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Teller Elementary School

PRIDE Post: February 2nd, 2024

02/02/24, 9:40 AM

 

  1. Black History Month

Black History Month honors the contributions and sacrifices of African Americans who have helped to shape our nation. Black History Month celebrates the rich cultural heritage, triumphs and adversities that are an indelible part of our country's history. Unless Black history is taught and celebrated throughout the year, it perpetuates the "othering" of Black lives and Black students. At DPS, we believe that the histories, stories and voices of Black people should be centered, honored, acknowledged and uplifted every day.

Books – Our Library Services Team is continuously developing Culturally Responsive, Inclusive and Linguistically Diverse eBook collections in Sora (our digital library). Additionally, we developed a book collection inspired by the KJKP resolution. The titles selected illuminate themes of anti-racism, Blackness, self-confidence, youth activism and Black Joy. 

 

  1. DEN Night 2/10!

Save the date for the next Teller DEN Night! Your child will be fed dinner and enjoy a whole array of activities including arts & crafts, movies (age appropriate), and reading stories before settling down to spend the night in the school. 

Registration closes on February 2nd, 2024. WHICH IS TODAY!

Make sure to register ASAP as there are a limited number of spots available! You can register on the Membership Toolkit  here. The pricing will be $75 per child (there are sibling discounts for 2nd, 3rd, 4th children)!

If you have any questions, please reach out to treisi_martinez@dpsk12.net.

 

  1. SPIRIT WEEK

Teller's first spirit week of the year will be February 5th through February 9th! NEXT WEEK!

 

 

Here is a link to the flyer which was sent home in Thursday folders a few weeks ago!

 

Here are the dress up days: 

Monday: Sports day!

Tuesday: Wacky Wearables: Hats, Sunglasses, and socks!

Wednesday: Class color day! ECE= RED, KG=ORANGE, 1ST=YELLOW, 2ND= GREEN, 3RD=BLUE, 4TH=PINK, 5TH, PURPLE!

Thursday: Stripes and polka dot day! 

Friday: Pajama Day!

 

  1. LOST & FOUND

There are already 2 full racks of clothes in our Lost and Found, please take a moment at drop off or pick up to check the lost and found. We will be donating any items that are unclaimed after February 9th, 2024. 


  1. Spring Enrichments

Here is the brochure for Spring Enrichments!

Spring Registration opened this week and classes filled up so fast! There are still classes with space available so if you are interested in registering your student, head over to MySchoolBucks to register them now!

If you have any questions, please reach out to cheryl_ruiz@dpsk12.net 

 

  1. A Message from the Teller Pantry

Did you know we love receiving in-kind donations?! If you would like to donate items (ie., food, personal care, household cleaners), please drop them in the donation box located at the top of the front stairs, next to Ms. Nicole's desk. Check out this current needs list for items to consider.

We have also created an Amazon wish list for anyone that prefers to order and have things delivered directly to the Pantry. Please check it out!

Lastly, please consider donating your time. Our volunteer signup has lots of available slots. If the times do not work for you, please reach out to us by email and we can work with you to find a time. There is almost always work to be done outside of open pantry hours.

 

  1. Community Shoutout & Thank You!

Huge shout-out to Morgan & Patrick Lynch - parents of one of our third-graders! Last Friday, they noticed our Kiss-n-Go lane was down to just one person instead of the usual three (we were very short-staffed last Friday with many employees out sick.)

 

The Lynch's stopped and asked if they could help, and ended up staying 15 minutes opening doors for our students and kept the Kiss-n-Go lane moving. We are so grateful to have thoughtful, generous parents like these, who are willing to pitch in and help without even being asked!

 

Thank you, thank you!

 

  1. Summer Connections Registration Begins Mid-February!

The Summer Connections Program is returning as a free, five-week program from June 17-July 19. DPS students entering first through fifth grade are invited to participate in this full-day program. Designed for student readiness, the program introduces students to next year’s curriculum with a special focus on STEM subjects. Students will also participate in a variety of activities including Inventor’s Week, The Lego Challenge, Career exploration and computer science. Plus, there’s an exciting field trip in store! Registration for families begins mid-February. For more information visit the Summer Connections webpage. 

 

  1. Boosterthon

Our Teller Fun Run fundraiser is kicking off soon! Lookout for more information in the coming weeks. For now, mark your calendars with these key dates.

        •  REGISTRATION OPENS - 02/07/2024
        •  Register on MYBOOSTER.COM
        • Teller Fun Run Kickoff - 02/21/2024
        •  Event Day - 03/01/2024

Thanks for your support, Teller Elementary School families!

 

  1. CSC Updates - January 23 Minutes and February 6 Agenda

Next week, the Collaborative School Committee (CSC) will be meeting on Tuesday February 6, 2024 from 5-7 pm in the Teller Library.  All members of the Teller Community are invited to attend.  We will be sharing budget and enrollment updates, and reviewing the Teacher Perception Survey.  An agenda for the meeting can be viewed here.  There is time set aside during the meeting for Public Comment.

Last week, the CSC met for their January meeting.  Minutes from the meeting can be viewed here.  The main topic of discussion was the 2024-2025 school budget.  All DPS school budgets are built on a per pupil funding model.  After funding all staff positions similar to the way they are this year, there was a small surplus of money. However, Administration and CSC still needs clarification from the district on whether or not Special Education (SPED) and Multi Language Learner (MLE) staffing will need to be increased.  After lengthy discussion, the CSC recommended that the surplus, which may vary in amount if the SPED and MLE positions need to be filled, be used to decrease kindergarten enrollment.  Depending on the outcome of the SPED and MLE positions, this may result in a decrease of 2-13 students.  It is the intent of this recommendation that a lower enrollment trickle down through the grade levels with this kindergarten class over the next six years until all class sizes have a target of 23-25 students.

 

  1. Morning Drop Off Reminders

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

2) There is no parking in the no parking zones.

3) Families cannot drop off on Garfield st. that side is only used for our MIA classroom and the bus lane.

4) 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.

5) 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.

 

  1. Health Office Updates

We are seeing a decline in sick students and staff at Teller Elementary. The numbers are slowly coming down. 

Please read the attached Influenza letter from DPHE. We are still practicing the increased amount of time that kids and staff need to be 48 hours fever free for a safe return to school. 

Capitol Heights Pharmacy is the nearest pharmacy to Teller and it's located right down the street. They offer flu, covid, and strep testing here at the pharmacy. They are easy point-of-care tests that we bill out of pocket ($55 for covid/flu test and $45 for strep test) that then we can prescribe based off of results and bill insurance for the med. You can call ahead and see what ages their tests can accommodate and if they are in stock!

 

  1.  Donations Needed

We are running low on both girls and boys pants of all sizes XS to XL for our clothing closet. We use these clothes as loaners for children at the school. Any donation of pants, sweatpants, jeans, and etc would be much appreciated.

 

If there are any parents that are looking to get rid of a few games or fidgets they would be much appreciated for the Autism classroom. We could also use some fun throw pillows for their area.

 

  1. Upcoming Dates!

    • February:
      • 2/5 -2/9: Spirit Week
      • 2/6: CSC Meeting 5-6pm
      • 2/7: Fire Drill at 9:30am
      • 2/8: BINGO Night 5:30-6:30pm
      • 2/10: DEN Night 
      • 2/11: Round 1 School Choice Closes
      • 2/12: Spring Enrichment closes at 10pm
      • 2/14: Valentine’s Day!
      • 2/16: TEAL Day- No School or DL Camp
      • 2/19: President’s Day- No School
      • 2/22: Boosterthon Week Starts!
      • 2/22: 3rd Grade Performance
      • 2/26: Beginning Band Performance
      • 2/27: Violin Performance
      • 2/28: Tiger Voices Performance
      • 2/29: Concert Band Performance

Best,

Sabrina Bates, Principal

Jason Smartt, Assistant Principal

Cheryl Ruiz, Dean of Operations

 

Attachment: 17068918952963_Influenza_Notification_TellerElementary_1.29

Attachment: 17068918953100_Influenza_Notification_TellerElementary__SPANISH.1

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