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Teller Elementary School

PRIDE Post: February 15th, 2024

02/15/24, 10:11 AM

 

1) No School 2/16 and 2/19!

Friendly reminder to all Teller families that there is no school for students Friday 2/16 or on Monday 2/19. Tomorrow is a district planning day for our teachers and Monday is a federal holiday. See you all when we return on Tuesday the 20th!

2) BOOSTERTHON!

Volunteer for the FUN RUN on 3/1/2024:

Below is our FUN RUN schedule for March 1st. We are in need of volunteers to support on the field with tallying/marking the run cards. If you are interested in volunteering, please sign up HERE. We are hoping for 6 volunteers per run!

We will be asking all volunteers to arrive 15 minutes prior to the start of the run they are volunteering for. All volunteers will need to sign in at the front desk before heading out to the turf. 

      • 8:00AM - 8:40AM – 5th
      • 8:45AM - 9:25AM – 4th
      • 9:30AM - 10:10AM – 2nd 
      • 10:15AM - 10:30AM – ECE
      • 12:15PM - 12:55PM– 3rd
      • 1:00PM - 1:20PM – KG
      • 1:50PM - 2:25PM – 1st

Register ASAP!!!

Our Teller Fun Run fundraiser is right around the corner!! ALL FAMILIES NEED TO REGISTER FOR BOOSTERTHON! We currently have 20% of Teller families registered already, MASSIVE YAY!!!

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

Thanks for your support, Teller Elementary School families! Boosterthon flyers were distributed in Thursday folders today!

3) 2/22 3RD GRADE BLACK HISTORY PERFORMANCE!

Our Teller 3rd grade performance will now be on THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 22ND. Please come and join us on February 22nd to see all of the 3rd graders celebrate and honor Black History Month. All 3rd grade students will perform a variety of songs, stories, dances, poems!

Logistics: 

    • 3rd grade students must arrive at Door 2 (located by the Auditorium) by no later that 4:45pm
    • Students will be directed to the gym to check in with their classroom teachers and families will be directed to the auditorium to find seating
    • Please note, no food or drinks are allowed in the auditorium and all phones must be silent during the performance to respect all of the work the students are doing!
    • There will be select seats that are reserved for our Totally Teller Tiger Treat winner, please respect those spots
    • Discovery Link Students will be picked up by a Teller staff member from the cafeteria and checked into the gym
    • After the performance, families will be asked to check out their students from their classroom teachers in the gym.   

4) SABRINA BATES- EQUITY AWARD!

We are so thrilled to share that our very own Principal, Sabrina Bates, was awarded the District’s EQUITY award!!!! Principal Bates was awarded this by the Superintendent this past week, please join us in congratulating her and this incredible achievement!

DPS EQUITY MISSION STATEMENT: Racial and Educational Equity is our collective responsibility. We will achieve equity when we dismantle deeply rooted systems of oppression that have historically resulted in inequitable access and distribution of opportunities and resources for those who represent marginalized identities, including race, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, language and ability. We will create conditions where we all belong, are included, have clear purpose (why) and have the autonomy to lead in our respective areas. By creating these conditions, we will eliminate the predictability of success or failure for our students and team members.

5) CMAS DATES!

Our 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade students will be taking The Colorado Measures of Academic Success, or CMAS beginning in April. CMAS is the state summative assessment for language arts, math, science and social studies. CMAS is aligned to the state’s rigorous academic standards and designed to gauge how well students are mastering the standards and are prepared for their next grade. Our students will be testing during the following weeks: 

    • April 9-11th: 3rd, 4th, and 5th Grade Language Arts
    • April 16th-18th: 3rd, 4th, and 5th Grade Math
    • April  23rd-25th: 5th Grade Science
    • April 29th - May 3rd: Makeup Week

If you have any questions at all, please feel free to contact cheryl_ruiz@dpsk12.net. 

6) THANK YOU FROM BRANDI:

Last week’s PRIDE post included a Meal Train for Brandi, one of our phenomenal ECE paras!! We are SO blown away by the support, please see the THANK YOU message from Brandi below:

“Thank you Teller Community for all the generous meals and/or donations you have provided to my family and myself. I am truly grateful to work with this community and to call myself a Teller Tiger! This Meal Train will help me immensely during my recovery and especially my family who will be helping me during those 6 weeks. I feel so loved and completely overwhelmed with gratitude. Thank you Teller Community!”

7) SPRING COGAT SIGN UPS (Due by 2/23)!

Attention 1st, 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade families: If you are interested in having your child take the CogAT assessment this spring, please complete the nomination form. Applications can be found HERE!

Applications for testing are due by Friday, February 23rd. Students can only take one cognitive assessment per calendar year, so if your child was already given the NNAT, NGAT, or the CogAT this year (fall 2023), they cannot be assessed again this spring. To find out more information about CogAT testing and GT programming, please visit the Spring CogAT signup  HERE or reach out to Marian Dorsey at marian_dorsey@dpsk12.org.

8) A MESSAGE FROM THE TELLER PANTRY!

A quick reminder that after today's usual hours, the pantry will be closed until Tuesday, February 20th. Please come visit today before the long weekend. As always, all current Teller families and staff are welcome, no questions asked.

If you are unable to visit the pantry today, or in addition to, you can visit a Food Bank of the Rockies mobile food pantry on Friday, February 16th. There will be two mobile pantry locations on this date and neither have eligibility requirements. One will take place at Empower Field (see details on this facebook post) and the second at Dicks Sporting Good Park (see details here-2nd location listed). Please refer to information in the links for the details on each.

9) SUMMER CONNECTIONS!

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 will open Friday, Feb. 16 at noon and close Friday, April 26. Please ensure you have your Parent Portal account set up to be able to register. If you need support with Parent Portal please visit the My Portal Contact Us webpage. Submission of the application does not guarantee a seat. For more information go to bit.ly/3UsCi2n.

10) MUSIC PERFORMANCES!

If you have a student who participates in Mrs. Bartos’s music programs afterschool,(Beginning Band, Violin, Tiger Voices, and Concert Band) concerts will be held the last week of February from the 26th-29th on the regular class days.

If you would like to come support your students and the performers, please come to the Auditorium. Doors open at 3:45pm and the performances start at 4pm.

11) MINUTES FROM FEBRUARY 6TH CSC MEETING!

The Collaborative School Committee (CSC) met on February 6 for their regular monthly meeting.  The majority of the meeting was devoted to updates and discussion regarding the 2024-2025 budget. The Teller Community is invited to read the minutes for a complete recap of the meeting, a summary is below.  The next CSC meeting is scheduled for Tuesday February 27 from 5-7 pm in the Teller Library. All members of the Teller Community are welcome to attend.

At the January 23 meeting, the CSC made a recommendation to fully fund the Multilingual Education (MLE) and Special Education (SPED) positions as needed with the small surplus of money left after all current positions were budgeted for and to use the remaining money to reduce enrollment in Kindergarten.  This would result in a decrease in enrollment of 2-13 students.  At the Teller Town Hall on January 31, the PTA voted to spend up to $72,000 from their reserves to ensure that the maximum enrollment decrease of 13 students could be achieved.

Following the Town Hall, the school received confirmation that the district would not fund the additional 0.25 FTE the CSC recommended for MLE and we would be required to provide 2.5 FTE for SPED (we are currently at 2.25 FTE), with both positions funded by Teller.  In the final budget meeting between Teller administration and DPS administration, the CSC’s recommendation to reduce Kindergarten enrollment was denied, as a request to decrease enrollment should have been requested in December when enrollment projections were being developed.  Any change in enrollment at this point should be managed through choice seats, not through budget.  Additionally, because a decrease in enrollment could not be guaranteed, PTA funding could not be used to fund the decrease.  Because the budget at that point was balanced, there was not a fiscal reason to need the donation for any other purpose.  Additionally, during this final budget meeting, Teller was notified that we have $100,000 in reserve funding.

Given this information, the CSC made a new recommendation that approximately $50,000 of the reserve funding be used to fund a Student Support Liaison to help support student behavior schoolwide.  Additionally, CSC made the recommendation that the number of choice seats offered at Kindergarten be lowered to achieve a target enrollment of 69.  Because Teller’s current enrollment is 39 students higher than our projected enrollment for next year, the CSC has a high confidence that a decrease in Kindergarten would not drop total enrollment below the projected enrollment for next year, which would cause a decrease in our funding levels.

CSC members want to ensure that all members of the Teller Community feel informed, but that they also have a voice.  Please feel free to reach out to any CSC member with questions or concerns you might have.  CSC Members for the 2023-2024 school year include:

      • Sabrina Bates, Principal, sbates@dpsk12.net
      • Jason Smartt, Assistant Principal, jason_smartt@dpsk12.net
      • Angela Dire, Second Grade Teacher, adire@dpsk12.net
      • Lisa Davis, Parent, lisa@denverdavis.com
      • Rob Parker, Parent, stacy.rob.parker@gmail.com
      • Kathy Price, Parent, priceofmommahood@gmail.com
      • Katie Walsh, Parent, kkraskey@gmail.com
      • Trevor Price, PTA Representative, taprice1977@gmail.com

12) UPCOMING DATES!

  • February:

    • 2/16: TEAL Day- No School or DL Camp
    • 2/19: President’s Day- No School
    • 2/21: Boosterthon Pep Rallies!
    • 2/22: Boosterthon Week Starts!
    • 2/22: 3rd Grade Black History Month Performance
    • 2/26: Beginning Band Performance
    • 2/27: Violin Performance
    • 2/27: CSC Meeting 5-6pm
    • 2/28: Tiger Voices Performance
    • 2/28: Fire Drill 9:30-9:45am
    • 2/29: Concert Band Performance
    • 2/29: Teller Yearbook and 5th grade Ad Deadline

  • March: 

    • 3/1: First Day of Women’s History Month!
    • 3/1: End of 2nd Trimester
    • 3/1:  Fun Run Day!
    • 3/1: No Warren Village
    • 3/1: Sabrina Bates’s last day
    • 3/4: KG-5th ISIP Testing
    • 3/4 -3/8: CoGAT Testing Window
    • 3/5: STAR 1st-5th Testing
    • 3/6: Fire Drill
    • 3/8: No School for ECE
    • 3/8: MLE PAC Potluck
    • 3/12: Infrastructure Trial for CMAS

 

Best,

Sabrina Bates, Principal

Jason Smartt, Assistant Principal

Cheryl Ruiz, Dean of Operations

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