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| Students from Force Academy in Southwest Denver. |
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Advocacy for Campaigns and Amendment 73
Just in case you missed it, we wanted to remind you about the legal rules for public employees like ourselves when it comes to campaigning. Please review this memo from our legal counsel on
the laws regarding
involve
ment
in political advocacy this campaign season.
We understand that some educators may be interested in participating in a DCTA rally during evening rush hour Friday, Oct. 5, to advocate for increased school funding and Amendment 73. Consistent with the legal guidance in the memo above, some guiding rules on this event:
- DPS cannot legally grant paid leave, including paid personal leave, to participate in advocacy regarding Amendment 73.
- If you intend to request unpaid leave on Oct. 5, please contact your school leader immediately.
- DPS cannot legally close our schools in order to allow employees to participate in campaign advocacy. For that reason, our school leaders have been instructed to work with educators on a plan to ensure that schools can stay open, even if we have reduced staffing that afternoon.
- If our school leaders do not have enough staff to keep students safe, they have been instructed to deny a request for unpaid leave.
- If your school leader denies the request for unpaid leave to ensure student safety, please follow that direction so that we can keep our schools open and ensure the safety of our students
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Teacher Tidbit Callout: Classroom Pet
Pics
The classroom is a fun place, and even funner when students have the opportunity to interact with and help take care of a classroom pet.
We'd love to see photos of your class pet! Submit your photo through
this form, and we'll share the top photo in the next edition of Teacher Weekly!
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This Week's Top 5 Things to Know
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K-3 Teachers: Resources to Talk with Families About Early Literacy Aimlines at Fall Conferences
State law (the READ Act) requires all students in kindergarten, first, second and third grade be tested to ensure they are making progress toward reading on grade level by third grade. Early Literacy Aimlines have been introduced as a tool to help educators and families better understand student progress.
Just as all children do not grow physically at the same rate, we also know our students will not all develop at the same rate in reading. At family conferences this fall, refer to this resource as a guide for conversations with families about Early Literacy Aimlines and student progress. If you have additional questions, email [email protected].
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Prepare Your Students for Online-Only Assessments
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Learn About the School Performance Framework on the SPF InfoHub
This year's School Performance Framework (SPF) results will be publicly released on Friday, Oct. 12 -- so now is a great time to learn more about this essential accountability tool. This year, we've created an SPF Overview for School Staff, a self-paced guide that includes questions to consider about your SPF data, a breakdown of the assessments used for each school's SPF, how the SPF affects educator ratings and more. Log in to the SPF InfoHub with your dpsk12.net Google account to access a range of helpful resources, ranging from detailed methodology explanations to parent-friendly handouts.
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DPS Belong Groups Open to All Team Members
Don't miss the DPS Belong fall kickoff event on at 5:30-7 p.m. Wednesday,Oct. 3, at Bruce Randolph. Open to all DPS team members, DPS Belong is a network of employee-built groups fostering diversity and inclusion. Meet others throughout Team DPS who share similar backgrounds and experiences as you, learn about current groups (including African-American/Black, Asian, Autoimmune, Citizens of the World, Confronting White Privilege, Latinx/Hispanic, LGBTQ+, People with Disabilities, Veterans and Women of Color), and how to start a new one! Click here to RSVP. Dinner and childcare will be provided.
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Invite Families to the Superintendent Search Forum for Parents of Students with Disabilities
The DPS Board of Education wants to learn about your hopes and dreams for our next district leader! We're gathering community input to inform the interview process for the next superintendent, and want to hear from families of students with disabilities. We're requesting teachers to please promote this meeting to parents and community members so they can share their voice at a superintendent search forum sponsored by AdvocacyDenver. Special education teachers are also encouraged to attend. The next forum is from 5:30-7:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 1, at the UNC Denver Center at Lowry, 1059 Alton Way, rooms 203 and 204.
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Myth Buster: Did DPS double ISs this year?
Question: I recently heard that DPS has doubled the amount of instructional superintendents? Is this true? And if so, how does DPS rationalize the need to increase the number of IS positions? --
Teacher at Maxwell Elementary
Answer: This is not true. In 2017-18, DPS had 21 instructional superintendents (ISs) across the district. This school year, we have 17.5 instructional superintendents. We have also added three operational superintendent positions, which is a new role focused on the non-instructional needs of our schools and leaders. This new role allows instructional superintendents to prioritize instructional support and strategic leadership for schools in order to best support student achievement.
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DPS Myth Busters: Send Us Your Questions
We know you have questions -- whether it's about new curriculum, district resources or how you can get more supports as an educator. Share your DPS question through
this form and the answer may be featured in an upcoming edition.
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Other Resources and Information
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Click here to learn more about these resources and opportunities:
- Countdown to Creating Connections
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Attend Elementary Literacy Teal Day Sessions on Oct. 22
- Learning Opportunity for Aspiring Teacher Leaders and Current Teacher Leaders
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