O’Dea Families,
It has been an incredible week of celebrations at O’Dea! We wrapped up Autism Awareness Week with our annual family breakfast and saw amazing success in our extracurriculars: our intermediate Odyssey of the Mind team is headed to the state finals, and our 4th and 5th-grade Battle of the Books teams secured 1st place at districts. We also honored our wonderful custodian, Jim Henderson, for winning the Don Morford Custodial Employee of the Year Award. To top it all off, the entire school enjoyed a special recess on Friday to celebrate these achievements!
Next week, on Thursday, April 9th, PTA is treating the O’Dea Teachers to a fun “Treat the Teachers” Chips & Dips Bar to show our amazing teachers just how much we appreciate them—and we’d love your help to make it a delicious success! We’re looking for volunteers to bring in a variety of chips, dips, and snack pairings. The more variety, the better! Think tortilla chips, pita chips, pretzels, veggie sticks, salsa, guacamole, hummus, queso, spinach dip, or any favorite you’d like to share! Homemade or store-bought items are both welcome! Please see the sign-up below: Drop Off Time10:00 a.m.
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/70A0D49ABAA2FA5FB6-63256795-treat
Thank you so much for helping us celebrate our hardworking teachers—they truly deserve it, and your support makes these moments extra special!
O’Dea Battle of the Books District Competition: We had our 5th Grade Team (Isabella Lorusso, Quentin Powleka, CC Giaaratano-Green, Lawson Dubois-Phelan) win again for a threepeat - 3rd, 4th, and 5th Grade Champions!!!. Our 4th Grade Team (4th Grade: Naomi Bayham, Sage Tholl, and Zoe Roberts) also took 1st Place! 3rd Grade (Cora Pease, Hazel Clark, and Kaia Guzman) was so close to winning.
The Division I (grades 3-5) Odyssey of Mind team took second place at Regionals last week! They're heading to State on April 11. Our team is Silas Wardle, Victor Rivera, Escher Zamora, Miles Blocksma, Cora Pease, Isaac Henke, and Ari Hershmann. They've got a snazzy new trophy to display at O'Dea!
I want to send a huge thank-you to Jamie Bailey for organizing our Mural Project and to all the volunteers who have helped over the last couple of weeks. We have made quite a bit of progress and still have a small bit to go :). If you are an adult who has time to help (touching up kid jobs, painting around hardware, second coat of dashes, etc), here are a few times we will be having Adult Volunteer Painting ( 3/30 Monday 9am - noon & 4/6 Monday 5-7:30pm). Please reach out to Jaime Bailey if you plan to help on any of the days @ 970-889-0119
Don’t forget our next PTA/SAC Meeting 4/14. We will have PTA from 6:30-7:30, and the School Accountability Committee from 7:30-8:00 (in the media center, snacks and childcare provided!) and we’d be thrilled to see any parents who are excited to jump in and support O’Dea- everyone is welcome! (see additional PTA news in the PTA Newsletter)!. Our amazing PTA is looking for some new officers for the 2026-27 school year (President, Vice President, and Treasurer)! If you are interested, please contact Kim Murray, our current PTA President @ ODeaPTA@gmail.com.
NEW O’Dea Poetry Contest - All O’Dea students are invited to submit an original poem to the 2026 O’Dea Poetry Contest! Submissions are free and will be open until Wednesday, April 22nd. One winner and one runner-up will be chosen for each of the two divisions. Winners will receive $50 each and runners-up $25 each. All four students will read their winning poems at the last school assembly of the year on May 22nd. So, get creative; get weird! Send us your best poem, whether it’s funny, sad, hopeful, creepy, sunny, dark, serious, or something else entirely.
Running Club is coming to O'Dea for all 3-5 students on Thursday, April 2, 9, 16, 30, and May 7. We need your help to make it a success! Please sign up to help at one or more Running Club sessions. Volunteer positions include lap counter, water refill helper, monitor & motivate, run/walk buddy. Running is not required to help at the running club! https://www.signupgenius.com/go/9040F44A5A929ABF58-62731371-odea
TWO O’Dea DINNER NIGHTS IN APRIL!!!
4/22 April Dinner Night Out - The final O'Dea dining fundraiser will be on Wednesday, April 22nd at Bad Daddy's Burger Bar. Having the event as the kids head into a long weekend will be a nice treat and a wonderful way to celebrate all the hard work the older ones have done on CMAS testing :) Bad Daddy's will be donating 20% of sales from 5PM-9PM when O'Dea Elementary is mentioned. Flyers will go into teacher mailboxes in early April.
4/27 April Dinner Night Out @ Culver's 5:00-8:00 - As part of Autism Awareness Week, Culver's has partnered with us to celebrate students who receive Autism Support. Some of our students who receive Autism Support will serve as food runners and help the Culver’s team run the restaurant. Come show your support, and 10% of sales come back to O’Dea!
Spring Testing - Colorado Measures of Academic Success
We are approaching the time of year when we administer CMAS (Colorado Measures of Academic Success), the assessments required by our state and federal governments. This year, 3rd – 5th grade students will take grade-level assessments in Math and English Language Arts (reading and writing), 4th grade will take one session of Social Studies, and 5th grade will also take a Science assessment. Each test has 3 sessions that last from 65 – 90 minutes depending on the test. These tests provide valuable information for our school and teachers, who use the data to understand where students are in their learning and tailor instruction accordingly. The district also uses these results to measure overall student academic progress and identify opportunities for improvement.
Here are a couple of tips to help make sure your kids do their best:
- Go to bed early — we recommend by 9:00 pm at the latest.
- Wake up on time – that will avoid extra stress and help them start out the day on the right foot.
- Be at school on time – don’t use energy being rushed, use your energy to think.
- Eat a good breakfast – eggs, fruits, oatmeal, granola bars, etc. (avoid sugar)
- Wear comfortable clothes – so you can use your energy to focus on the test.
- Remind them to do their best – but not to stress out.
- Boost their confidence – leave them with encouraging words and support.
Please reach out with any questions to Ryan Joyal - if you have any questions Ryan Joyal- rjoyal@psdschools.org -970.488.4450…we are here to help!
Opportunities to Get Involved or Let Your Voice Be Heard 📣
Announcing PTA sponsored COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT MINI GRANTS! Do you have a fabulous idea you're excited about bringing to life to enhance our school community? The PTA has created a Google form that community members can utilize to request funding to support these projects and create opportunities to bring our O'Dea community together. Feeling passionate about an idea you're excited to execute? Use this form to present your idea! (All ideas are welcome! Want hot chocolate for a star gazing night? Whistles and maps for a hike? Prizes for a competition? Supplies for a beautification project? Let's hear it! )
Passionate about spoiling our teachers and staff? Do you love planning fun events? Got a little time, a big smile, or a fun idea to share? We’d love your help as we plan some exciting things coming up — Teacher Appreciation Week, our school-wide end-of-year Core Fair, and even helping shape the future of our PTA! Whether you want to jump in, help behind the scenes, or just learn more, we’d love to have you involved.
We’re excited that PTA meetings are back in person, and everyone is welcome! Our next meeting is on 4/14 (in the media center, snacks and childcare provided!) and we’d be thrilled to see any parents who are excited to jump in and support O’Dea. (see additional PTA news in the PTA Newsletter)!
Library Helpers Needed (Quarter 4)
Our amazing Library team is looking for volunteers to assist students with finding and checking out and reshelving books on Wednesdays. It’s a great opportunity to support literacy and connect with students!👉 https://www.signupgenius.com/go/70A0D49ABAA2FA5FB6-62876760-q4library
A Note From O’Dea PTA
Looking for O'Dea gear!? The O'Dea Gear store is open and can be purchased here: https://odeaelementaryschool.givebacks.com/shop
AND - REMEMBER: If you plan to volunteer in the school, please, please register with the PSD volunteer registration website. Thank you, families, for being such an important part of our community. We couldn’t do this without you!
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O’Dea Family Calendar Arrival/Dismissal Times 9:05-3:43 |
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4/6-4/17 |
CMAS (Colorado Measures of Academic Success) is the assessment required by our state and federal governments. This year, 3rd – 5th grade students will take grade-level assessments in Math and English Language Arts (reading and writing), 4th grade will take one session of Social Studies, and 5th grade will also take a Science assessment. |
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4/14 |
PTA & SAC Meeting in Person PTA 6:30-7:30 SAC 7:30-8:00 |
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4/22 |
O’Dea Dinner Night Out @ Bad Daddy's Time: 5 PM - 9 PM Location: 347 E Foothills Pkwy, Fort Collins, CO 80525 "O'Dea Elementary" is the fundraiser code |
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4/23 & 24 |
No School |
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4/28 |
Class Picture Day :) |