Back to School Night is Thursday, Aug. 25 from 6-7:30pm
Principal's Message
Hello Blevins Families,
I hope your student has enjoyed their first week back at school as much as myself and our staff has. Students have been incredibly engaged, friendly, and prepared for a fantastic year. Our 8th grade students have been modeling to underclassmen what it means to be a Bruin. Our 7th graders have shown an eagerness to challenge themselves and seek new experiences this year. And our 6th grade students have looked more ready each day to have a successful first year of middle school. I'd like to thank you, Blevins families, for the efforts you have put in to help your children be ready, both academically and emotionally, for this year. Back to School Night is coming this Thursday from 6-7:30pm. Read further in this newsletter for more information on the format of that night. We can't wait to meet you then!
In our picture above, you will see how our students were decked out in Blevins gear for Bruins Friday. Let's go Bruins!
Proudly,
Joe Zappa
Principal
970-488-4000
A Look at Our Learning
Ms. Rajnowski's 6th grade Social Studies class engages in creating Respect Agreements. Students identified the best way for their class to treat other: student to student, student to teacher, teacher to student, and whole class. Culture is being built together!
Back to School Night
Thursday, Aug. 25th: Back to School Night, 6-7:30pm
We're excited to host you for Back to School Night on Thursday. This will be an opportunity to hear from your child's teachers and myself as we welcome you to a new school year. There will be three formats in place: a brief presentation from your child's Den teachers, a chance to meet and greet with teachers, and a brief presentation from me. If you have children at different grade levels, the format will give you the opportunity to connect with both sets of teachers.
To be prepared for the night, ask your child the name of their Den (or their Math or Language Arts teacher's name) and their electives teachers. We will be providing a schedule and map of when and where you can meet with these teachers at the event.
We hope to see you there!
A Message from our Teachers
8th Grade Team
8th Grade Parents,
We are glad to have your children back in our classes after another lovely summer! Many students have already brought in school supplies (thank you!). As you may have noticed, our required number of supplies was greatly cut down from previous years as we were trying to save our Blevins families as much money as possible. Unfortunately, we only put 2 notebooks as being required when, in all reality, students really need more than just 2 (ELA, math, social studies, Spanish, science, etc). If you don’t mind picking up a few more notebooks for your child this weekend (more than just the two we requested), we would greatly appreciate it. If you would be willing to pick up a few extra as donations for kiddos who weren’t able to pick some up, that would be incredible! Your child can hand any extra notebooks to their ELA teachers to be distributed equitably.
Lastly, thank you for your continued support with our cellphone policy; it has been fantastic seeing our students talking and playing with each other during passing periods and their breaks instead of being on their phones. If you need to reach your student during the school hours, please reach out to our front office at 970-488-4000, and they will deliver that message.
Kind regards,
The 8th Grade Team
Student Drop Off and Pick Up
Thanks for your cooperation in our drop off and pick up procedure. You have been great about leaving the front parking lot open for busses. They have been extremely grateful to you and have been able to get out to their routes in a timely manner because of it.
We are fine-tuning the pick up area after school. I am highly appreciative of your patience and respect for the school and each other as you wait in the pick up line. Our priority is student safety and this process is upholding that goal.
Ordering Pictures
Pictures were taken this past Thursday. Orders are attached below and can also be made online at www.skillmanphotography.com. A make-up picture day will be scheduled soon.
A Message from PTO
Happy National Potato Day from the Blevins PTO! This is Eric Bowman, your newly anointed PTO President! Welcome to the 2022-2023 school year! I hope everyone had a great first week back at school and your kids are done airing their grievances about summer being over!
About me. I am the dad of Elena in seventh grade and Colin who is in fourth grade at Bennett Elementary (the best elementary school that feeds into Blevins! Yeah, I said it…). I’m married to Celia (despite the constant barrage of dumb things I say and do). I’m a mechanical designer and a recovering architect. I ALWAYS wear something orange. I was the PTO President at Bennett for two years before this (everyone that knows me is rolling their eyes right now…”More of this guy?”). I love chai lattes, Dew, and celebrating weird holidays (Flag Day and Krampusnacht are my favorites).
I have a great team on the PTO with me this year. Sara Vlietstra will be the Vice President. Heidi Kerr will be our Treasurer, and Shelby Railsback will be our Secretary. I’ll let you know more about them in upcoming communications.
The Blevins PTO is the link between parents, students, and faculty, providing meaningful connections and support. I’d love to see you at an upcoming meeting. I promise that I won’t make you sign up for something. I’m happy to have anyone attend that would like to learn more, be involved, or be there to mock me. Our tentative meeting schedule for the year is as follows. We’d love to see you there!
Dates: (5:30-6:30 PM)
20 September
18 October
22 November
20 December (combined with SAC)
17 January
21 February
21 March
18 April
16 May
Thank you,
Eric Bowman,
enamwob@gmail.com (Blevins related emails, love letters, hate mail)
303-885-9734
Fall Sports are Kicking Off!
The following sports will soon be under way:
Cross Country (Boys & Girls Grade 6-8)
Tennis (Boys & Girls Grade 6-8)
Girls' Volleyball (Grade 7-8, select 38 athletes)
Boys' Football (Grade 7-8)
Boys' Soccer Club (Grade 7-8)
Reach out to Nicole Muniz, Athletic Secretary, for nmuniz@psdschools.org for questions. Thanks for your support in filling our coaching positions! We are still in need of an assistant coach for volleyball. Reach out to our Lead Athletic Director, Rick Overton (roverton@psdschools.org), or Assistant AD, Dennise Dominguez (dborunda@psdschools.org), if interested. Your help is greatly appreciated!
Personal Electronic Device Policy
Blevins is a Cell Phone Free School
We would like to remind families of our school's personal electronic device policy and are hopeful for your support. We know that phones and earbuds are a daily part of everyone's lives, especially middle school students. We also believe that these can be a distraction from the student's academic success, the learning environment, as well as a barrier in social interactions. Our policy is described below:
"In accordance with PSD Board Policy JICJ: Student Possession and Use of Personal Communication Devices, the use of cell phones/Smart phones, earbuds/AirPods, handheld gaming devices, personal cameras (unless being directed by a teacher for academic or curricular purposes and/or school related activities) and/or any other electronic devices are not permitted during school hours (7:50 AM - 2:45 PM). This includes the classrooms, lunchroom, outside rec, hallways/passing period, and restrooms. If a student brings a personal device to school, it is expected to remain out of sight in the student’s backpack or locker. The student also takes responsibility for it being lost, stolen, or damaged.
If a cell phone, or other mentioned personal devices, is seen or heard during school hours without expressed permission, staff can confiscate the device and deliver it to the front office who will return it to the student or their parent/guardian at the end of the school day. If the personal device is confiscated for a second time, the front office will only return the item to a parent/guardian. If the personal device is confiscated for a third time , the student will be required to turn their personal device into the front office for the school day for one week of school, or longer as determined by school administration.
If a parent/guardian needs to communicate with their child, we encourage parent/guardians to call the front office at 488-4000. A note can be brought to the student or the student can be notified and have the opportunity to speak with their parent/guardian on the office phone. Students may also request use of the front office phone when needing to speak with their parent/guardian. In appropriate circumstances, students will not be denied the opportunity to use their personal device to communicate with their parent/guardian if they receive express permission from their teacher or appropriate staff member and communication takes place in the front office."
Click here for the complete Student/Family Handbook.
Buy Your Yearbook Now
Use this link to buy your Blevins Yearbook for '22-'23. Prices go up as the year goes on.
BACK TO SCHOOL offer: $40 (Free icons available with purchase of personalization)
- Offer online: July 1 – September 9
- Orders taken at the school must be entered by October 7, 2022
FALL offer: $40 (Buy now for lowest price)
· Offer online: September 10 – October 21
· FALL Campaign: Oct. 10 – Oct. 21
· Prep week: Oct 3
· Orders taken at school entered by Nov. 18, 2022
WINTER offer: $45 (Last chance to guarantee a book and order personalization)
- Offer online: Oct. 22 – Jan 27, 2023
- WINTER Campaign: Jan. 16 – Jan. 27
- Prep week: Jan 9
- Orders taken at school entered by Feb. 10, 2023
SPRING offer: $45 (Yearbook only)
- Offer online: Jan 28 – distribution
- SPRING Campaign: April 10 – 21 (until sold out)
- Prep week: April 3
School Calendar for '22-'23
22-23 K-12 Student Calendar_revised.pdf
Lockers and Backpacks
All students will have the opportunity to check out a locker this year. All 6th grade students will be issued a locker as they learn how to navigate and organize their school supplies at the middle school level. 7th and 8th graders have been emailed a Google Form in order to request a locker. These will be assigned in the coming week. Students will have the opportunity to take their backpacks to class.
Important Updates: Nutritional Services for '22-'23
For the upcoming 22-23 school year, students will no longer receive universal free meals. This is a change from last year (21-22 school year) with free meals being offered to all PSD students. For the 22-23 school year, families must apply and be approved for the Free and Reduced Meals program to receive benefits per USDA regulations. We encourage all families to apply for Free and Reduced Meals here: Free and Reduced Meals | Poudre School District (psdschools.org) If your child is eligibile for free or reduced-price meals in PSD, you may also be able to take advantage of another fantastic benefit: waives for some school fees and charges. The Free and Reduced Meals form must be completed each year, with the previous year's form expiring after the first 30 days of school.
SchoolPay is PSD's online payment partner. SchoolPay allows convenient online payment to all PSD fees. To set up an account, view meal activity, view balances or make payments visit https://psdschools.schoolpay.com Students may bring money to school and pay during mealtimes. Checks should be made out to Blevins Middle School and note the student's name and/or ID number. Your Child Nutrition team will be providing customers nutritious breakfasts and lunches each school day at the best meal value in Northern Colorado! Breakfast meal prices are only $1.50. Lunch meals are only $3.40 for paid student customers.
Have a question and you're not sure who to contact? Send your question to nutrition@psdschools.org and we will get it forwarded to just the right person.