Message from the Principal
Dear Ryan Elementary Community,
I hope everyone had a wonderful winter break. Our students have shown outstanding grit, resilience and determination throughout the first part of the 23-24 school year. We are in the process of analyzing our mid-year reading and math assessments that were completed before winter break. Report cards will be viewable for parents on Tuesday, January 16th through Infinite Campus. Report card access directions for families are linked HERE. Parent teacher conferences will occur in mid February.
If you would like a hard copy of your child’s report card, please contact your child’s teacher and/or the main office.
We are welcoming back Katie Stauch, a literacy teacher that has been on leave and Jennifer Cody, a new third grade teacher. Mrs. Cody has over 16 years teaching experience and is covering for David Greenwald. Mr. Greenwald is a third grade teacher that unexpectedly had to take a medical leave for the remainder of this school year. Christina Hamlyn, a retired Ryan Teacher, has been substituting in our school and will be covering for Mrs. Molly Peterson when she goes on maternity leave in February. We continue to be so fortunate with the dedicated and talented teachers and paraeducators that become part of our team. This is an amazing staff to work with each and every day.
The new year will bring fresh opportunities, new experiences, and the chance to set and achieve even greater goals. Let's keep the momentum going as we head into the spring semester. Thank you for all the ways you support our Ryan community. Happy New Year!
It’s always a great day to be a Rhino! Go Rhinos!
Sincerely,
Stephanie Jackman
Principal
In this newsletter you will find details on the following:
- No School on MLK day
- Ryan Spiritwear Store Instructions
- Choir Announcement
- PTA Updates
- Attendance Announcement
- Health Room Requests
- Volunteer Opportunities
- Connect for Health Colorado
- BVSD Meals & Messenger Notification Details
- FAQs Section from past newsletters information
If you have an immediate need, please call the main office at 720.561.7000
The Ryan Spiritwear Store is LIVE!
Ryan t-shirts, sweatshirts, and hats are now available for purchase! Orders will ship directly to your home, and a small percentage of each sale will benefit the PTA. This link will be open year round, but spiritwear makes a great holiday gift for your Rhinos—and their families! Check out our online store!
A Note from Ms. Shauna (Our wonderful Music Teacher)
Join Rhino Choir in January! All 3rd, 4th & 5th grade students who are interested in group singing are welcome. We meet in the Music room on Tuesdays and Wednesdays after school from 3:00 - 3:45 starting January 16 until our concert on March 20. A $20 donation is requested (but not required) to pay for a student t-shirt and other materials. Please see this document for more information and fill out this form by Friday January 12 if your child will participate.
PTA Update
PTA Community Meeting - January 17
Come join us for our next community meeting on Wednesday, January 17, from 6:30–7:30pm in the Ryan Library! These meetings are an excellent way to stay connected to the school and its current events. Allison Trippe, the Ryan Librarian, will be giving a presentation at this meeting on safe digital citizenship. Childcare and pizza will be provided for kids. All members of the Ryan community are welcome, and one lucky attendee will win a gift certificate to a local restaurant!
If you missed the November PTA Community Meeting and are interested in seeing the slides from Blue Sky Bridge's presentation on child abuse prevention and education, you can find those slides here!
Attendance Annoucement
If your child has an appointment during school hours, please ask the medical office for a school excuse note and bring it to the Ryan office.
To report your child's absences, please enter it through your Parent Portal or call the Attendance Line 720.561.7002 and remember to include the REASON FOR THE ABSENCE!
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.
Good habits start early! Research shows regular attendance at school has a DRAMATIC impact on student progress. Please see the How Sick Is To Sick guidelines as well as the BVSD attendance policy.
Health Room Requests!!
Request from Ryan's Health Room
Please send your child a snack and water bottle EVERYDAY!
We are looking for HEALTHY SNACKS(items like: goldfish, granola bars, veggie straws,crackers) for the Health Room, please drop by with your donations in the front office and we will get them to the teachers. Thank you!
Weather, trips, spills and thrills happen: please remember to send your child with a change of clothes, especially in our younger elementary grades, we have all sorts of accidents and often kiddos prefer clothes of their own. Thank you!
If your child needs medication at school, our healthroom para, Chrystal Terhune chrystal.terhune@bvsd.org would be happy to help you in the front office. You will need Doctor's orders and the Medication Authorization form as well.
Please do NOT send medication to school in your child's backpack.
Volunteer Opportunities
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 or bring treats and coffee to teachers for late start or volunteer for the upcoming 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! Please take a moment to fill out the background check through raptor: https://www.bvsd.org/parents-students/get-involved/volunteers and click here to see what opportunities we have available Help at School
We appreciate your help! Thanks!
Connect for Health Colorado Health Insurance Open Enrollment - November 1 through January 15, 2023
Connect for Health Colorado Open Enrollment - November 1 through January 15, 2023
From preventative services to the security it provides during a medical emergency, health insurance affords stability to families as they build and plan for the future. Free, in-person help is available from certified Connect for Health Colorado enrollment experts located throughout Colorado to help you get the right health insurance coverage.
Find an Enrollment Assister - Assistance Network Scheduler
Certified Enrollment Assisters can help you apply for financial help and are very experienced with complicated situations, such as when one family member receives Health First Colorado (Medicaid) or other public assistance while the others do not. They can also provide education about affordable health insurance and help you enroll in a Marketplace plan.
Meals are still free, but the payment system is changing
Free meals are still free, but the payment system is changing! Please be advised that on November 13th, the Food Services Department will be switching software systems from MyPaymentsPlus to School Cafe. If you have a balance on your account it will automatically transfer into School Cafe on the 13th. Meal account funds are not necessary for your student to receive a free breakfast and lunch every day, but are necessary to purchase items like second entrees, a la carte items, and side salads. Starting on November 13th, if you would like to add money to your student’s meal account, you will have to create a School Cafe account and do it there. Beginning on November 11th, MyPaymentsPlus will turn off and it will not be possible to add funds to your student’s account.
Please see the resources below to help with the transition.
BVSD's School Messenger support and notifications
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.
Ryan Elementary STEAM School
Website: https://rye.bvsd.org/
Location: 1405 Centaur Village Drive, Lafayette, CO, USA
Phone: 720-561-7000
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RyanElemSTEAM