Principal Newsletter // April 21st, 2026

Apr 20

Dear Appleton Community,

Appletones To Perform At JUCO!

Appleton’s amazing music teacher, Mrs. Hanley, is excited to announce that of the 50 singers and groups who auditioned to sing the national anthem at the Junior College World Series, our own student choir, The Appletones, were in the top 13 who were selected to perform. The Appletones will perform at Suplizio Stadium on Wednesday, May 27 at 2:00pm just before the game starts. What an honor to represent our school, community, and country!

Years of Service Milestones at Appleton

Check out these awesome Appleton employees who have reached significant milestones in their years of service. What an awesome team!

Paraprofessional: Talesha Barnett-5 years

PreK: Krystal Stiles-Norby-5 years

Mental Health: Annie Davenport-5 years

1st Grade Teacher: Stacey Dangler-15 years

4th Grade Teacher: Roxi Fanning-15 years

Kindergarten Teacher: Liz Geer-15 years

1st Grade Teacher: Matt Rossman-15 years

Gifted & Talented Teacher: Krisi Gustad-20 years

Special Education Teacher: Shannon Thornton-20 years

5th Grade Teacher: Barb Williams-25 years

Book Fair Spirit Week Is Coming!

Bookfair this year is April 27-May 1 and we are going to have some fun dressing up with themed days that week to celebrate.

Monday, April 27 - Party in the USA. Dress in red, white, and blue.

Tuesday, April 28 - Tropical Tourist. Wear bright colors, Hawaiian shirts, or your favorite vacation outfit.

Wednesday, April 29 - Wacky Wednesday. Wear mismatched clothes or a wacky hairdo.

Thursday, April 30 - Take Me Out To The Ball Game - Represent your favorite team or sport by wearing any jersey, hat or gear.

Friday, May 1 - Comfy and Cozy. Wear your favorite pajamas and bring your favorite stuffy, too.

School Ends 2 Days Sooner + Bond Issue Update

Exciting improvements are coming to Appleton this summer!

As part of our continued voter-approved bond work, Appleton is set to receive more than $7 million in construction upgrades, including asbestos abatement, HVAC improvements, fire suppression updates, the addition of a makerspace area in the library, and important ADA accessibility enhancements. These upgrades will greatly improve our learning environment for students and staff for years to come.

To help ensure a smooth and well-organized transition into construction, district leadership is working closely with staff to prepare for the upcoming changes. This includes time for packing, organizing, and relocating materials before work begins.

As a result, the last day of school for Appleton students has been moved to Monday, May 18, 2026—two days earlier than originally scheduled.

We appreciate your flexibility and support as we take this exciting step forward in improving our school!

2nd Annual Burgers & BINGO Night A Great Success

Thank you to the PTA for sponsoring another great Burgers and BINGO Night last week! Over 150 Appletonians enjoyed a night of BINGO, Freddy’s burgers, and free books for all of the kids who attended.

Last Week for Parent Recommendations for Classroom Assignments for Next Year

Parent Recommendations for Classroom Assignment Forms will be available at the Appleton office starting April 1. Parent requests for classroom placement for 2026-2027 must be turned in to the office by Friday, April 24, 2025 at 4:00pm. A completed Parent Recommendation for Classroom Assignment is not a guarantee that your child will be placed with the requested teacher. As in past years, teachers are subject to moving to different grade levels and assignments well after requests have been made.

Colorado Measures of Academic Success (CMAS)

Please avoid appointments during these dates.

4th grade tests - April 21,22,23

5th grade tests - April 21,22,23

Warmer Temperatures and the Dress Code

We want students to be comfortable, but at the same time they need to dress in a manner that will not create a distraction, is safe, and follows the dress code. Here are a few guidelines to follow:

Shorts and skirts should be approximately to the end of the index finger, or longer when arms are held at the sides. For shorter-styled skirts, it is suggested that shorts be worn underneath.
Shirts and tops should be long enough to meet the top of pants and shorts.
Spaghetti strap tops are not allowed. Straps, at the minimum, should be approximately two finger widths.
Undershirts should not be worn as the primary shirt. If worn, undershirts should be covered by a regular shirt.
Skate shoes (Heelys) and skateboards are not allowed at school.
“Blowouts” on flip-flop sandals are very common. If flip-flops are to be worn, please send additional back up shoes.

Thank you for your help in ensuring your child dresses appropriately for school. When students dress in a manner that reflects the belief that school is important, a more focused atmosphere is created which helps to improve achievement.

SCHOLASTIC BOOK FAIR COMING SOON!

✨Our library is about to transform into a book lover’s paradise, and we need a few amazing volunteers to help make the magic happen!✨

Volunteer tasks may include:

* Fair Set Up

* Fair Decoration Crew

*Helping students find books

* Greeting excited readers

* Straightening displays

* Assisting with checkout *PTA/Staff ONLY*

*Fair Clean Up

Even 30 minutes of your time makes a big difference!

Come be part of the excitement and help students discover books they’ll love reading all summer long.

To help us keep the book fair safe, organized, and focused on our students, we kindly ask that volunteers arrive on time, without small children for their shift, and head out promptly when it ends, so we can keep the fair organized and running smoothly. We truly appreciate your understanding and support!

For security, financial accountability, and confidentiality reasons, only approved and trained PTA members will be able to operate the cash registers. Additionally, volunteers who have not been approved by Mr. Hafey or myself, as well as children of any age, are not permitted behind the Book Fair desk at any time or to handle money, inventory, or materials located in that area. These guidelines help protect students, volunteers, and the school. Thank you for your understanding and support!

Sign up to volunteer below…

Book Fair Sign-up

Thank you for supporting our school library!

—😍Mrs. Weber

Appleton Elementary Librarian

Missing Something?

We have collected over 100 student coats and sweat tops as well as numerous hats, lunch pails, and other items in our lost and found. 100!!! Please check out the Appleton lost and found.

Are You Moving?

If you are planning on moving and if your child will not be attending Appleton next year, please contact the school office. This will help us better predict the number of Transfer Requests we can approve.