Students Participate in Stream-to-Table STEM Workshop
Our students put on their science caps to learn about water! They took part in the Stream-to-Table STEM Workshop where students traced the incredible journey of water—from its beginnings in a rushing stream to the moment it pours into their own glass. Through hands-on experiments, students became water detectives, testing quality, tinkering with filtration, and uncovering the chemical and biological process that transforms murky water into something drinkable.
Along the way, students discovered the hidden world of watersheds: what they are, how their local watershed shapes the environment around them, and why caring for these systems is part of our shared responsibility. By the end of the workshop, students not only understood how water treatment plants work to keep our water safe, they also learned how their own choices help protect every drop that flows through it.
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Celebrating Athletes of the Quarter!
Congratulations to Platte Valley Middle School’s Athletes of the Quarter! Their hard work, dedication, and outstanding sportsmanship shines both on and off the field. We want to highlight them for representing our school with pride and setting a positive example for their teammates and classmates.
Congratulations to the following Athletes of the Quarter!
8th Grade Football: Alan Hernandez
7th Grade Football: Beau Gardner
8th Grade Volleyball: Olivia Ley
7th Grade Volleyball: Fria Natividad
Cross Country: Blake Edstrom
Cheer: Makayla Lechuga
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National Honor Society's Food Drive Raises Thousands of Cans and Cash for Local Food Bank
Holiday Family Resources, PV4PV Education Foundation, Push to the End, & Happy Holidays.
Cook Center and Family Resources. We want to remind families of the partnership with Cook Center and ParentGuidance.org., a non-profit organization that works to provide resources to families to help guide their children through all of the issues they will be confronted with as the grow up. These issues include dealing with social media, anxiety, body image, grief and loss, divorce, and much more. It is not uncommon for anxiety to increase during the holidays, both for adults and children. The resources are specific to parents and guardians and is being funded for two years through a grant with the Weld Trust. Please see the information below on how to access the resources available to our families.
Mental Health Series Calendar: This month’s calendar includes sessions on motivating your child, social media, substance use and vaping, and many more. Simply go to the link below, selection Colorado in the “state” dropdown followed by “Platte Valley” in the select your school district and go to the monthly calendar. Mental Health Series
PV4PV Education Foundation. We are pleased to share with our community the creation of a new 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, Positive Voices for Platte Valley (PV4PV) Education Foundation. The foundation officially obtained its federal tax-exempt status on August 18th, 2025. The organization’s mission is to support the students, staff, and community involved with Platte Valley School District. Initially, PV4PV is focused on providing scholarship opportunities for graduating seniors from Platte Valley High School. This May, PV4PV will offer two $1,000 scholarships to graduating Platte Valley seniors.
The organization is a separate operating entity from Platte Valley School District, with a focus on alignment in the vision and mission for supporting the District. PV4PV has an oversight board consisting of five people: President, Dan Buderus; Vice President, Janet Niederkorn; Treasurer, Glenn McClain; Secretary, Christina Decker; and Platte Valley School District Board Representative, Robin Meireis. The Platte Valley Superintendent serves as an ex-offico member and does not have voting rights with the Board. Anyone interested in supporting this new organization may contact Jeremy Burmeister to help be steered in the appropriate direction. Contributions are tax deductible.
Push to the End. As we enter into December, we have 15 instructional days remaining in the semester. Our district staff and Board of Education know the importance I place on regular school attendance. Simply put, if students are not at school they cannot learn. Additionally, with all of the activities that take place and excitement that comes at the end of the semester it can be easy to lose focus on academics. Please help us ensure we have a strong push to the end. We will do our part to keep expectations high, both academically and behaviorally, all the way to the end. We appreciate our families’ support in this; our strong community partnership is what helps us to maintain our high performing schools. Finally, it should be noted that high school will hold finals Thursday, December 18th and Friday, December 19th. These are essential days for school attendance.
Central Office Ribbon Cutting. It is hard to believe we are approaching the completion of this major capital construction project. The school district will be holding a ribbon cutting celebration on Monday, January 12th at 5:00 p.m. prior to the start of our regular board meeting. This is an open invitation to anyone in the community that would like to attend the open house and all are welcome to stay for the board meeting following.
Happy Holidays. The holidays, in my humble opinion, provide an opportunity for appreciation and reflection. We are fortunate to live in the community that we do, which is supportive of and believes in the ideals of public education and the Platte Valley School District. Our community is better because of the public education system we have at Platte Valley. I often remind myself the students we serve today will be the individuals who take care of us adults in the future.
In closing, I want to extend my gratitude and appreciation to the Platte Valley community. We are a destination district because of the focus on education we have in addition to having great students and families. I hope everyone has a safe and enjoyable holiday season that you are able to enjoy with family, friends, and loved ones.
Yours in Education,
Jeremy Burmeister, Ed.D., Superintendent of Schools
“Be always at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let each New Year find you a better man”. Benjamin Franklin
News & Announcements
9,026 Cans and $2,646 Raised for Platte Valley Food Drive!
Together, we made an impact. Thanks to our generous students, staff, and families, we collected 9,076 cans and $2,646 to support our local food pantry. Community at its best!
FFA Students Placed 7th Overall in the Nation at FFA National Convention!
Congratulations to Mesa & Zemery for making Platte Valley FFA history! Not only did they make National Finalists but they placed 7th Overall in the Nation in Division 2 Social Sciences. They are the first agriscience project from Platte Valley MS or HS FFA to make it to the interview stage and place in the top 10 at the National FFA Agriscience Fair!
2025-26 District Enrollment Numbers and Construction Update
It is hard to believe it is December already. We have finished the October count process. Our district count came in at 1,125.5 students, not including preschool. This is up 12.5 from last year.
School
2024-2025 Enrollment
2025-2026 Enrollment
Pre School
81
93
Elementary School
526
516.5
Middle School
255
278
High School
331
331
Off Site
2
2
Total
1195
1,220
Construction on the new middle school continues to go well. The contractor has started erecting steel on the west end of the building and will continue eastward. They have poured floors in the field house and on the west end of the building in the band, choir and art rooms. Exterior spray foam insulation has started and that will be followed up by the brick veneer. They will continue to put up the steel structure and begin framing in the month of December.
The central office building is still on schedule. The anticipated move in will occur over the Christmas break. We have scheduled a ribbon cutting on January 12th, 2026 prior to our regularly scheduled board meeting and invite the community to join us.
Celebrating Progress and Looking Ahead
As we close out the calendar year and prepare for a fresh start in January, I want to recognize the incredible dedication and collaboration across our district. Together, we’ve built strong foundations for student success—and the momentum continues!
Success Skills: Preparing Students for Life
Our work with students continues to emphasize essential success skills that will serve them well beyond the classroom:
Resilient Learner – Perseveres through challenges and adapts to change.
Effective Communicator – Expresses ideas clearly and listens actively.
Constructive Teammate – Collaborates respectfully and contributes to group success.
Creative Problem Solver – Approaches challenges with innovation and flexibility.
These skills are embedded in daily instruction and modeled by our educators to help students grow academically and personally.
Professional Development Day On our January PD Day, teachers will have the opportunity to choose from a menu of options designed to meet diverse professional learning needs. Topics will include:
Advanced instructional strategies
Technology integration
Data-driven decision making
Social-emotional learning practices
This choice-based approach empowers educators to focus on areas that will have the greatest impact on their students.
As we begin the second semester, our shared mission remains clear: Pursuing Excellence for All—Every Student, Every Day. We continue to set high expectations and provide the support needed for every learner to succeed.
Tips for Technology
As we approach the end of the year, here are some tips to keep your student's technology running smoothly.
1. Keep Devices Charged
Charge Overnight: Encourage your student to plug in their laptop before bedtime so it’s fully charged for school.
Designate a Charging Spot: Choose a safe, common area at home for charging to avoid misplacing the device.
Check Battery Health: If the battery drains quickly, notify the school’s tech support team.
2. Check for Updates
Why Updates Matter: Updates keep devices secure and running smoothly. While the district uses Intune to push updates, students must restart their laptops regularly to apply them.
Weekly Routine: Have your student:
Restart the laptop at least once a week.
Check for updates by going to Settings > Windows Update and clicking Check for updates.
Leave Time for Updates: Updates may take several minutes—plan ahead so the device is ready before school.
3. Practice Good Laptop Care
Use in Common Areas: Helps monitor safe and responsible use.
Safe Storage: Keep laptops away from food, liquids, and extreme temperatures.
Discuss Online Safety: Remind students to report anything inappropriate or suspicious to a teacher immediately.
4. Stay Connected
Monitor Digital Work: Review your student’s assignments and online activity regularly.
Passwords: Students should share passwords only with parents/guardians.
Tip: Our district filter and monitoring tools help keep students safe online, but parental involvement is key to reinforcing positive digital habits.
Check for App Updates (Edlio)
To ensure you receive important school updates and notifications, please make sure the Edlio app is always up to date on your mobile device. Regular updates help maintain app performance and security.
For Apple devices (iPhone/iPad):
Open the App Store.
Tap your profile icon at the top right.
Scroll to see pending updates and tap "Update" next to the Edlio app, if available.
For Android devices:
Open the Google Play Store.
Tap your profile icon and go to "Manage apps & device".
Find the Edlio app and tap "Update”, if available.
Tip: Check for updates regularly to ensure you have the latest features and security improvements.
