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Dear Poudre School District Community,
Welcome back to the Poudre School District and, of course, Happy New Year! I hope everyone had a restful break and is ready to start the semester strong.
There is plenty to catch up on and get ready for as the new year begins, so let’s get started!
Sincerely,
Brian Kingsley, Superintendent
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Call for applications: Comprehensive Planning Committee
The Comprehensive Planning Committee is seeking representatives to join the committee this spring. The committee is charged with making recommendations to the Superintendent as well as the Board of Education (BOE) specific to the district’s long-range planning efforts. More information about the committee can be found in its charter.
The committee is seeking two community member representatives who live within district boundaries, a parent representative from the Fort Collins High School feeder and the Wellington Middle High School feeder, and a middle school principal. To apply to serve on the committee, please complete the online application at the link below. Applications are available from January 9 through January 20. A lottery will be run in early February to select representatives from those who apply. All applicants will be notified of their selection status at that time. Anyone with questions can contact PSD’s Chief of Staff, Dr. Lauren Hooten, at lho...@psdschools.org.
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Board of Education recaps
The Poudre School District is now providing a way for the community to keep up to date on Board of Education actions during board meetings if they aren’t able to attend in person. Board recaps are now available on the BOE’s page of the PSD site. These breakdowns will quickly explain what was discussed, what was voted on, and any other important information from each meeting. Recaps will be posted after meetings take place and can all be found on the BOE’s page of the PSD website!
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Every School Day Matters: Get started right and stay healthy
As part of PSD’s partnership with the Colorado Department of Education’s Every School Day Matters campaign, we welcome students back and remind families to get started on the right foot in the new semester! It is important to start the year off right, making sure to show up every day to school. Remember that PSD has resources available to all students to ensure they are able to attend class every day.
The beginning of the year also signals cold and flu season where sickness tends to spread more in school. Be sure to monitor any symptoms of sickness that students might be experiencing and take the proper precautions to get better and avoid getting others sick. If your student is ill, be sure to inform their school and ask for any important schoolwork they might be missing.
You can check the Colorado Department of Health and Environment's guidelines at the link below. As long as your student is healthy, please encourage showing up to class when school is in session. If you have questions about your student coming to school due to a health or mental health concern, feel free to contact your school’s front office.
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Superintendent Community Engagement Listening Sessions
Superintendent Community Listening sessions will return this month as Superintendent Brian Kingsley is scheduled to meet with the PSD community to answer questions and hear feedback. These sessions are open to anyone, even if their child does not attend the school where the session is being hosted.
Superintendent Kingsley’s next session will be held from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 21, at Wellington Middle-High School, 2856 Cleveland Ave., Wellington. The next two Board of Education community engagement sessions will be held on February 19 from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at Laurel and Tavelli Elementary Schools.
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Parent and Grandparent Summit at Fort Collins High School
The Parent, Grandparent, Kinship Caregiver Summit, presented by the Center for Family Outreach, is an educational event designed to empower caregivers with the knowledge and tools they need to support their adolescent’s development. The summit features expert-led workshops on youth mental health, cyber safety, suicide prevention, grief support, and other important parent resources. Attendees will have the opportunity to network with other caregivers and gain valuable insights to enhance their parenting, grandparenting, and caregiving skills. The free event will be held at Fort Collins High School, 3400 Lambkin Way, on Feb. 7 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
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Colorado State University Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebration
PSD has partnered with Colorado State University and several other local organizations to hold a celebration on Martin Luther King Jr. Day to honor Dr. King’s legacy again this year. The event aims to bring together community partners for a day of reflection, inspiration, and engagement that will include performances and multiple engagement opportunities.
This year’s event will begin at 10 a.m. on Jan. 19 inside the ballrooms in the Lory Student Center on the CSU campus, 1101 Center Ave. Mall, for a short program followed by exciting engagement opportunities. The event is free to attend and open to all in the community.
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Two electric buses joining PSD fleet in 2026
The future of school district transportation took shape as PSD board directors, students, and local officials came together in December to announce the future addition of two electric buses to the district’s fleet. The two 2026 Thomas Jouley buses can transport 77 passengers and will be used as route buses around the district. PSD will also be installing two charging stations at Timnath Middle-High School serviced by Xcel Energy. The district expects to receive the buses next fall.
| Timnath Middle High School, Future Home of EV Bus Depot - December 5, 2025 | |
Kinard Core Knowledge Middle School girls cross country ends 2025 with historic win
The Kinard Core Knowledge Middle School girls cross country team ran away with history at the end of last year, bringing home the school’s first state championship title in girls cross country. The Mustangs competed for the state championship on Oct. 25 in Denver and, after a slow start, worked their way through the field over the 3,500-meter course. Every runner finished with a season-best performance. Way to go, Mustangs!
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Three PSD teachers awarded for health and physical education
Among the many vital pieces of a student's education is health and physical education, and the hard work of three teachers in these fields received state recognition in early December. Laura Barnes and Melissa Matz, both from Fort Collins High School, and Mark Bartlett from Irish Elementary were all named as Teacher of the Year in Health and Physical Education by SHAPE, the state organization for health and physical education. Matz and Bartlett won best high school PE teacher and best elementary school PE teacher, respectively, while Barnes won best high school health teacher.
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Q: Why does PSD give so much attention to athletic achievements but not as much academic achievements? There is tons of coverage of state champion athletes, but no or very little mention of valedictorians, salutatorians, honor roles, or academic scholarship earners. As PSD doesn't promote them, neither does the Coloradoan. PSD's first mission is education. An athlete has 12+ seasons in 4 years to win a state competition, but students can be valedictorian only once, it takes four years of consistent work. I know PSD is moving away from awarding those individual academic honors, but continues to celebrate athletic accomplishments such as school records and championships. How will PSD honor and promote academic achievement in the future? Who you feature is usually who you value and the athletics vs academics balance seems to be off.
A: Thank you for raising this question. It’s an important one, and I appreciate the care and thought behind it.
First and foremost, I want to be clear: academic learning is the core of our mission, and we deeply value the hard work, persistence, and excellence our students demonstrate every day in our classrooms. Academic achievement matters and it always will in PSD.
You’re correct that athletic accomplishments often receive visible recognition, particularly at the state level. That’s partly because athletic championships are organized as public, team-based competitions with clear milestones that are shared widely through league and media systems. Academic achievement, while equally deserving of celebration, is often recognized in more localized or school-specific ways, and we have not always done a strong enough job elevating those stories districtwide.
Going forward, we are being more intentional about how we highlight academic success across the district. We are fortunate to be a school district that is overflowing with academic excellence. We will ensure we celebrate academic teams, student creative work, industry certifications, scholarship recipients, and other examples of academic growth and excellence–alongside athletics and activities. Our goal is not to elevate one over the other, but to better reflect the full range of ways students excel and contribute.
I appreciate you taking the time to share your perspective, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to keep improving how we recognize and celebrate our students.
If you would like to submit a question for “Ask Brian,” please fill out this Google form.
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Feedback
That’s a wrap on this month’s PSD Insider! We hope it gives you the key info you need – and a deeper look into our amazing school district!
Have feedback? Send it to in...@psdschools.org. See you next time!
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