THANKS TO YOU...

Thanks to you; the teachers, staff, students, parents, and volunteers, we have so very many things to be excited about this year.

POLARIS STUDENTS ENJOYED DANCES OF MEXICO

Thanks to Dr. Howard for connecting with Young Audiences Colorado who brought traditional dances of Mexico to Polaris students. To see pictures click here.


WE HAVE A CLIMBING WALL

Thanks to you we have a climbing wall at Polaris at Ebert. More and more research is coming out that shows the importance of excercise for elementary students. It's exciting to have this option for our students...excercise that feels like play. Funds from the SOS campaign were used to make this possible. As with all these things it always takes people to handle the logistics and make it happen. Thanks to all who made this wall possible.


THE SCHOOL BUILDING WAS READY

Moving to Ebert was a tremendous undertaking. While the district moved boxes and furniture from one building to the other, that was a tiny fraction of all the work that needed to be done to prepare for the students arrival. Thank you to our principal and custodians who were the first ones on the scene. Thank you to our teachers who worked hours and hours beyond what they were allotted to make their rooms into exciting learning environments. Thank you to students and parents who aren't afraid of hard work; cleaning, patching, painting and in general putting a shine on this great old building. Thank you to Comcast's volunteers who came one Saturday to paint the huge hallways. We'll never know the names of all who came to help, but we are so grateful. To see pictures of a community working together click here.

WE HAD A SOCK-HOP

This school supports the grassroots effort. One parent had the idea for a schoolwide sock-hop. With the help of a few others she organized a great community event. A good time was had by all and we hope it becomes an annual event. Thank you!

"FOR THE LOVE OF THE ARTS 2007" HAPPENED

This school loves the grassroots effort. Recognizing the number of artistically talented parents here, a small group of teachers and parents organized an artshow for the grown-ups. Without exaggerating, let's just say it was a very, very, very, very amazing evening. We have musicians, poets, painters, photographers, a blacksmith, a drum maker, ceramic artists, sculptors, fabric artists, landscapers, food artists, hairstylists (yes, it is art!) and more. To see a small sample of the creativity click here.

OUR STUDENTS HAVE ELECTIVES

Each quarter Polaris at Ebert students have new unique electives classes to choose from. We're not talking about a few choices, we're talking about a lot of choices. This whole giant project (picture hundreds of students and dozens of teachers) is organized by a volunteer parent. Not only that, but teachers, parents and more volunteers offer their time and expertise to ensure that this exciting opportunity remains available to the students. This is a huge undertaking, but well worth it. Consider what you might be able to teach as an elective.  To see a list of electives that have been offered and pictures click here.



BOOKIES BOOKSTORE HELD A POLARIS NIGHT

The volunteers strike again. Another grassroots effort to organize a special event for Polaris families comes off with grand results. Bookies opened their doors to Polaris families and a percentage of sales went to the school. Thanks to the organizers.

SOS (SUPPORT OUR SCHOOL) EXISTS

During the 2003-2004 school year a group of parents organized SOS as our primary fundraising effort. A schoolwide survey showed that if extra funds were needed, the majority of parents simply wanted to be asked. While we still do some traditional fundraising events, this is the main focus. Families are asked to donate whatever they are comfortable with and giving is anonymous. All amounts are greatly appreciated because $20,000 buys a computer lab and $5 sends a child on a fieldtrip. For more information on SOS click here.

SPANISH CLASS

A new spanish class has recently been organized and will be meeting after school. Thank you to the people who plan these special opportunities. And thank you to the people who show up to help each time.

THE 4TH GRADERS WILL GO TO CROW CANYON

Every 4th grader knows that this is the year they get to go to Crow Canyon.  It's the stuff of legends; two classrooms full of kids on buses for 7 hours, 5 days without your parents, surrounded by ancient ruins.  Who could possibly come up with such an idea? The teachers did! Each year they definitely go above and beyond the call of duty by organizing this trip.

In the beginning the teachers even organized all the fundraising. In recent years however, the parents of 4th graders have taken over the annual Spaghetti Dinner and Silent Auction. It's gone from a 4th grade fundraiser to a schoolwide event. Thanks to the many people who help with this effort each year. And thanks to the over 350 people who purchased tickets this year.

FIELD DAY IS A BLAST

Thanks to the over 40 parents who volunteered to help on field day. Thanks to the others who volunteered to help with the organization of the whole event. Thanks to the teachers who gave even more of their time, especially Coach D. The park next to the school was reclaimed for the day and several events were held there. See pictures of this special day at Field Day 2005.