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May 11, 2018
Honoring Educators and Celebrating Students with the Seal of Biliteracy
"Teachers, the work you are doing today ripples far into the future for our kids. We all see the fruits of your labors with every student receiving the Seal of Biliteracy honor."
Dear Team DPS,

 
Supt. Tom Boasberg 
This week has been National Teacher Appreciation Week -- and as we've honored our educators throughout DPS, thanking them for all they do in building a brighter future for our students, it was hard to find a more heartfelt celebration of their hard work than watching so many of our students receive the Seal of Biliteracy. On Tuesday, more than 900 DPS students were honored with this prestigious award that recognizes their high-level literacy skills in a language in addition to English. The students will all wear a special yellow cord at graduations later this month.
 
The Seal of Biliteracy is available to all DPS students . The Seal recognizes and celebrates all of the opportunit y that proficiency in a second language bring s to our students and our community. 
 
Becoming fluent in two languages helps students with their cognitive development and language abilities. It also opens up a wealth of economic opportunities for students, with more job opportunities and higher pay. And, it helps our students understand our world better and lead us forward to a future where we build stronger bridges and connections across cultures and countries, for the benefit of all.  
 
Since DPS introduced this opportunity two years ago, the number of students applying for and earning the Seal has increased each year, from 195 recipients in 15 languages in 2015-16 to more than 900 students receiving the honor in 18 languages this year.
 
It's an honor that our students have worked hard to earn and that would not have been possible without the support of their teacher s.
 
Seal of Biliteracy recipient Madeline Gartland and her World Language teacher Myrna Wilson.
"This is as much a recognition of our teachers as it is of the students. After all, none of us would be here without their unrelenting dedication to us," said Madeline Gartland, an East High School senior who received the Seal of Biliteracy for proficiency in Spanish.

"Language teachers don't just educate people in a new language, but also in a new way of thinking, bridging divides of language and nationality and culture. They are laying the foundation for a more respectful and understanding global society." 
 
This Teacher Appreciation Week, please join me in thanking all of our educators for the commitment to our kids they give every day. It takes dedication and passion to be a teacher, with many early mornings and late nights, and through giving lots of love and care along the way.
 
Teachers, the work you are doing today ripples far into the future for our kids . We all see the fruits of your labors with every student receiving the Seal of Biliteracy honor, every graduate soon to cross the commencement stage and each student excited to enter the next school year ready to keep learning.
 
Thank you for your work today, and for all of the brighter futures you're making possible for tomorrow.
 
As our Seal of Biliteracy student honorees exclaimed: ¡Gracias! Arigatou! Trân trọng Cám ơn! Thank you!  
  
Best,
Tom  

Pictured above: Watch this DPS Features Video highlighting the Seal of Biliteracy event. 
Teacher Appreciation Video: Teacher Revives Soccer for Students
For most teachers, supporting their students doesn't end with the last bell -- and many DPS teachers invest in their kids' lives outside of school hours, whether it's through home visits, leading clubs, volunteering or coaching.

At Barnum Elementary, fourth-grade teacher Valeria Nevárez saw how soccer was benefiting her students, which inspired her mission to continue the school's program throughout the year.
 
"I just want to be there for them in any way that I possibly can, whatever they need," Valeria said.
 
Watch this DPS Features video made in honor of Teacher Appreciation Week. And thank you to all of our teachers for going above and beyond for our kids every day!   
Teaching with Tom: Visits to Sabin, Kunsmiller and Gust
Superintendent Tom Boasberg and Jill Curnow's multi-intensive primary class at Sabin World School. 
In honor of Teacher Appreciation Week, Superintendent Tom Boasberg visited DPS classrooms to support educators however they needed an extra set of hands.

On Wednesday, Tom enjoyed breakfast and small group work in Jill Curnow's multi-intensive primary class at Sabin World School before heading to Kunsmiller Creative Arts Academy to perform improv alongside students in Moose Mamet's drama class. Later, he headed to Gust Elementary and helped students learn about shapes in Kristin McCandless' third-grade math class.

Deputy Superintendent Susana Cordova also took to our classrooms to visit with teachers, stopping by Lake International School and Barnum Elementary. Read more and see photos from the classroom visits here. 
 
And be sure to check out all of the celebrations, student quotes, discounts and giveaways for our educators at teacherappreciation.dpsk12.org!
DPS Releases Budget Transparency Guide for School Support Services
 
DPS is proud to release a new document that offers educators, families and community members even greater perspective into the district's General Fund budget decisions. The Budget Transparency Guidebook: School Support Services includes descriptions of the services provided by school support teams for 2017-18, as well as the approximate per-pupil costs of each service. With the release of this guidebook, DPS is leading the nation in school district financial transparency.

We believe that when our community understands more about our budget, we can have more robust conversations that will lead to continuous improvement in DPS. We welcome your feedback on how to ensure our budgetary choices continue to support the district's Denver Plan goals. Please email your questions and comments to guidebook@dpsk12.org. 
12 DPS High Schools Receive National Recognition
Twelve DPS high schools received national recognition on the 2018 U.S. News and World Report's list of " Best High Schools in America ." The rankings included data on more than 20,000 public high schools in 50 states and the District of Columbia. The top 500 best public high schools in the nation earned gold medal status -- an honor given to four DPS schools! See the rankings and medals for DPS schools: 
  • Ranked #2 KIPP Denver Collegiate High School -- Gold Medal 
  • Ranked #5 DSST: Stapleton High School -- Gold Medal
  • Ranked #6 Denver Center for International Studies -- Gold Medal
  • Ranked #8 Denver School of the Arts -- Gold Medal
  • Ranked #12 East High School -- Silver Medal
  • Ranked #15 DSST: Green Valley Ranch High School -- Silver Medal
  • Ranked #29 Thomas Jefferson High School -- Silver Medal
Additional recognized DPS high schools:
  • DSST: College View High School -- Bronze Medal
  • Denver School of Innovation and Sustainable Design -- Bronze Medal
  • DSST: Cole High School -- Bronze Medal
  • KIPP Northeast Denver Leadership Academy -- Bronze Medal
  • Kunsmiller Creative Arts Academy -- Bronze Medal
To see a full listing of recognized Colorado high schools, click here. Congratulations to all of our recognized DPS high schools! 
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