Kaylee Torno, a school counselor at Respect Academy, received a special shoutout from the Colorado School Counselor Association (CSCA) for her hard work as an Emerging Leader. The CSCA is a volunteer-based organization that aims to promote excellence within the field of school counseling. Kaylee’s leadership in CSCA has improved the work of school counselors across Colorado and the nation! Congratulations, Kaylee, keep up the great work! Read the CSCA letter here. 

In celebration of National School Counseling Week, we asked Team DPS members to shout out an outstanding school counselor. Thank you to all our school counselors across DPS for the work you do in support of our students! Read about some amazing school counselors below and here.

5.“We are so fortunate to have Ellie Sprague as part of our counseling team at Northfield High School. She is relationship-driven, empathetic and incredibly kind. She is always willing to drop what she is working on to help either a staff or a student. She has connections to students beyond her caseload as she is a cross-country and track coach. She is also a DECA sponsor and helps take care of all of the logistics for regional, state and national competitions, and ensures that students are prepared for their individual and team competitions offering in-the-moment feedback during practice sessions. She is also the heart and soul of our staff basketball team.” -- Adam Creapo, Northfield High School

3.“Ms. Patricia is such a huge support at our school. She cares so much for the students and staff and is always there for us! She's one of those people whose presence is impactful. Ms. Patricia's gift of helping people feel safe and loved is remarkable. We love her so much!” -- Grace Wingard, Lowry Elementary

4.“Shout out to Tammy Williams, a school counselor at Montbello Middle School, for working with our students emotionally, socially and academically. She is there to support and push our students to be better, make strong choices and guide our students with issues that affect their mental health and well-being.” -- Lindsey Zilverberg, Montbello Middle School

2.“I want to shout out our wonderfully supportive school counselor, Laeren Yates. Laeren works tirelessly with what feels like our entire school community. She not only teaches all seven ECE classes weekly SEL lessons, but supports whole class, small and individual groups of students to meet their needs, creates materials to support teachers' needs and organizes countless community outreach programs like our beloved Holiday Gift Drive! She does all this with a constant upbeat attitude and smile on her face. Not only are the teachers lucky for her support, but the students and their families are so fortunate for Laeren's expertise, love and passion.” -- Meghan Borick, Gust Elementary

1.“Rochelle Sawyer, one of our wonderful school counselors here at Place Bridge Academy, is constantly showing up for our students. She has an abundance of kindness, compassion and empathy. Our students know she is a safe, welcoming and trusted adult. Time and time again, I’ve seen her go above and beyond for our students. With our growing Newcomer Center here, Rochelle is going above and beyond to make sure these students feel seen and heard. Whether that’s helping lead SEL, small groups or walking students to the rec center to get them connected with additional resources. She leads Parenting Partner classes, facilitates WEB (Where Everyone Belongs) with our eighth graders and greets students at the front door every morning. We are so extremely lucky to have her here at PBA! We see you, Rochelle, and we recognize all of your hard work; thank you!” -- Lyndsee Landon, Place Bridge Academy

Due to a DPS True Pay system upgrade, there will be a 24-hour window, starting Monday, Feb. 19, where True Pay will be unavailable. 

The clocks and desktop application to clock in and out will be unavailable during this time. This will take place during the Presidents' Day holiday; you can use the True Pay Punch Correction Form and provide it to your manager to account for your time.

An email communication will go out when True Pay is available. Please note that if you have bookmarked or made a desktop link with the current True Pay link, you will need to change this to the new URL starting on Tuesday, Feb. 20: https://truepay.dpsk12.org. You can also log in through The Commons to access the updated link.

Join other members of the Women of Color Belong Group for a night of engagement through meet and greets, relationship-building and beyond on Friday, Feb. 9 at 6 p.m. You'll also have the opportunity to learn more about this year's upcoming events, committees available to join to support and amplify our efforts within our community, resources available to our network and much more. Both existing and new members are welcome. RSVP here! View the event flier for additional details. Interested in signing up for a Belong Group? Register here.

Super Bowl Weekend is here! Whether you're in it for the pigskin, the dips or the Usher concert, we want to know what color Gatorade you think will be poured on the winning coach.

More information regarding Cybersecurity is available on the Department of Technology Services page on The Commons.

DPS' new printer software provides valuable data about printing use across the district, and the results are staggering! Since July, DPS has consumed 40 million sheets of paper. This is equivalent to using about 30 trees per day for printing purposes. To reduce waste and print responsibly, remember to: 

For more information about your department's printing use, contact dept_sustainability@dpsk12.net.

The event will take place Feb. 26 from 5-7 p.m. at the Emily Griffith Campus (1860 Lincoln Street, Denver, CO 80203).

Cardiovascular Health Education Series: Learn more about heart health. Complete the series for a chance to win a pair of running shoes!

Winter Wellness Series: Staying healthy in winter requires nourishing food, stretching and indoor exercise, more sleep, stress management and emotional support from family and friends. Complete this series for a chance to win a Handwoven Mexican Blanket!

Multifaceted Love - Healthy Relationships: Join us on Wednesday, Feb. 14 at 11:30 a.m. to delve into nurturing ourselves and sustaining fulfilling connections.

Dental Health as it Relates to a Healthy Heart: On Wednesday, Feb. 14 at 12:30 p.m., learn how deeply our oral health affects our body health.

If you have any questions, contact staffwellness@dpsk12.net.

-- Katherine Grove, McAuliffe International

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