Happy Friday AAK Families!

Your voice matters! HB24-1363 was defeated by a vote of 8-3! Over 50,000 emails were sent to legislators by individuals across our state who have benefited from public charter schools. Your voice made a difference! Thank you to everyone who took the time to reach out to Senator Marchman!

CMAS is almost over! We have finished up 3rd-5th grade ELA and Math. Now onto 5th grade Science. We will continue to work through make-ups over the next few days. I could not be more proud of all our students! They have been working so hard and due to their dedication we are on track to be a Performance with Distinction School three years in a row!

Have a wonderful weekend!
Ms. Schlagel

April 15th: Spirit Day: Rock Star Day for Ms. Schlagel's Birthday!

April 16th: Math Night from 5:30-6:30

April 16th: Fundraiser Night at Grey Rock Sports Grill

April 23rd - 25th: BOGO Book Fair

April 25th: Spirit Day: You are a Super Hero Day

April 26th: No School and No CLC

April 29th - May 3rd: May Break, No School, CLC Open

May 16th: Art Museum Family Night for Mask Exhibit from 5:30-7:30pm

May 17th: Urban Air Fundraiser from 4pm-8pm

May 18th: Art Gala at AAK from 12:00-2:00pm

May 22nd: Showcase 5:15-7:00pm

May 24th: Spirit Day: 80's Day

May 27th: Memorial Day, No school, No CLC

May 31st and June 1st: 4/5 Play

June 5th: SAC meeting at 4:00pm

June 7th: Block Party from 5:30pm to 8pm

June 12th: Spirit Day: Summer is here! Hawaiian shirts, sun hats, summer attire! (no tank tops or swim wear please)

June 13th: Field Day

June 13th: Last Day of School, Half Day ends at 12:30pm, NO CLC after school

June 14th: CLC Closed

June 19th: Juneteenth, No CLC

Yearbooks are on sale now! Yearbooks are $20 each. You can pay online, or in-person. Cash or check (made out to the school) can be dropped off in the office. Yearbooks will arrive in late May/early June. You can use the link below to purchase a book online:

Yearbook ID: 14930824

Yearbook Website!

April 15th: Rock Star Day for Ms Schlagel's Birthday!

April 25th: You are a Super Hero Day

May 24th: 80's Day

June 12th: Summer is here! Hawaiian shirts, sun hats, summer attire, etc! (no tank tops or swim wear please)

AAK will be participating in the Fort Collins McBackpack Program, beginning in two weeks. That program supplies a bag of non-perishable food to students on the last day of the school week to take home for the weekend. Students at AAK are eligable to sign up to be given a bag. The program does not collect student names or parent information, but the office does need to place an order a week in advance for the exact number of bags that will be passed out. If you would like your student to be given a bag, please email Mrs. Woods at awoods@aakelementary.org so that your student can be part of the program. We will place the bag in their backpack before the end of the school day so they are ready to go.

This summer, per USDA approval, Colorado will launch the Summer Electronic Benefit program. This program, along with the Summer Food Service Program, helps ensure children and families have access to nutritious meals during summer break. Families with school aged children eligible for free or reduced-price school meals could receive $40 per month per child during the summer months to purchase groceries. Families can receive these benefits, if they qualify with their household income information using the Free and Reduced Lunch application this school year. Household income information may be collected through free and reduced lunch applications, a combo form or the Family Economic Data Survey form.

Drop off your Morning Fresh bottle caps in the main office and we will turn them into cash for our school!

Are you cleaning out your student's closet over break?

We are in need of size 5 - 7 pants for emergencies.

Some of our AAK parents have created a Facebook Group!

Take a look here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/737238354737129/

Every Friday at lunch, after your student has finished eating, they may buy a smencil for $2.00 or an eraser for 25 cents or 5/$1.00. Help the fifth grade earn money for their Eco Week trip.

All Breakfasts and Lunches are free to all students for the 2023-24 school year!

This year the menu will be posted in dragon mail every month and we will be bulk ordering for meals, so you do not need to order ahead.

Students will have several choices available. If your child has dietary restrictions, we are able to accommodate meals that are dairy free, gluten free, vegetarian, and nut free. Please come into the office to request a meal modification form. This form will need to be filled out and signed by a doctor and returned to the school.

Please feel free to send an email to Jada Kankel jkankel@aakelementary.org. Or call 970-226-2800 if you have any questions.

Please let us know if your student will be out for the day, or will be more than 15 minutes late for school:

If your student is going to be absent for an appointment, vacation, or is ill, please call to let us know, or use the form linked below to excuse their absence.

Your student must be free of fever, vomiting, and/or diarrhea for 24 hours without medication before returning to school, ie: if they have symptoms today, they will need to remain home tomorrow.

If your student has a runny nose, cough, sore throat, etc (without fever, vomiting, and/or diarrhea) they must stay home until they only have one sympton left and it is improving.

Or you can call 970-226-2800. Thank you!

We have a couple ways for families to pick up their child after school. Families can choose to go through the driver pick up line or you can park and walk into the school at 3:40pm. Please do not walk up and pick up your child during driver pick up. We work hard to ensure every student is safe and is going with the correct adult. It is not possible for us to do this during that time. The line will move much faster once CLC programming begins, in the meantime we ask for your patience.

If you need your student early please come to the front office by 3pm and we will get them out of class. If you prefer to not wait in the driver line you may wait until 3:40pm, park and come to the front doors.

These practices are in place to ensure student safety! We want to avoid children in the parking lot, cars pulling in and out, and not being able to keep track of who is taking which child and when. Thank you for helping us implement these expectations!

Pre-K will pull up to the side of the building and park during regular pick up and drop off times to load and unload from carseats. A staff member will be waiting at the side door to check in Pre-K students and take them to their classroom. If students are dropping off before 7:35 or after 3:45, they will come to the front door with an adult to be checked in.

Student Drop-Off is between 7:50 - 8:10am. Please pull into the drop off line and a staff member will unload your student. This ensures students are not walking through the parking lot while there are cars moving around and is the best way to keep kids safe! Please wait until staff has unloaded the cars in front of you and waves the line forward, do not drive around the cars unloading in front of you. If your student would like to receive breakfast, they can be checked in to CLC at the front door before 7:30 when breakfast service begins, or between 7:50-8:00. Breakfast service will end at 8:00 to allow students time to finish eating before teachers take students to class at 8:10. Student's arriving between 7:50-8:00 through the car line may get breakfast. There is no drop off from 7:35 - 7:50am because staff is serving breakfast.

Student Pick-Up is at 3:20pm. The pick up line zig zags through the parking lot to keep cars off Wheaton Drive. Please be sure to pull into this line and have your ID ready to show the staff member collecting student names. We will load your student into your car when you reach the loading area. Please do not park and come up to the building to collect your student, we want to keep students from walking in the parking lot with cars moving, and only the person collecting names from drivers has the check out list. If you arrive after pick up staff has left the parking lot, CLC pick up starts at the front door at 3:40!

Thank you for your assistance with this process!

EVERY AAK STUDENT CAN JOIN CLC!

All you need to do to have your student join use before or after school this year is follow this link to sign up for CLC! if your student will attend CLC in the morning, in the afternoon, or over breaks at any point during the school year you must fill out this form: https://forms.gle/ZVQxhzFjvsdAX2az6

There is no additional paperwork to join regular CLC. Sign up for breaks and clubs will come out later!

CLC Hours:

Morning - 7:00 - 8:00am (Drop off is from 7:00-7:35) There is NO DROP OFF between 7:35 - 8:00.)

Afternoon - 3:20 - 5:30pm (Please make sure your student is picked up by 5:30, our staff's shifts end at that time, thank you!)

Please call or text the CLC Lead, Ms. Thompson, at 970-619-1077 if you have an emergency and are going to be late picking up in the afternoon, or if you have any questions.

In the event that there is inclement weather in the morning, you will receive a text letting you know we will be doing Indoor Drop Off, as well as the following email:

Indoor Student Drop-Off 7:50am-8:10am

Please park your vehicle in a designated parking spot, walk your child to the front doors, AAK staff will be there greeting all students! There will be no change to Pre-Kindergarten drop-off.

• Drop-Off will begin at 7:50am

• Park in designated parking spots

• Handicap spots are reserved for appropriately licensed vehicles only

• Walk your child/children to the main entrance

• Please do not let your child out of the car alone in the parking lot

In the event of inclement weather or freezing temperatures, we will implement our indoor pick-up procedure. We will send you a text letting you know as soon as we know, but please be aware that if the weather changes at the last minute this plan could be implemented late. Please note, pick-up begins at 3:20pm. If you arrive beforehand, please wait in your car until pick up starts. Here is how it will work:

1. You will receive a text letting you know we are doing Indoor Pick-Up

2. Please park your car

3. Between 3:20 and 3:40, enter through the main entrance with your picture ID

4. Go to your student’s classroom and check them out from their teacher

5. Exit the building through the North West doors (under the stairs)

6. Drive safe and have a great evening!

7. Indoor Pick-Up will end at 3:40, after that time, please pick up students at the front door

Please note that teachers need to focus on safely releasing students and will not be able to conference with you at that time.

If you have any questions, please feel free to call! 970-226-2800

Please send your student with a snack for snack time in class (1-2 depending on grade) as well as a snack for afterschool CLC if your student attends!

We have several students who have serious allergies to tree nuts and peanuts. Please do not send items with your student that contain nuts. If nut containing items are sent they will be disposed of and replaced with whole grain crackers or another on hand item by our staff.

Here are a few things that contain nuts that are common in lunch boxes:

Snack Mix

Granola

Cereal

Snack Bars

Nutella

Candy

Macaroon cookies

Lunchables containing candy

You can use Sun Butter in place of peanut butter! Thank you for helping with this.

Our teachers have come up with a fun menu for Birthday Celebrations this year! We are not having food treats this year because many students have allergies or food restrictions and cannot participate in treats. When your student's birthday is approaching show them the menu and decide together what they would like to do for their special day. Email their teacher to let them know what you have chosen. We look forward to celebrating with them!

ALL students must have a Free and Reduced Lunch Application filled out, even if the student will not qualify or if they will not eat school lunch. The state requires us to have one for each student. Our $150 consumable materials fee will be waived for those students who qualify for Free Lunch, and will be reduced by 50% for those who qualify for Reduced Lunch.

Please follow this link to complete it: https://linqconnect.com/public/meal-application/new?identifier=FG3UQ5

https://www.facebook.com/AAKElementary

https://www.smore.com/u/aakelementary

AAK is a public elementary school serving students in grades K-5 that reside in the Front Range. Our school offers a robust arts program that complements core academics, fosters critical thinking skills, and creates confident, creative individuals with the freedom to reach their full potential, all within a supporting school community.

Email: info@aakelementary.org
Website: https://www.aakelementary.org/
Location: 4800 Wheaton Drive, Fort Collins, CO, USA
Phone: (970) 226-2800
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AAKElementary/