Dear RMAE families,
It has been great to have all of our students back on campus! Their energy and positive vibe has been infectious for all of us. I am continuously impressed by the dedication and genuineness of our staff, students, and families. To say RMAE is a great place to be is one of the biggest understatements I could make!
On August 12th we had over 40 volunteers join us in our community work day. Many projects were completed that gave our campus a much needed facelift. Work was done on the overall campus, painting, lighting, technology, and re-purposing a space to create a functioning and inviting library. I went home that night grinning from ear to ear because I felt so fortunate to be part of such an amazing community of families. A couple of days later we received unexpected additional dumps of mulch. While this was a great donation, I could only think, “how are we going to spread this mulch before school starts when we’ve already had the work day?” I was thinking of the outside eclipse activities + children + pile of mulch = not so good! We sent an “all call” out for volunteers and by the next morning, I was shocked to see the piles gone. I initially was confused and wondered where did they go? Then, I saw another army of fantastic parents with wheelbarrows and truly got those feel good goosebumps. More people kept coming as the day went on and helped with everything from stuffing envelopes to moving furniture and hauling trash. A huge shout out to all of you! Because of your dedication and volunteerism our school was ready to open and looked great!
While on the note of our facilities, many of you know we have been on the lookout for someone who would be the perfect fit for us. We were getting barely getting by. Then Brian Seeley came back from Florida, and the next day he was here helping us out until we could find a quality replacement. When you see him around, please give him a shout out!
I am thrilled to announce we have a new member of our RMAE team! Our new facility manager is Todd Wellman. He started immediately after accepting the position, which happened to be the same day as our students. He has jumped right in and taken care of all of us and our facility! We are so fortunate to have found the right person to complete our team.
Our team is in place and we have great students. Now our focus is on working diligently throughout the year to meet the individual needs of each and every student we serve. To aide in that endeavor, we have adopted a new math program. Our teachers have gone through training and have spent many hours learning all the resources this curriculum has to offer. Our goal is to ensure our students are thoroughly prepared for rigorous math in high school and beyond. However, we will stay true to our mission and vision of our school. This program is one of many resources that we will use to create a learning environment that inspires growth in character, academic achievement, and the love of learning for all of our students.
This curriculum was chosen for many reasons. To highlight a few: it is rigorous, has engaging resources, provides material to effectively differentiate to meet the needs of all students both in additional support and enrichment, and has resources for individualized support outside of the classroom. In researching the curriculum choices, we also spoke with highly successful Core Knowledge schools to learn about their programs. The GoMath! is one that continually had the best feedback. We will be hosting a parent information night in September to dig further into the rationale behind this program and how it can support all of our students. As soon as the date is confirmed, I will be sending it out. I hope you will be able to join us.
I couldn’t have asked for a better start to what is going to be a fantastic year! Stay tuned for opportunities to join in and take an active part of what makes RMAE so special.
RMAE – proud of our past, rising into the future!
Your Proud Principal,
Ann Hudson
RMAE HAPPENINGS
Welcome Back! And a warm welcome to our new families! We had such a great start to our school year on Monday. Students gazed in awe (through our ISO safety approved solar viewing glasses) at the partial solar eclipse. Students collected data points on ambient temperature, light intensity as measured by lux units, the angle of the sun and gravity changes throughout the event to later analyze in their classrooms. What an excellent way to begin our academic year.
Back to School Nights – Please mark your calendars for back to school night.
Grades K,1,2,4,5 & 6– Wednesday, September 6th – 6-7:30 pm
Grades 3,7 & 8 – Tuesday, September 5th – 6-7:30 pm
Attendance Line – When your child is absent from school, we ask that you notify the school by either calling 303-670-1070 (if rolled to voice mail, option 1), or email your attendance information to [email protected] by 9:00 am. Please leave your child’s name, grade, date your child will be absent, reason for absence and the name of the person reporting the absence. You should inform the school each day your child is absent.
Mountain Backpack Progam – If you are in need of a hand up to meet the nutritional needs of your family this program can help. There are no qualification requirements and only contact information is requested. More information and an enrollment form is available - Mountain Backpack Program Enrollment.
FROZEN YOGURT FRIDAYS – FYF - Don't let your kids miss out on having Fro Yo on Fridays. Over 80 students have signed up to get yogurt twice a month - let's add your student to the list. Yogurt will be handed out at lunch time to all students who pre-purchase ($22 for 8 days). Kids can also purchase ‘day of’ for $4.00 but supplies aren't guaranteed. See the order form for more details and to sign-up prior to Wed, Sept 6th. After that, the price increases.
AFTER SCHOOL ACTIVITIES
Orchestra is returning to RMAE! We are very pleased to be bringing back the orchestra program this year. Check out the welcome letter and sign up form below.
2017 Orchestra Welcome Letter 2017 Orchestra Sign-up Form
WE HAZ JAZZ - RMAE’s 3rd, 4th and 5th grade students will have the opportunity to participate in a super fun musical called WE HAZ JAZZ through Rocky Mountain Youth Musicals. Rehearsals begin THIS FRIDAY from 3:30 to 5:00 pm at RMAE and will continue on most Fridays until the week of the show, when rehearsals will be Monday through Wednesday from 3:30 to 6:00 pm. The final performance will be at Center Stage on November 16th. Cost will be $150 (which will include costume rental, scripts, practice CD, acting coach....).
Go to Rocky Mountain Youth Musicals to register your child. Feel free to email Gretchen Moritz at [email protected] if you have any questions
Young Rembrandts – is back this year and will be offering a drawing and cartooning class for all elementary students. Classes will meet here after school on Fridays from 3:10 to 4:10 pm. Look for the flyer coming home in your child’s Friday folder this week or click on this link to download. Young Rembrandt flyer
COMMUNITY NEWS
The Hunchback of Notre Dame Preview - The Evergreen Chorale has opened their dress rehearsal of The Hunchback of Notre Dame for a preview and fund raising opportunity for Rocky Mountain Youth Musicals (our new non-profit with RMAE as its sponsor!) www.rmymusicals.com
Please consider joining us for this, sure to be, wonderful production! Tickets are $12 using the ticket link below or $14 at the door. Feel free to contact Gretchen [email protected] if you have any questions.
Click here to purchase tickets to the special preview of The Hunchback of Notre Dame!
Wednesday, September 13, 7:00pm
Pre-show discussion with Director Timothy Kennedy at 6:45pm
Pizza and soft drinks available for purchase