With the COVID-19 pandemic bringing constant change across the St. Vrain Valley School District, students and families lack the usual engagement of previous years. The SVVSD counseling services staff seeks to improve that with innovative ways to ensure academic success and wellbeing.
The conversation around COVID is one that counseling and student services staff has had throughout the past year, according to Adam Lotito, SVVSD lead counselor and counselor at Niwot High School. The “boots on the ground” school counselors and interventionists are tasked with identifying the needs of students across all grade levels and meet these with appropriate solutions and referrals.
We are “addressing those concerns of increased anxiety and with the pandemic in general … trying to have that awareness in mind when working with our students and families,” he said. “Going forward, (we are) addressing the connection for the school and helping them (students) engage with their peers and being plugged in and finding that community within their schools… creating meaning out of these situations.”
Returning to school after spring break, Officers Ryan Douglas and Staci Stallings, student resource officers, or SROs, walked into a “Heart Attack” brought on by Silver Creek High School students.
Students of the Silver Creek Leadership Academy, or SCLA, decorated the officers’ office with paper hearts to express their sympathy after the shooting of ten people on March 22 in a Boulder King Soopers. The incident resulted in Boulder Police Officer Eric Talley losing his life as he rushed in to save the people within the store.
The SCLA students posted blue hearts on Douglas and Stallings’ door. When the officers opened the office they found hearts posted throughout the office. The students called it a “Heart Attack,” Douglas said.
Senior Jamis Schriner was surprised with a $40K College Board Opportunity Scholarship on Good Morning America on Monday, March 30 while his peers at school watched and celebrated him. Jamis is one of 25 students in the Class of 2021 from across the country to receive this award by completing the steps in the College Board Opportunity Scholarships program — steps that help students plan, prepare, and pay for college.
His peers at Erie High School watched the news segment in the school’s Tiger Den to show their support. They say he could not be more deserving of the scholarship. “No matter what is going on, Jamis is always positive,” said fellow senior and cross country teammate Lauren Davia. “He shows leadership everyday and always encourages everyone to do their best.”
Principal Matt Buchler closed the morning session by reminding students of the endless opportunities available to them. “Figuring out financing is almost always possible if you want to pursue higher education. We encourage you to work with your teachers, counselors, and school administration to help you figure out how to make your dreams come true,” said Principal Buchler.
College Board has dedicated $25 million over five years to the program that lays out six simple steps all students can take to get to college. When students finish all 6 steps, they’ll be entered into the drawing for a $40,000 scholarship. Class of 2022 students who opt in now and get started by building their college list on BigFutureby June 30 will be eligible for the next $40,000 Complete Your Journey scholarship.
Sunset Middle School in Longmont has been accepted into the Amazon Future Engineer Program enhancing the computer science curriculum for teachers and participating students in partnership with Project STEM.
The opportunity provides three years of funding for computer science courses for sixth through eighth grade students. The program includes support from experts and self-paced online courses, according to a news release.
“Project STEM is a national project that is looking for ways to (develop) future engineers and get them interested in the future of computer science work,” said Anthony Barela, principal of Sunset Middle. “I did research on that and found what the process looked like… filled paperwork knowing it would be a good fit.”
Mead and Coal Ridge middle schools last week received a surprise visit from Mead High School and Stapp Interstate Toyota with a bevvy of donated musical instrument accessories to celebrate Music In Our Schools Month.
Later this month, they also plan to deliver a set of 30 PBuzz instruments to Mead Elementary School. The lightweight, plastic instruments are designed for younger musicians as an introduction to brass instruments and the skill of buzzing into a mouthpiece.
“Music In Our Schools Month was created by the National Association for Music Education and is celebrated every March,” said Chad Lemons, director of bands at Mead High School. “It’s an opportunity to celebrate the great things happening in music programs across the country and to advocate for the advancement of music education in our schools.”
Thank you for your continued partnership and support in advancing the well-being of our students. We are pleased to announce that St. Vrain Valley Schools is able to offer track to our eighth grade students beginning on April 19. Registration will open April 8 with a fee of $40 per athlete. Students on free and reduced lunch qualify for a lower registration rate based on a sliding scale. The track season will include practices as well as three regular season dual meets on May 4, May 11, and May 18.
Participants will follow COVID-19 protocols that have been established by CDPHE and CHSAA including daily temperature checks, a brief COVID-19 questionnaire, and mask wearing until social distancing can be maintained.
Additionally, St. Vrain programs have implemented comprehensive, research-based safety and well-being measures that adhere to CDPHE guidelines and CDC best practices. To adhere to these guidelines, shared equipment will be limited among participants, group sizes will be reduced, and there will be alterations to traditional event rules. For the complete details on track offerings this season, please read below.
We are looking forward to a successful track season and celebrating our student athletes.
Sincerely,
Chase McBride Executive Director, Activities, Fine Arts, Athletics, PE and Health
Regular Season Dual Meet Details: May 4, 11, and May 18
Schedule Information:
Schedule will be assigned after registration numbers are complete
Meets will start at 3:00 p.m.
Pick up from schools will be around 2:15 p.m.
Pick up from meets will be around 4:30 p.m./ once teams have finished their events
Culminating Event, May 21:
There will be two event hosts sites:
Lyons Middle Senior High School
Erie High School
Athletes will have a different event time:
Eighth grade boys will run in the morning
Eighth grade girls will run in the afternoon
Eighth grade track events for meets:
Girls 100 Hurdles (yellow lines)
Boys 100 Hurdles (blue lines)
100 Meter Dash
1600 Meter Run
400 Meter
200 Hurdles (Boys and Girls)
800 Meter
200 Meter
4 x 100 Meter Relay
Field Events
Shot and Discus
Students will complete all 3 throws, clean shot/disc, and next thrower
Long Jump
Triple Jump
*No High Jump
Running Events
Students will be masked until social distant
School one will be in lanes 1 and 3
School two will be in lanes 6 and 8
Additional meet requirements
Schools will not commingle
Schools will stay separate to the best of their ability at all times
Elizabeth Reitzig is a senior at Silver Creek High School and a student intern with the Communications Department.
The StVrainnovation Mobile Lab is out again visiting St. Vrain’s elementary schools, and facilitating opportunities for students to engage in design-thinking challenges, explore robotics, and visit engineering stations.
In conjunction with the Design Guild, the Mobile Lab provides students with five design challenges that they can take home. “The Design Guild is a program created between the Mobile Lab and Innovation Academy, which is a St. Vrain summer program taught in partnership with IBM,” says Kristen Brohm, program manager of the Design Guild. “We are creating STEM-based curriculum through a design-thinking lens to share with students, staff, and families within our St. Vrain community to engage and empower students and to provide connection during the pandemic.”
The Design Guild challenges give students the chance to submit prototypes after learning about a topic, such as health, transportation, and media communications. The health challenge, which prompts students to design a prototype that would improve the functionality of their school’s health office, awards the top prototype creators funds to integrate their ideas at school.
Students walk through the Mobile Lab before exploring various stations set up outside the Lab. While touring the bus, students receive the design challenge packet to take home. As Brohm notes, “By creating this packet of information, along with the design kits that students get to work on at home, we are really including parents in the learning process and enabling them to understand more of what we’re doing in the classroom and why we’re doing it. They get to see the benefit firsthand.”
In addition to the educational benefits of the Mobile Lab events, the visits have also given families and staff members of St. Vrain a chance to connect with one another during the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic. Danny Ford, shop manager at the Innovation Center and instructor on the Mobile Lab team, says, “The Mobile Lab is unique in the sense that it connects staff, kids, and the St. Vrain community as a whole. Even though, as a district, we aren’t back to full-time learning, we are bringing something to students that they really miss. There are many kids who haven’t been able to do something like this in months, or even a year.”
Colin Rickman, the Mobile Lab Coordinator, adds that “We were very intentional about making sure this would be a community event. We wanted families there with their kids, learning. We wanted teachers, principals, and staff to be involved. One thing that we’ve learned from the Mobile Lab is that it brings people together. We’ve been so appreciative that people have come out to see us.”
“We’ve seen a lot of success in the three weeks that we’ve been out and about. At the five schools we’ve attended, we’ve seen more than 1,000 people attend the events collectively.”
More information about the Mobile Lab is available on their website, and schools may visit the site to register for a Lab event.
Participation in St. Vrain Valley School District’s increasingly popular aeronautics program has nearly doubled in the past year as students launch into careers in the cockpit or in mastering drone technology.
The 250 students enrolled in the program at the district’s Innovation Center gain conceptual and practical knowledge for careers in either pathway, Jake Marshall, aeronautics program coordinator, stated in a news release.
“The aeronautics program provides students with applicable learning opportunities,” Marshall stated. “A lot of students who participate have similar interests and these courses help them find their niche and gain confidence in real-world skills.”
St. Vrain Valley Schools is excited to offer a menu of in-person and online summer opportunities for students ages 3-17. Programs are designed to advance students’ academic and social engagement in safe and welcoming environments, supporting them to realize their highest potential. Visit the summer program webpage to learn more about each camp’s activities, dates, and the registration process.
Stay engaged with St. Vrain Valley Schools throughout the summer through these incredible opportunities for student learning and fun.
Community Schools will offer a Summer Wraparound Pre-K Camp for children ages 3-5 at Fall River Elementary and Prairie Ridge Elementary. Community Schools hosts traditional summer camp options for students ages 5 -12 at ten elementary school sites across the district. Summer Camp offers children new friendships, confidence, independence, and a sense of belonging in a safe, structured environment. Creativity abounds in our camps with staff developing exciting, energizing invisible learning.
The Innovation Center is hosting three programming options including for-credit courses for high school students, Innovation Academy which will be located at Blue Mountain Elementary this summer for students from grades K-5, and a diverse offering of hands-on and innovative SuperSTEM camps with two age group options (ages 9-12 and ages 13-17). For more information go directly to our Innovation Center website: innovation.svvsd.org/summeropportunities
The Career Development Center is offering summer programming for incoming seventh and eighth grade students. Students can choose from the following pathways – Agriscience, Welding and Fabrication, Automotive Technology, Advanced Manufacturing, and Health Sciences. Morning (9:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.) and afternoon (12:00 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.) sessions are available. For more information, visit Career Development Center’s summer camp page.
Project Launch, St. Vrain’s initiative to provide elementary students an opportunity to strengthen their reading and math skills over the summer in a fun, friendly camp-like environment, is available for students in grades K-5, at no cost to families. Project Launch Middle School provides an opportunity for students in grades 6-7 to master grade level content in math and language arts, and participate in STEM extension activities.
Transition Programs, St. Vrain offers summer transition programs for two weeks in August to support students graduating from elementary school to middle school, and middle school to high school. Programming is available at no cost and transportation is provided through the JumpStart initiative. JumpStart programs are designed for students who might need additional support and encouragement to help them have a successful start to the new school year in their new school. Students who participate in the eighth to ninth grade transition program will receive one elective credit. Programs vary by school. For additional information, please contact your school’s main office.
eCredit Recovery will continue for high school students in an in-person learning environment. Students who are behind on high school credits are encouraged to enroll in the eCredit Recovery summer session.
Participants who attend in-person summer programming will wear face coverings while indoors. All St. Vrain summer programs have implemented comprehensive, research-based safety and well-being measures that adhere to CDPHE guidelines and CDC best practices.
Exactly one year after UCHealth Longs Peak Hospital saw its first COVID-19 positive case enter its emergency department, the St. Vrain Valley School district presented a group of hospital representatives the Superintendent’s Excellence in Education Award.
During Wednesday night’s SVVSD board meeting, Superintendent Don Haddad welcomed the UCHealth team tasked with supporting the district’s vaccination program to thank them in person for their continued support and collaboration.
On Feb. 8, Gov. Jared Polis green lighted the eligibility of educators across the state to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. Within two weeks of the announcement, 94% of SVVSD’s eligible staff was on its way to secure an appointment to receive the vaccine, according to Haddad.
