DPS Board of Education Regular Meeting Today
The Denver Board of Education will hold a regular board meeting today, Dec. 15, beginning at 4:30 p.m. Watch the meeting live on board.dpsk12.org and access the agenda on BoardDocs.
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Announcing the 2022-23 Employee Wellness Mini-Grant Winners |
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The purpose of the Wellness Mini Grant is to improve working conditions and contribute to a positive culture within the workplace that supports employees’ health and well-being. These efforts can improve employee recruitment, satisfaction and retention.
Congratulations to this year's award recipients! We look forward to the implementation of these projects and the positive impacts it will have at your school or site.
Thank you to our review committee: Derek Bell, Stepp Collison, Greg Friel and Mari Shepler -- your involvement and support on this project is appreciated.
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Top 5: Favorite First-Semester Memories |
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Thank you to all the team members who shared their favorite memories from this semester. Check out the Top 5 below! |
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5. “My favorite memory from the first semester was watching our fifth-graders gather the courage to complete the Night Walk independently during Balarat.” -- Alexandra Sumner, CMS Community School
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4. “My favorite first semester memory is when a group of us from the CLA Self-Determination Center 18-21 Transition program visited the Denver Botanic Gardens in October. We learned from their therapeutic horticulturist how plants and nature support mental health and wellness in humans of all ages.” -- Courtney Kallas, Contemporary Learning Academy
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3. “After a year-long hiatus due to the pandemic, we are excited to announce the West Denver DPS Elementary Soccer League is back! Comprised of nine schools (Eagleton, Munroe, Castro, Knapp, Traylor, Valverde, Doull, Johnson, Goldrick), volunteers and teachers from these schools coached their school teams in the fall soccer season. Each school competed in soccer against another school weekly. The kids loved playing soccer and learning the spirit of fair play and competition.” -- Christopher Webb, Eagleton Elementary
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2. “We took our 48 ECE students and their families on a walking field trip to Eternal Flavors Bakery and Giusseppe's Pizzeria in Bear Valley to culminate our unit on bread! Both businesses were so accommodating in explaining how they make their products. They even sent us home with cookies, cake, breadsticks and pizza for our students to try!” -- Kim Manning Ursetta, Traylor Academy
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1. “Each month, DCIS at Ford students explore a core value. During our Morning Motivation Meetings throughout the month, we celebrate students from each grade level that have applied this core value to their learning and interactions with peers. At the end of the month, our amazing Specials Team hosts a Monthly Celebration with various games and prizes to celebrate members of our school community who have demonstrated the focus core value throughout the entire month. Monthly Celebrations have always been very exciting events for our students, teachers and family members. This photo is from the November Gratitude Celebration where some of our brave staff members had to find letters hidden in a pie tray filled with whipped cream, and put the letters together to form a word. We are so grateful for our Specials Team and their commitment to planning these fun celebrations for our school community each month!” -- Jennifer Yildiz, DCIS at Ford
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DPS Bus Driver Retires After 45 Years of Service |
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After 45 years with DPS Transportation Services, 95-year-old bus driver Joe Martinez is officially retiring! Mr. Martinez first joined the district in 1976. Although Mr. Martinez says he’ll miss everything about DPS, he says he is looking forward to sleeping in. “I come to work at 6:30 a.m. now, but I get up at 4 a.m.”
When asked what advice he has for Team DPS, he said, “Have respect and be thankful, that’s about it. Honor your superiors.” When it comes to interacting with our students, Mr. Martinez reminds employees, “Remember, kids will be kids. That’s it. Kids will always be kids. Let them live. Let them live so they can live a long time like me.”
Read more about Mr. Martinez here.
Thank you for serving DPS students for 45 years, Mr. Martinez!
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The Second Cycle of the 2022-23 A to Z Fund Is Now Open |
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The DPS Foundation’s A to Z Fund supports DPS educators and classrooms by providing money for materials, resources and opportunities that fall outside classroom budgets twice a school year. In the first cycle this year, the DPS Foundation funded 90% of the amount requested, with each grant estimated to serve an average of 188 students!
The second cycle of the 2022-23 A to Z Fund is now open! Thanks to an increase that was recently approved by the DPS Foundation’s Board of Directors, the maximum award amount is now $3,000. This increase is the first step in ensuring we are continually meeting the needs of our schools through grantmaking.
Complete a second cycle application by 5 p.m. on Jan. 17, 2023 to secure funding for your classroom!
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School Dashboard Advisory Committee: Application to Join Now Open |
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DPS is launching a committee to support the development of a public-facing school dashboard. The School Dashboard Advisory Committee will help support the development of the dashboard by engaging with community members and making recommendations to the Superintendent.
The committee application/nomination form is open now through Jan. 1, and is available in Amharic, Arabic, Chinese, French, Nepali, Somali, Spanish, and Vietnamese. Individuals can nominate other stakeholders who will then be notified via email. The application will be shared with them directly. Individuals can also self-nominate by completing the form.
Families or community members who need additional support to complete the form can call the Family and Community Engagement (FACE) team at 720-423-3054.
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Tips to Keep Your Information Secure Online |
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Going into a new year and tax season brings a variety of threats coming from attackers and scammers. DPS Information Security wants you to be prepared so that your information stays protected!
Practice these tips to keep your information safe now and in the new year:
For more information about keeping your information protected, refer to the resources listed above and on the Cybersecurity page on The Commons.
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Join the Women of Color Belong Group -- Central Office |
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Need another reason to give this year? As a part of Team DPS, when you make a gift to the Denver Public Schools Foundation before Dec. 31 at 11:59 p.m., you’ll be automatically entered to win a Denver staycation!* This staycation features a one-night stay at the Hyatt Regency Denver at Colorado Convention Center and a $300 STK gift card.
This past year, DPS Foundation's A to Z Fund granted over $200,000 worth of direct-to-educator grants. Click here to make a gift before we ring in the new year!
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Dr. Meryl Faulkner
Program Manager, Gifted and Talented Department
Accountability
“Dr. Meryl Faulkner leads as an educator and as an expert in all things Gifted and Talented (GT). She shows her dedication by working countless hours and shows commitment by reviewing systems and updating structures to ensure that our curriculum specialists, GT teachers and charter points of contact understand their roles and responsibilities. She also ensures they know the ECEA law that truly holds us all accountable to our collective mission of Students First. She embodies and models what Accountability truly means. Thank you for your leadership, Dr. Faulkner!”
-- Michelle McKinsey, Gifted and Talented Department
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Denver Public Schools sends all district newsletters and critical employee communications through Constant Contact. Please do not unsubscribe your dpsk12.org email address from any message; if you unsubscribe from one newsletter or one communication, you will be removed from all other district-managed email lists in Constant Contact. If you have any questions, please email newsletters@dpsk12.org.
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