Archives for November 2015

Polaris will be hosting our traditional Thanksgiving lunch on Thursday, Nov. 19.

Schedule
Kindergarten: eat at 11:15 a.m., recess until 12:00 p.m.
1st grade: eat at 11:30 a.m., recess until 12:15 p.m.
2nd grade: eat at 11:45 a.m., recess until 12:30 p.m.
5th grade: eat at 12:00 p.m., recess until 12:45 p.m.
3rd grade: eat at 12:15 p.m., recess until 1:00 p.m.
4th grade: recess at 12:00 p.m., eat at 12:30 p.m.

All unclaimed lost and found items will be donated to a local charity on Friday, Nov. 20 at 3:45 p.m. Please check the coat rack by the Glenarm entrance to see if you child is missing any items before they are donated. If your child has lost small trinkets, please touch base with the front office.

Please join our principal, teachers, librarian and the knowledgeable Bookies staff for a special evening to benefit and support our Polaris library on Wednesday, Dec. 2, 4-7 p.m. Located on Mississippi just east of Colorado Blvd., The Bookies has one of the best children’s book and educational toy selections in the metro area. If you have never experienced shopping at The Bookies, this event is not to be missed. Twenty percent of all sales that night (cash or check) or fifteen percent of credit card sales will directly benefit the Polaris library. If you are unable to attend, you can always shop Dec. 3 – 8, and let The Bookies staff know that you are supporting our school and they will credit the Polaris school account.

Please join Gail Axt and the store’s knowledgeable staff to help you find that perfect book or toy for your holiday gift list. Teacher wish lists for their classrooms will also be available.

Please join the Honor Choir, Beginning Band, Advanced Band and Violin Classes for their annual winter concert on Thursday, Dec. 3. Each group will present songs showcasing their musical growth and achievements at 6:30 p.m. in the gym. Students need to report to their teacher at 5:45 p.m. to warm-up and have their picture taken for the yearbook. Ensemble photos will be available for purchase from LifeTouch Photography. After the concert join us for a potluck dessert reception in the foyer. If you would like to volunteer or bring a dessert to share please signup here.

Visit the Polaris Band Blog or the Polaris Choir Blog for more information. Parents can also email Mrs. Kielmeyer, corrilee_kielmeyer@dpsk12.org, with any questions.

This event will now be held at Wednesday, Dec. 9 at 5:30 p.m.

We have some holiday parties and other fun events coming up in December through our Buy-a-Shares offerings. To sign up, please click here.

Polaris is supporting two school-wide community service projects this year. The first is the Holiday Giving Project in November and December, benefiting The Gathering Place. In April, the Polaris Green Team will host a clothing drive to benefit Clothes to Kids of Denver.

The Gathering Place project will kick off on Nov. 20 when The Gathering Place staff will visit classrooms to talk about their mission and homelessness in Denver. The Student Council will then sell greeting cards hand-made by women at The Gathering Place every Friday after school for $2. These will include Holiday cards as well as thank you cards, birthday cards, etc.

We will also be collecting packs of new socks and underwear and new or gently used hats and mittens for the women and children of The Gathering Place starting Nov. 20. Collection boxes for these items will be placed in each classroom. The culminating event will happen Dec. 18 at the classroom winter parties, when Polaris students will present all donated items to The Gathering Place staff.

Thank you in advance for your contributions. You can learn more about this great organization and the families they serve at The Gathering Place website. If you have any questions, contact Ms. Brown, Katie Repucci or Haley Figueroa.

Thank you to all of the wonderful volunteers who showed up to help re-paint the playground on Saturday, Oct. 24. It was a fun morning and very gratifying to see how much difference a coat of paint can make!

Looking ahead, the green committee would like to put together a green-themed elective for our awesome Polaris students. If you have an interest in energy, water, recycling, etc. and are willing to share your expertise with our students one Friday, please contact Carrie Lamb.

DPS has implemented a new Delayed Start Schedule for Inclement Weather Days. The delayed start schedule applies to ALL DPS schools with a starting bell time after 8:30 a.m., which includes Polaris. In the event of a Delayed Start, school will begin one hour later, and morning buses will run one hour later as well. Local radio, television, and of course the DPS website will announce “Delayed Start.”

Individual schools will not be listed, but Polaris will always be on the delayed schedule if one is announced. The Polaris bell will ring at 9:40am. Please do not leave children on school grounds prior to 9:30am on delayed start days as staff may not be here to supervise children.

Detailed DPS winter weather and snow day information, including information on how families can find out if schools are delayed or closed, can be found on the transportation website or on the DPS website. If your child is enrolled in Kaleidoscope, they will communicate any changes to their schedule separately.

Help us raise money for Polaris! Chinook books raise money for our school and provide a variety of opportunities to save money. We are selling the Chinook Book Combo Pack for the Denver/Boulder area, which contains both the print and mobile (for iPhone and Android) editions packaged together for $22. Polaris receives $11 from each pack sold. Please consider selling books to your family and neighbors, or gifting books to family and friends who support your child and Polaris at Ebert.

Here are some suggestions for how to save MORE than your purchase price on this year’s Chinook Book:

• 20% on a book at Tattered Cover. With both the book coupon and the app, you have two separate coupons
• 2 for 1 admission at the Children’s Museum
• Free scoop when you buy a pint at Sweet Action Ice Cream
• 10% off art supplies and 20% off interior/exterior paint at Guiry’s
• 20% off one item at Fancy Tiger Crafts
• $5 off $25 in groceries at Natural Grocers & lots of coupons for grocery items to be used at any grocery store
• 20% off up to $20 at ModMarket
• 20% off at Boulder Running Company–go buy yourself a new pair of running shoes! Coupons at Runner’s Roost this year too.
• 2 for 1 large specialty pizza at Basil Doc’s Pizza
• 2 for 1 ticket offer to a Newman Center performance
• $5 off $25 purchase at Timbuk Toys
• Multiple coupons at Live Basil pizza locations
• 2 for 1 burger offer at multiple Larkburger locations
• Multiple coupons like $5 off $30 purchase at Tony’s Market
• For a full list of merchants and offers, click here.

An order form was sent home in your child’s Thursday folder. The deadline for orders is this Friday, Nov. 6. Order forms with cash or checks made out to Polaris PTO can be turned in to your teacher or the office collection box.

We will begin filling Chinook book orders in November. Prizes are available to students who are top sellers. For more information, visit the Chinook Book website.

Questions? Email: kbweber11@yahoo.com or gwen.kerby@yahoo.com

Polaris is offering the popular Original Works art program again this fall. Your children should be bringing home their artwork and order form in today’s Thursday Folder so be sure to check it!
Through this program your child’s own artwork can be reproduced onto a selection of over 20 quality products. Kids are producing their artwork as part of the regular school art curriculum – but can use any artwork on 8.5 x 11 cardstock. Parents, siblings and teachers can also order items using their own art. These make great gifts for Grandparents or other relatives and are a fun and useful way to preserve and display your kid’s art.

Orders will be due Nov. 6 and final products will be delivered before winter break in time for holiday gift giving. Each order raises money to pay for art supplies in support of our wonderful full-time art program. Contact program coordinators Jennifer or Erica with any questions.

Polaris will be hosting our traditional thanksgiving lunch on Thursday, Nov. 19. Purchase your tickets in the office for this fantastic Polaris tradition.

The reservation and payment deadline is today, Nov. 5 – no tickets will be available the day of the event!

Schedule:
Kindergarten    eat at 11:15 a.m., recess until 12:00 p.m.
1st grade         eat at 11:30 a.m., recess until 12:15 p.m.
2nd grade        eat at 11:45 a.m., recess until 12:30 p.m.
5th grade         eat at 12:00 p.m., recess until 12:45 p.m.
3rd grade         eat at 12:15 p.m., recess until 1:00 p.m.
4th grade         recess at 12:00 p.m., eat at 12:30 p.m.

This event will now be held at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 9.

We did it! Thanks to 48 generous Polaris families, we have met (and exceeded!) our $20K matching challenge. As of Nov. 1, we have received donations and pledges totaling about $35K. When we add in the $20K match, we are over halfway to our goal of raising $95K. Many thanks to everyone who has stepped up to support our teachers and the amazing educational programming at Polaris by donating to the Annual Fund.

Although we are off to great start, we still have some work to do before we reach our goals. In addition to meeting our fundraising goal, we would like to increase participation in support of the annual fund.

If you have not already made a gift to the Polaris Annual Fund, you can do so by:

1. Dropping a check made out to “Polaris PTO, Inc.” in the Polaris Annual Fund box in the front office.
2. Setting up monthly withdrawals from your checking account. Forms are available in the office.
3. Making a one time donation or setting up monthly giving through Colorado Gives.

Colorado Gives Day is just around the corner. Click on the Colorado Gives link above to pre-schedule your gift today.

If you have any questions about the Polaris Annual Fund, please contact Amber Fitzpatrick. Thanks again for your generous support of Polaris.