Teller Elementary School

PRIDE Post: May 22nd, 2025

05/22/25, 4:45 PM

 

1) No School – Monday, May 26th 

In observance of Memorial Day, there will be no school on Monday, May 26th. We hope you enjoy the long weekend and look forward to welcoming students back on Tuesday, May 27th.

2) Enrichment Makeup Classes Next Week

Next week is the Spring Session makeup week. Please see below for the list of classes with scheduled makeup sessions. If a student is NOT enrolled in one of the classes below, they DO NOT have any makeups scheduled. (Please see updates below)

• • Monday 5/26: 
    • No Makeups/No school
  • Tuesday 5/27: 
    • Mad About Hoops has a scheduled makeup from 2:45pm-3:45pm.
  • Wednesday 5/28: 
    • No Makeups
  • Thursday 5/29:
    • Little Fencers has a scheduled makeup from 2:45pm-3:45pm.
    • Science Matters has a scheduled makeup from 2:45pm-3:45pm.
    • Ukulele has a scheduled makeup from 2:45pm-3:45pm.
    • Dice Rolls & Dragons has a scheduled makeup from 2:45pm-4:30pm
    • Nexplore: Squishy Circuits has a scheduled makeup from 2:45pm-3:45pm. Please note, there is no extended time for this class.
    • Pottery DOES NOT have a makeup class as refunds were issues
  • Friday 5/30: 
    • Lambshoppe has a scheduled makeup from 12:35pm-1:35pm

Please reach out to Cheryl Ruiz if you have any questions!

 

3) Pep Rally on Tuesday! 

Teller’s next and final pep rally is on Tuesday, May 27th!  We encourage all Teller students to dress up in Teller’s colors, blue and yellow, to show their Teller PRIDE! 

4) Report Cards, Assessment Binders, and Tiger Eyes

Trimester 3 Report Cards, Tiger Eye pictures, and assessment binders will be sent home with students on May 29th. Click here to learn more about how exactly students are assessed and graded. 

5) Help Needed: Chair Setup & Takedown for Continuation Ceremony

Chairs for the Continuation Ceremonies will be delivered on Thursday, May 29th. We’re looking for volunteers from our community to help with setting up the chairs right after school that day.

Additionally, if any families are available to assist with takedown on Friday, May 30th at 12:30 PM, your help would be greatly appreciated!

Thank you for supporting our students and helping make this event a success!

6) Lost and Found:

Friday, May 30th, will be the last day to retrieve items from the lost and found! Any unclaimed items will be donated, so make sure to stop by today or tomorrow to see if your student is missing anything.

7) Continuation Ceremonies on Friday, May 30th

We’re excited to announce that Teller’s continuation ceremonies are quickly approaching—now less than a month away! We look forward to welcoming our Teller families as we come together to celebrate this important milestone for our students.

Important Details

Date: Friday, May 30
Times and Locations:

• • • ECE: 8:15 AM – 9:15 AM in the Auditorium
    • Kindergarten: 9:30 AM – 10:30 AM on the Teller field
    • 5th Grade: 11:30 AM – 12:30 PM on the Teller field

Arrival and Seating Information

Kindergarten and 5th Grade Families:

The continuation ceremonies will be held on the Teller field. Families should enter through the Jackson Street gates, which will open 25 minutes prior to each ceremony. See map below.

Once inside the east gate, please choose any available seat. The front row will have designated and labeled seats for our Totally Teller Front Row Seat winners.

• • • • Kindergarten families: Please arrive no earlier than 9:05 AM.
      • 5th Grade families: Please arrive no earlier than 11:05 AM.

These arrival times help ensure we have enough time to set up and prepare between ceremonies.

ECE Families:

Please enter through Door 2, located on the west side of the building near the auditorium. Doors will open at 8:00 AM. Front row seating will be reserved and labeled for our Totally Teller winners.

Teller Gift Station

After checking in and receiving your program, be sure to stop by the Teller Gift Station to purchase celebration items or pick up any pre-ordered gifts. See map below.

• • ECE Ceremony: The gift table will be located just outside the auditorium.
  • Kindergarten and 5th Grade Ceremonies: The table will be set up just inside the east gate entrance on Jackson St.

Post-Ceremony Celebrations

• • After the Kindergarten and 5th Grade ceremonies, families are invited to gather on the front lawn for a schoolwide celebration. See map below.
  • ECE families will head to the ECE playground for their post-ceremony celebration. See map below.

Additional Reminders

Student Sign-Out (ECE and Kindergarten only):

If you plan to take your student home after the ceremony, please sign them out with Ms. Brandi at the front desk. Note: This does not apply to 5th grade students as their continuation ends at 12:30pm.

Weather Contingency Plan:

In the event of inclement weather, the Kindergarten and 5th Grade ceremonies will be moved indoors to the auditorium. Due to space limitations, only two guests per student will be permitted. Note: We will notify families of any location changes the day before the event.

Parking: 

Kindly be mindful of the street sweeping schedule near Teller. Additionally, please note that all parking spaces in the Teller lot are reserved for Teller staff.

Accommodations

If you have a family member that will be in a wheelchair or might be in need of any other accomodation, please email cheryl_ruiz@dpsk12.net. 

Arrival Policy:

Families may arrive no more than 25 minutes prior to their student's ceremony. This helps ensure proper setup and a smooth flow of events.

5th Grade T Shirts and Yard Signs

All 5th graders have received a T-shirt and yard sign. While it's not required for students to wear their T-shirt to the ceremony, they are more than welcome to do so!

Gift Pre-Orders:

Pre- Orders were due on May 16th. Please look for an email from Ms. Treisi to confirm when your order is complete. Once you receive your email, you may pick up your item from the school before the event or the day of the event.

Rose & baby’s breath bundles will be available for purchase on the day of Continuation. Want to pre-order? Venmo @momjosy1323 (0626) and include your student’s name in the comment.

Teller Continuation Map:

• • • Green Arrow: Entrance for the Kindergarten and 5th Grade Continuation ceremonies.
    • Green Circle: Location of the Gift Station for the Kindergarten and 5th Grade Continuation ceremonies.
    • Blue Rectangle: Spot for the post-ceremony celebration following the Kindergarten and 5th Grade ceremonies.
    • Orange Arrow: Entrance for the ECE Continuation ceremony.
    • Orange Circle: Location of the Gift Station for the ECE Continuation ceremony.
    • Yellow Square: Post-ceremony celebration area for the ECE ceremony.

Questions? Please contact Cheryl Ruiz at cheryl_ruiz@dpsk12.net

 

8) A Message from the Teller Pantry

In less than 2 weeks, this school year will be over and boy, has it been a year for the record books with:

• • 88,486 pounds of food and personal/home care products distributed, and
  • 2,183 visits!!!

The remaining days to visit and shop are:

• • Friday, May 23 - 7:30-8:45am and 12:30-4:00pm
  • Tuesday, May 27 - 2:30-4:00pm
  • Monday, Jun 2 - 2:30-6:00pm

WE WILL HAVE SUMMER HOURS beginning Friday, June 13th! We are planning for the pantry to be open each Friday 9:00am-12:00pm! Summer hours will occur June 13th through August 15th, except for July 4th. We do recommend that you check our website before each visit, to ensure there has not been a change to the schedule for any reason.

Call for volunteers!

To help us over the next two weeks as we close out this school year, see the Remaining School Year Volunteer sign up.

Help us provide a successful summer of pantry access to Teller families and staff. We will need help picking up food from partner programs, working in the pantry, and helping to further reduce food waste by spreading the love. Please check out the Summer Pantry Volunteer Sign Up for opportunities!

 

9) CSC Meeting Summary and Minutes

The Collaborative School Committee (CSC) met on Tuesday May 13.  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.  Our next CSC meeting will be held on September 9.

In April, the CSC opened applications for parent members for the 2025-2026/2026-2027 school years.  There were three openings and we had two applications.  We are excited to welcome Amanda Bouche to the CSC.  Kathy Price will be returning to the CSC for another term.  Parent members continuing for the second year of their two year term are Anastasiia Petrova, Ashleigh Payne-Snyder, and Lisa Davis.  We still have one open parent seat available.  We would love to have a primary (ECE-second grade) parent on the CSC fill the open seat (although all parents are welcome to apply) as none of our current parent members represent these grade levels. If you are interested, please contact Lisa Davis, CSC Chair, at lisa@denverdavis.com  

During the CSC meeting we reviewed Teller’s Discipline Policy.  Teller follows the DPS Discipline Matrix, which classifies different types of behavioral conducts into seven tiers and identifies appropriate and permissible discipline levels based on each tier and grade level.  Additionally Teller uses their own Behavior Referral Chart that outlines what types of behaviors should be managed by the classroom teacher vs. support staff and how the behavior is managed.  We discussed how unsupervised screen time, social media, and texting at home is contributing to a higher volume of behavioral issues this year.  

We also reviewed the proposed goals for our 2025-2026 Unified Improvement Plan (UIP).  In analyzing testing data from the current school year, our black students have shown a year over year decline in both English language arts and math, while all other disaggregated groups have shown increased or stable scores.  As a result of this gap, all three proposed UIP goals for next year revolve around increasing the performance of black students.  Work will be done to help pinpoint why these students are not growing academically and then specific strategies put in place to help them succeed.  The UIP goals will be finalized over summer break with final versions presented to the CSC in the fall.

10) Summer Theater Camps with Mrs. Bartos!

Looking for a fun and enriching summer experience for your child? Join Mrs. Bartos at Rocky Mountain Theater for Kids in Boulder or Englewood! These exciting camps offer a mix of improv, singing, and acting—perfect for turning introverts into extroverts and extroverts into stars!

📅 Camp Options and Camp Flyer:

• • Moana Kids (Ages 5–8): June 23–27, 8:30 AM–3:30 PM in Englewood
  • Acting for Comedy & Drama (Ages 11–17):
    • June 16–20, 9 AM–4 PM in Englewood
    • July 7–11, 9 AM–4 PM in Boulder

🔗 Learn more and register: theaterforkids.net . Spots fill quickly—sign up today!

 

11) Volunteers Needed for Summer Garden Maintenance

Our Teller Tigers have been hard at work getting our garden ready.  First grade has been growing seeds in their classroom, second grade prepared the garden for planting, kindergarten planted seeds in the garden, and third grade transplanted the plants that the first grade grew. To keep all of this awesome work going, we need families to help maintain the garden over the summer.  Families can expect to spend approximately one hour in the garden on each day they sign up for doing weeding, pest control, watering the front planters, and other garden tasks as needed.  In exchange, families are welcome to harvest ripe produce from the garden during their work day.  Complete instructions (including pictures) will be provided prior to your scheduled day - no previous gardening experience is needed.  We are looking for volunteers to come in on weekends (Saturday or Sunday) and midweek (Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday) throughout summer break - sign up for one day or several.  To sign your family up, please visit our Sign Up Genius page.

12) Last Day of School- June 3rd, 2025

The last day of school is Tuesday, June 3rd. Please note that it is a half day, and pickup will be at 11:10 AM. Please communicate this to families and inform them that there is no Discovery Link or after school enrichments on this day.

Students will receive sack breakfasts and lunches on this day.

13) Join Art for Life's Creative Summer Camps!

Looking for a fun and engaging way to keep your child inspired this summer? Art for Life’s summer art camps run Monday–Friday, with sessions from 9 AM–12 PM and 1–4 PM, starting June 2nd through July 25th. Each week features unique morning and afternoon themes, so campers can explore something new every time—from jewelry making (complete with a jewelry show and sale!) to surprise guests like Quill the Clown, who delighted campers last year with balloon animals and lightsabers!

Spaces fill up fast, so don’t miss out on a summer full of color, creativity, and fun!

Best,

Sabrina Bates, Principal

Jason Smartt, Assistant Principal

Cheryl Ruiz, Dean of Operations