May 1, 2026

The Sparrowhawk Nest

May Newsletter

May is here, and we are excited to finish the school year strong! If you are reading this on May 1st, we hope you're enjoying a well deserved four day weekend. This month is filled with important events, including field trips across multiple grade levels, Field Day on May 15th, and our 5th Grade Continuation Celebration as we honor our students’ next steps. Additionally, May celebrates Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage. We look forward to recognizing the rich cultures and contributions of AAPI communities within our school. Please take a moment to review the important dates, reminders, and end-of-year updates below so you don't miss out on these special moments as we wrap up another incredible year together!

Important Dates in May

April 30, 2026 - May 1, 2026: No School for ALL Students
May 4, 2026 - May 7, 2026: 4th and 5th Grade Soccer (Last day of Soccer is May 7, 2026)
May 5, 2026: First Grade Field Trip to Discovery Museum
May 8, 2026: May, June, and July Birthday Treats (Parties are held for the last 10 minutes of class or before specials for 3rd and 5th, celebrations will be held exclusively among students.)
May 11, 2026: No School for Preschool
May 14, 2026: Third Grade Field Trip to Poudre Learning Center
May 15, 2026: Field Day
May 19, 2026: Third Grade Field Trip to the Park
May 20, 2026: Kindergarten Field Trip to the Park
May 20, 2026: Second Grade Field Trip to Poudre Learning Center
May 21, 2026: Report Cards Go Home
May 21, 2026: 5th Grade Continuation Celebration
May 21, 2026: Last Day of School for ALL Students
May 22, 2026 - August 10, 2026: Summer Break - No School for Students

Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Month

Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month is celebrated every May in the United States to honor the history, cultures, and contributions of individuals with roots in Asia and the Pacific Islands.

AAPI Heritage Month began as a week-long celebration in 1978, coinciding with two significant events in AAPI history: the arrival of the first Japanese immigrants to the U.S. on May 7, 1843, and the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad on May 10, 1869, which was largely constructed by Chinese immigrant labor.

In 1990, the celebration was officially expanded from a week to a month, designating May as AAPI Heritage Month.

Shawsheen will be displaying a bulletin board this month to recognize and celebrate the contributions, history, and culture of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in the United States. We aim to raise awareness about the diverse communities within the AAPI umbrella and promote a greater understanding of their heritage.

Field Day - May 15, 2026

Shawsheen Families,

Field Day will be held on May 15th, 2026!

Field Day will be half day. Kinder – 2nd grades will participate in the morning and 3-5 grades in the afternoon. (Kinder-2nd - 8:00-10:30, 3rd-5th - 12:40-2:50) (Preschool students will have an opportunity to use the inflatables in between morning and afternoon sessions.)

Please have your child wear tennis shoes. It is mandatory that they wear them! I would also recommend that you apply sunscreen at home. Students should bring a water bottle and a towel, as we will be getting wet! You may want to send your child with a set of dry clothes too. Sunglasses and hats are something your child might want to bring as well.

Parents are able to come join us for the time students are at Field Day! If parents would like to join us in having lunch outside, feel free to bring your own or feel free to bring money to purchase a meal at the cafeteria.

As always, thank you for your support and feel free to contact me with any questions! I look forward to a fun day on Friday!

Preschool Inflatable Schedule

10:30 - 11:00 AM - Morning
11:45 - 12:40 PM - Afternoon

Luke Grabenstein

Physical Education Teacher

970-348-2358

lgrabenstein@greeleyschools.org

Preparing for the 2026-2027 School Year

Shawsheen families, in preparation for the 2026-2027 school year, we would like to inform you that the Annual Student Data Update (ASDU) application is now available on the Infinite Campus (IC) Parent Portal!

We encourage you to get ahead of the game by completing this important update for all students in your household. The ASDU allows you to update information for each child, no matter their school or grade level, all at once. If you have a current student and a new incoming student (like a kindergartener for the 2026-2027 school year), you can easily add the new student within the ASDU application. This means you won’t have to complete a full New Student Application for your incoming child.

If you need assistance with your username or passwords, please let Ms. Bianca know via email bavila1@greeleyschools.org, phone 970-348-2301, or on Bloomz!

Complete the Annual Student Data Update (ASDU)

Kindergarten Registration for 2026-2027 School Year

Kindergarten registration is now open for all Greeley-Evans School District 6 schools for the 2026-2027 school year. Children must be five years old by October 1, 2026 in order to register for kindergarten next year.

Students will be enrolled in their neighborhood schools based on parent/guardian primary address or an approved and accepted Open Enrollment application. Please note that charter schools may have different age requirements, enrollment processes, policies and timelines. If your child is attending a charter school next year, please contact that school directly for more information.

For kindergarten registration, parents and guardians must be prepared to provide:

Child's birth certificate
Child's immunization records
Proof of address (such as a recent utility bill, lease agreement, closing papers from the purchase of a home, etc.)

For assistance with the registration process, please contact the D6 Admissions Office, 970-348-6062 or email admissions@greeleyschools.org.

The Admissions Office is located at 924 11th Street, Greeley, 80631. Office hours are 9:00 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. Monday - Friday. The Admissions office will be closed on Fridays in June and July.

Check for Neighborhood School Based on Home Address

Shawsheen Pantry

Shawsheen has a food pantry available to all Shawsheen families at no cost! The current hours listed below are for the school year. We will provide information about summer hours in the Summer Newsletter, so stay tuned for that!

Hours of Operation:

Monday: 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM, during school days.

Tuesday–Friday: 8:00 AM – 3:00 PM, during school days.

Please bring a reusable bag to store your items.

What We Offer:

Non-Perishable Food Items:
- A variety of pantry staples, including tuna, chicken pouches, chicken noodle soup, pasta, cereals, peanut butter, rice, beans, and more. (Available while supplies last)
Refrigerated Items:
- A variety of pantry staples, including tuna, chicken pouches, chicken noodle soup, pasta, cereals, peanut butter, rice, beans, and more. (Available while supplies last)
- FRESH FRUIT and VEGGIES!! (Items may vary; these are leftovers from the afternoon snack.)
Freezer Items:
- Leftover cafeteria food will be stored in the freezer for families. (While supplies last)
Hygiene Products:
- We provide essentials such as toothbrushes, toothpaste, soap, deodorant, and other personal care items. (Items vary monthly, while supplies last)
Other Items:
- Limited sizing options are available for clothing, jackets, shoes, and laundry detergent.
- Assistance League has generously donated Sheets and Blankets. (We will be limiting two sheets and blankets per household)

If you have any questions, please contact Ms. Lizbeth at (970) 348-2303 or larcemendez1@greeleyschools.org. Thank you!

Summer Meals

We are excited to share that District 6 will be offering a Summer Meal Program!

Program Details:

Dates: June 1 – June 26
Days: Monday through Thursday
Locations: All District 6 schools except Centennial, Fred Tjardes School of Innovation, Maplewood, Monfort, and the Student Access Center

Meal Times:

Breakfast: 8:00 – 9:00 AM
Lunch: 11:00 AM – 12:30 PM

Who Can Participate?

All children 18 years of age and under
Open to both students attending summer school and those who are not

Cost:

FREE for ALL children
$3.00 for adult breakfasts
$5.00 for adult lunches

We encourage families to take advantage of this opportunity to access nutritious meals throughout the summer months. No registration is required, just come during meal service times!

If you have any questions, please contact the Nutrition Services department at schoolfood@greeleyschools.org -OR- 970-348-6600.

Visitors

For the safety of our students and staff, all visitors must check in through our Raptor system when entering the building. This includes joining your student for lunch, walking in a student to drop-off at a classroom, volunteering, or participating in any activity at Shawsheen.

Please bring a valid Colorado driver’s license or government-issued ID each time you sign in. Without an ID, access to the building cannot be granted.

Early Pick up

For early student pickup, the person picking up must also show a government-issued photo ID. We verify IDs to ensure the individual is listed on the student’s approved pickup list.

Volunteering

We love having families involved at Shawsheen! If you would like to volunteer in classrooms, help on field trips, or support school events, please complete our online volunteer application.

Even if you completed the application last year, you will need to submit a new application for the 2025–26 school year.
Once approved, you’ll have opportunities to support our students and school community throughout the year.

Complete the District Volunteer Application

This month, we are learning…

Preschool

Students had a wonderful time in our recent unit learning about plants and insects! They explored how plants grow, observed ladybugs in our classroom, and watched beans sprout! As we move into May, we are beginning our new unit on water, with hands-on activities, outdoor play, and nature exploration.

It’s hard to believe how quickly the school year has flown by! We are so proud of the growth we have seen in all of the children. We are excited for the upcoming Field Day, and we look forward to celebrating the children’s last day of Pre-K together. It will be a fun and special end to a wonderful year!

Kindergarten

This school year has flown by! We feel so proud of the kindergarten kiddos’ hard work and all they have accomplished this year!

We are working hard on teen numbers, addition, subtraction, and counting to 100 in math in preparation for 1st grade.

In reading we are reading stories and focusing on reading whole words accurately and fluently. Thank you for supporting your child’s learning by helping them with homework and reading aloud to them regularly.

During writing we continue to add new sight words to our word wall. We are writing sentences with more detail as we compose opinions and facts about a variety of subjects.

In science we are learning about the butterfly life cycle with live organisms in our classrooms.

We are looking forward to Field Day on Friday, May 15th and Kindergarten’s End of Year Celebration on Wednesday, May 20th. We’d love to have you join us then!

We feel thankful to have shared this school year with your family!

The Shawsheen Kindergarten Team

First Grade

Language Arts-

We are working in Module 4, Unit 3. In Unit 3, students become advocates for birds after learning about the many ways birds help other living things.

We will also begin our final testing round for DIBELS. Our main goal is to be able to read 39 words of a story in 1 minute. We have been working on this goal since January. The very best way to help your child reach this goal is to read together each night. It will improve their reading skills as well as develop their vocabulary and comprehension.

Math- We are working in Unit 8. In this unit, students will revisit skills we have learned this year to better understand and apply what we have learned. We will mainly focus on story problems, numbers to 120 and adding 2 two-digit numbers.

Other:

Our weather this time of year is a little unpredictable. Please be sure your child has a jacket at school for our recess times we spend outside. Thanks for all of your support!

Second Grade

Dear Families,

Below is a look at what students will be exploring this month!

EL Module 4: Unit 3

In our last unit of Module 4, students apply their learning about plants and pollinators to help butterflies by exploring how wildflowers support them. For their performance task, they create a wildflower seed packet with a butterfly drawing, planting instructions, and an opinion piece encouraging others to help butterflies.

EL Skills

In skills, students review the six syllable types (closed, open, VCe, r-controlled, vowel team, and consonant-le). They will also learn about the schwa sound in different spellings and practice spelling patterns such as plural endings -ies and -eys, and endings -ous and -us. These skills help students read and spell longer, more complex words.

Math

In Unit 8, students build understanding of equal groups, forming a foundation for multiplication and division. They explore even and odd numbers, use visual patterns, and work with arrays—describing rows and columns and writing equations to represent equal groups.

Save the Date: May 20th

Field Trip to the Poudre Learning Center
More information to come soon!

General Reminders

Check your child’s black daily folder every evening.
Return Thursday folders by the following Wednesday.

Homework Reminders

Reading homework is sent home in your child’s black daily folder. Please have your child read the story three times and return it the following day with a parent/guardian signature.
Math homework will continue to be sent home in Thursday folders and is to be returned by the following Wednesday.

Thank you for all you do!

The 2nd Grade Team,

Mrs. Z, Ms. Schulte, Ms. Lewonka, and Mrs. Dillehay

Second Grade Teachers

Third Grade

Dear 3rd Grade Families,

We can’t believe that May is already here! This year has been full of learning, growing, and having so much fun together in third grade and we are looking forward to finishing off the rest of the school year strong. Please read carefully to see important dates and what we will be learning in class:

Math: Students are revisiting key skills that we have learned throughout the year to prepare for 4th grade. We will be working on solving word problems that involve multiple steps using all four operations. Also, we're focusing on partitioning and labeling fractions correctly, as well as finding equivalent fractions.

Literacy: This month in literacy, students have finished writing their opinion essay about why conserving water is important, and will be creating a PSA presentation on a water issue of their choice to share with others. Big ideas include understanding that water is a limited resource, it is not distributed equally around the world, and people can make a difference by explaining problems and offering realistic solutions.

Thursday Folders: Please continue to make sure your student's purple Thursday folder is checked every Thursday afternoon for homework or papers requiring signatures. These will be returned to school the following morning in the purple folder.

Important upcoming dates:

May 14th- field trip to Poudre Learning Center
May 15th: Field day
May 19th: picnic field trip at Westmoor Park

More specific information will be sent out via Bloomz closer to each event. Thank you for all you do and please feel free to reach out with any questions!

Sincerely,

Ms. Weil and Mr. Farrell

Fourth Grade

Hello Fourth Grade Families,

To end the school year, we will be finishing our 4th and final EL Module for literacy. We will be learning about Responding to Inequality: Ratifying the 19th Amendment. For our Performance Task students will be answering the question: How do we take action to make a difference in our community?

In math we will spending the majority of the time in Unit 8. Properties of Two-dimensional Shapes. In Unit 8, students will classify triangles and quadrilaterals based on the properties of their side lengths and angles, and learn about lines of symmetry in two-dimensional figures. They will then use their understanding of these attributes to solve problems, including problems involving perimeter and area. Towards the end of May, we will be going back and reviewing some of the big standards from fourth grade.

Respectfully,

Mr. Alvis, Ms. Johnson and Mr. Land

Fifth Grade

Dear Families,

Happy May! We have some exciting learning happening in our classrooms this month. Here’s a look at what we will be working on:

ELA

In Unit 2 of Module 4, students are learning about natural disasters and how they affect people and the environment. They are becoming researchers as they explore topics like earthquakes, hurricanes, and tsunamis.

Key Activities:

Researching a natural disaster
Analyzing informational texts and videos
Taking notes and organizing their ideas
Writing a problem-solution essay:
- Problem: What happened and its effects
- Solution: How people responded and how we can prepare

Skills We’re Building:

Research and citing sources
Strong informational writing
Academic vocabulary about disasters and safety

In Unit 3 of Module 4, students will take their learning even further by creating a Public Service Announcement (PSA)!

Key Activities:

Studying examples of effective PSAs
Planning and creating their own PSA (video, audio, or written)
Working with classmates to revise and improve
Presenting their PSA to an audience

Skills We’re Building:

Communication (speaking & writing)
Media literacy
Collaboration and presentation skills

Final Project:

Students will create a multimedia PSA to teach others how to stay safe during a natural disaster—based on their research!

Math

Our fifth graders are jumping into a fun and creative Volume Project!

Students will:

Design and build animals using boxes
Calculate the total volume of their creations
Combine math with creativity and problem-solving

We can’t wait to see the incredible Volume Zoo they create!

ATTENTION FAMILIES!

If you have any extra boxes at home, please send them in with your child. We will use them for our volume zoo project. Thank you for your support!

If you have any questions, feel free to reach out. Thank you for being a part of our learning community!

Warmly,

Ms. Shultz and Ms. Strecker

Specials

Music

Kindergarten:

We’re ending the year identifying the 4 voices: speaking, singing, whispering, and calling. Ask your kinder to spot them while listening to music at home! We’re also learning counting songs like 5 Green and Speckled Frogs on ORFF instruments.

1st Grade:

First graders are combining all their skills—playing ORFF instruments, reading ta, ti-ti, and rest, exploring musical direction, and playing team music games. Ask them what their favorite game was this year!

2nd Grade:

2nd graders are learning all about time signature, bar lines, and measures. We just recently identified that almost all music is in groups of two, three, or four. While you’re listening to your favorite song, see if your second grader can identify what time signature the music is in!

3rd Grade:

We’re wrapping up the year with canons/rounds. Canons/rounds are when two or more groups do the same thing but start at different times. Inquire whether they prefer Red Are Strawberries or Haida. Both are fan favorites.

4th Grade:

We’ve discovered that many songs use just four chords: C, F, G, and A minor! Students are working hard to master these on instruments during play-alongs, and I’m doing one-on-one assessments throughout the month.

5th Grade:

Our 5th graders crushed their music composition projects! Now, we’re ending strong with rhythm practice on bucket drums, aligned with the 2024 Colorado Music Standards. Ask them what their favorite drumming song has been!

Art

Happy May from the Art Room!

As we head into the final stretch of the school year, the art room is filled with reflection, creativity, and a lot of gratitude. It’s been an amazing year of artistic growth, and I’m so excited to share what your young artists will be working on this month!

Kindergarten & First Grade

Our youngest artists will be spreading joy beyond the art room! Students will be creating colorful chalk drawings outside, bringing art into our school community in a fun and vibrant way. They will also be making cards of gratitude for teachers, staff, and others who have helped them throughout the school year.

Second & Third Grade

Second and third graders will be wrapping up the year with one final painting project. Second grade will focus on creating profile portraits, practicing careful observation and proportion. Third grade will explore the expressive style of Jean-Michel Basquiat, using bold colors, symbols, and energetic mark-making as inspiration for their work. To close out the year, students will also create thoughtful gratitude letters, reflecting on the people who have supported them.

Fourth & Fifth Grade

Fourth graders will complete one last painting project, applying the skills they’ve built throughout the year. Fifth graders are finishing their fiber art weavings and transforming them into imaginative animals! Both grade levels will also create gratitude letters using a mix of painting and collage, blending visual art with meaningful messages of thanks.

Smart Lab

What an exciting year! All of our Sparrowhawks got to learn a lot about a lot of different areas of Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math in a really hands-on way - even having the opportunity to connect what we did in Lab to what they did in Art with Ms. Quinn! What a special thing for us to explore how each one of those subjects interconnects with the others. It's been really fun to watch students expand their personal skills in terms of working in teams, and communicating their ideas to each other, but it's also been really amazing to watch them explore, make connections, and express their knowledge through doing.

We'll wrap up the year with a lot of choices, probably revisiting some familiar favorite friends like Ozobot and Colby, spend some time building and exploring physics, and getting a jump start on what we want to learn about next year.

Stay curious Sparrowhawks!

Mrs. Strickland

Physical Education

This month 1st and 2nd graders worked on kicking skills. We used soccer to practice ball control, passing, and shooting. These students applied these skills in smaller games used basic positioning to help them strategize.

3rd, 4th, and 5th graders have been working on volleyball skills! They have been working on basic "bump" and "set" strikes as well as an underhand serve. Students got the chance to apply these skills in gameplay.

Kindergarten have been working on paddle skills! Students learned about the two sides of the paddle and experienced striking using each side.

Shawsheen Clubs

SparrowSingers

Our choir students gave an incredible final performance at the spring concert! Our last day for choir is Tuesday, May 5th at 7am with a party in the music room. A special goodbye to our 5th graders—this group is extra special to me because I have known them since 2nd grade. We’ll miss them dearly and can’t wait to welcome our next 3rd–5th grade choir members in the fall! Thanks for your continued support! –Mrs. Small

Student Council

The school year flew by for Shawsheen’s Student Council! On April 23rd StuCo members had an end-of-year celebration and delivered spring baskets filled with sweets and handcrafted flowers to homes in our Shawsheen community. The Green Team also led litter removal on the Shawsheen campus.

2026 Kristen Mattio UNC Basketball Camps

June 1-3: Individual Skills Camp

June 11-13: Team Camp

June 15-16: Shooting and Scoring Academy

August 3: Elite Camp

Open to any and all entrants with the only permissible limitations being, age, gender, number of participaants and grade level.

Registration Information

Department of Public Health and Environment: FREE HEALTH FAIR

Know Your Numbers, Know Your Health

Learn how to prevent and reduce the impact of chronic diseases. Health Department staff and partner organizations will be available to connect you with referrals, additional screenings, programs, services, and resources that support chronic disease prevention, treatment, and overall wellness.

Screenings include

Blood Pressure
Diabetes (A1c)
Oxygen / Pulse
Height, Weight & BMI
Body Composition (InBody)
Loneliness Screening

When: Sat., May 16

Time: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Location: LINC Library, 501 8th Ave. Greeley, CO

Note: Pre-register for Diabetes Screening Call (970) 400-2325

Find more information on the Website

Box Top for Education

Dear Families,

Are you looking for a quick and easy way to support our school?

Box Tops for Education has been around for over 25 years, and it really can make a difference. In fact, the Box Tops program has helped give almost one billion dollars to schools since 1996.

The Box Tops app gives participants the ability to earn for any school across the country with just the touch of a button. Plus, the Box Tops app allows you to search for schools that could use a little extra help, so you can help give students in low-income schools the opportunity to succeed.

HERE’S HOW IT WORKS: Buy participating products and use the Box Tops app to scan your

store receipt. The app identifies eligible products and earnings are credited to your designated school online. Even if you’re shopping online or doing grocery pickup, you can still submit your digital or email receipt with the Box Tops app and earn. Twice a year, our school gets a check!

Box Tops earnings really add up, and the more people that participate, the bigger the impact we can make. So let’s give our teachers the support they need and give more kids the opportunity to succeed. Together, we can help make a big difference.

King Soopers Community Rewards Partnership

Shawsheen Families! We have signed up for a great opportunity with King Soopers.

Do you shop at King Soopers? Do you have a Loyalty number with them? Add “Shawsheen Elementary School” as your community rewards organization. That is all you need to do! Continue shopping as normal, and we get a percentage of rewards on participating items. We thank you so much!!

Enrolling in the King Soopers Community Rewards Partnership

Log on to your King Soopers Account App.
Go to the menu (three lines) on the top right.
Click on “Rewards”
Click on “Community Rewards”
Search for “Shawsheen Elementary School”
Click on “Enroll”
Done!
Shop like normal!

Mental Health Resources

Shawsheen Care Team Referral

Information on Kidstuff Counseling

Website for the Community Grief Center Greeley

IMatter - 6 Free *No insurance* therapy sessions ages 5-18

Website for North Range Behavioral Health - Child Youth & Family