School District:
Transitioning from iReady to mCLASS for reading assessment
Replacing Math Expressions with Illustrative Math by Imagine Learning
For more information, please review the following resources:
Save the Date for Upcoming Event:
Back to School Night
Wednesday, August 27th | 5:00 – 6:15 PM
We’re looking forward to an amazing year together! 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 Supplies Information
- Kindergarten Updates
- Preschool Welcome Days
- Arriving & Leaving Ryan Map
- Wednesday Care Registration
- Ryan's Library News
- Health Room Information
- Attendance Procedures
- Lost & Found Request
- Volunteer Details
- Life Long Learning Clubs at Ryan
- PTA Updates & Store
- Transportation Information
- Free & Reduced Lunch Application Details
- LLL Adventure Camp Information
- BVSD Communication Leadership Opportunity
- Advocacy Training Program Information
- BVSD Messenger Notifications
- Calendar Links
If you have an immediate need, please call the main office at 720.561.7000
Mr. Sanchez doing Morning Announcements
1st Instrumental Music Class of the year!
Mr. Sanchez with part of our Lunch/Recess Paras
Improved Bathroom Stalls through the Bond Work
Important Dates & Upcoming Events
Ryan Elementary School Hours: 25-26 School Hours for PreK-5th
Important Dates for K-5th grade at Ryan Elementary School:
August 20 First Wednesday Late Start for all K-5th grade students
No Preschool: Tuesday, August 26th for Preschool Professional Development Day
August 26 BVSD Assessment Day-Kindergarten-5th grade students attend classes
August 27 Back to School Night 5:00-6:15 PM
August 27 5th Grade Outdoor Education Parent Meeting 6:20-6:50 PM
September 10th, 11th and 12th: 5th grade students have Outdoor Education at Calwood
September 19 Fall Festival 5:00-7:00PM
Fall, October Parent Teacher Conferences
Tuesday, October 7th
Thursday, October 9th
Tuesday, October 15th
Spring, February Parent Teacher Conferences
Wednesday, February 19th
Thursday, February 24th
Tuesday, February 26th
School Supplies Information
The school supplies for K-5 include the following for the 2025-26 School Year:
Full Sized Backpack
Headphones/Earbuds
Water Bottle with name on it
$50 Donation You can donate by clicking here or with cash or check written to Ryan Elementary
If you are in need of support with school supplies, please reach out to our community liaisons, Miriam Wright miriam.wright@bvsd.org, or Ana Lilia Lujan Castillo ana.lujancastillo@bvsd.org or call the front office.
Welcome to Ryan Elementary, Preschoolers!
No Preschool: Tuesday, August 26th for Preschool Professional Development Day
Back to School Night:
Wednesday August 27th 5:00-6:15 pm: It will be an open house for preschool families. If you have questions about Seesaw, Infinite Campus, Preschool Parent Handbook, etc.
Preschool Supplies:
(please make sure everything is labeled with your child's first and last name)
-Backpack that can hold a Friday folder, art projects, winter clothing, etc.
-Water bottle
-Gallon ziploc bag of extra clothing (tshirt, shorts, socks, underwear)
-Individual and family photos
-If needed, emergency medication with completed paperwork
-If needed, diapers that have straps on the sides (no pull ups) and wipes
-Preschool Donations: play dough, paper towels, kleenex, bubbles, chalk
Ms. Rachel
Full Days begin for Kindergarten!
Snacks & Lunch
We will have two snack times each day. Please make sure to send in two healthy snacks with your child. It helps if snacks are packed separate from their lunch to avoid any confusion. Some families place their child's snack in a separate pocket of their child's backpack and/or label the snacks. Please also send in a full water bottle with your child each day, as our classrooms do not have a water fountain. Hot lunch and breakfast are free for all students if your child wishes to participate. You can find the menu by clicking HERE. If you are able to donate extra snacks to our classrooms for hungry kiddos, we would be so grateful (ex: individually wrapped granola bars, gold fish, etc.)!
Arrival
School begins at 7:50am. If your child takes the bus, an adult will greet them at arrival and guide them to our classroom line outside of door #2 (room 100 & 105). If your child is eating breakfast at school, they should arrive by 7:40 to ensure they have enough time to eat in the cafeteria. The small preschool playground is closed in the morning. Students can play on the main playground, but only if their parent/guardian is present to supervise. At 7:50, the second bell will ring and students will enter through our classroom doors. If your child arrives after 7:50, they will need to check in and enter through the front office.
Dismissal
At 2:45, kindergarten bus riders will be walked out to their buses, and students attending SAC will be picked up directly from our classroom. At 2:50, we will begin dismissing students as their caregivers arrive outside of our classroom doors.
Please fill out the quick transportation Google Form below to help us plan for Monday and beyond!
*If your plans ever change or you're having someone different pick up your child, please send us an email.*
Arriving and Leaving Ryan Elementary
- If your child is planning to take the bus to school, please be at your bus stop 5 minutes early and also at the end of the day to greet your child as they are dropped off at their stop.
- If you are driving to the school to walk them up to the building, please carefully park in the hug & go parking lot or park in the neighborhood and be mindful to not block any driveways.
- Always use the crosswalk to cross the street.
- If you are staying in your car to drop off/pick up your student(s), please use this map and only use the hug and go lane, NOT the bus lane.
Registration of Early Care on Wednesdays
Wednesday mornings are a Late Start beginning on August 20th. School begins one hour later, buses arrive one hour later.
Ryan Elementary is able to provide late start care on Wednesdays for pre-registered Kindergarten-5th Grade students. The care is provided by two instructional paraeducators from 7:40-8:40 a.m. Students must arrive between 7:40-7:50, and must be signed in by a parent, to be part of the late start care group.
If you plan on utilizing the Early Care on Late Start Wednesdays you will need to REGISTER.
This is a one time registration for the 2025-26 school year.
If you have more than one child at Ryan Elementary School, we will need you to fill out the form for each child.
The schedule is as follows:
7:40-7:50 a.m. Sign In
7:50-8:30 a.m. Recess (usually outside)
8:30-8:40 a.m. Breakfast/Indoor Activity
8:40 a.m. Students may go outside or finish breakfast in the Rhino Cafe
Ryan's Library
The Ryan Library is a great resource hub for students! Each week, students in PreK-5th grade visit the Library with their class. Students in PreK-1st grade are able to check out 1 book each week if they return their library book from the previous week. 2nd-5th grade students are able to check out 2 books at a time. Lost or damaged books can either be replaced with the same book, or paid for through RevTrack. Ryan hosts two book fairs each year, one in the fall semester and one in the spring.
During library lessons, students learn about library organization, how to independently search for and check out books, and Digital Citizenship. Digital Citizenship lessons are designed to help students think critically to make responsible decisions when using, creating, and interacting with technology.
In addition, Library lessons sometimes include read-alouds as an instructional tool. A list of these instructional tools can be found by joining the Library Schoology Classroom using access code: WXJP-RGWZ-Z3MNX.
3rd-5th graders have an opportunity to participate in Battle of the Books. This is a district-wide program, run by the Teacher Librarian at Ryan. Students read 10-12 books from a list, and compete with other schools to answer trivia questions in a quiz bowl type of competition. The purpose of this program is to foster a love of reading, and to provide students with a chance to work together toward a common goal.
Please feel free to contact Allison Trippe, Teacher Librarian, with any questions.
720-561-7012
News From the Health Room
If your child needs medication at school, Ryan's Healthroom Para, Chrystal Terhune, would be happy to receive medications and Dr. orders from a parent/guardian at the front office.
MEDICATIONS MAY NOT BE SENT TO SCHOOL WITH STUDENTS*
2025-2026 School House Letter, outlines Immunizations Policy, Medications and Health and Vision Screening, you can find that here (Spanish)
Questions? Email our healthroom para, Chrystal Terhune
Attendance Announcement
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.
Lost & Found
Our Lost and Found bin is looking beautiful and empty, but it will be be overflowing soon enough!
PLEASE remember to label your child's items, it helps us to get the items back to the owner and limits the amount of items we will be donating each month.
Please come and check the Lost and Found bin often, it is located in the vestibule outside of the office next to the Longmont Dairy milk cap collection bin.
It's a Great Day to be a Rhino!
Milk Caps collection bin
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.
See what's happening after school at Ryan!
Click the link for your choices and register by August 20 for the first session.
Tuition assistance is available for families who qualify for waived fees.
Call 720 561 5968 or email lifelong.learning@bvsd.org for more information
PTA Update
The PTA is committed to using community businesses whenever possible. In an effort to expand our reach, we've created a survey for you to share your business' information. Please fill out this interest form to let us know who you are, what you do, and if you are willing and able at this time to donate to our school. Thank you!
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.
Transportation Information
For assistance with transportation inquiries, trans.helpdesk@bvsd.org or 720.561.5126
Free and Reduced Lunch application now open, provides other important cost savings for families who qualify
Breakfast and lunch at BVSD continue to be free at least through December 2025 (pending a state vote). Every BVSD student currently may enjoy breakfast and a hot lunch entree, which includes unlimited salad bar access each school day. Second entrees can be purchased when available with money from your student’s meal account.
Even though meals are free, we strongly encourage eligible families to apply for the Free and Reduced Price School Meal program. It may qualify families for additional services and reduced fees, and improve funding for schools. More information and directions to apply.
BVSD Fall Lifelong Learning after school classes start August 25, registration now open for non-school day Adventure Camps
At 23 schools, find your fun with Lifelong Learning after school classes including cooking, chess, filmmaking, art, sports and more! See the available classes at each school. Register by August 20.
And make the most of non-school days this year with full-day Adventure Camps from School Age Care (SAC). Excursion days engage students in local field trip-type activities off site, and themed days bring planned activities to six different BVSD schools. Registration is now open. Visit the SAC Adventure Camp website for details.
Join the BVSD Community Leadership Academy!
Parents and community members—learn all about how BVSD works and how you can make a bigger impact in your child’s education.
When: Seven Friday lunch sessions, Oct. 10 – Apr. 24, 10:30 a.m.–1:30 p.m.
Where: BVSD Education Center, 6500 Arapahoe Rd, Boulder
Perks: Free lunch + networking with other parents, community members and BVSD leaders
Apply by September 18, 2025 to be part of this year’s cohort!
Additional information is available here.
Questions: bianca.gallegos@bvsd.org 720-561-6062
Advocacy Training Program for Parents and Caregivers
Standing Up, Speaking Out is a free, three-part advocacy training program for parents and caregivers of K–8 students who identify as Jewish. Developed by ADL in partnership with the Boulder JCC and Jewish Family Services, this pilot initiative equips families with the tools, knowledge, and community support needed to address antisemitism in schools and advocate for more inclusive learning environments.
Grounded in research from ADL’s Center for Antisemitism Research (CAR), the course covers identity affirmation, how to respond to bias incidents, engagement with school policies, and effective communication strategies with educators and school officials. Participants will gain practical skills such as writing advocacy letters, speaking at board meetings, and promoting Jewish inclusion in curriculum and culture—all while connecting with a network of families in the community.
This is a three part program and participants are requested to participate in all three sessions.
Wednesday, August 27 and September 9 | 6:30 - 8 pm | FREE
BVSD's School Messenger support and notifications
Boulder Valley School District recently tested their emergency alert system.
The test alert included a phone call, text message and email to those opted in to receive BVSD Communications.
Users can adjust their communication preferences as desired via these instructions.
If you did not receive a text message, and would like to opt-in to receive text messages from the district and schools through SchoolMessenger, opting-in is a two-step process:
- The person's cell phone number must be in a cell phone field in Infinite Campus (students/parents) or Infor/Lawson (employees).
- They then send a text message from their cell phone to “67587” with the word “yes” in the message. They may opt-out at any time by texting “STOP” to 67587.
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