Update from Nutrition Services regarding last-minute menu changes

Posted on

At St. Vrain Valley Schools, we know the importance of school meals in fueling both healthy minds and bodies. While school meals may look a little different during the 2021-2022 school year, please know that your school nutrition team is working hard to ensure students have safe, nutritious, and appealing meals. Today, I am writing to share how our district is working to overcome food supply and labor challenges related to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) public health emergency, so that students continue to receive school meals. 

Due to supply chain and labor shortages, our school district may not receive certain food items. As a result, your school may need to make last-minute changes to the menu or substitute a different brand of a food product. We know that students have favorite menu items and are working hard to provide them whenever possible. We are also thinking ahead to identify alternative food items that are nutritious and appealing for the students.  

If your student has food allergies or a special dietary need, be assured that meeting these needs and keeping your student safe remains a priority for us, and we will continue to provide meal modifications. If you have questions or concerns about how your student’s food allergies or special dietary needs will be managed during these supply chain shortages, please contact Theresa Spires, RD for information at 303-702-7750 or via email at [email protected].  

We appreciate your patience, flexibility, and understanding as we work to provide school meals in a constantly evolving environment. Please feel free to reach me directly with any questions, feedback, or suggestions at 303-682-7255 or via email at [email protected] .  

Sincerely,

Shelly Allen
Director of Nutrition & Warehouse Services
St Vrain Valley Schools

Students in the St. Vrain Valley School District get a boost in post-secondary education

Posted on

Every high school in the St. Vrain Valley School District, or SVVSD, offers students opportunity for success no matter which path they want to pursue in life, but did you know those students also have a chance to get a leg-up on college degrees at the same time?

Open enrollment season for SVVSD schools starts Dec. 1, giving students the chance to find a school with focus programs that align with their interests for post-secondary education and future career paths.

SVVSD works from a two-prong approach, according to Dr. Jackie Kapushion, SVVSD deputy superintendent. One ensures that every school in the district offers a foundation of core content — including advanced placement classes — for student education that will set them up for success no matter what program they pursue, the second prong being specialty programs for post-high school education and careers like P-TECH and CU Succeed.

Read full story in the Longmont Leader

St. Vrain Valley schools are bringing students and teachers together with a cup of coffee

Posted on

Teachers devote their careers to shaping young minds. Who knew they would use coffee as a way to teach social skills, money management and to build relationships among peers? 

In two St. Vrain Valley Schools — Trail Ridge Middle School and Longmont Estates Elementary — students with special needs are practicing social skills as they manage their own business — a coffee cart. 

At Trail Ridge Middle School, the coffee cart delivers fresh brew to teachers through a partnership between special needs and general education students. The idea for the program began a few years ago as Assistant Principal Lynsey Robinson worked with Significant Supports Needs, or SSN, teacher Becci Warren. The duo had hoped to implement it during the 2020 school year but COVID-19 thwarted the plan. The 2021-22 school year is the first chance Trail Ridge had to roll out the program, according to Robinson. 

Read the full story in the Longmont Leader

Mead Unified Percussion to take the field with professional brass band

Posted on

After a year of only virtual performances, Mead High School’s Unified Percussion Ensemble is back to performing before a live audience — and will play alongside a professional band.

The eight percussion students, who all have special needs, will take the field to play at halftime at Friday’s home football game, led by four Mead High band student mentors. They’ll play “Happy” by Pharrell Williams with the Guerilla Fanfare Brass Band, then both will join the Mead High marching band for “Paint It Black.” The Guerilla Fanfare Brass Band also will play one song solo.

“This is huge,” said Mead Band Director Chad Lemons. “As much as we try to keep the energy level high, it’s just different performing for a live crowd.”

Read the full story in the Times-Call

Robots help Colorado students with speech, social skills

Posted on

The use of robots with students with diverse learning needs, especially students on the autism spectrum, is a “game-changer.”

Author: Silvia Romero Solis (Longmont Leader)

LONGMONT, Colo. — The department of special education at St. Vrain Valley School District worked throughout the school year with the Innovation Center’s robotics program to help students with diverse learning needs with social skills by using robots, according to a news release from SVVSD.

A project team of high school students developed Socially Assistive Robotics applications at the Innovation Center. In January, they partnered with teachers and staff at five district schools and used robots to support special education students with self-regulation, self-determination and socialization, according to Mari Stevenson, SVVSD special education area coordinator.

The schools participating in the collaboration are Longmont Estates Elementary, Eagle Crest Elementary, Indian Peaks Elementary, Longs Peak Middle School and Soaring Heights PK-8.

“It’s a collaboration and partnership between the Special Education Department, (special education) teachers, technology teachers, Innovation Center staff and (high school) student designers, all working as a team not only to build (the tools) but elevating the technology integration for all of our kids,” Stevenson said. 

Read The Full 9News Article

Longs Peak Middle School Students Take Cybersecurity by #StVrainStorm

Posted on

At Longs Peak Middle School, students are solving challenging computer science and IT problems as part of the CyberPatriot competition. Last Friday, three teams took part in the event, competing against other middle schoolers to find weaknesses in the system, secure passwords, and verify authorized users.

Monica Moreno-Martinez, a computer science teacher at Longs Peak Middle School, mentors the students and gets them excited about cybersecurity. “There is a huge need for cybersecurity, and a lot of jobs in the field. I am excited to help create a pathway for students to get into cybersecurity,” she says. 

Moreno-Martinez, whose brother and father both work in cybersecurity, says the program “gamifies” cybersecurity concepts to help simplify them. CyberPatriot was created by the Air Force Association to inspire K-12 students toward careers in cybersecurity and other STEM careers. Students take the role of newly hired IT professionals and are tasked with locating and patching vulnerabilities while maintaining critical services. “It is a lot like solving a puzzle,” says Moreno-Martinez. The students are taught to evaluate and understand security needs, helping prepare them for even more complex lessons in high school.

For Moreno-Martinez, her interest in teaching cybersecurity goes beyond introducing students to the career path. She also wants to inspire more minorities to take part in cybersecurity and in other STEM disciplines. “There is not a lot of representation of minorities in computer science. Not just with a lack of diversity, but also with a lack of women in the field. It’s important for me to show students what’s possible and inspire them to try something new.”

In addition to the CyberPatriot competition, Longs Peak Middle School offers a number of STEM focused classes including Robotics, Computer Science, and Cybersecurity. The CyberPatriot competition and these challenging courses help prepare students for the competitive, global world we live in today. 

The AP Exam Registration Window is Open until November 8

Posted on

The AP® Program is continuously introducing new resources and processes designed to help students earn college credit and placement. This year, we’re most excited about their Daily Videos and enhanced progress monitoring tools available in AP Classroom.

Here are other important items you and your student need to know for AP 21-22:

  • Students will register for AP Exams this fall; the recommended registration window is open from today through November 8, 2021. Register at http://stvrain.revtrak.net.* 
  • Don’t wait! CollegeBoard will automatically apply a $40 fee to each exam registration (and each cancellation) occurring after November 15.* 
  • Students will get personalized feedback through digital tools that provide daily support for every AP classroom. Teachers and students can track their performance throughout the year using monthly personal progress checks.
  • Families enrolled in free or reduced-lunch programming receive a discounted rate on exam fees.

Please make sure your student has signed up for a CollegeBoard account or updated their existing one, and joined their class with AP Classroom. All College Board programs are connected through one account, so if your student created one for the PSAT/NMSQT®, SAT®, or College Board Opportunity Scholarships, they’re all set. They’ll just need to have their username and password available. 

Learn more at parents.collegeboard.org. 

*This applies to full-year and first-semester courses. Courses beginning after November 15th must register before March 15, 2022. **Resources will continue to be added to our blog over the course of this week.

Marching forward: Band Night performances connect students, communities across St. Vrain

Posted on

Trumpets blared and flags twirled as student performers stepped into the spotlight Wednesday night at Everly-Montgomery Field for the return of the district-wide Band Night. 

As the sky dimmed and the stadium lights blinked on, marching bands from Erie High, Frederick High, Longmont High, Lyons Senior High, Niwot High, Mead High, Silver Creek High, and Skyline High School performed their routines to an enthusiastic crowd. 

“It was an electrifying energy leading up to Band Night, and it was monumental to be back on the field again,” said Director of Bands at Mead High School, Chad Lemons. 

Performance events like these not only provide an opportunity for students to showcase their skills to a live audience, but also to learn from the other programs throughout the district. Additionally, judges were present to give each band feedback outside of a competitive environment. 

“The culture of Band Night and music education in St. Vrain thrives on being supportive and appreciative of one another,” said Lemons. “We know the work and commitment that each school put into preparing their show, so there is a mutual respect across the bands and their families.” 

“It was such a special event, having all of our programs able to join together again to make music, and the community really came out to support them,” said Janay Bird, Fine Arts Coordinator for St. Vrain Valley Schools. 

An enthusiastic crowd of families, teachers, staff, and community members packed the stands, cheering their support for all of the performances. As an added surprise this year, athletic teams and coaches came out onto the field to cheer on their classmates. 

“It is great for these students to see what they do goes beyond a half-time performance,” said Bird, “it’s a show of its own and everyone loves watching them.” 

“Performing can be one of the most rewarding components of being a musician, so losing the ability to perform for an extended period of time was heartbreaking,” said Lemons. “In a way, St. Vrain Band Night is therapeutic because we get back that moment to connect with our audience and share the result of our hard work.” 

View more photos from the event

We Robot

Posted on

When you walk into The Garage at Eagle Crest Elementary School, you will see excited, cheerful students together as they learn the ins and outs of robotics. Students learn new math skills, computer science, and even gain engineering and technology expertise. 

This school year, all 72 fifth grade students have found unity working together in collaborative teams by taking part in the Robotics program. This remarkable show of inclusion highlights how students are bonding in their return to the classroom, and how they are advancing in academic excellence. 

Students that participate in the program have varying degrees of experience, and the goal for all students is to build confidence by trying new activities. Teachers emphasize process over product and community over competition, preparing them to become future leaders. 

With the support of their Parent-Teacher Organization (PTO), Eagle Crest Elementary was able to provide enough VEX Robotics Kits for the entire fifth grade class. “We transformed our unused portable classrooms into our new robotics lab – this allows students to have a lot more exposure to robots in our innovation space we call The Garage” said Katy Schwirtz, STEM Teacher, Eagle Crest.

Students have acquired a knowledge of the basic coding and driving of robots, and have also participated in many design challenges before entering fifth grade. “These experiences, combined with a lot of intentional work around our leadership pillars, Communicate, Create, and Inspire,  has led us to implement VEX Robotics to all fifth graders,” shared Katy Schwirtz.

Students are currently building a VEX IQ Clawbot, and once they finish, they have the choice of moving onto something else like building games for their competition or continue to innovate the Clawbot so it completes more tasks more efficiently. 

“Our main goal is to give all Eagle Crest fifth graders an opportunity to work through these specialized, collaborative efforts in hopes that they may pursue more robotics in middle school and beyond,” shared Katy Schwirtz.

Middle School Madness

Posted on

The return of middle school intramural athletics has students across the district more engaged and involved in their school communities. Participation has soared at both Westview Middle and Longs Peak Middle, and the record-breaking number of athletes have brought students, parents, and teachers out to pack the gyms. With volleyball season winding down, we take a look at how middle school athletics has impacted student morale throughout the district.

At Westview, principal Mark Spencer has not seen a noticeable change in numbers given the school’s traditionally strong participation in athletics, but he has observed a boost in student morale as athletes take advantage of the opportunity to participate again. “Athletics have been a game changer in the atmosphere at school. We are seeing kids walking down the halls happy and laughing,” said Mark Spencer, Principal Westview Middle School. Students have been sticking around after class to support their peers. Last Saturday, Westview welcomed Trail Ridge for the final games of the volleyball season. The teams got tremendous support, with the loud gym resembling a high school atmosphere and a pizza party capping off the festivities.

The Covid pause gave principals a chance to reset the norms around middle school intramurals. According to SVVSD Executive Director of Athletics Chase McBride, the pause allowed for “formatting changes and more equitable and competitive contests.” A big change this year has been middle school hosting all intramural competitions, rather than high schools. This has helped maximize participation in athletics and made it easier for students, parents, and staff to support athletes. 

At Long Peak Middle School, this was especially true. 80 girls came out for volleyball, up from the 40 that came out in principal Sandy Heiser’s first year at the school. “Students who had never come out for anything wanted to be involved and spend a little more time at school – they crave connection and are active in all the things they missed last year,” said Sandy Heiser, Principal, Longs Peak Middle School. Excitement builds all day on gameday, with athletes wearing their jerseys throughout the day after morning practice. Heiser says that the competitions have provided a boost for staff too, who come out to support their students and have a fun, positive conversational piece to connect with their students on.

So what’s up next for our student-athletes at Westview, Longs Peak and the other middle schools across the district? Soccer season is already underway at Longs Peak, and basketball season starts next week for both Longs Peak and Westview. More than 160 students have attended basketball practices at Westview already, and the combining of 6th, 7th, and 8th graders onto one team allows 8th graders to become mentors for their younger peers.

We commend the work that staff has done across the district in encouraging students to engage and be involved in their communities outside the classroom, and we wish every student the best of luck as they continue working hard and creating long-lasting memories outside of the classroom! 

St. Vrain Valley Schools