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Teller Elementary School

PRIDE Post: March 19th, 2025

03/19/25, 5:42 PM

1. Spring Break

There will be no school for students or Teller staff from March 24th until March 31st. Students will return from break on Tuesday, April 1st.

Discovery Link camp will be offered on March 24th,  March 25th, and March 31st. If you are interested please contact: megan_gustafson@dpsk12.net. 

2. Spring Break Opportunities with Ms. Gras

If you have any questions about Nights Out or Adventure Days, text Ms. Gras at (303) 332-5817. Children ages 4 to 12 are signed up! Need a break? Let Ms. Gras take care of your kids and lead them on a fun adventure! New dates have been added for Night at The Museum!

Looking for childcare during Spring Break? Available dates: 3/26, 3/27, and 3/28! Sign up for Adventure Days with Ms. Gras! Adventure Days Schedule. (Please note, all events are subject to change due to weather!)

    • Wednesday: 4 slots (Lookout Mountain Nature Center & Zoo)
    • Friday: 3 slots (Roxborough State Park & Colorado History Museum)

3. Parent/Guardian BESS Screener

Parents/Guardians/Caregivers: You are invited and encouraged to complete a short Universal Mental Health Screening form for your student in order to provide valuable input on your student’s mental health and social emotional well being. 

This form can be completed in less than 5 minutes now!

DIRECTIONS:  

    • 1. Follow the link below:  tinyurl.com/bessparent 
    • 2. Enter your student’s DPS ID and date of birth (MM/DD/YYYY).  
    • 3. Complete the screening form.  

To learn more, view Frequently Asked Questions

If you have a 3rd-5th Grade student and would like them to be opted out from taking the Student Self-Report form in class with their teachers, please complete the attached form (English and Spanish) and return it to Jason Smartt or Cheryl Ruiz in the main office by Tuesday, April 18th.

4. Ridwell Plastic Recycling Drive

Teller Elementary is keeping plastic film out of landfills with Ridwell this spring! To participate in this limited-time recycling drive and celebrate Earth Month, bring plastic film (ziptop bags, grocery bags, bubble wrap, and lots more) to school in April (dates will be announced after spring break) and Ridwell will make sure it stays out of landfills. It’ll be turned into new decking materials instead! Recycling your plastic with Ridwell will also help our Teller Green Team retain our Eco Certification! Start collecting plastic film at home now so you have a bunch for the drive.

Curious about at-home recycling pickup from Ridwell? They collect hundreds of common household items you can’t recycle curbside, like plastic food packaging, lightbulbs, clothes, Styrofoam, and more. If you sign up for a household membership by May 23, you’ll also help earn pickup of the school’s plastic film for all of the ‘25/’26 school year (when 10 new members sign up).

Visit https://get.ridwell.com/teller for more information—and make sure you sign up through that page so your membership counts toward rewards for the school!

5. ECE, KG, and 5th Grade Continuation

We're only 2 months away from Continuation! Just a quick reminder: T-shirt order forms for 5th grade families are due FRIDAY! Be sure to click here to select your student's size.

Also, don't forget! Cap and gown photos for ECE, Kindergarten, and 5th grade will be taken on Monday, April 7th. If you haven’t done so already, please feel free to pre-order photos now! 

If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to Treisi_Martinez@dpsk12.net. 

6. CSC Meeting Summary and Minutes

The Collaborative School Committee (CSC) met on Tuesday March 11.  A summary of the meeting is included here and the Teller Community is invited to read the full minutes.  Please contact CSC Members with questions or feedback.

The 2025-2026 Budget has been finalized.  There were no major changes from what was discussed during the last meeting.  Highlights from the finalized budget include:

    • The Reading Intervention position was decreased by 0.25 FTE, but this position was combined with the newly added 0.25 FTE Special Education (SPED) position for no net loss of a position.  
    • The money the district allocated for a MLE Paraprofessional was able to be added onto the MLE Teacher position and the teaching position will remain at 0.75 FTE.   
    • Funds have been earmarked from the district budget to pay our paraprofessionals for crossing guard duties.  This will increase their daily hours from 7 to 8.
    • ECE Paras will be increased from 7 to 8 hours using ECE Funds.
    • All district schools will receive money from the 2024 Bond to pay for technology needs.  The $20,000 originally allocated for this can be used for another need as it arises.
    • The Materials and Supplies budget was decreased by 33%.
    • The Guest Teacher budget decreased slightly.
    • The budget was finalized with $35,000 taken out of the Reserve Fund.  Any carry forward or additional revenue from Enrichments at the end of the year will be added back to the Reserve Fund to replenish this amount.

The three Major Improvement Strategies from the Unified Improvement Plan (UIP) were reviewed and a progress report towards meeting these goals was provided.  Currently we are on track towards meeting all three goals:  100% of teachers are meeting weekly in Data Teams and are implementing Really Great Reading as a reading intervention curriculum; 100% of teachers are implementing daily social emotional lessons - either Second Step or personalized lessons based on class needs; and teachers are effective in their culturally responsive education systems with teachers currently scoring 5-6 on a 7 point scale as measured in LEAP observations, and student perception scores showing high scores.  Each of the three goals have shown great progress this year and Mrs. Bates would like to continue forward progress in these three areas (data driven instruction, social emotional learning, culturally responsive education) next year with new goals and activities related to the topics.  The CSC reviewed current school level data as a first step in identifying goals for next year’s UIP goals, which will be brainstormed at the May 13 meeting.  Teller is on track for school-wide READ Act scores (monthly STAR tests), while scores for students of color are slightly behind goals.  Math Interim scores were higher than ever before, which can be attributed to the new math curriculum.  Students are also self reporting positive perceptions of math.

During the meeting, we finalized details for electing CSC members for the 2025-2026 school year.  We highly encourage parents to consider applying for the CSC.  An application/nomination form will be made available from April 21 - May 2.  If more than three applications/nominations are received, then an election will be held electronically the week of May 5-9.  Elected members will be asked to attend the CSC Meeting on May 13.

7. Teacher Appreciation Contest – Nominate Your Favorite Teacher!

In honor of the amazing work our Teller teachers do every day, we’re excited to announce an I- Orthodontics sponsored Teacher Appreciation Contest! This is a fantastic opportunity for students to recognize the teacher who has made a positive impact on their learning and life.

Here’s how the contest works:

    • Nominate a Teacher: Students can submit nomination in any of the formats below:
      • Paragraph Nomination – Write a short paragraph explaining why the teacher deserves recognition and why they are deserving of this award.
      • Photo Collage – Create a collage of photos, drawings, or memories that show why the teacher is special.
      • Comic Strip – Draw a comic strip depicting fun moments with the teacher or how they make the class great.
      • Poem or Song – Write a poem or song celebrating the teacher’s qualities.
      • Video Message – Record a short video explaining why the teacher is amazing.
      • Timeline – Create a visual timeline highlighting special moments and milestones with the teacher.
      • Classroom “Magazine Cover” – Design a magazine cover with the teacher as the star, including headlines about why they are the best.
      • Interactive Digital Presentation – Create a digital slide show highlighting the teacher’s positive qualities with images and text.
      • Any other form not indicated above is welcomed!
    • Prize for the Winning Teacher: The teacher with the most heartfelt nomination as determined by I-Ortho will receive a $150 Amazon gift card, and their class will be treated to a pizza party!
    • Timeline: Nominations are open from March 19 to March 31, and the winning teacher will be notified after the contest ends.

The more nominations we get, the more we can show our appreciation for the incredible teachers at Teller!

Submission can be sent to ashly@i-ortho.com or turned in to Ms. Cheryl in the main office. Late submissions will not be accepted.

8. Enrichment Makeup Plan for 3/20

Due to the district's non-student contact day on 3/20, all Teller enrichment classes were canceled. Please refer to the makeup plan above for each class. Refunds for all affected classes will be processed via MySchoolBucks by Friday, April 4th.

9. Round 2 of SchoolChoice Opens April 8

We’re thrilled that thousands of families submitted a SchoolChoice Round 1 application! Round 1 applicants will be notified of their matches in late March. 

The Round 2 application will open on April 8 at 10 am. Round 2 is for families who: 

    • Didn’t submit an application in Round 1 and would like their student to enroll in a different school.
    • Changed their minds since submitting a Round 1 application and would like to re-explore their options. Those who are happy with their Round 1 school placement do not need to take part in Round 2.
    • Are new to DPS.

Applications for Round 2 are processed on a first-come, first-served basis within school admission priorities. 

Questions? Contact Enrollment Services at 720-423-3493 or schoolchoice@dpsk12.org.  

10. Upcoming Vaccination Clinics

Check out the upcoming Vaccine Clinics sponsored by Denver Health, CDPHE, and Shots for Tots and Teens! These clinics are available for students, parents, families, and staff. Please share to all of your friends and family to ensure everyone has access to important vaccinations.

11. PTA Corporate Sponsorship 

Teller is one of Denver Public Schools top schools and is home to over 500 students in the area. Each year, the school PTA supports the school financially by raising additional funds.

In the past, these funds have provided features such as: new blinds, Newline Boards, iPads, water fillers, books and much more to help make Teller the amazing community school it is. Please consider continuing or becoming an annual corporate sponsor.

We, in return, will do everything we can to support your business within our Teller Community.

    • $500: One small banner (2.5' x 4') displayed outside of Teller Playground
    • $1,000: Two small banners + 1 specialized opportunity
    • $1,500: One large banner (3' x 5') + 2 specialized opportunities
    • $2,500: Two large banners + 3 specialized opportunities

**Example opportunities: booth at community event; spotlight business in newsletter; logo advertised at community event; advertisement sent home with all students. 

 

Best,

Sabrina Bates, Principal

Jason Smartt, Assistant Principal

Cheryl Ruiz, Dean of Operations

 

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