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Your Poudre School District newsletter

Thursday, April 18, 2024

Water color image of three high school students with the words "Grads at a Glance: Legacy." Celebrating our 2024 senior class.

Click the image above to visit a site specifically made to feature this year's Grads at a Glance senior profile videos and written pieces. The theme of this year's series is "Legacy."

Grads at a Glance: Get to know some of the shining stars in the PSD Class of 2024

This year’s Grads at a Glance series asks students to reflect on the legacy they hope to leave at their high school as they move on to life after graduation. With graduation celebrations just around the corner, this and upcoming editions of PSD Now will feature profiles of seniors from each PSD high school. These features are also being shared on PSD social media and the Grads at a Glance website. Follow this link to watch or read each profile as it publishes on the Grads at a Glance site.>>

Photo of a teen girl in a pink hoodie standing in a school gym holding a basketball and a volleyball under each arm, stylized to look like an oil painting. Words over the image are: Joslyn Schaeffer, Grads at a Glance Legacy. Video descriptive text: Video opens with a teen girl walking into a school gym. Her name appears on screen (Joslyn Schaeffer, Poudre Community Academy). She gives a tour of the gym, shoots hoops outside of the school, and walks through the school halls, pausing to talk in a common area. At the end of the video, she walks out of the school doors and her name appears over an oil painting-style portrait of her holding a disc, shotput ball, basketball, and volleyball.

Joslyn Schaeffer (Poudre Community Academy '24) is a student athlete who took full advantage of a second chance. Follow this link to watch Joslyn's video.>>

Photo of a teen boy in a blue jacket with a name tag standing in the dining area of a Chick-Fil-A restaurant, stylized to look like an oil painting. Words over the image are: Tyson Danford, Grads at a Glance Legacy. Descriptive video text: Video starts with a teen walking into Chick-fil-A with the words on screen: "Tyson is a restaurant manager at Chick-fil-A. He sat down with a teacher and his counselor to talk about his legacy." Video shows the student talking with two adults at a table at the restaurant. His name appears on screen as they start to talk (Tyson Danford, Fossil Ridge High School). When the counselor begins to speak, his name appears on screen (Chris Savage, Fossil Ridge High School). The teacher's name appears on screen while she's talking (Meredith McGowan, Fossil Ridge High School). Video goes on to show Tyson at school as well, and ends with an oil painting-style image of him behind the words Tyson Danford.

Tyson Danford (Fossil Ridge '24) balances school and work as a high school student and a manager at two Chick-Fil-As. Follow this link to watch Tyson's video.>>

Photo of a teen girl in a blue zip-front hoodie standing in a school stairwell, stylized to look like an oil painting. Words over the image are: Akaysha Cox, Grads at a Glance Legacy. Video descriptive text: Video starts with a teen girl walking up the stairs at Centennial High School and talking. Her name appears on screen - Akaysha Cox, Centennial High School. She sits down with a woman at a table in an art classroom. The woman's name appears on screen - Andie Cobb, Art Teacher, Centennial High School. Next, the video shows a quilt in a hallway and the teen girl talking next to the quilt. Then she sits down with another adult in another classroom. The adult's name appears on screen as Kim Donegan, Math Teacher, Centennial High School. Video goes back to the interview with Andie, then ends with the student exiting the school doors. Her name appears on screen over an oil painting style portrait of the student standing in a school stairwell.

Akaysha Cox (Centennial '24) is graduating from the same school her mom attended, where she carved her own unique path. Follow this link to watch Akaysha's video.>>

Photo of a teen boy in a T-shirt standing in front of a school, stylized to look like an oil painting. Words over the image are: Armando Granados-Porter, Grads at a Glance Legacy

Starting high school amid a pandemic was tough, but basketball motivated Armando Granados-Porter (PCA '24) to keep going. Follow this link to read Armando's story.>>

Photo of a teen girl in a black tank top standing in front of the corner of packed library bookshelves, stylized to look like an oil painting. Words over the image are: Melissa Wong, Grads at a Glance Legacy

Growing up in the U.S. and overseas, Melissa Wong (Fossil Ridge '24) learned to make connections and see multiple perspectives. Follow this link to read Melissa's story.>>

Photo of a teen boy in a button-up shirt standing in front of a brick school wall, stylized to look like an oil painting. Words over the image are: Mikey Hatch, Grads at a Glance Legacy

After a yearlong absence from school, Mikey Hatch (Centennial '24) came back to the classroom grateful and ready to devote himself to school. Follow this link to read Mikey's story.>>

Last day of school for 2024 a half day

The last day of school for the 2023-24 school year, May 30, will be a half day for students. Students will be released three-and-a-half hours early. Breakfast will be served on May 30, but not lunch. It will be a full work day for staff. Enjoy your summer break!

Caring Canines volunteers help students learning to read and provide animal-assisted therapy in schools and other facilities.

Volunteer Appreciation Week is April 22-26

PSD wouldn't be the same without our volunteers! Thank you to all who devote your time by reading to students, re-shelving books, screening students' hearing and vision, making copies, lending a helping hand in the classroom, and so much more! Watch this video to learn more about our volunteers from Caring Canines.>>

Discussions continue about possible school consolidation and boundary adjustments

Following eight community listening sessions, a questionnaire, and nearly three months of meetings, the Facilities Planning Steering Committee will make its second presentation to the PSD Board of Education on Tuesday, April 23. No new scenarios for potential changes will be presented at the board meeting. The anticipated timing of next steps for the committee include:

Sharing updated scenarios with the community around May 7 and releasing another questionnaire for feedback.
Presenting updated scenarios to the school board on May 14.
Presenting final recommendations to the board on May 28. School board members are scheduled to vote on recommendations on June 11.

The board is hosting a listening session on this topic from 5:30 to 10 p.m. on June 4 in the Fort Collins High School auditorium. Follow this link to a recording of the board's April 16 listening session.>>

Myth: Cabinet members and Board of Education members receive bonuses.

Fact: School board members are elected officials who volunteer their time; they receive no pay. There are NO bonuses for members of the superintendent's Cabinet. The oldest records in our financial system show pay structures like we have today for members of the superintendent’s Cabinet dating back to 2002, but institutional knowledge suggests that they likely existed prior to then. These pay structures are not new in PSD or Superintendent Kingsley’s administration. They have existed for at least 20 years. But it’s reasonable and understandable for our community to have questions about them. Learn more on our Questions, Concerns & Myths web page: www.psdschools.org/community/long-range-planning/questions-concerns-myths

Two women on either side of a booth about suicide prevention talk at a resource fair.

A man in a suit jacket and jeans speaks to a crowd in a school auditorium. The initials MK are on the screen behind him.

A presenter gesturing with their hands stands next to a screen in a classroom that shows a slide saying, "Harm Reduction for Young People: Risk Reduction Along the Substance Use Continuum."

From left, Mental Health Matters featured a resource fair with information from local organizations and providers, a keynote address from Michael Kutcher, and six breakout sessions.

Connection and community focus of mental health event

Thank you to all who attended the Ninth Annual Mental Health Matters event Tuesday evening at Fossil Ridge High! Mental Health Matters brings together parents, students, mental health providers, organizations, and community members to discuss one of the most important topics in our community. Follow this link to PSD's Facebook page to find more images from the event.>>

A teen girl shows the camera the back of her shirt, which says Mental Health Matters. Another teen girl standing next to her in the same shirt points at the back of the other girl's shirt and smiles at the camera.

Student volunteers and PSD mental health professionals help make Mental Health Matters possible.

Board of Education directors passed a resolution in support of April as Deaf History Month.

Board of Education April recognitions and resolutions

Each month, the PSD Board of Education proudly recognizes PSD students, staff, and community partners for their many accomplishments and adopts resolutions to honor awareness days, weeks, and months. Here are the resolutions and recognitions for this month:

PSD adopts new graduation requirements offering more choices

Newly adopted graduation requirements for the Class of 2029 and beyond will offer greater choice for students to follow their interests and graduate with options. The new set of graduation requirements maintain many of the previous credit requirements while adding a world history component and creating more flexibility in how students can earn elective credit. Follow this link to the PSD website to view current graduation requirements and those for the Class of 2029 and beyond.>>