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Teller Elementary School

PRIDE Post: January 30th, 2025

01/30/25, 4:27 PM

1. Lost and Found

Tomorrow is the last day to retrieve items from the lost and found! Any unclaimed items will be donated, so make sure to stop by tomorrow to see if your student is missing anything.

2. Friday Dance Party 

Tomorrow’s lunch recess dance music takes us into the 1970s. Get ready for some Bee Gees, Tom Petty, Bowie, ABBA, ELO, & Aerosmith. A bit of disco, but mostly just That Old Fashioned Rock n Roll!

3. Spring Session Enrichments

Here is the link to the Spring Session enrichments at Teller. Registration will open next week on Tuesday, February 4th at 6am!

4. Free Teller T-Shirt for Every Student!

The PTA is giving each Teller student a FREE new Teller T-shirt to be reused for special events and pride days at school, just in time for Fun Run!! Please use the link to input your child’s size, otherwise we’ll approximate a size based on availability.

5. Childcare Opportunities with Ms. Gras

Need a night out? Let Ms. Gras watch your kids and take them on an adventure! Night at The Museum New Dates Added!

Need childcare on President’s Day? Spring Break? Summer? Sign up for Adventure Days with Ms. Gras! Adventure Days.

6. CSC Updates

The Collaborative School Committee (CSC) met on Wednesday January 22 for a special meeting to continue budget discussions and to finalize a recommendation.  A summary of the meeting is included below and the Teller Community is invited to read the full minutes.  Minutes are also available from the January 14 Regular Meeting - a summary of this meeting was provided in the January 16 Pride Post.  Please contact CSC Members with questions or feedback.

Since the January 14 meeting, additional budget information became available, which reduced the deficit that Teller needed to cover to a total of $104,148.  Several factors contributed to this new number including:

    • A cut to the Supplies, Materials, Non-Personnel line item by 20%. 
    • The addition of a 0.25 FTE SPED (Special Education) position, as required by our current SPED case load.  
    • The addition of $20,000 for technology, as newly required by the district for all schools. 
    • Our request for a 0.75 FTE MLE position was denied and the district will only cover 0.5 FTE.  Teller’s MLE position is currently at 0.75 FTE with the district paying 0.5 and Teller paying 0.25).  However the district is providing funding for a 0.5 ELA-S (Spanish certified) Paraprofessional, which could be applied towards a ELA-S certified MLE Teacher.  
    • Teller’s “savings” accounts (Reserve, Carry Forward, and additional Enrichment Income) currently sit at $123,000. Use of these funds towards the deficit represent a one time use to cover a deficit and must be realized again in next year’s budget. 

Mrs. Bates presented three scenarios for the CSC to consider.  A fourth scenario was proposed by CSC members.  The deficit balance for all four scenarios would be covered from Teller’s “savings”.

    • Scenario One keeps all staff positions as is.  With no additional cost cutting measures, the deficit remains at $104,148.
    • Scenario Two reduces the School Technology Resource position from 1.0 FTE to 0.6 FTE, reduces the MLE position from 0.75 FTE to 0.5 FTE and reduces Reading Intervention from 0.875 to 0.75 FTE.  This results in a deficit of $41,009.
    • Scenario Three reduces the School Technology Resource position from 1.0 FTE to 0.6 FTE, reduces Reading Intervention from 0.875 to 0.625 FTE.   It maintains the MLE position at 0.75 by applying the cost of a ELA-S Paraprofessional towards this position.  This scenario makes the assumption that the MLE Teacher is ELA-S certified and that the Reading Intervention position can be shared with the new, added 0.25 SPED position.  This results in a deficit of $33,167.
    • Scenario Four reduces the School Technology Resource position from 1.0 FTE to 0.6 FTE, reduces Reading Intervention from 0.875 to 0.75 FTE, and maintains the MLE position at 0.75 by applying the cost of a ELA-S Paraprofessional towards this position.  This results in a deficit of $47,178.

CSC members considered each of the scenarios. We came to a consensus recommendation to support Scenario Three, acknowledging that the staffing scenarios for MLE ELA-S and Reading Intervention / SpEd are key. If those scenarios do not play out then the CSC is comfortable recommending Scenario Two. The CSC feels highly confident in Sabrina’s leadership and ability to manage complex budget scenarios.

The next CSC Meeting is scheduled for Tuesday March 11 from 5:00-6:15 pm.

7. Pi Q Math Summer Camp

Join Pi Q Math for summer and school break camps because we believe that children can think deeply, reason effectively, persist at challenging problems and be excited about math!  Camps are located on 6th Ave between Steele and Adams street.  Remaining school break camps are on February 17th, March 31st and April 18th.  Summer camps run from June 9th - August 15th.

For more information and to register, please visit www.piQmath.com.

8. DINE Outs

Thank you all for your continued support at our DINE Out nights! Here are the next DINE Out opportunities! 

ParkBurger on Holly

    • Wednesday February 5th 5-9pm 
    • 211 S Holly St 
    • Applies to dine in and to go orders but no 3rd party deliveries. Show the attached flyer or mention Teller to get 20% donated back to our school! 

Oblios 

    • Tuesday, February 18th  11am-10pm (all day!)
    • 6115 E 22nd Ave, Denver, CO 80207
    • Mention Teller when ordering in person or by phone, or in the special request section for online orders and they will donate 20% back to our school

9. Girl Scout cookie booth on Feb. 13th

Come out to the Teller Pavilion to get some yummy Girl Scout cookies and support our Teller Troop 66716! We will be hosting a cookie booth on Thursday, February 13th, 2:40-4:00pm, near the playground and field. We will be accepting Venmo, cash and checks.

10. Spring Class Pictures 

We’re excited to announce that Spring class pictures will be on February 13th! Informational flyers will go home in Thursday folders this week.

We’re still looking for volunteers to help out during the following times:

      • 10:30 am - 12:00 pm
      • 11:30 am - 2:00 pm

If you are interested in volunteering, please email cheryl_ruiz@dpsk12.net as soon as possible.

11. Yearbooks Are On Sale NOW

Friendly reminder that yearbook sales end in two months. You can pre-order yearbooks until March 14, 2025 on MySchoolBucks. These can be ordered for $40 at MySchoolBucks. If you would like to pay with check or cash, please contact Treisi Martinez in the main office.

12. Spring CogAT Testing Sign-Up

If you would like your child (1st, 3rd, 4th, or 5th grade only) to take the CogAT assessment this spring, please complete the CogAT Testing Nomination Form before the February 21st deadline.

Please note that students are allowed to take only one cognitive assessment per calendar year. If your child has already completed the NNAT, NGAT, or CogAT in the fall, they are ineligible for testing this school year. During the fall semester, DPS students in Kindergarten and 2nd grade at Teller were tested as part of universal screening, so those families do not need to submit this form unless their child was not assessed during the fall.

CogAT testing will take place from March 3rd-7th, 2025, with makeup dates scheduled as needed. Ms. Dorsey will send an email to all families who have signed up once the application window closes and she receives a roster from the GT central office.

Students who are identified as Highly Gifted and Talented or Magnet Eligible do not need to sign up for testing, as they already have a qualifying cognitive test result. However, Gifted and Talented students may still sign up if desired.

If you have any questions, please contact Marian Dorsey at marian_dorsey@dpsk12.org. 

13. Balarat Merch

If you are interested in Balarat merch, check out the Balarat Merch Store. Families, staff, and stakeholders can place their orders. Don't miss out on this opportunity to grab your favorite Balarat merchandise!

We are also excited to announce that the store will reopen in the spring semester, so stay tuned for more details!

 

Best,

Sabrina Bates, Principal

Jason Smartt, Assistant Principal

Cheryl Ruiz, Dean of Operations

 

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