Polaris Welcome Back to School – 2015-2016 Important Registration Information 1. Due to DPS moving to an all-online, electronic registration system, Polaris will NOT be distributing hard copy registration packets today (Monday August 17th) and Tuesday August 18th as in years past. All pertinent “Back to School” information is included in this email. 2. Online registration closed last night (August 16th) at midnight. If you have not yet completed the online registration, you need to come to the Polaris Main Office in person to register your student(s). Andrea and Pamela will be in the office from Monday August 17th- Friday August 21st from 8:30am-3:30pm, and will be available to print off your student’s DPS registration packet for you to fill in by hand. 3. If you are NEW to DPS or a returning family that needs to UPDATE your student’s Immunization Record, please turn in a hard copy of the record to the school. This can be turned in during the Back to School Ice Cream Social, or to the main office on the first day of school. 4. Medication forms, Free and Reduced Lunch applications, and the HLQ Questionnaire (for new-to-DPS families only) will all be available in the main office starting Monday August 17th. These will also be available in hard copy at the Back to School Ice Cream Social.

• Medication form: https://sites.google.com/site/dpsschoolnursing/student-medication-forms • Free and Reduced Meal applications: http://enterprisemanagement.dpsk12.org/food-

services/free-and-reduced-information/ 5. If you would like to order your school supplies from EduKit, you have until August 24th to do so. If you prefer to purchase supplies on your own, you can download the grades’ supply lists from the EduKit website. http://www.edukitinc.com/page.asp?id=15&schoolid=1004 The Polaris Back to School Ice Cream Social… …will be held on Friday August 21st, from 3pm-5pm on the Polaris Playground. Class lists will be posted, and there will be ice cream and popsicle treats for the children. There will be info tables inside for turning in hard copy DPS registration forms, immunization records, etc., as well as to gather information on PTO, fundraising and volunteer opportunities, grocery card purchasing, etc. If you would like to volunteer to help out at the Social, please check out the Sign Up Genius: http://www.signupgenius.com/go/30e0a4daead2ea46-20144 Meet the Teacher Lemonades Parent Contact

• Monday, August 17th 1st grade at City Park Jami Davis • Tuesday, August 18th Kinder at Turtle Park Peggy Batchelor, Ilene Bloom • Tuesday, August 18th 2nd grade at Polaris Haley Figueroa • Thursday, August 20th 5th grade at City Park Sherry Beardshear, Sara Crippen

* FYI - 3rd & 4th grades have already had their teacher lemonades.

2015-16 Polaris School Calendar and Event Dates (proposed) Registration Information Due Friday, August 21 4:30pm School-Wide Ice Cream Social Friday, August 21 3-5pm First Day of School Monday, August 24 August/Sept PTO Meeting Monday, August 31 6-7:30pm Back to School Night Tuesday, September 15 6pm Polaris Annual Fund Kickoff Party Friday, September 25 7pm Jog-A-Thon Fundraiser Friday, October 9 10am

Classroom Halloween Parties Friday, October 30 TBD Polaris Student Showcase and Friday, November 6 5-8:30pm

Family Dance Party Night of the Notables Wednesday, November 18 6pm Grandparents’ Tea and Open House Thursday, November 19 9:30am Thanksgiving Lunch Thursday, November 19 11am Holiday Giving Project December, TBD TBD The Bookies Community Shopping Night Wednesday, December 2 4-8pm Salute to Scientists (Science Fair) Wednesday, December 9 6pm

Classroom Valentine’s Parties Friday, February 12 TBD Romancing the Vine: STEAM Fundraiser Friday, February 19 (26th back up) 7pm Spring Community Service Project April, TBD TBD For the Love of Art Community Event Thursday, April 14 5-8pm New Family Welcome Night Wednesday, April 20 6pm School Spring Clean Up Day April, TBD TBD Swoozie’s Community Shopping Day April/May, TBD TBD Polaris Gala Community Event Thursday, May 12 5-8pm All-School Field Day Friday, May 27 9:30am-2:30pm 5th Grade Continuation May/June, TBD TBD Last Day of School Friday, June 3 Link to DPS School Calendar: http://www.dpsk12.org/calendars/pdf/calendar_1516_color.pdf

School Communications Please make sure you have opted in to receive the ePost weekly school newsletter, eBlasts (emergency communications), and the Infinite Campus email communications (used by the Administrative Assistants; can be accessed through your Parent Portal). Head to “Quick Links” on the school’s home page: http://polarisprogram.dpsk12.org 2015-2016 Collaborative School Committee Hello new and returning families! Our names are Marisa Hudson-Arney and Stephanie Nussbaumer, and we are the elected parent representatives of the Polaris Collaborative School Committee (CSC). The CSC is a committee consisting of 3 parent reps, 2 teacher reps, 1 staff rep (often a para) and the principal. The CSC’s main function is to provide guidance and support for the development of the Universal Improvement Plan (UIP), the school budget, and staffing allocations. Please check out the Polaris CSC Bylaws on our website for more information about the CSC’s responsibilities (http://polarisprogram.dpsk12.org/current-parents/csc/). Our meetings occur on the first Monday of each month at 4pm in the school library. Our first meeting will be on Monday, September 14 at 4pm (second Monday due to Labor Day). The agenda of each meeting will be determined and posted online, and all input and ideas pertinent to the responsibilities of the CSC are welcome. In addition, the CSC needs another parent rep to serve a two-year term. If you are interested in serving on the CSC, please submit a Statement of Interest about why you’d like to serve on the CSC to Andrea Bowser (andrea_bowser@dpsk12.org) in the school office by Thursday, September 10. Please feel free to contact either of us with questions. Here is to a great school year! Marisa Hudson-Arney and Stephanie Nussbaumer Polaris School Directory Update The Polaris School Directory will be collecting its information electronically this year. At this point we only need a few families to fill in the online form:

1) New families who have NOT already filled out the directory form 2) Returning families who want to UPDATE information from last year's directory

This set of information will inform our SCHOOL database, however there is a section where you can clarify if you do not want specific contact information to be distributed. Please have this completed by Friday August 28th. If you have any questions, please contact volunteer parent Alex Kwan (abkwan1@gmail.com). Online Directory Submission: http://goo.gl/forms/oYU0jUi8eE.

Sign up to be a Room Parent in your Child’s Classroom! We need at least one Room Parent volunteer in each classroom. The Room Parent has an important role in supporting your child's teacher and building community among your class and grade. You can grab a friend and share the job! To claim a classroom, please sign up at http://www.signupgenius.com/go/30e044ca5af2e5-polaris2 Your role may vary from classroom to classroom depending on the teacher's desire for involvement. Some of your responsibilities may be

• Communicating with classroom parents • Forwarding school-wide and PTO communications in a timely manner • Recruiting and coordinating parent volunteers in the classroom • Organizing classroom parties, celebrations and a parent social • Assisting with Field Trip coordination • Creating a snack calendar (if pertinent) • Organizing Teacher, Para and Specials gifts and collecting the funds • Organizing the Staff Appreciation Lunch with other RPs from your grade

You will receive an information packet about Room Parent responsibilities to help you with your role. If you have questions, please contact Carmen Mix (parent of 4th grader Whitney) at carmenymix@gmail.com. Grade Level Staffing for Community/Fundraising Events Each grade is assigned a school-wide event to “sponsor” and to take primary volunteer duty. Room Parents do not plan the event, but help recruit volunteers from their prospective classrooms.

• Kinder + PTO: New Family Welcome Night April 20, 2016 • 1st Grade: Grandparents’ Tea & Open House Nov 19, 2015 • 2nd Grade: Polaris Student Showcase & Family Dance Party Nov 6, 2015 • 3rd Grade: Polaris Gala May 12, 2016 • 4th Grade: For the Love of Art April 14, 2016 • 5th Grade: Jog-A-Thon Oct 9, 2015

Polaris Annual Fund The Polaris Annual Fund gives parents an opportunity to make tax-deductable donations that directly impact the quality of our students’ classroom experience. Each year, the fund raises close to $100,000 to help the PTO fund the school’s ENTIRE paraprofessional budget along with Electives, STEAM programming, and other programs that are crucial to the development of the whole student. Why is the Annual Fund so important? In addition to funding special programs like Electives, the Annual Fund ensures that our teachers have additional classroom support throughout the day with dedicated paraprofessionals (assistant teachers). Our paras work hand-in-hand with teachers and often meet with students individually or in small groups to focus on math, reading, writing and other critical areas. Without the support of parents through the Annual Fund, Polaris would face reductions in staffing and other areas crucial to our students’ educational experiences. How Can I Make a Gift? ! CHECK: Make your check out to Polaris PTO, Inc. and drop it off in the Polaris Annual Fund

box in the school office.

! CREDIT CARD/ONLINE GIVING: Go to www.coloradogives.org/Polaris to give online.

! MONTHLY GIVING: An easy, hassle-free way to support Polaris, monthly gifts can be made online with a credit card using the link above, or with monthly transfers from your checking account (see form on the website: http://polarisprogram.dpsk12.org/support-polaris-introduction/direct-giving/)

Questions? Email Annual Fund Coordinator Amber Fitzpatrick at amberfitzpatrick@hotmail.com.

Save the Date: Jog-A-Thon, Oct. 9th, 2015 Get outside, have fun and raise money! This is an EASY and FUN way to get involved at Polaris! This is our largest student driven fundraiser. Last year we raised $15,000, and our goal this year is to surpass $16,000. The money raised goes directly to the PTO budget to fund paraprofessionals and assist the school with getting much needed supplies. On the big day students, by grade level, run around Benedict Fountain Park. There are lots of snacks, music and fun! A Friday Electives class (composed of 4th and 5th graders) puts together a number of the details and assists on the day of the event. Our first Jog-A-Thon committee meeting will be on Wednesday August 26th, 3:15pm, exact location within Polaris TBD. For more info, please contact Jami Davis at 303-246-1289 or ksujami@hotmail.com. Easy Fundraising Opportunities at Polaris Amazon Smile donates 0.5% of eligible purchases to the school of your choice.

• Visit smile.amazon.com before shopping and select “Polaris PTO Inc” as your charitable organization.

• Shop Amazon Smile for the same products available on Amazon.com, and eligible purchases will result in a donation to the school.

• For more details visit smile.amazon.com/about. Use Target’s REDcard debit or credit card, and save 5% on all of your purchases PLUS earn 1% for Polaris!

• Enroll and register for a card at your local Target store or at Target.com, and select “Ebert Elementary School” as your beneficiary.

• Bring a voided check to the store if enrolling for a debit card. • If you already have a REDcard, designate our school at any time by calling 1.800.316.6142

or visiting www.Target.com/tcoe. For more EASY ways to earn money for our wonderful school, please see our website at: http://polarisprogram.dpsk12.org/support-polaris-introduction/fundraising-gimmics/. Do you have fundraising ideas, thoughts or comments? Have you seen a program be successful in another school that you think would thrive at Polaris? Please contact Fundraising Programs Director Jean Bitzer (jbitzer@455sherman.com).

SUPER EASY Polaris Fundraising Program: Grocery Cards Use a reloadable gift card when purchasing groceries at King Soopers (or other Kroger stores) and Safeway, and 5% of every $5,000 our community spends will go to Polaris!

• Reload cards at register BEFORE cashier begins ringing up your purchase – load up to $500 at a time

• Use card to pay for groceries, gasoline or in-store Starbucks • At Safeway, use card to purchase gift cards to other stores

Single-use Grocery Cards from Vitamin Cottage Natural Grocers and Sprouts are also available.

• Pick up gift cards in Polaris office at the beginning of the month • Use card to pay for groceries

Contact Grocery Card guru Molly Kirschling (paulnmolly@gmail.com) to make a one-time purchase of reloadable gift cards, one-time purchase of non-reloadable gift cards, or to establish a standing monthly gift card order The Friday Electives Program – A Key Component to the Polaris Program! As the summer comes to a close and I start my ninth and final year of planning for the Polaris at Ebert Electives program, I am reminded of all the wonderful classes and teachers that have taught over the years. The Electives program is truly one of the most amazing educational programs that I have ever been a part of, and offers many wonderful opportunities for our students! However, this program would not be possible without the help of our community. Therefore, it is time again to ask you to consider teaching or volunteering on Friday afternoons. Additionally, I have taken the time to answer most of the frequently asked questions and concerns about the electives program; please see all of this information on the Polaris website – http://polarisprogram.dpsk12.org/current-parents/electives/ If you have any additional questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to contact me. The deadline for signing up to teach or help is Friday, September 4th. Thank you! Sherry Beardshear, Polaris Friday Electives Coordinator polaris.electives@gmail.com 720-273-2345

Before & After School Enrichment Programs At Polaris we strive to provide enriching before- and after-school activities for our students that compliment the great curriculum provided during the school day. Our Enrichment Program is parent-organized and parent-driven. We have studied various models and have chosen to run our program “in-house” - we don’t contract with an outside company to choose or manage our activities. This model allows us to keep cost of activities low and maintain high standards of safety. Each semester a wide slate of Enrichment activities are open to students of all ages and grade levels. Some examples are dance, karate, theater, musical offerings, foreign language, computer science, art, and many more. Enrichments typically run from 3:30pm-4:45pm, at which point students can either be picked up by a guardian or continue to the DPS-run Kaleidoscope program. Enrichment Sign-up:

• All updated Enrichment information is available on the Polaris website, and is often advertised in the ePost.

• Information includes the name of the activity, the name of the provider, days/times the activity is offered, cost, and provider contact information.

• To register, parents need to contact the activity provider directly. • No registration information will be taken at the front office, and no payments will be

collected at school. Daily Enrichment Protocol:

• On the days your child is signed up for activities, s/he will walk from their classroom to the meeting space of the activity (somewhere inside the Polaris building).

• If they have not arrived by 3:45pm, the activity director will call the parent/guardian at the number you have provided.

• Neither the classroom teachers nor office staff is responsible for getting kids to their activities.

• Once the front office closes, activity providers are responsible for students until parent or guardian pick up.

If you have questions about the programs or if you would like to suggest a potential enrichment activity for the school, please contact Enrichment Program Coordinator Amy Andrews (yogiamy@gmail.com). Kaleidoscope Kaleidoscope Corner is an on-site, licensed, school-age childcare program, serving students in grades K-5, and is administered by Denver Community School. For information contact the Kaleidoscope Corner office at 720-424-8291 or http://kaleidoscope.dpsk12.org/.

• The Early Riser program begins at 6:30am. • The After School program covers from the end of school (3:30pm) until 6:00pm.

Getting our Children to and from School Safely Please see below for the Polaris drop-off and pick-up procedures. There is no easy parking, and we all must exercise caution and wisdom in keeping ALL of our children safe. Here are our transportation policies and procedures to accomplish that goal. • Please consider using the school bus as often as you can. This is safer, and will reduce traffic

around the school. Details about school bus options can be found by visiting http://transportation.dpsk12.org/ or contacting DPS Transportation at 720-423-4600.

• There is absolutely NO PARKING on the school side of Tremont; this is a bus zone whether or

not there are buses parked there. This is a safety zone for our school playground, and need it clear of cars. This area is supervised both in the mornings and after school (to help ensure students get on the correct bus).

• THERE IS NO SUPERVISION ON OUR GROUNDS UNTIL 8:30am. Children are NOT to

be in the building (other than to walk through to the playground) until the bell rings at 8:40am. • In the mornings, the Glenarm Entrance (doors between the library and cafeteria) will be open

from 8:30-8:50am; children can enter and go directly to the playground. • Parents who drive children to and from school should ONLY use the Glenarm side (aka “West

Patio”) of the school for all drop-offs and pick-ups that do not involve parents coming into the school.

• After school, teachers and paras supervise the West Patio balcony until all students are picked

up by an appropriate family member. Please DO NOT double-park; we will not let children walk between cars to get to you. As cars leave the curbside, other cars can pull in and park at the curb. This is not an area for you to park and come into the school…it is simply for quick a “kiss and go” or pick-ups. If you want to walk your child to the door or if you need to come into the school, please park somewhere that is posted for two-hour parking.

• If you park in a two-hour parking zone, please cross the streets with your children carefully.

Both Glenarm and Tremont can be very busy! NEVER motion your child to cross the street alone to get into your car – please go meet your child and accompany him/her across the street.

• Please see the map on our website for a visual of the parking situation:

http://polarisprogram.dpsk12.org/current-parents/current-families-transportation/

Thank you in advance for your cooperation and vigilance to keep our Polaris at Ebert students safe all year long!

Volunteer Opportunities at Polaris Polaris encourages parents and family members to play an active role in their student’s school experience by volunteering in the classroom, helping to organize school events, attending these events, and working in small groups that assist in the school’s operations (i.e. weekly electronic newsletter staff). There are a plethora of opportunities for parent volunteers. Currently we are looking for the following roles to be filled. Please contact Volunteer Coordinator Kara Chitwood (karachitwood3@gmail.com or 303.518.0958) for more info on any of these positions. Fundraising

• Fundraising Events Chair • Jog-A-Thon Committee members • Romancing the Vine Chair and Committee members • Grant Writing Team • Chinook Book Team (one more team member needed) • Original Works Team (one more team member needed) • Polaris T-shirts Sales Organizer

School & Community Events and Programs

• Friday Electives Coordinator(s) • CSC Members (one more parent rep needed) • For the Love of Art Team • Polaris Annual Gala Coordinator and Team • Green Team Sub Committee: Community Garden Chair • School Beautification Team • School Safety Coordinator and Committee members

Communications • School Communications Chair • ePost Designer • School Photography/Graphic Design Team

* Interested in doing something not on this list, or finding out more about other committees? Contact Kara to figure out what might be a good fit! Just because we do not currently have a volunteer role does not mean that we don’t need it or can’t create it!

DPS Volunteer Application and Background Check If you plan to:

• Volunteer in the classroom on a regular basis (more than 5x/school year) • Chaperone a field trip • Lead a before school/after school enrichment

...then you need to fill out a DPS Volunteer Application & Background Check (both pages), and return the application to the Polaris Main Office. See link below. http://volunteerservices.dpsk12.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/Non-fingerprint-Background-App.14-15.pdf These applications are good for THREE YEARS. If you have completed this application in the past, but are unsure if it is still valid, please contact Volunteer Coordinator Kara Chitwood (karachitwood3@gmail.com) or Pamela Wall or Andrea Bowser (Administrative Assistants). Please Note: If you are planning on chaperoning any OVERNIGHT field trips, DPS requires that a set of fingerprints be completed, and these take more time to process. 2015-2016 Community Service Projects at Polaris This year Polaris will be participating in two school-wide community service projects. Polaris staff, participating parents, and students voted and selected The Gathering Place and Clothes to Kids of Denver as our two beneficiaries. Selecting two projects annually allows students to really dive in and get to know the missions of the organizations and why it’s important for us to be involved. A committee of parents, along with the Polaris Student Council, will be organizing these efforts, which will include school-wide drives, guest speakers, and spirit days. The Holiday Giving Project will take place in December and will benefit The Gathering Place. There will be a kick-off in late November with speakers coming to each classroom to talk about the mission of TGP. We will sell Holiday cards (hand-made by women at TGP), and also host a school-wide drive for items on their wish list. Your classroom winter parties will be the culminating event where our students will present the items to TGP staff. For more info about The Gathering Place, visit http://www.tgpdenver.org/. In collaboration with the Polaris Green Team, we will host a Spring Clothing Drive in April to benefit Clothes to Kids of Denver. This organization is mostly run by volunteers and there will be opportunities for Polaris families to volunteer in the store. For more info about Clothes to Kids of Denver, visit http://clothestokidsdenver.org/. Keep your eye on the ePost for more information about our two community service projects. If you have questions about the projects, have ideas for future community service projects, or would like to join the Community Service Advisory Committee, contact Haley Figueroa at haleyfig@gmail.com.

Polaris Staff Appreciation Team Are you looking for a way to thank the Polaris Staff? Do you enjoy sharing your favorite foods with others? Then the Staff Appreciation Team Needs You! Each month Polaris parents treat the staff to an Appreciation Lunch as a personal way to show them how much they mean to us. During the months not hosted by a specific grade level, the Staff Appreciation Team provides the food as well as helps celebrate special staff milestones during the year. By joining the Staff Appreciation Team, you will receive an email before each luncheon giving you the opportunity to help provide food or supplies for that month’s appreciation event. For more info, or to join the team, contact Janet Shih Hajek at jshajek@hollandhart.com and Jami Davis at ksujami@hotmail.com. Thank you very much! This year’s tentative lunch schedule (Please note these are subject to change):

Sept. 16, 2015 – 5th Grade Feb. 17, 2016 – 2nd Grade Oct. 21, 2015 – SA Team Mar. 2016 (TBD due to testing) – SA Team Nov. 18, 2015 – 4th Grade Apr. 20, 2016 – 1st Grade Dec. 16, 2015 – Kinder + SA Team (breakfast!) May 18, 2016 – SA Team Jan. 20, 2016 – 3rd Grade Polaris Yearbook - Don’t Miss This Bus! The Polaris Yearbook is part of what sets our school apart - most elementary schools don’t even have such a thing! The yearbook is crafted by students and a team of dedicated volunteer parents who work diligently to photograph and design a beautiful full-color, 60-page work of art that your child will cherish for years to come. This book documents the year’s field trips, special events, and projects that the students participate in, and becomes a reminder of their time in this special community. Yearbook sales begin after winter break and continue through February. Parents of 5th Graders - we generally include a special 5th grade project, as well as baby photos; please be sure to read the Polaris e-Post for information regarding book ordering, calls for submissions, and instructions for students regarding special photo projects. At the end of the year we hold yearbook-signing parties so that students can enjoy their books; there is a lot of giddy excitement around getting teachers and other students to signatures. The yearbook project raises funds for Polaris through the sale of parent dedications and the actual book sales. Last year 89% of students ordered a yearbook - don’t let your child be in the 11%! Salute to Scientists Science Fair Are you or your child passionate about science? We are looking for 1-3 additional volunteers to form a Science Fair Committee. We celebrate budding Polaris scientists at the annual Salute to Scientists evening (December 9th). This year the committee hopes to not only organize this event, but assemble resources and/or workshops to support students, teachers, and families with science fair projects. The goal is to make the science fair a truly enriching science experience for students. Contact Peggy Batchelor (mebatchelor@hotmail.com) to get involved.

Want to build your business AND help Polaris?

Advertise in the 2015-16 Polaris Directory!

Advertise to more than 300 families by placing an ad in the Polaris School Directory, open to families and members of the community. Promote your business and support the Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) at the same time.

AD SIZES RATES

Full Page (4.5 x 7.5 in) $200

Half Page (4.5 x 3.75 in) $100

Quarter Page (4.5 x 1.8 in) $50

Eighth Page (2.2 x 1.8 in) $25

Classified (Up to 30 w ords) $10

Deadline for reserving space and submitting artwork is Wednesday, September 9.

Don’t have artwork?

Don’t worry. Free design services are available.

To reserve your space, contact: Julie Wienen, parent volunteer

w ienenjulie@gmail.com or 303.995.3337