Big Thompson Elementary School

Vision

Big Thompson Elementary School fosters a student-led learning environment by integrating EL, Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics (STEM), and Nature.

Mission

Think Big, Act Big, Do Big, Big T

Habits of Character

Respect, Responsibility, Reflect and Revise

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Big Thompson Elementary School is a great school with a strong sense of community. We are a small mountain school with a unique campus, in a beautiful setting, with a focus on nature and S.T.E.M.; we have elk in our backyard, original paintings of nature and surroundings, and posters of advice from the mountains, rivers and a moose.

We have a beautiful 7 acre Outdoor Education Center and are very environmentally focused.  We average about 2,800 pounds of waste kept out of landfills each school year through composting. We have experiential learning with the composting, a sensory garden and outdoor classroom spaces. We also have many strong community-school partnerships, including our local dairy farmers, the 100 mile club, Sylvandale Guest Ranch, GOCO (our new playscape), Rocky Mountain National Parks, CSU, and more.

Special Programs

Science field trips, Innovation classes and an Outdoor Education Center. We have Buddies, where older students are buddies to younger students. We also have an outdoor sensory garden and our historic annual chili supper!  We host an annual STEM night with the star lab, STEM stations and local astronomers.  We provide preschool field trips to our school and also host other schools for our Flume study field trips, which provide students with an interactive, hands-on study of various environmental impacts of water. We also have crew circles and teach a weekly social skill.

Extracurricular

In addition to what is mentioned above, we have knitting club, yoga, Lego Robotics, 100 Mile Club, Math Olympiad and the spelling bee – based on student and instructor/volunteer interest, usually three running at a time.  We also have our annual Jog-A-Thon and  other Wellness activities to get involved in throughout the school year.

School Climate

We have a trusting environment where we are all in this together. We are family friendly, have a great community climate and center for our rural neighbors. At Big T, it feels like home!

Accomplishments/Partnerships

Composting featured in Scholastic News; multiple Creativity Grants; many grants to fund unique nature and science programs; partnerships with CSU, Larimer County, Rocky Mountain National Park and Naturalist Perry Conway; support from area businesses. The Colorado Association for Environmental Education wants to visit the school on a field trip!

Parent/Volunteer

Incredible PTA and SAC – Big T's family community is very supportive. They conduct fundraisers, including our historical annual Chili Supper that began in 1950!  Parents provide teachers and staff with gift baskets and meals during conferences; PTA supports classroom teachers with funding and grant opportunities for classroom supplies and special needs.