STEM SPOTLIGHT

A special edition of STEM SPOTLIGHT was sent at 11 AM this morning—please find this email linked below and read the exciting updates from Matt Cartier, Chief Innovation Officer, and LynAnn Kovalesky, Executive Director. It’s the first week of school! We can’t wait to see friends reconnect, new students join our community, and classrooms buzzing with engaging lessons and hands-on projects. This year is full of possibilities, and we’re excited to begin the journey with you!

STEM has been nominated in five categories for the 2025 Colorado Parent Family Favorites awards! To win, we need our amazing community to vote daily through August 15th.

Please share this link with everyone you know: go.stemk12.org/VoteSTEM

• Best Charter Elementary School
• Best Charter Middle School
• Best Charter High School
• Best Charter Middle School Principal
• Best Charter High School Principal

Let’s rally together and flood the ballot—this is our moment to shine! It’s time to spotlight the impact of STEM School Highlands Ranch—our incredible students, teachers, and families. Let’s prove STEM deserves every award. Vote daily, share daily. We can win—if we act now!

Douglas County School District has updated the links for Infinite Campus, including the Parent Portal and Student Portal. These are very important for account access—please bookmark the new links for future use.

• New Parent Portal Link: https://dcsdk12.infinitecampus.org/campus/portal/parents/douglas.jsp
• New Student Portal Link: https://dcsdk12.infinitecampus.org/campus/portal/students/douglas.jsp
• Click here for DCSD Parent IT Support

All student fees are now in MySchoolBucks. If your student’s fees are showing, please proceed with payment. If you still don’t see fees listed, a few accounts are still updating—please email Ashley Westfall for assistance: ashley.westfall@stemk12.org.

Student fees will appear within your dashboard upon logging in. Student fees will be listed under "Invoices"

Please create your MySchoolBucks account to access your student's fees. Account creation instructions are linked below

Please check these pages regularly for the most accurate event dates and times.

Join us on September 17th for a fun-filled family carnival night to launch the new school year and support our STEM clubs and Student Government! Our amazing clubs will be hosting a variety of carnival games as part of this exciting fundraising event. Enjoy bounce houses, food, music, and more as we kick off 2025-26 with energy, fun, and community spirit. Ticket link coming soon!

Thank you for attending our Back-to-School Family Event this past Friday! It was a blast—full of smiles, laughter, and great connections as we kicked off the new school year together. We loved seeing our STEM community come together to celebrate!

Elementary Meet the Teacher (Grades 1–5) is TOMORROW Monday, August 11th from 3 PM to 5 PM! Meet your child’s teacher, drop off supplies, and pick up your Elementary placard. We’re excited to kick off 2025-26 with you!

Pikmykid is REQUIRED for all Elementary driveline and pickup. Use our STEM Pikmykid Guide to download the app and set up your account today. This will help ensure a safe, efficient dismissal and allow time for troubleshooting if needed. If you have both Elementary and Secondary students, Pikmykid is still required to pick up your younger student. For assistance, please complete the Pikmykid STEM Support Form below.

Please join us for this special orientation event during these times based on first letter of your last name.

• Last Names A–L: 8 AM to 12 PM (Counselors available 8 to 11:30 AM)
• Last Names M–Z: 12 to 3 PM (Counselors available 1 to 3 PM)

SPARTAN LAUNCH is TOMORROW during SPARTAN START. This special event is for all new Middle School and High School students. No registration is needed—just choose the time that works for your family. Sessions times: 10 AM to 11:30 AM or 1:30 to 3 PM.

A parent of each 6th and 7th grade student must attend SPARTAN START tomorrow with their child to sign the required technology waiver and receive their computer.

Secondary Picture Day is tomorrow Monday, August 11th during SPARTAN START. Get your yearbook photo and school ID taken at this time. Additional information:

• Order with Dorian now or tomorrow (see link below or Parents Page).
• The photography company will have 4 cameras set up. They will take pictures as students arrive.
• There is no assigned time to take pictures. Just line up and wait your turn!
• There will be a make-up day later in the year
• Elementary Picture Day is still August 26th.

High School students—you're invited to a Business Club Ice Cream Social on Thursday, August 15th from 3–4:30 PM! Meet the new Business teacher, ask questions, learn about club plans, and enjoy free ice cream while connecting with fellow students. Please RSVP below.

BELL SCHEDULE

Secondary School (6-12): 8 AM - 3:30 PM

Elementary School (K-1): 8:10 AM - 3 PM

Elementary School (2-5): 8:10 AM - 3:10 PM

AFTER-CARE HOURS

B.A.S.E. (K-5) 6:30 AM - 8:05 AM and 3 PM - 6 PM

Secondary (6-12) After School Care: 3:35 PM - 5:30 PM