May 2, 2019

Dear OES, ALLIES, SES, SRES, SCHS and PPEC Families,

On Thursday at approximately 8:41 a.m. our law enforcement partners at the Colorado Springs Police Department told our safety and security team a man who may have been armed was reportedly seen in an area just north of Sky Sox Stadium. D49 safety and security immediately notified the staff at Odyssey, ALLIES, Stetson and Springs Ranch Elementary Schools along with Sand Creek High School and Creekside Learning Center to go into lockout status as police searched the surrounding neighborhoods. Students and staff remained inside the buildings, and the schools restricted visitors, which follows our lockout procedures.

D49 safety and security lifted the lockout at SRES, SCHS and Creekside 16 minutes later at 8:57 a.m. when the CSPD determined there was no immediate threat to those campuses. OES, ALLIES and SES remained on lockout until approximately 9:20 a.m. at the request of CSPD, which continues to monitor the situation that caused the initial lockout announcement.

D49 thanks our law enforcement partners and encourages all of our staff, students and families to stay alert and report any suspicious activity. We’ll continue to be proactive and partner with local law enforcement to ensure a safe learning environment awaits every District 49 learner.

Sincerely, 

David Nancarrow
Director of Communications 

Summer Break is in full swing and Stetson is flying high.  I wanted to take a moment and brag about the school and what your students are doing. This is the time that we begin planning for the upcoming year. During our process we reflect on what we believe we are doing well and what we want to improve. Below you will find qualities that I believe make us an outstanding school:

• Stetson is a traditional neighborhood school in the grandest sense of the term.  Most of our students walk or ride their bike to school. We are an integral part of our community and we like to boast about our exceptional community support, amazing PTA, and extracurricular activities such as Garden Club, Choir, Basketball, Running Clubs, and Art lessons. 
• Academic opportunities abound.  Science Fair and Challenger Space Mission are annual event for 5th grade, as is the 4th grade “wax museum” and annual trip to Young Ameritown.  These four events showcase the amazing talents of our intermediate students.  Artwork routinely adorns our hallways.  PE, nutrition, and wellness are a weekly staple.  Excellent music programs and unmatched 21st century skills round out our experiential exploratory or specials classes.
• Stetson Elementary is increasing the reading achievement of our students at a "Well Above Average" pace according to Colorado Department of Education.  We have an unmatched commitment from every teacher to ensure that every student has a rich and exciting experience with reading. Our library is a vibrant place that comes alive when it is full of children enjoying the experience of reading.  Our book selection is being renewed with high interest books that compliment our reading instruction.  Interventionists routinely meet with students to ensure reading success at all levels. 
• Relational capacity is at the forefront of everything we do here at Stetson.  Our emphasis on Capturing Kids Hearts and really getting to know your students is a key priority.  We believe in the words of Hiam Ginott “To reach a child’s mind you must first capture his (or her) heart.”  Our teachers and students are happy and excited about coming to school.

We hope that you, our Stetson Family, will share your positive experiences with friends, neighbors, and new arrivals to the Stetson area. Some of them may have enrolled their students into local charter schools or neighboring districts and we want to make sure they know about all the wonderful opportunities we offer here at our school. Please spread the word that we would love to have our neighborhood students at our school. We have an amazing, experienced staff who are dedicated to helping and teaching students. Our culture of providing high quality, whole-child education is unmatched.  We are extremely proud of our school and are lucky to have such an amazing community to serve. 

Thank you for your time and ongoing support.  Looking forward to a great rest of the school year!

Jeff Moulton, Principal                                    
Stetson Elementary         

2015-2016 Wellness Highlights

• Playground was made safer by adding a rubberized surface, which eliminated the pea gravel.

• A professional chef came to work with students to make fruit and green smoothies, and hummus to eat with the fresh vegetables.

• Whole Foods presented to students about the importance of eating healthy.

• Western Dairy Association presented on the importance of dairy and the life of a dairy farmer. Students had a chance to milk a cow after the demonstration.

• Agriculture in Motion sponsored by Colorado Farm Bureau presented on the following topics: Colorado Fruits and Vegetables, Colorado Crops, Water, Dairy Cattle, and Beef Cattle.

• Recycling bins purchased for each classroom.

• Family Fit Day was held in September.

• Walk to School Day and Bike to School Day.

• Boosterathon Week culminated with a Fun Run, which earned money to purchase new books for the Library.

• Stetson Garden was running strong for the fourth year in a row.

• Walking Club is in its fourth year. Fifteen students reached the 100-mile marker.

• Staff Wellness activity, mini golf through the halls, was held in the fall.

• Healthy snacks for staff and students provided during testing weeks.

Olympic Read-a-thon Celebration!

Our AMAZING 2nd Grade Team had Olympian Brandon Slay come to SES to honor our 2nd Graders for EXCEPTIONAL reading! Our 88 2nd graders read 5,800 books in the month of April! Mr. Slay taught our students that if you want to achieve your dreams it takes:
time, hard work, belief in yourself, good decisions, use of your gifts to the best of your ability.
Congrats to our Fabulous Readers!!!!

Raider Run photos, March 2nd.  

Thanks to all of our families who pledged!!!!

We will share our profit totals after the final count day mid March but right now we have profited about $14,000.  We appreciate your generosity!   

photos by Cece Castro

The map below was created to promote the safety of our students and to ease the flow of traffic after school.

• ALL DAY CARE BUSSES WILL PARK IN THE TOP PARKING LOT. No parent PICK UP from top parking lot, Day Care Busses Only.  

Safety is our top priority.  Please be patient with each other while dropping off and picking up your child.  We know everyone has very busy schedules and traffic can be frustrating at times.  We do all that we can to expedite the process for you.