Celebrating Creativity and Big Ideas

This week, we’re taking a moment to celebrate the incredible creativity blooming in our classrooms. At LaunchED, innovation isn’t just about new technology; it’s about giving students the time and space to think differently, explore their passions, and bring their unique ideas to life.

Starting this month in our newsletter, you’ll see some amazing examples of that as we feature student artwork. These creations are a powerful reminder of the talent and imagination within our community. Students–we are proud of this work that you are doing and we are so happy to celebrate this here!

We also saw that same spirit on display as our students participated in International Dot Day, a global celebration of creativity and kindness. It was wonderful to see everyone embrace the day, making their mark and showing us that creativity is about taking a simple idea and running with it. Ask your students about how they celebrated Dot Day in their classes!

From the art they create to the unique projects they design, our students are showing us that innovation and creativity go hand-in-hand. We can’t wait to see all the other ways they’ll continue to express themselves this year.

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Weekly Student Art Feature

Each week we will feature student work as part of a celebration of learning in LaunchED! Middle School students reviewed lines,shapes, and the emotional impact of color by exploring the abstract art of Wassily Kandisnky. They created their own abstract or non-objective artwork using either paper or digital drawing programs, and their critical thinking led to deeper creativity as seen by these examples. The two students featured here used the new app available to students in self-service, Procreate, to create their pieces. Fantastic job!

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Office Hours Reminders!

Does your student need some additional support or help in a class? Please encourage them to attend office hours with their teachers! Office Hours is a time for students to meet 1:1 or in small groups and receive instructional support, re-teaching, coaching, feedback, and more on their classwork. This pivotal time is one of the magic ingredients that makes LaunchED a powerful place to learn–please encourage your students to attend! Our secondary teachers hold office hours between classes and during the 11:00-12:00pm block every day. Elementary teachers hold this time at the end of the day, often between 2:00-3:00pm.

Your encouragement to attend will make all the difference as students engage in these structures to receive that extra support!

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See information about LaunchED STEAM STARS! (Science Technology Engineering Art Math)

STEAM Stars is an optional after school experience that is a great place for your students to experience some in-person, hands-on learning with our STEAM teacher, Ms. Sherry Legrand! There is also an online option for students who need that. You can reach out to Ms. Legrand ([email protected]) for more information!

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St. Vrain Valley Schools Band Night!

St. Vrain Valley Schools invites families to attend Band Night on Wednesday, Oct. 8 at 6:00 p.m. at Everly-Montgomery Field in Longmont. The evening will feature performances from high school bands across the district, concluding with a drone show presented by the St. Vrain Student Performance Drone Team. This event is a great opportunity to bring students and the community together in support of local feeder high schools.

Admission is $6 for adults, $5 for students, and free for children age six and under. Eighth grade students will be admitted free with a valid student ID.

Purchase Tickets Online

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Join Us for Performing Arts and Music Industry College Information Night, Sept. 18

St. Vrain Valley Schools invites families to an evening dedicated to exploring college and career opportunities in the performing arts and music industry. This event will share valuable information for those interested in music, theater, production, and related fields, with families learning about degree options, application processes, and more from top university representatives.

Performing Arts and Music Industry College Information Night will take place on Thursday, September 18, from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. in the Skyline High School Library. The presentation will begin promptly at 6:00 p.m.Please register here. Registration is optional and assists with planning purposes. Those who register in advance will receive all presentation materials after the event and any selected universities will reach out with more information.

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Attention 9th-12th Grade: Save the Date for October 8th!

The NMSQT (National Merit Scholar Qualifying Test)/PSAT will be held on Wednesday, October 8th, from 8:00am-12:00pm at our LaunchED Campus for all 11th grade students.

9th and 10th grade students will take an online PSAT through Webex on Wednesday, October 8th.

12th grade students will have an asynchronous learning day on Wednesday, October 8th.

There will be no 9th-12th grade classes that day. IC and CETC classes will not meet this day either.

We will send more information soon!

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Gifted and Talented Referrals 

Please click here for the Link for Gifted & Talented Referral Form

Each year, schools in St. Vrain Valley School District complete a process to identify students who demonstrate exceptional ability or performance in one or more academic and/or talent areas and may, therefore, qualify for Gifted/Talented educational services. These students usually perform at least two years above grade level in their strength area(s), and they require additional academic challenges in order to support their continued educational growth and progress.  In addition, they usually demonstrate characteristics of unique creativity and high motivation in their strength areas. 

Referrals are open through the month of September and will close on the last day of the month. Referrals after that date will be addressed on a case by case basis. Completing a referral guarantees a review of the student profile to determine if testing is recommended for the student. The process for identification requires a body of evidence and often takes place throughout the school year.

The process takes approximately 5-10 minutes to complete.

Dr. Lori Houghton
Secondary Math Teacher
GT Site Coordinator – LaunchED
[email protected]

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School Pictures

Student photo proofs! If your student had their school picture taken at Blast Off! and you’d like to see the proof before you order prints or the digital file please come and pick up the proof in the LaunchED office between 7:45 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. on school days.

Please see the flyer from Studio 5 for information about your student portraits. If you took a picture at Blast Off! there is still time to order your photos.

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iPad Insurance

It’s that time again! If you have not purchased iPad insurance you can do so now (and while it is not required, we recommend it!). If you have questions about signing up for insurance, please call our office at 303-702-8800 and we will help you out! You will pay insurance through Infinite Campus fees. Please see this information about our district iPad insurance: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1rZygko4TXsYbv7SId2IW6U1n-3EgkMAM/view

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Attention Families!

We encourage all families to fill out the free and reduced lunch benefits application (this must be done each year). In addition to supporting the cost of meals, qualifying means access to district and school financial assistance programs for fees, such as course fees, iPad insurance, AP exams, and athletics. Families have to “opt in” to have their fees waived.

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