July Newsletter 2014

AURORA QUEST K-8 Dave Schoenhals, Principal
17315 E 2
nd
Ave Kim Pippenger, Assistant Principal
Aurora, CO 80011 Casey Powell, Dean of Students
303-343-3664 aps.k12.co.us/quest
July, 2014

MISSION
To inspire and empower our unique students to
develop and apply their high potential within a
rigorous and supportive community.

VISION
To be an exemplary school that develops
innovative thinkers and leaders who are driven
by our guiding principles.

Congratulations Mrs. Roberts!
The Aurora Quest community sadly bids Assistant
Principal Cari Roberts farewell as she has
accepted an offer to be the new principal at Aurora
Frontier K8. Mrs. Roberts is a dedicated APS
employee and has been a huge asset to everyone
at Quest. Mrs. Roberts will be greatly missed, but
we are all delighted that she has this new
opportunity to showcase her leadership abilities.

Welcome Mrs. Pippenger!
We are excited to announce that Mrs. Kim
Pippenger will join Aurora Quest’s administrative
team as our new assistant principal. During Mrs.
Pippenger’s fifteen year
career in education,
she has taught 3rd
through 6th grades
and she has
supported teachers
in coaching and
administrative roles
from pre-school
through 8th grade.

Mrs. Pippenger’s various work experiences, as
well as her passion for gifted students make her a
welcome addition to our school.

Dates to Remember
JULY
17– Aug 1 Office Open - 7:15-3:15

AUGUST
Aug 2 APS Back to School Kick-off; ACHS , 8:30-11:00am
Aug 4 Teacher Workday, No Classes except:
6
th
Grade Transition - 9:00 am - Noon
K-5
th
Grade New Parent Night - 5:00 pm
K-5
th
Grade Back to School Night - 6:00 pm
Aug 5 First Day of School - Grades 4 – 8
6
th
- 8
th
New Parent Night - 5:00 pm
6
th
- 8
th
Grade Back to School Night - 6:00 pm
Aug 5, 6 District Elementary Literacy Testing Days, Grades 1-3
Aug 7 First Full Day of Classes - Grades 1-3
Aug 12 First Day of School - Kindergarten
New Parent Tea - 7:30 am
Accountability Meeting - 5:00 pm
PTA Meeting - 6:00 pm
Aug 14 Volunteer Social/Dessert Night, 6:00 pm
Aug 19 Skate City Night - 6:00 pm
Aug 21 K-8 Math Night, 6:00 pm
Aug 29 Parent Coffee with the Principal, 7:30 am

SEPTEMBER
Sept 1 LABOR DAY- NO CLASSES
Sept 4 Picture Day
Sept 9 Accountability Meeting - 5:00 pm
PTA Meeting - 6:00 pm
Sept 11 6-8
th
Grade Parent Teacher Conferences 3-8pm
Sept 17 K-5th Grade Parent Teacher Conferences 3-8pm
Sept 26 Donuts for Dads - 7:00 am

Student Schedules
Schedules for Middle School Students will be mailed to your
home the week of July 28th. Additionally, student schedules
and room assignments will be available during Back to
School Night. Middle School parents may pick up a copy of
their student’s schedule in the lobby before the presentation
begins. Elementary students will be listed by grade,
alphabetically by last name, and posted on the windows in
the lobby. Student schedules and teacher assignments
are not available in the main office prior to Back-to-
School Night.


BACK-TO-SCHOOL NIGHTS

We will hold two Back-to-School nights this
year. Parents with students entering 6-8
th

grades are invited to attend on August 5
st
and
parents of K- 5th grade students on August
4
th
. Please see the schedule outlined below.


K - 5
th
Grades - August 4
th


New Elementary School Student/Parent
Informational Meeting - Quest Gym
5:00-6:00 Gym
 Administrator presentations
 Parent-led building tours
 Find your student’s name on the classroom lists
posted in the main lobby
6:00-7:30
 Join returning elementary school parents and
students for Back-to-School night presentations
as outlined below.

Elementary School
Back-to-School Night
5:30 to 6:00 Main Lobby
 Meet, Greet and Mingle with parents of returning
students
 Find your student’s name on the classroom lists
posted in the main lobby
6:00 to 6:45 Gym
 Staff introductions
 Administrator presentations
 PTA/Bridges and Community presentations
6:45 to 7:00 Classrooms
 Classroom presentations by teachers
7:00 to 7:30 Open House
 Sign up for PTA and/or Acct Committees
 Nutrition Services-payments and information
 Quest Spiritwear will be available for sale in the
cafeteria, $5 - $10 for t-shirts.
 Before and after school childcare information -
Kids’ Adventures


6
th
- 8
th
Grades - August 5
th

New Middle School Student/Parent
Informational Meeting, Quest Gym
5:00-6:00 Gym
 Administrator Presentations
 Parent-led building tours
 Pick up your child’s schedule in the front lobby
6:00-7:30
 Join returning middle school parents and students
for Back-to-School night presentations, as outlined
below.

Middle School Back-to-School Night
5:30 to 6:00 Main Lobby
 Meet, Greet and Mingle with parents of returning
students
 Pick up your child’s schedule in the front lobby
6:00-6:45 Gym
 Staff Introductions
 Middle School Athletics
 Administrator Presentations
 PTA/Bridges and Community presentations
6:45 to 7:00 Classrooms
 Classroom presentations by teachers for parents
of new & returning students.
7:00 to 7:30 Open House
 Sign up for PTA and/or Accountability
Committees
 Register for the Parent Portal
 Nutrition Services-payments and information
 Before and after school childcare information -
Kids’ Adventures
 Quest Spiritwear will be available for sale in the
cafeteria, $5 - $10 for t-shirts.
 PE shirts for 6
th
, 7
th
and 8
th
graders are on sale
for $7 in the cafeteria. Students in those grades
are required to wear this shirt during gym class
along with appropriate shorts or sweats and
tennis shoes.


Note: Parking during Quest parent
events can be challenging. Please
allow plenty of time to arrive and find a
parking space. If our lot is full, parking
on the paved streets surrounding Quest
is allowed, and the Transportation
Department's employee parking lot is
also available for you to
park in.




FIRST DAY(S) OF SCHOOL &
LITERACY TESTING
4
th
-8
th
grade student’s first day of school is August
5
th
. 1
st
– 3
rd
grade student’s first full day is August
7
th
. Literacy testing for students in grades K – 3
rd

will be conducted, by appointment, on August 5
th

and 6th. On July 21, 2014, 1
st
-3
rd
grade
parents/guardians will receive an email with a link
to Signup Genius. This link will allow you select a
Literacy testing time on August 5
th
or 6
th
. The
testing will take approximately 30 or 40 minutes
per student. Contact Cindy Stoeber on or after
July 21
st
at 303-343-3664 if you are unable to
sign-up electronically and she will assist you in
scheduling a time for your student to test.

Kindergarten students have already been
scheduled for this appointment. The first full day of
school for Kindergarteners is August 12.

QUEST 2014-15 CALENDAR
The Aurora Quest K8 yearly calendar
differs slightly from the APS traditional
calendar. Please
reference the Quest
calendar that is posted on
our website and is sent
home with each student on the first day
of school for accurate attendance dates.

Elementary Professional
Release Dates on the
District Calendar
Aurora Quest and other K-8 schools in the
district will NOT participate in the early release
days for elementary level students that are listed
on the Aurora Public Schools District Calendar
(Aug. 29, Oct 13, Jan 5 and April 20). We will
have regular school on those dates, including
normal Aurora Quest K8 bus service.

TRANSPORTATION
SCHEDULES
Bus routes and schedules are expected
to be finalized by July 30. We will post
the schedules on our website when we
receive them.


2014-15 QUEST BELL SCHEDULE
Arrival:
Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday:
7:37 (Train Whistle) for 8
th
Graders to enter the
building
7:40 (Train Whistle) for 6
th
& 7
th
Graders to enter
the building
7:43 (Bell Tone) for K-5 students to enter the
building
7:45 (Bell Tone) for entire school – all students
should be in their classrooms

Wednesday:
9:22 (Train Whistle) for 8
th
Graders to enter the
building
9:25 (Train Whistle) for 6
th
& 7
th
Graders to enter
the building
9:28 (Bell Tone) for K-5 students to enter the
building
9:30 (Bell Tone) for entire school – all students
should be in their classrooms

Dismissal:
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday:
2:30 (Bell Tone) All students are dismissed from
class. If any student is not picked up by 2:45,
the teacher will take the student to Kids’
Adventure. Childcare charges will apply.

2014-15 School Lunch
Prices
Effective July 1, 2014 the meal prices are:
 K-4
th
breakfast $1.10
 5
th
- 8
th
breakfast $1.35
 K-4
th
lunch $2.20
 5
th
– 8
th
lunch $2.70
 6
th
– 8
th
reduced lunch $0.40
 Sack lunch milk is $0.75.

All K-5
th
grade students who qualify for reduced meals will
receive breakfast and lunch free.

Beginning July 7, 2014, Parents can apply for free and
reduced meals online. Please go to
https://www.applyforlunch.com to apply. Traditional paper
applications will be available during Back-to-School night or
in the main office during regular office hours.

Checks for student lunches can be made out to Aurora
Public Schools and turned in to the Kitchen Manager,
Nicole Bundy, in the cafeteria between 7:00 am and 12:30
pm. The main office cannot accept payment for lunches.


6
th
Grade Transition Day
Welcome New 6th Graders!
On August 4th, we will welcome all incoming 6th
graders for a preview of life in middle school.
From 9am to 12pm, students will meet their
teachers, learn to open lockers, tour the building
and learn about how to organize their materials
and assignments. Please make transportation
arrangements for this exciting opportunity for 6th
grade students! Students will receive an
invitation in the mail with additional information
about Transition Day.

Parents of 6
th
grade students: this preview is
just for the students. But we won’t leave you
out! Please join us for Back to School night on
August 5th.

NEXT PTA MEETING
PTA meetings are held in the Quest Media
Center the second Tuesday of each month
from 6-7pm. Free childcare is provided in
the cafeteria. Attendance at PTA meetings
counts toward your volunteer hours. Please
join us for the first meeting of the new
school year on August 12, 2014. This
year’s PTA board members are:
 Teri Dossey – President
 Nicole Mahan – Vice President
 Mark Bailey – Treasurer
 Michelle Hannawald – Secretary


ACCOUNTABILITY COMMITTEE
MEETING
Accountability committee meetings are also
held in the Quest Media Center on the
second Tuesday of each month from 5-6
pm. Childcare is not provided during these
meetings. Please consider joining us on
August 12 for our first meeting.

$ QUEST SHIRTS FOR SALE $
Show your Quest spirit! Various Quest
shirts will be sold in the cafeteria during
both Back-to-School nights. Prices
vary; ranging from $5-
$10


Middle School Sports
Athletics for the 2014-15 school year will
kick off with a short informational meeting
for students interested in Track and Field or
Girls’ Swimming. Please meet in the gym,
right after school. Practice begins on
August 6
th
for boys and girls track & field.
Girls swim team practice will begin the 2
nd

week of school. Sixth, seventh and eighth
grade students are eligible to participate.
Additional information will be presented
during Back-to-School Night.

Before a student can participate in any
athletics, the participation packet must be
filled out along with a sports physical form.
The athletics packet can be picked up from
the publications rack outside the main
office. We look forward to another
successful year of Quest athletics.

SPORTS PHYSICALS
APS DISTRICT-WIDE
All Aurora Public Schools Middle and High
School athletes can get their physicals at
Aurora Central High School on Saturday,
August 2
nd
from 8:00 am to noon.

In order to be able to participate in middle
school or high school athletics. Each
participant must have a physical exam. Aurora
Public Schools, in partnership with the
University of Colorado Hospital, will be
offering physicals to participants for only
$10.00

QUEST MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS
Rocky Mountain Youth Clinic will provide the
Ronald McDonald Mobile Clinic for Quest
Middle School students who need a sports
physical on August 6
th
and 7
th
. Unfortunately,
Kaiser insurance is not accepted, but most
private insurances, as well as CHP, and
Medicaid are accepted. If the child is
uninsured there is a $10 charge for the visit. A
parent or guardian must be present. A Sign-
up Genius link will be emailed out to
households with middle school students. If
you choose to schedule a physical, you will be
able to schedule the time and date that works
best for your schedule.



If you have been in the school lately, you
have noticed that the lobby is under
construction! The new security vestibule is
scheduled to be completed by the first day of
school. Changes to our security procedure have
been implemented because of the new
door/security vestibule. Visitors to the school
will sign in, be issued an APS Visitor’s badge at
the new window in the main office and then
proceed directly to their destination instead of
coming into the office. Parents and guardians
who need to sign students out of the school will
also sign at the new window and then be able to
wait in the our new waiting area within the
security vestibule.













SUMMER SPORTS
CAMPS
Students from Quest had the
opportuntiy to participate in
soccer, basketball and volleyball
camps. These students attended the camps to
refine their skills and teamwork. Thanks to the
coaches for spending part of their summer break
to work with our aspiring athletes.




Volleyball Camp
participants took a break
from working out to watch
USA v. Germany in the
World Cup.

PLEASE USE THE SIDEWALKS!

Aurora Quest is a beautiful school and we want
to keep it beautiful. You can help us by using
the sidewalks instead of walking on the grass
or landscape rocks. Please encourage
everyone in your family to use the sidewalks.
























HAVE YOU MOVED?
Does Aurora Public Schools have a current address on
file for you? If not, you will need to visit Centralized
Admissions (no appointment necessary) to complete the
“Student Demographic Change” form. You must bring
current ***proof of address and a photo I.D. with you. If
you need to change your phone number or email
address just stop by the Quest office. Centralized
Admissions is open Monday-Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 4:00
p.m. No appointment necessary. This office is open
year-round (including fall, spring and summer breaks)
but closed district holidays and winter break.

Centralized Admissions Office:
1085 Peoria Street, Aurora, CO 80011
(SW corner of 11th Ave and Peoria St)
Contact by phone at 303-326-2200

***For specific document requirements or to learn more
about Centralized Admissions visit
http://admissions.aurorak12.org.


Dear Quest Parents,

The staff at Kids Adventures is excited for the new school year. We are most excited about our new computerized online system.
We have been working on this system for a whole year and training on it all summer and are ready to roll it out this school year.
On this system you will be able to register for Kids Adventures online, pay online and the check in and out system will be
computerized. It is all very exciting, and we appreciate everyone’s patience as it has been in the works for awhile.

We will be continuing to provide care for before school, after school, Wednesday late starts and full days. Like last year there are
different start dates for different grades. 4th through 8th will begin on Tuesday August 5th; 1st through 3rd start Thursday August
7th; and Kindergarten starts on Tuesday August 13th. As of right now we will only be offering before and after school care on
Tuesday August 5th for 4th through 8th grade and then adding the grades to before and after school care for 1st through 3rd on
the 7th and for kindergarten on the 12th. Kids Adventures care is available to anyone who is registered for this school year. If you
were enrolled in the 2013-2014 school year, you will need to register for this school year.

Registering in Kids Adventures for the 2014-2015 school year is easy to do and is an absolute must if you want child care before
school, after school, or on late start mornings (students who are not registered and enrolled for this school year will not be
allowed to attend Kids Adventures). Follow these easy steps to get registered:
1. Go to www.kidsadventures.org and click on the “Register Online” tab in the red bar at the top.
2. Create an account and fill out the enrollment forms.
3. Pay the registration fee and first week’s payment. (see our payment policy online at www.kidsadventures.org).

All 3 steps must be completed before a child can attend Kids Adventures. IF all 3 steps are not completed prior to the first day of
child care attendance, your student(s) will NOT be allowed to attend Kids Adventures until they are. Enrollment is open now until
Monday August 4th.

In order to be properly prepared and appropriately staffed for the first days of school, we will NOT accept enrollment after August
4th. There is the potential for a large number of students to enroll in Kids Adventures. So be sure to enroll your student if you
plan on using Kids Adventures at all this school year. The staff of Kids Adventures will do their very best to accommodate
everyone. Because of the potential of a large number of students enrolling, Kids Adventure will be FIRM on the enrollment
procedures and the payment policy!
Payment Policy:
• Payments must be made in advance, and are due by Wednesday (Failure to pay by Wednesday may result in loss of
available space for your child and his/her child care needs.)
• Payments are for the following week, and should cover every day needed for child care. (For example: My child needs care
on Monday, Tuesday and Friday. My payment, which is due the Wednesday prior, will be for three days of care. If I need child
care all five days of the week, my payment will be for five days of care.)
• Payment for the first week of school (August 5-8) will be due by Monday August 4th; this is an exception to the Wednesday
rule. All other payments will be due on Wednesdays.
I understand that things come up, and that there may be times when students need to “drop in” at Kids Adventures on short
notice. On those occasions, students can still “drop in” for care, with the understanding that the Kids Adventures staff is notified
as soon as possible, and that payment for the “drop in” visit is due at the time of service, in other words, when the student is
picked up. Please see our payment policy for more information.

We are looking forward to another great year with Quest students and their families. To start this year off right, and for
everything to flow smoothly, please ensure that ALL the necessary steps have been completed and that you are familiar with the
payment policy. Don’t forget to read through the parent /student handbook (also available online). If you have any questions, the
best way to contact me is through email, at [email protected], or you may check out the website at: www.kidsadventures.org.

We will be at Back to School night to answer questions; we look forward to seeing and meeting all of you.

Here is to a great year,
Bekah Sagor
Aurora Quest K-8, Kids Adventures Director
P.S. Kids’ Adventures, Inc works closely with the Colorado Department of Human Services to continue to provide quality,
affordable child care to low income families through CCAP/TANF and more, look at our website for more information on this.


Dear Fellow Quest Parents,

My name is April Banaitis and I am chairing the 3rd annual Aurora Quest K-8 Silent Auction. The date
for this event is October 18, 2014. Last year’s event made just under $10K for Quest. The Auction
Committee has been working hard to secure donations but we still need your help. We are asking that
every family contribute in some way to this event. Your donations can be a service, talent, new goods, or a
monetary gift (see list below for ideas).

Last year’s auction was a great way to earn money for the school and just as importantly foster that
sense of community our school prides itself on. We believe that if every Quest family pitches in,
this event will be an even greater success. I personally look forward to it being bigger and better
this year.

The funds brought in from the auction will help buy supplies and materials for the classroom as well as help
support the teachers. Thank you in advance for your help with this undertaking. Should you have any
questions or concerns regarding the auction please send them to [email protected].

Sincerely,

April Banaitis

Services (should be
licensed/certified and insured
for professional services)

Lawn Care
Babysitting
Play date
Plumbing
House Painting
Salon Services
Handyman service
Dog walking
Oil change
Pooper Scooper
Massage
House cleaning
Car wash/detailing
House sitting
Party hosting
Event planning
Web development
PC repair
Tutoring
Dog grooming

Talents

Piano lessons
Art lessons
Knitting lessons
Cake decorating lessons
Sailing lessons
Sewing lessons
Voice lessons
Cooking lessons
Fishing lessons
Quilting Lessons
Dance lessons
Golf lessons

Experiences

Time share donation
Sports tickets
Movie Tickets
Concert Tickets
Ski tickets
Tea party
Theatre tickets
Amusement Park Tickets
Family Dinner
Vacation package
Limousine ride
Rafting trip

Goods (should be new, in original
packaging)

Themed baskets
Art work
Board games
Movies
Gaming device
Books
Home décor
Sporting equipment
Bottle of wine
Toys
Movies
CDs
Art Supplies
Costumes
Recreation Vehicle
School supplies
Dolls
Play set
Electronic Device