The Crest Academy Candy Collection Community Project 2026
The Crest Candy Collection Community Project is a decade-long service project to offset the financial pressure on people who live on F Street and distribute candy on Halloween. F Street residents receive upwards of 1,400 trick-or-treaters per home on Halloween! With the City of Salida Halloween festivities in Alpine Park and the F Street road closure, these homes provide a crucial part of Halloween to local kids. In order to help with the burden of buying so much candy, The Crest Academy collects candy from our community which is then distributed to the houses. Crest 8th graders lead the project, and calculate data on how much candy is collected by date, location, weight, number of pieces, and category of candy. They also survey F Street residents to get an idea of how many trick-or-treaters are participating. In the past, students have collected 200 - 400 pounds of candy and distributed it to 75 homes. Help us “reverse trick-or-treat” and donate candy to our collection!
We are very excited to announce a new incentive partnership with High Country Bank for the 2026 Candy Collection Project. High Country Bank will donate $500 to the project if they collect 500 pounds of candy at their Salida locations by Monday, October 26th. This $500 will then be used to buy supplemental candy to fill in any gaps missing from the requests of the F Street residents. This partnership has the potential to extremely boost the support of F Street residents!
Please donate candy by Monday, October 26th at any of these donation partner sites:
● The Crest Academy, 627 Oak Street
● Salida Early Childhood Center, 516 Teller Street
● The Salida Montessori Charter School, 1040 I Street
● Salida Middle School, 520 Milford Street
● Salida Hot Springs Aquatic Center, 410 W Rainbow Boulevard
● Longfellow Elementary School, 425 W 7th Street
● Touber Building in City Hall, 448 East 1st Street
● High Country Bank, 7360 W US Highway 50 and 130 W Second St
🗓️ Updated Important Dates & Events
Wednesday, August 26 (5:00 - 6:00 PM): Open House. Stop by to meet teachers and grab a snack. No formal presentation
.
Thursday, August 27: Field Trip. Action Required: Sign the online waiver before the trip. Email school if unsure if completed.
Tuesday, September 1 (5:00 PM): 8th Grade Parent Meeting. Learn what to expect this year. Contact Katie Larson or Kristie Servis with questions. NO STUDENTS PLEASE
Thursday, September 3: School Picture Day. Reminders coming soon.
Monday, September 21 -: Crest Camping Trip. Activities include camping, biking, and a museum tour.
📦 Donations Needed
Helmets: Gently used student bike helmets in good, safe condition.
School Store: Small items for students to buy with positive-behavior "Llama Tickets" (e.g., small Legos, sunglasses,
books, water bottles, leftovers from birthday favors).
Send items with your student or contact Katie Larson.
Wednesday, August 26 (5:00 - 6:00 PM): Open House. Stop by to meet teachers and grab a snack. No formal presentation
.
Thursday, August 27: Field Trip. Action Required: Sign the online waiver before the trip. Email school if unsure if completed.
Tuesday, September 1 (5:00 PM): 8th Grade Parent Meeting. Learn what to expect this year. Contact Katie Larson or Kristie Servis with questions. NO STUDENTS PLEASE
Thursday, September 3: School Picture Day. Reminders coming soon.
Monday, September 21 -: Crest Camping Trip. Activities include camping, biking, and a museum tour.
📦 Donations Needed
Helmets: Gently used student bike helmets in good, safe condition.
School Store: Small items for students to buy with positive-behavior "Llama Tickets" (e.g., small Legos, sunglasses,
books, water bottles, leftovers from birthday favors).
Send items with your student or contact Katie Larson.
Welcome Back to Crest!
We had a fantastic first two days and are thrilled to welcome our students back!
📅 Important Dates & Reminders
Monday, August 17: Specials classes begin Wednesday, August 26 (5:00–6:00 PM): Casual Open House. Come meet the teachers, see our new building additions and student murals, and enjoy a snack!
Thursday, August 27: Field Trip.Thursday, September 3: School Picture Day
👟 Gear Needed for Specials
Please check your child's schedule to ensure they have the proper gear on their designated days:
Mountain Biking (Mon/Wed): Bring a bike, helmet, rain jacket, and water bottle. Let advisors know if your student needs a bike.
Lacrosse & Gardening: Closed-toed shoes are required.
🎸 Music Donations Wanted
Our music specials program is seeking donations of guitars, straps, picks, electric amps/cables, drums, sticks, auxiliary percussion, and music stands.
We had a fantastic first two days and are thrilled to welcome our students back!
📅 Important Dates & Reminders
Monday, August 17: Specials classes begin Wednesday, August 26 (5:00–6:00 PM): Casual Open House. Come meet the teachers, see our new building additions and student murals, and enjoy a snack!
Thursday, August 27: Field Trip.Thursday, September 3: School Picture Day
👟 Gear Needed for Specials
Please check your child's schedule to ensure they have the proper gear on their designated days:
Mountain Biking (Mon/Wed): Bring a bike, helmet, rain jacket, and water bottle. Let advisors know if your student needs a bike.
Lacrosse & Gardening: Closed-toed shoes are required.
🎸 Music Donations Wanted
Our music specials program is seeking donations of guitars, straps, picks, electric amps/cables, drums, sticks, auxiliary percussion, and music stands.
Welcome to The Crest Academy for the 2026-2027 school year!
HERE is the link to our welcome letter- it contains documents you should read prior to the school year and some important dates. It also contains our supply list, so we are sending it now in case you want to start that process.
PLEASE mark your calendars so your students are back to school on time...
NEW students (all grades) start school on August 11 (Tuesday) - Half day from 8-12pm
EVERYONE is back to school on August 12 (Wednesday) - Full day from 7:50-4pm
Registration is on August 10 (Monday) from 12-4pm - Please plan to come in and fill out relevant paperwork for your student(s).
Lots more details are named in the letter!
Happy summer!
This year the Salida School District Board of Education approved DI (Destination Imagination) as an approved district activity. There will be a summer camp July 30 and 31 where students in 3rd grade and older can try a sampler of what DI is all about. This will be a consolidated version of a DI challenge run by DI Volunteers from around the state of Colorado.
The cost is $40 and spaces are limited. Scholarships are available.
Please reach out to Amy at aguldan@salidaschools.org with questions.
It is official! Thursday, April 2, 2026 has been deemed a "snow day" and school has been canceled, per direction by Superintendent Dr. Blackburn. After confirmation from SHS Principal Hull, enough tickets were sold to the April 14, 2026 girls' home soccer game. Salida Schools would like to thank our community for the support of the 2026 Varsity Girls' Basketball team during their 3A State Championship season! They will be honored during halftime at the home varsity girls' soccer game against Buena Vista 4/14. That day will also feature a parade at 4:15 and tailgating before the game at 4:45. Pull out all the purple to celebrate this incredible, historic achievement - honor our state champions, and watch the Spartans take on Buena Vista under the lights of Spartan Stadium. Tickets are still available on GoFan if you haven't purchased yours yet. We look forward to celebrating this historic win with the community!
2026-2027 School Year
Hello There! The Crest Academy has now opened its lottery application for the 26-27 School Year. Please follow the steps/links below to enter your student into the lottery. You must complete the application AND the 1 Google form to be entered into the lottery. You have until 8:30am March 24th to enter your student into the lottery. No extensions will be granted. The lottery itself will then be run on April 1, 2026.
TO DO: Register for an Account & Fill out the Lottery Application
USE THIS LINK https://app.lotterease.com//cgi-bin/sl_V2_1.pl?nav=Parents_Registration&account_id=1090 to create an account & fill out the application. Don't forget the 1 Google Form that will be sent to you in an email after you complete the application. Again, you MUST have BOTH parts completed for your application to be complete.
Additional FYI:
Once you've filled out the application, THIS IS THE LINK https://app.lotterease.com/cgi-bin/sl_V2_1.pl?session_id=&user_id=&account_id=1090&nav=Parents_Applicants_List you use to confirm we've received your application. You will also get an automatic email upon registration that will also act as a confirmation that we have received your application. Please use these tools to check that your application has been received - please do not call the school as the information is stored with Lotterease.
Bookmark THIS LINK https://www.lotterease.com/parent_login.html?account_id=1090 for future use to quickly log in to the Lotterease school account.
Crest Carnival!
Join us for the first Crest Carnival! Participate in a variety of carnival games, a photo booth, a cake walk, face painting, fortune telling, an obstacle course, a petting zoo, "adopt a pet", and more fun, all run by Crest students! All tickets purchased will raise money for each class's 8th grade trip, a beloved Crest end of program tradition. This is the EARLY BIRD PRICE! One ticket = 10 punches at the carnival. Most games are 1 punch each. (The price for a 10 punch ticket will increase to $12 at the door and during the evening of the carnival.) Thank you for supporting our students and we look forward to carnivaling with you!
Link for tickets: https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/crest-carnival
ENROLLMENT DATES & INFORMATION
2026-2027 School Year
If you are interested in your 4th grader attending The Crest Academy, please read THIS DOCUMENT that contains important dates for information sessions, shadow day, and lottery deadlines. Please mark your calendars accordingly. If you have any questions, please reach out to The Crest Academy - Kristie Servis (kservis@salidaschools.org) or Katie Larson (klarson@salidaschools.org).
Crest is hosting a Trivia Night for students and parents to fundraise for the PTO. Trivia Night will be on January 20th at The Highside Bar & Grill, 5:30pm. Compete for prizes, have some fun, and show off your smarts! Teams up to 8 - bring a team or find a team when you arrive. Kid friendly event! Suggested donation: $10/person.
Chaffee County Food Access
8th graders will be selling green chilis on Wednesday, Oct 15 and Thursday, Oct 16 from 3:30 - 6:00 pm on F Street in the empty lot across from Currents Restaurant.
Thanks to Triangle Oasis Farm for this fundraising opportunity. Stop by to support their 8th grade trip fundraising!
Thanks to Triangle Oasis Farm for this fundraising opportunity. Stop by to support their 8th grade trip fundraising!
Sports Physical Night
When: August 4th, 2025 from 6:00-8:00pm
Where: Salida Middle School Gym
Who: All incoming SHS & SMS 5th-12th grade student athletes
Cost: $10 per student, cash or check
All athletes must have a current physical on file (completed in the last year) before they are allowed to participate in practice or games. Getting a physical done now will cover your athlete for the '25-'26 year.
A parent or guardian must be present with each student. Physical forms will be provided.
Chaffee County Public Health will be on-site at Sports Physical Night offering adolescent vaccinations. We will have Tdap, MenACWY, HPV, Polio, Hep A, Hep B, and MMR. Many adolescents need these vaccinations, especially those going into 6th grade, college, or those who have started a series but have not completed that series. Please have your insurance card with you. Parents either need to be present with their child or can give verbal consent over the phone. They will bill health insurance for those who have it, and there is no charge for those who don't have insurance. (Please bring your health insurance card.) Please visit the Chaffee County Public Health Immunizations & Disease Prevention website and fill out the child health questionnaire and the Insurance registration form in advance. (Note - you don't have to be an athlete to come for an immunization - all students are invited to participate).
Thank you to the medical doctors and professionals who are donating their time to support our community's student athletes!
Learn more about Spartan Athletics at salidaathletics.com
For questions about Spartan Athletics, reach out to Athletic Director Marko Hahn, mhahn@salidaschools.org
For questions, reach out to Anastacia Fraijo, anastacia.fraijo@hrrmc.net
We had a great turn out for our May 13, Market Night. Amy and Servis clicked 335 people who came through the event. The students felt proud of their first sales, selling out on their product, and talking with customers while making change and staying calm. They had a variety of unique products from wall art to earrings to 3-D printed items and food. Many products were made using repurposed items. Thanks to all the parents for their support during this project and to the community members who attended the event and made purchases. The students are able to contribute to their 8th grade trips thanks to the event. We'd also like to thank Pizza Rio for their very generous donation of delicious pizzas that PTO used for the fundraiser.
The Crest Academy 8th Grade Continuation Ceremony will be held on Monday, May 19th at 1:00PM . It will be at the Steamplant Patio - be sure to bring your own seating. Hope you can make it!
CMAS testing begins next week, Monday 4/7! All Crest students will test for ELA and Math 4/7-4/9, and grades 5 and 8 will be testing for Science 4/14-4/16. Attendance for these assessments is critical, so please prioritize your student attending everyday of the testing period.
Students perform their best when they are rested and eating healthy, filling snacks and meals throughout the day. Please encourage positive sleeping and eating habits so that they can show up to testing feeling great! No phones or screens an hour before bed will help them sleep better and reduce anxiety. Thank you for supporting students as we enter our spring testing period!
Traffic flow around the Crest Academy and Central Admin will be adjusted because of construction. Scott Street (the dirt road behind/to the east side of the building) is closed while the water line is installed.
For the rest of this week, buses will drop off and pick up Crest students along the sidewalk in front of the Central Administration Office on Oak Street. There is space to turn around behind Crest on Scott Street. Please treat the parking area on the north side of the building as a two-way street.
The Crest Playground will be closed during spring break because of construction activities.
Scott Street and the Crest Playground should both be open again when students return from spring break on March 24, 2025.
Funruary and Penny War winners announced!!
The advisory class winner of the Penny Wars is the Kangadudes with a total of 9,243.46 points! Katie's Kangadudes get a pizza party for their efforts. The fundraiser raised a grand total of $838.85 for PTO! Great job everyone!
The overall Funruary winning advisory is the Bahnananas!! Congrats! Samantha's Bahnananas won a trip to the arcade as well as bragging rights and the Funruary trophy for a year!
FUNruary 2025 has begun!
We are going to have some fun this month! This will be a COMPETITION! Each advisory will get points for students and teachers who participate. The advisory with the most points at the end of the month will get bragging rights and the FUNruary trophy for the year!
One, Two , Three, Four. . . we declare a Penny War!
The Crest Academy students are issuing a fundraising challenge between advisory classes for the month of February to raise money for The Crest Academy.
The advisory group who raises the most wins a pizza party and 20 points toward their advisory goal. All money is due Thursday, 2/27 and the winning advisory will be announced Monday 3/3.
Adding Points to your pot - pennies, $1/5/10/20 bills
Lower another team's pot - all silver coins deduct points
Collection jugs will be available in each classroom through the duration of the Penny War.
