Powered By:

←

Teller Elementary School

PRIDE Post: March 21st, 2024

03/21/24, 10:34 AM

Hello Teller Families! We hope you all are gearing up for a wonderful Spring Break! This week's PRIDE Post has a lot of information, so please take a moment to read through!

1) Class Pictures Cancelled Tomorrow 3/22

Due to the high volume of student planned absences tomorrow, we will be postponing our classroom pictures for April 26th. 

Here is the link to online purchasing.

2) DAC Applications Due March 22

Are you a parent, teacher, student, educator, school leader or community member who is passionate about improving our local schools and making sure that all DPS students thrive? Consider applying to join the District Accountability Committee (DAC)! As an advisory body, the DAC provides feedback to DPS on decisions that impact our schools.  

The DAC is accepting applications through Friday, March 22. The application is available in all of the consent decree languages. To learn more about the DAC and to apply, click here.

3) Spring Break!

There will be no school for students March 25th - April 1st. Students will return from break on Tuesday, April 2nd. 

Discovery Link camp will be offered on March 25th,  March 26th, and April 1st. If you are interested please contact: megan_gustafson@dpsk12.net. 

4) Hiking & Adventure Days with Ms. Gras!

Need childcare during Spring Break? Sign up for Hiking/Adventure Days with Ms. Gras here!

 There are 4 slots per day. Each slot is $80 per child. You will need to send your child with a water bottle or camelback water backpack, lunch and a snack. We will go to a different hiking location each day.

5) Food Pantry Survey (Jason Smartt’s Capstone Project)

This survey will help us measure whether or not our “food receivers” feel a sense of dignity when accessing the pantry. This is for my MSW Capstone Project and I would greatly appreciate your responses! Survey Link

6) Arab American Heritage Month

April is Arab American Heritage Month!

The President of the United States recognized the month of April as National Arab American Heritage Month with a special commemorative letter to our organization. In 2022, Congress, the U.S. Department of State, and 45 state governors issued proclamations commemorating the initiative.

Check out more information/resources here.

7) Join us for a CSC Meeting on April 2, 5-7 pm

The Collaborative School Committee will hold their monthly meeting on Tuesday April 2 from 5-7 pm in the Teller Library. All members of the Teller Community are invited to attend. Our main topic of discussion is the School Discipline Policy.  The full agenda can be found here.  There will be time for Public Comment at the end of the meeting.

The CSC is a group of parents, teachers, and community members whose role is to advise and provide recommendations to our Administrative Team while bringing community and parent voice to the table.  The CSC primarily advises on the school's Unified Improvement Plan (UIP) and budget.  Additionally, the CSC provides input on program design changes, school and community engagement, principal evaluation/selection, and safety and discipline procedures.

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 

8) UC Health- Free Wigs for Hispanic Cancer Patients

Teller’s very own Ana Fauvet has partnered with a non profit organization called Angeles Sin Fronteras from Texas to bring forward this opportunity. She is hosting an event for Hispanic women undergoing cancer treatment to get them free wigs and makeup kits. This event is for any Hispanic women and/or female identifying people undergoing cancer treatment. This event will take place on  April 27, 2024 from 11 am to 1pm.

The focus of this event is Hispanic women, but we will also have ASL interpreters for deaf or hard of hearing women.  We will not turn people away if they aren't Hispanic or deaf, we will help anyone who needs it, but they aren't the target audience for our event. 

Anyone who would like to attend must pre-register as they have space for about 50 people. 

Event contact information below:

Ana Fauvet

Phone: 505-610-4963 text or WhatsApp  

Email:Ana.fauvet@uchealth.org 

 

9) Teller Art & Music Walk

Save the Date for the Teller Art & Music Walk on Saturday, April 27.  Student art will be exhibited on Colfax and Steele streets beginning at noon. Student band, violin and choir performances will take place outdoors 1-3pm at 1521 Steele St. 

 

10) Teller DEN Night

Save the date for the next and FINAL Teller DEN Night of the school year! 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. 

The registration deadline has been extended to today at midnight- make sure to reserve your spot!!!

Make sure to register as soon as the registration room opens TOMORROW at 3pm 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.

11) Earth Rangers’ Eco-Certification at Teller!

Did you know that we are working toward an EcoSchool Certification through the World Wildlife Federation? We hope to establish a framework that will continue our culture of environmental learning and climate action year after year. 

If you are interested in learning more or lending your time and talents, please contact the student-led Earth Rangers at earthrangers@tellerpta.org.

Our current initiatives include:

    • Expanding Teller's Circular Economy. We are upcycling prizes in Kindergarten Classes to save Teacher's money and prevent items from ending up in landfills.
    • Eco-Groovy AC for All. We are advocating for heat pumps in school. We're working on a cool video and attending public comment.
    • Reducing Single Use Plastic. We are organizing a plastic film drive through Ridwell and hope to be one of their first school partners.
    • Clean Air Initiatives. We're working on an anti-idling campaign and organizing Bike, Walk and Roll day on May 8th.
    • Community Clean up Days. Look out for dates this spring to clean up school grounds (and maybe even your own block!).
    • Garden Expansion. This spring our garden will be bustling with new growth.

GET INVOLVED! Teller is special because of the continued involvement of our wonderful parent community. We look forward to hearing from you!

12) Enrichment Makeups from the 3/14+3/15 Snow Days

Due to the two snow days last week, all enrichments were canceled. 

We reached out to providers and we determined their makeup plan. Please review the information below on what makeup they will have for the 3/14 and 3/15 snow days. 

If you have any questions, please contact cheryl_ruiz@dpsk12.net. 

13) DPS STEAM Expo

Join the STEAM Team as we celebrate our students' creativity and innovation at the 2024 STEAM Expo on May 4!

There will be something for everyone at the Expo, including:

    • Interactive exhibits and hands-on activities for kids of all ages.
    • Live performances by students.
    • DPS Science Fair.
    • Food trucks and community partners.

If you have questions, email steamexpo@dpsk12.org.

14) 3rd Annual Teller Book Swap:

As you start spring cleaning, please remember to set those books aside for our Book Swap!

We’ll start collecting donations May 6.

      • May 6-May 17: Book Swap Collection
      • May 20-May 23: Book Swap

15) Continuation Dates

The last day of the school year is right around the corner! With that being so close, we want to encourage you all to save the date for the ECE, Kinder, and 5th grade continuation ceremonies! 

Continuation for all three grades will be on Tuesday, June 4th. The times and logistics are still TBA. 

16) Department of Housing Stability: Temporary Rental & Utility Assistance

The Temporary Rental and Utility Assistance (TRUA) Program assists eligible households with:

    • Rental Assistance – Up to 6 months of rental assistance may be provided to an eligible household within a 12-month period (calendar year). This may include rental arrears, the current month’s rent, and one future month’s rent.

    • Utility Assistance – This program provides utility assistance to Denver Water and/or Xcel Energy (electric, gas) for renters and homeowners. Utility assistance may be provided to eligible households one time per utility within a 12-month period (calendar year).

    • Relocation Assistance – This may include security deposit, first month’s rent, and application fees. Deposit and first month’s rent will count as one month each toward the 6-month maximum.

Learn more about the Department of Housing Stability and apply for the TRUA Program and share this flyer with your families today!

17) US Department of Education Family Engagement Learning Series Webinars

The Department recently released the Family Engagement Learning Series briefs! These briefs summarize a six-part webinar series of conversations designed to Raise the Bar for family engagement practices between school and home. The learning series produced by the U.S. Department of Education in partnership with Carnegie Corporation of New York and Overdeck Family Foundation, provided an overview of evidence, highlighted bright spots in the field, and shared resources and evidence-based strategies to support student success with education leaders and practitioners. We invite you to learn about how family engagement supports each of the areas of education highlighted in the learning series.

You can find recordings of the webinar series at: Strategies and Resources to Support Effective Family Engagement | Family & Community Engagement | Carnegie Corporation of New York

18) UPCOMING DATES

March: 

    • 3/25-4/1: Spring Break
    • 3/25-3/26: DL Spring Break Camp Days

April: 

    • 4/1: Cesar Chavez Day No School
    • 4/1: DL Spring Break Camp Day
    • 4/2: School is back in session!
    • 4/3: ISIP KG-5th Testing
    • 4/3: Paraprofessional Day!
    • 4/4: National Librarian Day!
    • 4/9-4/11: 3rd-5th Grade CMAS ELA Testing
    • 4/10: Eid-Al-Fitr
    • 4/16-4/18:  3rd-5th Grade CMAS Math Testing
    • 4/19: No School, DL camp will be offered
    • 4/22: Passover Starts
    • 4/22: Earth Day
    • 4/23-4/26: 5th Grade CMAS Science Testing

 

Best,

Dori Claunch, Principal

Jason Smartt, Assistant Principal

Cheryl Ruiz, Dean of Operations

 

 

Download the App