PRAIRIE RIDGE PARENT POST

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Dear Families,

As we wrap up another incredible school year, I want to extend my deepest thanks for your tremendous support. Partnering with you has helped us grow both learners and leaders, and together we’ve created a school community where students thrive.

This year, our students were engaged in a wide range of extended learning opportunities, including AAA, enrichment activities, 100 Mile Club, Student Council, and Safety Patrol. Our Soaring Singers had the honor of performing at the prestigious CMEA conference, and several of our students represented our school in the District and All-State Choirs. We also hosted a VEX IQ Robotics tournament with 32 teams from across the district—and we proudly sent one of our own teams to the World Championship!

We are incredibly proud of our dedicated teachers and staff, who care deeply about our students’ success and well-being. Each day, they strive to create a safe, supportive, and engaging environment where every student can grow.

A heartfelt thank you goes to our amazing PTO for their many contributions, including the recent update to our staff lounge, and to the wonderful volunteers who have supported our students in countless ways throughout the year. Your time, energy, and care make a real difference.

Thank you again for your partnership. We are so grateful to be on this journey with you.

Sincerely,

Carole Oliphant

5th Grade Continuation: Thursday, May 22 @ 10:30

Family Picnic: Thursday, May 22 @ 12:00

From PTO: There are still year books for sale. Please email: prel.pto@gmail.com if you would like to purchase one.

A Special Edition Newsletter will be sent out after May 22 with important information for the 2025-2026 school year.

Lost & Found Reminder

Our Lost & Found is overflowing! We have a large collection of jackets, water bottles, lunch boxes, and other items that are looking for their owners. Please stop by the school and take a look—your child might have something waiting to be claimed.

Unclaimed items will be donated on Friday, May 23.

Thank you for helping us return these items to their homes!

Stay Connected!

Follow us on Instagram @PrairieRidgeES, Facebook PrairieRidgeEs, and X @PrairieRidegeEs for updates, highlights, and a glimpse into the amazing things happening at our school! Stay in the loop and celebrate our students' achievements with us.

We celebrated 3rd trimester achievements with an assembly honoring 3rd–5th grade students for academic excellence and growth, SOARING, and demonstrating Kindness in Action. Officer Dunker presented a WOW award to one student from each class for exemplary perseverance and performance. Students from K–5 were also recognized for completing the 100 Mile Club and being awarded a Blue Ribbon in the District Art Show. Congratulations to these students for their outstanding accomplishments!

We’re excited to share a new video now featured on our school website! It highlights what makes our school special—from our supportive community and dedicated staff to the engaging learning experiences our students enjoy every day. Be sure to check it out and see what makes our school a great place to learn and grow!

We are so excited to announce that 40% of our students earned the “5 and Fewer” Outstanding Attendance Distinction this year! This recognition is awarded to students who missed no more than five school days throughout the entire year, showcasing their exceptional commitment to being present and engaged in their learning. To celebrate this achievement, students were invited to an end-of-year celebration, where they enjoyed ice cream sandwiches and an extra recess. A huge thank you to all of our families for supporting their students in making excellent attendance a priority!

St. Vrain’s Transportation Department is dedicated to consistently delivering excellent service for our students and their families and we are currently preparing for the upcoming school year. If you are interested in having your child ride the bus for the 2025-2026 school year, please apply for transportation services as soon as possible. St. Vrain’s Transportation Department makes every effort to accommodate as many eligible riders as possible. Apply for transportation services online.

Visit Transportation Services online to learn more about eligibility requirements.

Our 3rd grade Eagles are doing an excellent job with their research presentations! They were asked to read about a “world changer” and create a presentation on their life and contributions to our world, which they presented to their peers.

Our kindergarten students had an exciting adventure at the WOW! Children's Museum, where they explored hands-on exhibits in art, science, dramatic play, and practical life. It was a day full of curiosity, creativity, and joyful learning!

Mr. Fossen and his search and rescue dog, Dusty, visited our 3rd graders for an engaging presentation. Students learned how dogs assist in emergency situations and got to see Dusty’s impressive skills in action. Thank you Mr. Fossen!

We celebrated the end of a fantastic Robotics season with a team party! Students reflected on their learning, teamwork, and problem-solving skills developed throughout the year.

Our Steel Panthers represented our school, district and state at the VEX Robotics World Championship in Dallas, competing with teams from around the globe. We are incredibly proud of their hard work and perseverance on the world stage!

Thank you to everyone who participated in the Carbon Valley Run for Autism Research. Thanks to our amazing school community, we get to keep the trophy for having the most participants!

Our Girls on the Run team completed their season with a 5K race and a meaningful community impact project. They raised nearly $2,000 to create care packages for parents with children in the NICU—an incredible achievement!

Field Day was a blast! Students rotated through a variety of fun activities and wrapped up the day with a memorable soaking from the local Fire Department's hose. Thank you to Mr. Cruise and all of our volunteers for helping make it a success!

Our Beginning Choir and Soaring Singers group performed beautifully at the spring concert. Students also received certificates and awards for their dedication and growth throughout the year. Bravo, singers!

A big thank you to our PTO for treating us to a blast from the past during Staff Appreciation Week! From 90s-themed decorations and delicious food to special treats throughout the week, we felt truly appreciated.

Our school showed incredible spirit as we gave the Steel Panthers a heartfelt send-off to the VEX Robotics World Championship! Students lined the halls with posters, pom poms, and loud cheers to wish the team good luck on their journey to Dallas. The energy and support were inspiring!

We loved welcoming our incoming kindergarten families during Kindergarten Information Night! Future Eagles had the chance to explore classrooms, meet our wonderful teachers, and learn more about what to expect in the year ahead. We’re excited to have them join our school community!

Please click on the flyer below for more information about Before After School Care here at PRES

Have you ever wondered how your eyes really work? A local optometrist, Mr. Berger, and his team visited our school to give students a hands-on look—literally! During a fascinating eye dissection, students explored the structures of the eye, including the tough outer layer, lens, and light-sensitive parts. It was an unforgettable, up-close way to learn about the science of sight!

Our 4th grade Eagles are ending the year by channeling their creativity and entrepreneurial spirit in a Shark Tank-style project! Inspired by our ReadyGen reading unit about kids their age earning and managing money, students explored how banks work and the concept of earning interest. Working in teams, they invented or improved a product designed to help others. Using recyclable materials, they built prototypes, wrote persuasive scripts, recorded digital ads, designed Canva advertisements, and delivered presentations to their classmates. After all the pitches, students voted on which inventions they would be most likely to buy. It was an exciting, hands-on way to connect reading, writing, economics, and innovation!

We are proud to share that Mrs. Cathy Keller was recognized by the School Board for her outstanding achievement in having an ensemble selected to perform at the Colorado Music Educators Association (CMEA) Conference—the state’s premier event for music education. During the board meeting, Mrs. Keller shared the rigorous audition process and the dedication her students showed in preparing for this prestigious opportunity. This recognition highlights the excellence of our music program and the incredible work of both our students and staff.

These Eagles were recently recognized with Positive Office Referrals for going above and beyond in areas such as learning, responsibility, respect, attitude, hard work, honesty, and self-control. We’re proud to celebrate these students for making positive choices and being great role models in our school community!

Our 3rd grade Eagles put their economic skills to the test during Market Day! They created their own products to sell and used classroom "money" they earned through hard work and meeting expectations. This hands-on experience gave students a real-world look at concepts like supply and demand, entrepreneurship, and financial decision-making.

Second graders enjoyed a memorable day of outdoor learning at Sandstone Ranch, where they explored four hands-on stations focused on land, food, water, and shelter. Students used compasses to navigate, identified natural food sources, observed bird nests with binoculars and spotting scopes, and collected stream samples to investigate water quality—finding snails, tadpoles, and crawdads along the way. They also learned about the local history of the area. This engaging field trip provided rich connections to their science and social studies learning, all under sunny skies in a beautiful natural setting!