Winter Carnival: Saturday December 7th
Excel Academy Charter School
10:00 AM - 2:00 PM
Make Holiday Gifts and Crafts and so much more!
Support our student entrepreneurs
Come support our students, have some fun, and connect with our community! Students will be selling handmade crafts and a variety of foods. Some will also have carnival games that the kids will enjoy playing. The money raised from their carnival games, crafts, and food goes directly to help them pay for their BIG overnight/extended trips!
Pre-order Tokens and get $2 in tokens free! FLYER
Winter Bonus Learning - Sign Up Now!
Excel Academy offers a robust after-school array of programming that supports students in exploring various topics and activities to extend their learning beyond the school day.
Session Two runs from December 2nd through February 21st.
Bonus Learning Catalog Sign-up by Sunday December 1st.
Click HERE to sign up for Excel Teacher taught classes AND Entrepreneur Student Run/Parent Supervised Clubs (NEW)*.
Entrepreneur Club students are learning what it takes to operate their own business, while being supervised by an adult. The money earned from running these clubs is applied directly to the cost of their extended overnight field studies. Their clubs are highlighted in BLUE in the catalog.
*The Monthly Friday Movie has a separate sign-up from the other clubs.
*For additional information and registration for outside partner taught classes, please see the attached flyers in the catalog.
School Tours Every Tuesday at 9:00 am
We hope everyone that was able to join us Tuesday November 12th for our Enrollment Information night enjoyed meeting teachers and hearing more about the opportunities that await your student in their next grade level.
Please share our tour information with anyone whose children would benefit from our Excel Experience.
Text Messages
Exciting news! We now have the ability to send text messages out to families as well as email messages and phone calls. If you would like to "opt In" for text messages, please text "Y" to 67587.
Thank you, and we are looking forward to this exciting addition to our communication tools, and hope you are as well!
Middle School Newsletter
Click here to read our November Middle School Newsletter
What are students learning?
See great photos
Latest happenings
Explorations EXPO Update: NEW DATE FOR 3rd - 8th GRADE
Due to the snow day we had a couple of weeks ago, students and staff had lost a work-day for their Explorations projects. We have made an adjustment to the schedule as follows:
K-2 EXPO: December 13, 8:45 - 9:25
Grades 3-8 EXPO, December 19, 8:30 - 10:00
Hope to see you there!
Order December Meals
PLEASE FILL OUT THIS FORM NO LATER THAN NOVEMBER 24TH IN ORDER for your student to have meals on MONDAY, DECEMBER 2.
BREAKFAST TIME IS 7:50AM - 8:05AM. If your student comes in after this time, we will give them their breakfast to take for a snack.
Do you want to earn volunteer hours in the Cafe? Remember you earn TWO for ONE hours when you volunteer in the Cafe!! You get to see your child(ren) and their friends interacting and who doesn't love a hug from their kiddo in the middle of the day? Sign up in the Track it Forward site. Click HERE to schedule a day or more!
Sign-up for meals HERE
Digital Teacher Librarian Updates by Mrs. Black
Middle School families please make sure your student brings their Chromebook and Charger to school with them for the whole week of December 2nd. We will be performing Mid-Year Check Ups on technology throughout the week. Thank you.
Book Fair Update:
Thank you so much to all the families who participated in the Fall Book Fair this year. We not only met, but exceeded our goal, selling 1326 books!!! Way to go Eagle Families! You are the best. I appreciate your support more than words can say. I look forward to partnering with you again to benefit our Eagle Students.
CogAT Reports for 2nd Grade Students in Friday Folders on Nov. 21st
Second graders' CogAT results will come home in Friday Folders on November 21st. Please view the report and the cover letter which includes information about how to interpret the results. On December 2nd the Jeffco Gifted and Talented Department will post on-demand videos on their website about how to further understand your student's data. After you watch an on-demand video, you may sign up to attend a virtual Q&A session on December 10th from 7:00-8:00 P.M. The sign-up for the virtual Q&A will be posted on the same Jeffco website (linked previously) in December. Please see the CogAT cover letter on Thursday, November 21st for additional information about these sessions.
In Jeffco's on-demand videos, you will hear information regarding the interpretation of the CogAT, as well as a bit of information about Advanced Learning Plans (ALPs) and Gifted and Talented (GT) Center School placement. Please note that 80% of Jeffco students who are identified as Gifted and Talented attend neighborhood and charter schools. Excel Academy is pleased to have GT programming for high-potential learners, and two Gifted and Talented Teachers who support our educators and students in grades K-8. Excel is also supported by a Jeffco District GT Resource Teacher, enabling us to provide robust and differentiated opportunities for Excel students who are on ALP's.
Shout Outs for Staff
We have incredible staff members doing exceptional work throughout the building. We want to hear about the gratitude you have for our staff and hear about all the ways that you see them going above and beyond. We will include shout outs in our Weekly Staff Huddle so that they can be recognized in front of colleagues. Look around and you will surely be amazed! Shout Out Here! Starting in December, we will add the link in the list of Helpful Links & Resources section at the bottom of every Eagle Update.
Order Your Yearbook Now!
This year Yearbooks will be ordered from our Picture Company. Click on the flyer and see all the cool things you can add to your child's yearbook and place your order. Flyer
SOAR Winners
SOAR Winners
Congratulations to this week's SOAR drawing winners!
Self-Discipline
Outstanding Effort
Acceptance of Others
Resilience
K-Sierra R, 1st-Hudson L, 2nd -Vivian O, 3rd-Fletcher E, 4th-Emelia C
5th-Caleb T, 6th-Dalila L.M., 7th-Jayden R, & 8th-Callen B
The Class Soars Winner goes to Ms. Peters Art Class for Mrs. Mesa's 1st Grade!
Excel Academy Parent Pulse Survey Now Open
We’re committed to creating a thriving and supportive community at Excel Academy, and your feedback is essential. To better understand how everyone is feeling and ensure our goals align with the needs of our families, School Leadership and the Board of Directors would like to ask you to take a few moments to complete a brief survey.
This survey includes key questions from the district’s annual parent survey as well as a few tailored specifically to our strategic plan and long-term success. Your input is important to help us understand how we're tracking against our goal of fostering an environment where students and families feel valued and supported.
Complete the survey here.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts and helping us continually improve the learning experience for our students.
Volunteers to serve on a preschool exploration committee.
The Excel Academy Board of Directors held their regular monthly meeting on November 19, 2024. Ms. Vuolo presented her Director's Report highlighting the R.O.C.K. Middle School event, the new Entrepreneur Club, and a well attended enrollment night. The board also reviewed the school's audit, a draft calendar for the 25/26 school year, and a new curriculum adoption policy.
Many Jeffco elementary schools have preschool programs, and now with Universal Preschool available and a lack of quality options in the area, the Excel Academy Board is interested in investigating the viability of opening a preschool program at Excel in the future.
The Excel Academy Board is looking for volunteers to serve on a preschool exploration committee. In partnership with the facilities and finance committees, the new committee will look into budget, facilities, state requirements, demand in the area through population analysis, and other factors.
The committee will meet before school on Fridays once a month. If you are interested in serving on this committee, please complete this form by December 9, 2024.
In appreciation,
The Excel Academy Board of Directors
How sick is too sick guidelines
Quick reminder about fevers and sending your student to school.
Excel Academy follows the How sick is too sick guidelines from the CDPHE which can be seen HERE.
If your student has a fever, they need to be fever free without any medications for 24 hours before returning to school. If your student has a fever in the middle of the night or before school, they need to stay home so they can rest and recover. It is hard for students to learn and be attentive in school when they are not feeling well.
Holiday Support for Families in Need
"If you are looking for a way to help families this holiday season please consider the fellow Excel Academy community. Times can be challenging for families, especially around the holidays. We have created opportunities for those who may have fallen onto hard times so they are able to provide hot meals and presents for their children this holiday season and beyond. We are requesting $25 gift cards from various locations so the families are able to shop for food and presents. If you are able to pick up a gift card while you are out shopping, it would be greatly appreciated.
Please bring the gift cards to the front office.
There's a few ways to sign up, through Track it Forward OR through the signup genius links below.
Remember: For each $10 spent you earn 1 hour of volunteer time (plus the time purchasing them)
Join: The Excel Outreach Committee
Are you looking for more volunteer opportunities but just don't have the time to commit? The PTO's Outreach Committee is in need of some new members! Joining the Committee is a great way to help fellow Excel Academy teachers, students, and families in a time of need. We assist with rides, meals, gift cards, etc. when an Eagle family has a life altering event. As a Committee member you can expect to be emailed as specific needs arise and that's it! You can decide if you are able to help. Click HERE to sign -up. Thank you
*Please reach out if your family would benefit from our care. Email Tara Schirner at exceloutreachcommittee@gmail.com
**I (Tara) am discreet in my communications and respect the confidentiality of the families we support.
As a reminder time and money counts towards your volunteer hours!
PTO Links
Track it Forward Volunteer Opportunities & Hours Tracking Site
RaiseRight online gift card fundraising site and How It Works
Music Classes AND Workshops at Excel Academy
Join Mrs. Boyd and Rising Star Performing Arts Academy's Music Classes and Workshops.
Musical Theatre, Acting Lessons, Drumming and so much more.
Click HERE to sign up.
All Classes and Workshops will take place at Excel Academy
2nd Saturdays at CSU Spur
2nd Saturdays at CSU Spur (held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.) are free and open to the public for lots of family-friendly programming, including cooking activities in the CSU Spur kitchen, opportunities to watch veterinarians perform surgery on dogs and cats, see horses assisting with human therapies, engage with scientists at work, and play in a kid’s kitchen and kid’s vet clinic – allowing kids to become a veterinarian for the day and fix up stuffed animals.
Upcoming Themes:
- Dec. 14: Give Back Day
Check out the CSU Spur Flyer Here
CU Wizards!
For over three decades, the CU Wizards program has presented FREE monthly shows that entertain and inform children about the wonders of science. Under the direction of Profs. David Nesbitt and John Bohn, these interactive shows are presented once a month from September through June. They are hosted by renowned University of Colorado, Boulder professors and provide a perfect start to a fun-filled weekend. The shows are geared toward children and young adults, but all are welcome! Each program lasts about an hour and includes several lively demonstrations. No reservations required. All shows are on Saturday mornings and begin at 9:30 a.m. Details HERE.
- December 7th - Simplifying the Quantum World
- January 25th - The Tumultuous Life of Cumulus Clouds
- February 22nd - A Visit with Madame Curie
- March 15th - The Physics of Sports!
- April 12th - The Physics of Superheroes!
- May 17th - Microscopy and the Powers of Ten: From very, very small to VERY BIG
- June 14th - Superheroes Within: Immunity in Health & Disease
Excel Academy K-8 Charter School
Email: Julie.Smith@jeffco.k12.co.us
Website: https://excel-academy.jeffcopublicschools.org/
Location: 11500 West 84th Avenue, Arvada, CO, USA
Phone: 303-467-2295
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ExcelAcademyK8