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Weekly News from Steele Elementary

11 19 2015  
Contents
From the Principal
School News
PTA News
Community News
Quick Links
Dates To Remember
11/20: Turkey Trot and Thanksgiving Lunch

11/20: Lost & Found Donated

11/23 - 11/27 - NO SCHOOL - Happy Thanksgiving!

12/10: Toy Drive Ends

1215: Clothing Drive Ends
From the Principal
Filled with Gratitude
Wow! Thanks to everyone who made last Friday's Havana Nights party and fundraiser such a raging success. No one puts on a party like the Steele community, and from all accounts last Friday was a knockout! There are so many people who made last Friday possible - thank you! I'd like to give an extra special thank you to Amy St. John and her team for their hard work and dedication. Their passion, energy and care for our community was evident throughout this entire project. Thank you so much for your dedication.
 
Happy Thanksgiving
To continue with the theme of gratitude, I'd like to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving. I am so grateful that I get the privilege to be the principal of such an amazing school. I can't imagine a more rewarding job or better place to work. A few things I'm thankful for:
  • Smiling kids who are happy to be at Steele, eagerly show me their classwork, tell me about their lives, and let me play football and basketball with them
  • An incredibly hard-working, intelligent, and thoughtful staff that always reminds me we're here for students first and foremost
  • An incredibly involved parent community that collaborates with the staff to promote high expectations and provides support to meet them
  • Events like the Turkey Trot and Havana Nights, which allow the community to come together and celebrate with one another
  • A beautiful building and setting that help inspire creativity and pride in our surroundings
Cheers,
Kevin
School News
TurkeyTrotTurkey Trot: TOMORROW, Friday 11/20 
Tomorrow, we'll have our annual Steele Turkey Trot and Thanksgiving lunch. Parents, non-Steele-students, and others who purchased a ticket in advance are welcome to join us for lunch; please make sure to bring your ticket. Lunch tickets are no longer available, but even if you're not having lunch with us, please come out and watch the kids trot! For a description of the Turkey Trot and the schedule, click here.

LostandFoundLost and Found
Remember to pick up your Lost and Found. Because of the Thanksgiving week off, Lost and Found will be donated TOMORROW, Friday 11/20 at 3:15 PM.

Clothes4KidsGive the Gift of Gently-Used Clothes 
Steele Student Council is excited to sponsor the "Clothes to Kids" drive for DPS students in need. Our student leaders are looking for families to 1) donate clothes, 2) refer families in need, and 3) help drop clothes off. We need gently-used and washed (required) pants, jeans, shirts, dresses, winter coats, shoes, and boots, as well as new underwear and new socks, for pre-kindergarten through 12th-grade kids. Drop items in the "Clothes for Kids" bins at the cafeteria doors through Tuesday, 12/15. To refer a family or be added to the clothes drop schedule, contact Darci Barlow.

ToyDriveSteele Toy Drive!
Student Council has once again decided to sponsor a toy drive for the Denver Santa Clause Shop, metro Denver's largest annual toy drive for local children of need. The drive has begun and will last through Thursday, 12/10. For more information, click here.

That Incorrectly-Collated Directory Driving You Crazy?
Our printer has provided a limited number of corrected copies of the directory. If you received one of the badly-collated copies, bring it to the Steele office for an exchange (while supplies last). You must turn in a badly-collated copy in order to receive a free exchange. You can also purchase additional copies (collated correctly!) for $5 each, payable to the PTA.  
 
Aladdin
The 4th and 5th grade classes will be presenting Disney's Aladdin in December. For information about show times and costumes, click here.

School Choice Information
Choice season begins January 5, 2016. In order to use Online Choice form -- which saves you time -- you must have an active Parent Portal account. Click here to view the Parent Portal how-to guide. Note that if you do not log into your Parent Portal account, after two months it becomes a closed account.
 
If you have moved out of Steele's boundary or changed your address, you need to fill out School of Choice forms for the 2016-17 school year (even if your student is enrolled at Steele this year). Your student will still have placement here, but the paperwork has to be done. Questions? Contact Melissa in the Steele office.

After-School Enrichment
New sessions of enrichment programs are starting weekly! Check out all that's offered and register here!  
PTA News
Havana Nights: An Amazing Evening 
"Grateful" seems like such a small word to describe how I felt as I stood in middle of our Havana Nights party, watching all of you at your very best. Our community is a powerful thing. My deepest, most sincere thanks to all of our volunteers, donors, bidders, and party animals! Because...YOU BLEW IT OUT OF THE WATER! 
 
The Nitty Gritty: Our NET proceeds to the Stallion Fund this year are estimated at $97,000! Your generosity is, to date, unsurpassed. 
 
Volunteers: Approximately 740 volunteer hours x $7.25 (minimum wage) = $5,365. Please do something special for the volunteers in your life. Every tank needs a refill now and then.
 
Where is My Event? In the coming days, our follow-up teams will begin to link winners with donors so that event/party dates can be set or confirmed. Keep an eye on your Inbox!
 
Anything Left? Items that were not purchased at Havana Nights are now available for purchase online. Simply click on "Online Items" and away you go!
   
Am I Famous? Check out the paparazzi snaps! Post your own to #steelestallions. It's not too late!
 
Viva la Steele Elementary! 
 
Yours Faithfully,
Amy St John, Havana Nights Chairperson

Blackbird Thanksgiving Feast Fundraiser
Blackbird is offering a prepared Thanksgiving feast for 10 for $150, and will donate $15 to the Steele Stallion Fund for every $150 oPTA Logorder placed!  Download a flyer and order form here or look for a copy sent home with your child this week. 

Grocery Cards: Now Available in the Office 
You can now get your Safeway or King Soopers grocery cards in the school office. Stop in yourself or send cash with your child and they can pick one up for you! The initial cost is $5.00 for either card. This is not a fee but a reimbursement for the initial card value which will be available to you at your first use. Steele will receive 5% cash back every time you continue to add value to the card!  
Community News
Merrill News
To check out what's happening at Merrill Middle School, click here.
To submit information to this newsletter, send it in edited, final-draft format to the appropriate person from the list below by 5 PM on Tuesdays:
For all other questions, please email Cynthia Swanson and Liz Marvan (parent volunteers) at steelestallionpress@gmail.com.