Dora Moore ECE-8 School

Welcome & Important Back to School Details Video from Mr. Janson; Watch Before Monday (6-minutes)

Click here to watch the video!

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Arrival & Dismissal Locations by Grade-level

In order to make arrival and dismissal procedures as consistent and efficient as possible, each grade-level arrives and dismisses from the same location. See the map below for the location of each!

Front of School: 

• ECE @ Door #16
• Kinder @ Door #2

Playground:

• 1st Grade @ Door 12
• 2nd Grade @ 4-Square Courts
• 3rd Grade @ West Basketball Court
• 4th/5th Grade @ East Basketball Court
• 6th/7th/8th @ Door 10

Students arriving between 8:30am-8:50am who would like breakfast will enter through Door #13 off of Corona Street. 

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Parking and Traffic Around Campus

It is no secret that Capitol Hill does not have enough parking. With Dora Moore on the corners of three of the busiest streets in and out of downtown (8th Ave, Corona, and Downing), the traffic situation around our campus is congested to say the least! Here are some tips to keep yourselves and our students safe while coming to and from school.

1. Attempt to not travel or park on 9th Avenue. This is our 'bus lane' for the DPS' bus, Warren Village Bus, Girls, Inc. bus, and Open Door Vans. Using 9th Avenue clogs up the street and creates unsafe conditions for pedestrians trying to cross onto our campus. 

2. DO NOT PULL INTO THE STAFF PARKING LOTS. These are one-way lots and always full--this requires drivers to backout through a side-walk and into oncoming traffic. Those who choose to use our parking lot and create unsafe conditions for students and families will be addressed and ticketed.

3. There is a passenger loading zone traveling north on Downing from 8th Avenue. Utilize this, but please do not park and leave your car here as it is not a designated parking spot.

4. There is a passenger loading zone traveling south on Corona St from 9th Avenue. Utilize this, but please do not park and leave your car here as it is not a designated parking spot.

5. If you are needing to cross any street, PLEASE use the crosswalk. 

6. Do not pull into the crosswalk when pedestrians are present and/or park in the crosswalk.

7. Stop completely at all traffic lights and allow pedestrians to cross safely.

8. Leave 5-10 minutes earlier, park a block away, and walk your child in or out. This will help alleviate some of the congestion we are experiencing.

9. Finally, you are an example for your children and other children. Demonstrate our Dora Moore Core Value of Kindness while moving around campus! The kids can do it and we expect the adults to as well!

Here is a traffic flow map to support arrival and dismissal:

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Safety Policies and Visitors

We are chiefly committed to the safety and well-being of our students and staff. With that in mind, please review Dora Moore’s visitor protocol and policy: 

1. Entrance to the building will only be granted through the main entrance via the security camera buzzer off of 9th Avenue. This is our single point of entry. If you try to enter the building at any other entrance, access will not be granted and you will be required to use the main entrance. ECE parents will sign-in their students and immediately leave through Door #16.
2. All exterior doors remain locked 100% of the time before, during, and after school. Access to the interior is always restricted. Staff and visitors are NEVER allowed to prop a door open or hold a door open.
3. All playground gates are locked during the school hours and community members are not allowed to use the playground for any reason during school. 
4. All visitors must report directly to the office, sign-in, and obtain a visitors badge. Even if you are here for a few minutes, this is required of all visitors. If you are in our building without a visitor badge, a staff member will direct you to the office to obtain a visitor badge. Additionally, if you notice an adult in the building without a visitors badge, please help ensure the safety of children by directing them to the office. Failure to follow these requirements will result in restricted access in the future. 
5. All Dora Moore and DPS staff will have their DPS ID badges visible at all time.
6. During morning drop-off, staff members will be monitoring entrance to the building at all exterior doors. Parents/guardians will not be allowed inside the building unless through Door #1. 
7. Students who are being picked up during the day will only be released to authorized (designated in IC only) individuals. If an adult is picking up a child and is not in IC as an authorized individual, the student will not be released without permission from the legal guardian.

We appreciate your ongoing support and we are committed to doing everything in our power to keep our children safe.

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'Boo-hoo/Woo-hoo!' Coffee and Pastries for Parents

Our wonderful PTSA is treating the parents/guardians to some Boo-hoo/Woo-hoo! goodies after the 9:00am bell on the playground on Monday.

Come meet some new families and celebrate the students return to school!

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DELAYED ECE Start Date is Now Tuesday, August 22nd, Regular for K-8th on August 21st

The district made the decision to delay the start of ECE by one day. From some of the parent feedback we have heard, it does not sound like this has been communicated well, if at all, from the district and ECE department to families. We are sorry if this is the first you are hearing about it!

The first day of ECE for all DPS students is Tuesday, August 22nd. We can't wait to see our little ones at 9:00am on Tuesday! 

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Bell Time Reminders & Small Changes to Our Daily Operations

• Start of School Bell: 9:00am

• End of School Bell: 4:00pm

Breakfast/Arrival

• Students are not allowed to be dropped off for breakfast until 8:30am unless they are registered in our Discover Link program [see info about enrolling in Discovery Link below]. At 8:30am, K-8th grade students are allowed to enter the cafeteria through Door #13 for breakfast.

  • A significant change this year is that we will not be serving breakfast in classrooms and after 8:55am for Kinder - 8th grade. If you would like your child to eat breakfast at school, they must be in the cafeteria before 8:55am. 

  • Due to licensing restrictions, ECE students are not allowed to be in the cafeteria before school. However, we will serve all ECE students breakfast in the classroom starting at 9:00am. If you need ECE care prior to 9:00am, we have a solution! We are one of a few sites who have ECE care available through Discovery Link! See info below to register!

• There is no staff supervision outside on the playground for K-8th grade students until 8:45am, therefore, students are not allowed to be dropped off on the playground unsupervised before 8:45am. ECE students must be signed-in by a guardian with the classroom teacher at 9:00am and are not eligible to be dropped off early unless they are in Discovery Link. 

• Teachers will meet students promptly at the 9:00am bell on the playground and walk directly inside to start the day.

After School Pick-up/Dismissal

• We expect all families to have arrangements made to pick up their children promptly at 4:00pm. Out of respect for our staff who have their own children to pick up on-time and personal responsibilities to attend to, it is imperative that all students are picked up on time. If you cannot pick-up your child at 4:00pm, they will need to be registered in the Discovery Link program. 

• Students registered in Discovery Link will be escorted and dropped off directly with the DL staff in the cafeteria.

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RTD Zero Fare for Youth Pilot Program: Free Rides for Students

Starting in September, RTD will offer free bus and train rides for students 19 and under as part of their new Zero Fare for Youth pilot program. Students can ride for free starting Sept. 1 until Aug. 31, 2024. To board the bus or train, students will need to show a form of ID. This can be a current school ID, valid government-issued ID, registration/permanent resident card, Military ID/dependent card with DOB, or RTD-issued youth special discount card.

 

With the pilot program in place, please note that DPS Transportation will not be providing paper or virtual RTD tickets for the 2023-24 school year. Although RTD is allowing students of all ages to ride for free, DPS strongly encourages parents or guardians to accompany their children who are in elementary school.