Mrs. Ridder Message

Dear STEM Middle School Families,

It was wonderful seeing so many of our families at Back -to- School Night this week. Thank you to all who were able to attend!

Winding down week two, I would like to clarify our Middle School personal electronic device check-in process.

We are not going to have students drop devices off in their last-period classrooms. With schedule changes, sharing classrooms, absences, early dismissals, and students moving between classes, it's too difficult to manage.

There also seems to be some confusion about the policy. Our handbook states that all communication devices (Phones, Watches, Ipads, etc) must be turned off and stored in a designated location (ex. backpacks, lockers, etc..) for the entirety of the school day and may not be used or visible in classrooms, hallways, common areas, or restrooms unless a staff member has given express permission for an educational purpose.

For Middle School, STEM’s DESIGNATED LOCATION is the FRONT OFFICE.

While the handbook gives examples of designated locations such as a backpack, locker, or classroom storage system, for our Middle School students, we are not allowing personal electronic devices to remain in backpacks or lockers. One of the main reasons is that students can use their phones as hotspots to bypass our filtered network on their computers.

This is why our expectation is about access to the device, not simply whether we see a student texting or scrolling on it. A personal electronic device sitting in a backpack is still accessible, and it is not realistic for teachers to determine throughout the day whether every device is truly powered off and untouched.

Please help us reinforce one consistent message with students: if they bring a personal device to school, it must be checked in at the front office.

I’m sorry for the confusion as we have worked through the logistics. Thank you for your patience, flexibility, and partnering with us to reinforce our new policy consistently.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Best,

Maura Ridder
Middle School Principal
STEM School Highlands Ranch