STEM SPOTLIGHT

Join Mrs. McElroy, Mrs. Ridder, and Mr. Alsup—STEM’s Elementary, Middle School, and High School Principals—for our Kickstart the Year: Family Prep Zoom webinars. Each virtual session is designed to provide families with the key information needed for a successful first day, along with an opportunity to ask questions directly to our principals.

• Elementary School (K-5): Wednesday, August 6th at 4 PM
• Middle School (6-8): Thursday, August 7th at 4 PM
• High School (9-12): Thursday, August 7th at 5:30 PM

Zoom links will be shared as the event approaches. If you’re unable to attend, recordings will be available afterward on the Parents Page. We hope to see you there!

Express Check-In opened this past Thursday, July 24th, and will remain open through Wednesday, July 31st. Express Check-In is a two-step process that must be completed for each K–12 student. The Express Check-In process requires a desktop or laptop (mobile devices are not supported). Full instructions are available on the Parents Page and in the Express Check-In Parent Email. If you need help with Express Check-In, please complete the STEM Express Check-In Help Request Form and a member of our team will follow up with you directly.

THE EXPRESS CHECK-IN PROCESS REQUIRES A DESKTOP OR LAPTOP

(MOBILE DEVICES ARE NOT SUPPORTED)

The 2025–26 Annual student fees will be assessed soon. Families will be notified once fees are posted to MySchoolBucks (MSB). In the meantime, MSB is fully functional for lunch funds, clubs, activities, and other miscellaneous fees such as lockers and parking passes. You can find your MSB account by logging in to MySchoolBucks or use this guide to create a MySchoolBucks account if you are new to STEM.

Families can apply for Free or Reduced-Price Lunch (FRL) through the school district. If your family qualifies, your student’s school fees may be waived. You must reapply every school year. We encourage every family to apply, even if you think you won’t qualify. In the application, please be sure to check the box to share your info with STEM, or we won’t know you are approved and cannot waive your fees.

• Learn more about Free and Reduced-Price Meals here

• Apply online here

For all questions about MySchoolBucks and Free and Reduced-Price Meals, please email: ashley.westfall@stemk12.org.

All families looking to join a carpool for the 2025–26 school year must register using a new link, even if you registered in a previous year. The app resets annually, so all families must re-enroll. Please email info@stemk12.org for the registration link. Please do not share this link, as it is only for STEM families.

Elementary Fall Clubs are now open for registration! Additional club registration for all grades and seasons will be opening soon, so stay tuned!

Middle School and High School Athletics registration is also open! All students are welcome to join a team—there are no tryouts or cuts. All sports, except eSports and Speech & Debate, require a current physical on file before students can begin practice; eSports and Speech & Debate only require registration.

*Note as the new STEMK12.org website continues to add more features, future club registrations will be directed through STEMK12.org. For now, these registrations go to sites intended to make it easy for our parents to begin registration now.

All important dates can now be found on the Parent Page and School Calendar on our new website—links below! Please check these pages regularly for the most accurate event dates and times. Previous newsletters are also linked below.

1st-5th Grade teacher assignments will be available in Infinite Campus starting tomorrow, July 28th. Each student was thoughtfully placed to support their success, so we’re unable to accommodate classroom change requests. Login instructions will be emailed tomorrow.

Elementary placards can be picked up at the Elementary entrance during the following times:

• Monday, August 4th – Thursday, August 7th: 8 AM – 2 PM

• Monday, August 11th: 3 PM – 5 PM

Students must get their photo taken and pick up their ID during SPARTAN START on August 11th. Safety is our top priority. All Middle School and High School students are required to wear their school ID with their photo at all times on campus. This is the only photo and ID session before school starts on August 12th, so please make it a priority to ensure your student is ready for day one!

Secondary schedules will be available in Infinite Campus starting tomorrow, July 28th. Login instructions will be emailed tomorrow.

We can’t wait to welcome our Secondary students to campus for this year’s open-house style orientation event, SPARTAN START on August 11th. A parent or guardian is encouraged to attend during your assigned time:

• A–L: Open House from 8 AM to 12 PM | Counselors available from 8 AM to 11:30 AM

• M–Z: Open House from 12 PM to 3 PM | Counselors available from 1 PM to 3 PM

SPARTAN LAUNCH is an event for all new Middle School and High School students during SPARTAN START. No registration is needed. Choose one session:

• 10 AM to 11:30 AM

• 1:30 PM to 3 PM

Friday, August 8th | 5 PM to 9 PM

Main Event Highlands Ranch – 64 Centennial Blvd

RSVP Date Extended! Please RSVP by August 4th – Click Here

Join us for a fun, all-ages evening to celebrate the new school year with food, games, and great company in a private party space—hosted by STEM PTO!

Pricing:

• Kids (ages 0–17) are $28 each– Ticket includes pizza buffet + unlimited soft drinks.

• Adults are $55 – Ticket includes unlimited games, buffet, drinks (2 alcoholic), swag, & access to private tables. Arcade pass is shareable with your child.

• If an adult is only attending to chaperone and does not wish to eat, drink, or play, they may attend at no cost, but will not receive access to the buffet, beverage options, swag, or games.

All STEM families welcome! Non-STEM siblings may attend at the same kid ticket price. Adult supervision is required throughout the event.

The Back-to-School STEM Family event will take place on Friday, August 8th, not Thursday as previously stated. We apologize for the confusion in last week’s email. Thank you for your understanding. We look forward to seeing you there!

STEM has been nominated for FIVE categories in the 2025 Colorado Parent Family Favorites awards—and to win we need as many votes as possible from our amazing community!

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

🔗 Vote here: go.stemk12.org/VoteSTEM and please SHARE this link with family and friends. Anyone can vote!

You can vote once per day through August 15th—and we need ALL the votes we can get in EACH category to bring home the wins! Let’s show Colorado what makes the STEM community so special. Every vote celebrates our incredible students, teachers, and families who make STEM feel like home.

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