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Teller Elementary School

Back to School Information

08/17/22, 9:02 AM

 

Teller Families,

I hope this message finds you well, and enjoying the last few days of summer break! For those of you who did not receive my first two PRIDE Post, I apologize. Our APP suffered a glitch, which resulted in many phone numbers and/or email addresses being left off our contact list. With that being said, I am reposting all of the back to school information from the previous two PRIDE Posts so every family can feel informed and prepared for the first day of school. This message is long, so please take some time to read it in its entirety. 

As always, reach out with any questions and/or concerns. 

Best,

Sabrina Bates, Principal 

Download our App

If you haven’t done so already, please download our APP, and turn on notifications. Everything you need to know about Teller will be pushed via our APP. 

Please note that once you have downloaded our APP you may be asked for a verification code. Click the “TEXT ME A CODE” button and a verification code will be sent to your cell phone.

Need notifications in another language, no problem! One in the APP families can select from over 50 different  languages to view information shared via our APP.   

PRIDE Post

Every Friday from now until the last day of school I will publish (via our APP) a family newsletter called the PRIDE Post. The PRIDE Post contains the most up to date information and important details about Teller. Please be sure to set some time aside to read the PRIDE Post in order to stay connected.  

After School Enrichment Registration 

After school enrichment registration opened today at 6:00 a.m. and will close on Tuesday, September 6th at 6:00 p.m. All fall enrichment classes will begin on Monday, September 12th, unless otherwise noted. You can check out after school enrichment opportunities by selecting a link below.

Fall Registration Deadline Extended

All families must complete fall registration via Parent Portal by Friday, August 19th. Failure to do so could result in your child(ren) missing the first day of school. If this is your first time using Parent Portal and you need support navigating this online platform, you can If you need help in navigating the Parent Portal, check out the Family Navigation Guide. All parents/guardians will need their child(ren)’s student ID number. If you do not know this number, you can call or email Treisi Martinez at 720-424-3561 or Nicole Bach at 720-424-3563. 

Popsicles on the Playground

Join us on this Thursday, August 18th from 5:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. on Teller’s playground to meet your child’s teacher. Our PTA will be providing popsicles and Teller t-shirts will be available for purchase for $15.00 (cash or cards accepted). Cheryl Ruiz will be available to answer any questions about Discovery Link and/or after school enrichment classes, in addition to Jennifer Bartos who will be available to answer any questions about after school band and choir. We will also have a registration table available for any family who has not yet registered for the 2022-2023 school year. 

New families can come a little early (4:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.) and gather at the main entrance to meet Teller’s leadership team and hear directly from our PTA. 

Mark Your Calendars

We have so many fun and exciting things planned this year. Additional information regarding these events will be published in our PRIDE Post.

  • Wednesday, August 17th: Fall Enrichment Registration Opens @ 6:00 a.m.

  • Thursday, August 18th: Teller’s Popsicles on the Playground @ 5:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.

  • Monday, August 22nd: First Day of School (ECE - 5th Grade) @ 7:35 a.m. to 2:35 p.m.

  • Thursday, August 25th: Back to School Night @ 5:00 p.m. to 5:45 p.m. (in-person) or 6:00 p.m. to 6:45 p.m. (virtual)

  • Friday, September 2nd: First Friday Reading Buddies

  • Monday, September 5th: No School (Labor Day)

  • Thursday, September 8th: Gifted and Talented Information Night @ 5:00 p.m. to 5:45 p.m. (in-person) or 6:00 p.m. to 6:45 p.m. (virtual)

  • Friday, September 9th: Teller Community Block Party @ 4:00pm to 10:00 p.m.

  • Monday, September 12th: Fall Enrichment Registration Closes @ 6:00 p.m. AND Fall Enrichment Classes Begin

  • Friday, September 30th: No School (Planning and Assessment Day)

Drop Off & Pick-Up Procedures

Please adhere to the following drop off procedures: 

  • To maximize student and staff safety, families should use Teller’s drop off map to familiarize themselves with morning traffic flow.

  • There is no parking in the no parking zones.

  • Do not encourage, ask, or demand that your student run across traffic to get to school. It is an expectation that all members of the Teller community use designated crosswalks.

  • Teller’s Kiss-n-Go lane, located on Jackson St. (drop off map) will be available Monday through Friday from 7:20 a.m. to 7:35 a.m.

    • We encourage all families who drive to school to utilize our Kiss-n-Go lane as this will limit the number of cars needing parking.

    • All traffic on Jackson St. is ONE WAY (south) during morning drop off (7:20 a.m. to 7:35 a.m.). Barricades will be used to prohibit north-bound traffic on Jackson St.

    • Do not turn around, back up, or pass cars while in the Kiss-n-Go lane.

    • Please ensure your student is ready to exit the vehicle immediately upon reaching the double gate.

    • Do not allow your student to exit the vehicle until you reach the double gate.

    • All students must exit the car on the curb-side only. Do not allow your student to get out of the vehicle on the street side.

    • Please do not exit your vehicle to help your child. Teller staff members will be available to assist if needed.

    • Kiss-n-Go lane users will no longer be able to turn right (west) on 11th Ave. Vehicles will need to proceed south on Jackson St. to 10th Ave., or turn left (east) on 11th Ave.

    • After 7:35 a.m. the Kiss-n-Go lane is closed. Parents/guardians must park in one of the designated parking zones and escort their student to the main entrance (Garfield St.)

  • ECE parents/guardians are required to sign their student in and out every day. This means ECE families will not be able to utilize our Kiss-n-Go lane and will need to park in a designated parking zone and walk your student to the ECE playground.

  • The east side of Garfield St. is our bus lane. Please do not park in our bus lane.

  • The staff parking lot is for staff parking only and is not to be used to drop off students. Barricades will be used to prohibit entry into the staff parking lot.

  • If you are not using the Kiss-n-Go lane, please note that parking is extremely limited. We ask all families to arrive at least 10 minutes early to ensure you have plenty of time to find parking and walk your student (using designated crosswalks) to the blacktop.

Pick-up procedures are as follows: 

  • Classroom teachers will dismiss all students from their designated dismissal spots on the blacktop.

  • Students who are not picked up by 2:45 p.m. will be taken to the main office. Parents/guardians will need to come to the main entrance (Garfield St.) to pick up their student.

  • Our Kiss-n-Go Lane will not operate at dismissal.

  • The only afternoon parking restrictions are the bus lane and staff parking lot. Please do not park in the bus lane or staff parking lot. 

School Lunch Update

Due to the expiration of Federal Waivers that Nutrition Services has been operating under since the beginning of the pandemic, school lunches will no longer be free for all students in the 2022-23 school year. Breakfast will remain no charge for all students. Lunch prices for 2022-23 will be as follows:

  • Elementary lunches: $2.60

  • Middle School lunches: $2.75

  • High School lunches: $3

All meals will need to be recorded by student ID numbers when they take their breakfast and lunch, which means that every child needs to know their student ID number. If your child does not know their student ID number, please help them practice it before the start of the school year. Student ID numbers can be found in Parent Portal. If you are not able to locate your child's student ID in Parent Portal, feel free to contact our main office at 720-424-3560. Here is a pin pad template you can use when having your child practice their ID number. This is the same pin pad we use in the cafeteria. 

Teller’s Bike Train

We are so excited to announce that we will be starting a Bike Train this year on Monday, August 29th This will be a parent-led way for students to get to school each morning on bikes (skateboards and scooters are allowed) via three safe routes in Congress Park. More detailed information will be forthcoming. In the meantime, if you have questions, please feel free to contact john-mark_aydelotte@dpsk12.org.

Court Order Updates

If any Teller family that has had a change to their court order (custody agreement, parenting time, etc.), or you are new to Teller and have a court order in place, please send your most up to date court order to treisi_martinez@dpsk12.org by first day of school in order for us to update our records accordingly. 

Volunteer Opportunities

Thinking ahead to all the good you can do for your Teller community this fall?  Become a tutor and share the gift of literacy with our youngest learners. Please email Bridget Stroh at bridget.berninger@gmail.com or Jen Shepard at jen.shepard@yahoo.com to learn more about our reading volunteer program. 

Please note that if you are interested in volunteering at Teller, you will need to complete a background check which can be found here. Background checks need to be completed every year, so if you volunteered at Teller last year, please complete a background check again this year. 

Building Updates

 

This summer, Teller’s first floor has been under construction. All classrooms and hallways are getting new carpet. In addition to new carpet, our amazing PTA has funded several building projects that have, or will be happening before the start of the school year. These projects include:

  • New shades for every window throughout  the school have been purchased and will be installed starting next week.

  • The final two wall decals are being installed today. The Congress Park map and "Look & Find" are going to be great additions to our interactive playground.

Last, but not least, we have partnered with Whitney Holbourn , a local artist who will be creating and installing a variety of art murals throughout the building. We can’t wait to see her creations come to life!

Thank You!

Jason Smartt and I would like to thank the numerous Teller families who helped tend to and water our garden this summer. All of our plants are alive and thriving! 

Teller's Farmer's Market

We are so excited to announce that Teller has once again partnered with FTFT Rookie Farms and will be offering a Farmers' Market here at Teller every Friday (and a few Thursdays), starting Friday, September 2nd through Thursday, October 27th. 

This year, we will be selling reusable bags families can use while shopping at our Farmers' Market. Additionally, we will gladly take any produce donations if you happen to be overwhelmed by anything growing in your garden. 

All garden questions can be sent to jason_smartt@dpsk12.org. 

Teller Family Handbook

To ensure our families have everything they need to start the school year off strong, we are asking all Teller families to read through our family handbook. The handbook has an alphabetized table of context, and if you click on a topic in the table of context, Google will take you right to that portion of the handbook. 

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