Olander School for Project Based Learning

06/02/2026

PBL Spotlight: 1st Grade Performance PBL! 🪺🎭

Our 1st-grade Ospreys have officially spread their wings and taken to the big stage! For their latest Project-Based Learning (PBL) unit, our students dove headfirst into an amazing driving question: "As actors, how can we demonstrate how adult animals teach their young to survive?" 🐾🦉

To answer this, our brilliant first graders went on quite the journey from the nest to the theater:

1️⃣ Research: They started by choosing a specific animal and researching its unique survival skills.
2️⃣ Storyboarding: They mapped out their ideas, developing characters, settings, problems, and solutions.
3️⃣ Scripting & Designing: They wrote their very own skits and got creative crafting spectacular costumes and props! ✂️🎨
4️⃣ Mentorship: Our little fledglings got some incredible coaching! A huge THANK YOU to Blevins' theater teacher Mr. Floyd & his students, and DJ Brandon for mentoring our 1st graders and helping them find their stage presence. 🎤👏
5️⃣ Showtime! They took all that hard work and performed live on the big stage at Blevins Middle School in front of cheering parents and fellow students!

We are incredibly proud of their creativity, confidence, and teamwork. Way to soar, 1st grade! ⬇️📸

05/29/2026

Thankful Thursday: Celebrating the Heart of Olander 💙🦅

What a wonderful year in the nest! As we wrap things up, we want to send a massive THANK YOU to our incredible Olander families. From joining us for PBL showcases and Spirit Nights, to volunteering, attending Wellness Nights, and showering our staff with so much love—you are the wind beneath our wings! We could not do it without the support of our amazing community.

We are also incredibly grateful for the upcoming summer break! It is a well-deserved chance for all of us to rest our feathers, refresh, and spend quality time with friends and family. ☀️

Speaking of amazing Ospreys, we celebrated our final two Osprey Way certificate winners for April (Courage) and May (Creativity). Way to soar, Ospreys!

The Bird's Eye View: Looking ahead! 🔭

Keep those literacy skills flying high! Join us for our Summer Reading Challenge! 📚☀️

Students are encouraged to keep their reading skills strong all summer long through engaging reading and literacy activities. Track your progress using the Summer Reading Challenge Log. Here is the best part: Ospreys who participate will earn a ticket to our Giant End-of-Summer Foam Party filled with music, bubbles, and fun! 🫧🎶

Parents, grab the details and download the log from the links in the comments!

Flying high into summer,
The Olander Ospreys Team 🪶

05/26/2026

The Bird's Eye View: Looking ahead! 🦅👀

Osprey families, as we prepare to leave the nest for summer, we have some important schedule updates—and a sweet surprise!—for our final day of school on Wednesday, May 27th. ☀️

Please mark your calendars with these important details so we can finish the year flying high:

⏰ Early Dismissal & No Lunch Served: School will dismiss early at 10:53 AM. Because of this early release, lunch will NOT be served at school. Please ensure transportation and pickup arrangements are made for this adjusted time! 🚌🚗🥪

🍦 Last Day Ice Cream: Josh & John’s Ice Cream Truck is visiting! Cups are $6 (multiple flavors available) and come with lids so they are safe to take on the bus or ride home. Cash is preferred to keep the line flying fast, but credit cards are accepted! 💳💵

Thank you for helping us make the end of the year smooth, safe, and incredibly sweet! 💙💚

05/22/2026

Thankful Thursday: Celebrating the Heart of Olander❤️

As the school year winds down, our hearts are full of gratitude—and a little bit of sadness—as we prepare to say goodbye to some incredible members of our Osprey flock who are moving on to new adventures next year.

Today, we want to say a massive THANK YOU to Ms. Nelson, Ms. Kerry, Ms. Lundstrom, Ms. Julie D., Mr. Strasberg, Mr. Todd, Ms. Nicky, and Ms. Molly. You have left permanent footprints (and wing prints!) on our hearts. 🐾✨

👉 SWIPE through our photos to read the beautiful parting messages and reflections from our departing staff! 👈

Once an Osprey, always an Osprey. Please join us in wishing them the absolute best in their next chapters! 🦅✨

With Grateful Wings, The Olander Osprey Family

05/20/2026

🦅 News from the Nest 🦅

Wow, what a whirlwind of fun and learning we’ve had in the Nest recently! Our Ospreys are truly flying high. Here is a look at what our amazing students and staff have been up to:

🎪 Olapalooza Success: A massive THANK YOU to all the families who came out for Olapalooza! It was the perfect way to celebrate our final community event of the school year. We love our Osprey family! ❤️

🎒 First Grade Adventures: Our 1st graders took their learning into nature to see the Bird Conservancy of the Rockies bird banding at Pineridge Natural Area! 🐦📸

🏛️ Living History: 4th grade traveled back in time at Centennial Village in Greeley, where they experienced a one-room schoolhouse, played 19th-century recess games, and made traditional corn husk dolls! 🌽🔨

🌟 Olander's Got Talent: Our 4th and 5th graders absolutely blew us away in the Variety Show with everything from singing and comedy to aerial silks and rock climbing! 🎤🎪

🤖 Retro Robots: Even our administration got in on the fun this week, taking a trip down memory lane with some intense rounds of Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robots! 🥊🤖

05/15/2026

Thankful Thursday: Celebrating the Heart of Olander 💙🦅

Today, we are celebrating someone who keeps our wings moving and our hearts pumping—our amazing PE teacher, Ms. S! 👟✨

At Olander, inclusion is at the core of everything we do, and Ms. S reflects this in all her work. Whether she’s adapting a game so that every student feels like an MVP or organizing our annual Field Day, she ensures no Osprey is left out of the flock.

We are especially grateful for her dedication to some of our favorite traditions! From supporting our students at running club and Eco Week, to training our 5th graders to safely belay on the rock climbing wall, and coordinating our 4th & 5th grade Track and Field events, she helps our Ospreys find their strength and confidence. 🏔️🧗‍♀️

What the community is saying:
"It has been so great to work with Ms. S over the past four years. Not only is she an expert in physical education, but she also pushes our physical education program forward by incorporating new and innovative ways to ensure all students are able to participate - supporting Olander's overarching mission of creating inclusive environments for all students."- Mr. Brown, Counselor

"When other schools come to visit our ILS program, their favorite part is always learning about Makenzie’s inclusive PE classes. She works so hard to make sure everyone can participate and have fun in PE. Makenzie has presented at state conferences to teach other PE teachers how to include students with disabilities in their classes. I'm so proud to work with Miss S.!"- Ms. Peacock, ILS Teacher

"I love Ms. S because she does really fun things with us in PE."- 1st grader

"We love Ms. S because of the ultimate tag, banana tag, and frisbee toss." -1st grader

"I love that she always helps us clean up." -Kindergartner

"She is a really good PE teacher." -4th grader

"Ms. S always has great activities for us to do." -4th grader

Thank you, Ms. S, for helping us soar to new heights! 🏔️

05/14/2026

Get those wings ready—OLAPALOOZA IS TOMORROW! 🦅🎡✨

Mark your calendars! The celebration begins tomorrow, Thursday, May 14th, from 4:00 PM – 7:00 PM right here at Olander. We can’t wait to see the whole flock back at the nest for our biggest event of the year!

🎟️ REMINDER: Entry is FREE! (Food trucks and Book Fair items will be available for purchase).

🎶 Kick off the Night!
Join us in the gym at 4:00 PM to catch a special music performance by our talented 2nd and 3rd-grade Ospreys!

🎡 What’s Happening at the Nest?
🎷 Art Show & Music: Explore student masterpieces and visit the Instrument Zoo in the Music Room!
🏓 Get Active: Join in on some Pickleball fun thanks to The Picklr! Join the pizza themed obstacle course outside!
🍔📚Food & Books: Grab dinner at the Food Trucks and shop the World-Class Book Fair, which will be open throughout the entire event!

🖼️ Grade-Level PBL Showcases:
🕰️Kindergarten: Take a walk through time with their "Then and Now" books and school year timelines.
🐝🌸2nd Grade: Learn how to protect our pollinators and pick up a FREE packet of wildflower seeds!
💧 3rd Grade: Catch student Water PSA videos running from 4:40–6:20 PM.
🍋🐎4th Grade: Support philanthropy! Play a game for NOCO Humane and buy lemonade or bracelets to benefit Hearts & Horses.

📢 Don’t Forget the Silent Auction!
Be sure to stop by our Silent Auction to browse and bid on some incredible items! It’s a fantastic way to snag something special while showing your support for Olander. Our nest is stronger because of you! 🏆💙

See you TOMORROW AT 4:00 PM! 💙

05/13/2026

News from the Nest 🐾📚

It has been a week of soaring to new heights here at Olander! Check out what our Ospreys have been up to:

🏃‍♂️ Spotlight on Sports: Our 4th and 5th-grade qualifiers took to the track at the PSD Elementary Track Meet! We are so proud of the courage, perseverance, and cooperation they showed while representing our school.

🐞 Ladybug Luck: Our Kindergartners took a trip to the Kinder Tree and made some tiny new friends! We love seeing these outdoor discoveries and big smiles.

🚁 Creative Cooperation: 5th graders put their imaginations to work in the library this week! We love seeing our students collaborate to solve problems and build something entirely new from scratch!

📖 A Familiar Face: 4th grade had a very special visit! Former P.E. teacher Mrs. Ney and her daughter, Drew, stopped by to read and visit with the kids. It was so wonderful to have them back in the building!

💖 A Heartfelt Thank You: A huge shoutout to our amazing community for showering our staff with love during Teacher Appreciation Week! Your kindness, treats, and notes truly filled our hearts. We are so lucky to have the best "wind beneath our wings."

05/12/2026

Once an Osprey, always an Osprey! 🦅🎓

Today, our hallways were filled with a special kind of magic as we welcomed back some of our Olander Alumni for their Senior Grad Walk! There’s nothing quite like seeing our former students trade their elementary backpacks for caps and gowns.

Our current Ospreys lined the halls to cheer, high-five, and celebrate the incredible journey these seniors have taken since they first took flight from Olander. It was an afternoon full of hugs, reminiscing with former teachers, and looking back at where it all began. 🎒✨

Whether you were able to join us in the halls today or you’re celebrating from afar, we are so incredibly proud of the Class of 2026! Your Olander family is cheering you on as you prepare for your next big adventure.

Go Ospreys! 💙⭐️

05/12/2026

Thank you Goings Orthodontics: Fort Collins & Windsor Orthodontist for a fun pizza party celebrating Mary Ann's nomination of Ms. Molander for My Teacher Rocks! 🥳

My Teacher Rocks 🍎🎉

Mary Ann & Ms. Molander at Olander Elementary School felt the love today! Ms. Molander had a visitor, too - a high school senior student teacher was from her first class of 4th graders over 10 years ago... it truly speaks to how awesome she is! ❤️

It was a wonderful visit and truly special experience. Congratulations!

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