Ryan's Weekly Family Update

Dear Ryan Elementary Community,

I’m excited to be heading into another full week of school as we approach the Labor Day weekend!

Last Friday, we conducted our first fire drill of the school year. As part of our ongoing commitment to student safety, we are required to practice fire drills monthly, along with other safety protocols. To learn more about our safety procedures, please visit: Safety - Boulder Valley School District.

Last Wednesday, we hosted a fun and energetic spirit assembly for our K–5 students. Our students were fantastic audience members and brought great energy as we all danced to our Ryan Rhino song—what a way to build school spirit!

We have several exciting initiatives and updates for the 2025–26 school year that I’ll continue to communicate in the coming weeks. A few highlights include:

• STEAM Buddies: Now in its second year, this program pairs younger and older students to foster connection and collaboration. Students meet with their buddies every Wednesday afternoon to engage in creative, team-based activities. This year’s pairings are:
  
  

• Kindergarten with 4th Grade

• 1st Grade with 5th Grade

• 2nd and 3rd Grades together

• Instructional Schedule: Last year, we made important adjustments to our master schedule to ensure consistent, protected blocks of time for literacy and math instruction. This continues to be a priority.

• School Accountability Committee: If you would like to learn more about our student achievement, school goals and instructional strategies, please see this flyer and come to our first meeting on September 24th.
  
  

Recess and Inclusivity: Playworks at Ryan

During the 2024 summer, our recess team and school administrators participated in a two-day Playworks training, funded by BVSD’s Bully Prevention Grant. Playworks has been supporting schools for 28 years in creating inclusive, engaging, and peaceful recess experiences.

One key takeaway: schools should provide all recess equipment to promote safe and inclusive play. We're now in the second year of implementing this, and it's made a significant difference. Please note that our Gaga Ball pit is currently closed for repairs—we appreciate your patience as we work to get it back in action.

A Safe and Welcoming Environment for All

As we settle into the new school year, we want to reaffirm BVSD’s zero-tolerance policy for discrimination and sexual harassment, including sexual violence. These behaviors have no place in our school.

We are committed to creating equitable, inclusive learning spaces for all members of our community.

In the coming weeks, students will have the opportunity (if they choose) to sign our No Place for Hate pledge. After signing, they can write their name on a purple flag, which will be proudly displayed on our playground. Click here to read the pledge:NPFH-pledge-FINAL.pdf

We hope you and your family enjoy a safe and restful long weekend.

Important Dates

• Back to School Night – We’re excited to see you there on Wednesday, August 27th! See agenda below.
  
  

• No School –
  
  

• Monday, September 1st (Labor Day)

• Tuesday, September 2nd (Professional Development Day for Teachers)

Warm regards,
Stephanie Jackman
Principal, Ryan Elementary

In this newsletter you will find details on the following:

• Letter from Principal Jackman
• Important Dates and Events
• Back to School Night Details
• School Supplies Information
• Preschool Information
• Individual School Photo Day
• School Accountability Committee (SAC) Information
• Wednesday Care Registration
• Attendance Letters Explained
• More Attendance Policy Information
• BVSD School Meals Information
• Arriving & Leaving Ryan Map
• Lost & Found Information
• Volunteer Instructions
• Ryan's Library News
• Health Room Information
• PTA Updates & Store
• Transportation Information
• Free & Reduced Lunch Application Details
• Free Dental Care 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

Ryan Elementary School Hours: 25-26 School Hours for PreK-5th

Important Dates for Ryan Elementary School:

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 1st NO SCHOOL - Labor Day

September 2nd NO SCHOOL - District Professional Development Day

September 5th Individual Picture Day

September 10th, 11th and 12th: 5th grade students have Outdoor Education at Calwood

September 19 Fall Festival 4:30-6:30 PM

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

Please join us for Back to School Night!

Wednesday, August 27th from 5:00-6:15pm

Click here for the Night's agenda.

Spanish interpreters will be available!

If you are a 5th grade parent, please join the Outdoor Education Parent Meeting 6:20-6:50pm.

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.

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

Individual School Photos are Friday, September 5th.

You may order online until September 9th.

Paper order forms went home last week with your students, if you prefer to use the paper form, the photographers have to collect them on Sept. 5th, before 2:30.

If you have been fingerprinted and would like to help volunteer for picture day, please email jamie.hanes@bvsd.org

Picture retake day is October 23rd.

EVERY Wednesday morning is a Late Start, 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

8:40 a.m. Students may go outside or finish breakfast in the Rhino Cafe

When students in BVSD reach a certain number of absences (you can find the breakdown below), you will receive an AUTOMATED attendance letter. All absences excused or unexcused will receive these communications when the number of absences reach the particular threshold. Also please note, three (3) unexcused partial absences or five (5) unexcused tardies will equal one unexcused absence.

Letter Criteria:

• Friendly Letter after 5 days missed

• Letter A after 10 days missed

• Letter B after 15 days missed

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.

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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.

• 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.

PLEASE remember to label your child's items, it helps us to get the items back to the owner.

Please come and check the Lost and Found bin often, items are donated monthly.

The lost and found bin is located in the vestibule outside of the office next to the Longmont Dairy milk cap collection bin.

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!

bvsd.org/volunteer

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.

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.

allison.trippe@bvsd.org

720-561-7012

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

We are excited to start off another great year of PTA! The families and staff at Ryan Elementary School are committed to building community and creating a positive learning environment where our children can grow and thrive. The PTA is an active part of the school and the community.

Our first community meeting will be September 10th starting at 6:30 in the Library. All are welcome to join!

To join or renew your membership, please click here.

The Ryan PTA invites your student to participate in the National PTA Reflections Student Art Showcase for the 2025-2026 school year! In Reflections, Ryan students will submit their completed works of art in one, or all, of the available arts categories (TBD;) selected from among Dance Choreography, Film Production, Literature, Music Composition, Photography, and Visual Arts in the following program divisions: Primary (Pre-K - Grade 2), Intermediate (Grades 3-5), and Accessible Arts (all grades welcome). The theme for the 2025-2026 program year is “I Belong!”

Reflections is a National PTA cultural arts recognition program that helps students explore their own thoughts, feelings and ideas; develop artistic literacy; increase confidence and creativity; develop critical thinking and problem solving skills; and find a love for learning that will help them become more successful not only in school, but in life. See the following short video for an introduction: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F30WEbPSYIs

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!

Local Business Survey

Email PTA Board

PTA Website

PTA Facebook

Ryan Parents Facebook

Ryan Spiritwear Store

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.

PTA Family Store

For assistance with transportation inquiries, trans.helpdesk@bvsd.org or 720.561.5126

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.

Colorado Mission of Mercy (COMOM) is a nonprofit organization that hosts a large-scale, two-day free dental clinic in a different Colorado community each year. Since 2007, COMOM has served more than 20,000 patients and provided over $18 million in donated dental services.

The clinics are open to anyone in need and are held in large venues—such as schools or event centers—that they transform into fully functional, 125-chair dental facilities. Over two days, patients receive cleanings, fillings, root canals, extractions, dentures, and ceramic crowns—all at no cost. This effort is made possible through the support of nearly 200 volunteer dentists, along with hygienists, assistants, lab technicians, healthcare professionals, and hundreds of community volunteers. Beyond relieving pain, they restore oral health and appearance—helping patients regain confidence, dignity, and even employment opportunities.

This year, the clinic will be held in Loveland at The Ranch on October 17–18. They expect to serve more than 1,600 patients with the help of over 2,000 volunteers. Because of Loveland’s proximity, this could be a valuable resource for many BVSD students and families.

Please see this flyer for more information. (Spanish)

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

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

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.

Learn more on BVSD's School Messenger support page

BVSD Calendar Link

Printable Calendars

• 2025-26 Parent -Teacher Printable (English)
• 2025-26 Parent-Teacher Printable Calendar (Spanish)

• 2025-26 Academic Calendar Printable (English)

• 2025-26 Academic Calendar Printable (Spanish)

• 2025-26 Preschool Calendar Printable (English)

• 2025-26 Preschool Calendar Printable(Spanish)

• Elementary ABC Specials Weekly Rotation Calendar (English)

• Calendario de clases especiales ABC (Español)

Website: https://rye.bvsd.org/
Location: 1405 Centaur Village Drive, Lafayette, CO, USA
Phone: 720-561-7000
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RyanElemSTEAM