Denver Green School's Paula Cuevas' kinder class celebrating Halloween with a virtual costume party movie night!
Nov. 20, 2020
Guidance on Teachers Working Remotely from Classrooms
Dear Educators, 

In December, when most of our students will be learning remotely from home, teachers may continue to work from their classrooms. Teachers wanting to work from their classrooms should communicate with their principals to ensure there are no space or other concerns. Any teachers and staff members working from schools must follow the DPS 5 protocols at all times. While students are remote, this means that teachers should only teach from their classrooms with the door shut and should avoid all in-person interactions with other adults.

Our internal COVID trends have reflected that many cases of adult quarantining and/or COVID spread in our schools could have been avoided if staff members had been appropriately following the DPS 5 so it is imperative that we all do our part to protect one another. We will continue to monitor COVID conditions and may limit access to buildings based on evolving health conditions.

Many thanks, 
Tamara and Mike
This Week's Top Things to Know
Microsoft Uninstall is Less than a Month Away
Taking into account Thanksgiving Break, there are only 12 working days until Microsoft Office is uninstalled from all district devices. (Have you noticed the Microsoft Uninstall countdown on Teacher Portal?) Beginning Dec. 11, as soon as you log your device onto the district's network (either in-person or via VPN) the uninstall will begin! Here are a few things to keep in mind:
  • Do not purchase your own Microsoft license on either a district device or a personal device that you use for work.
  • Though you'll still keep your dpsk12.org email address, the Desktop Outlook Client will be part of the uninstall, so make the move to Webmail now. Be sure to check for any emails stored locally on your device by following these directions first; items stored locally will not be available in Webmail.
  • Use the supports available on the Google Resource page, go through the Google Applied Digital Skills courses and connect with your Google Champion for additional support.
Update: LEAP Classroom Observations for 2020-21 to be Conducted Remotely
Please review this important updates about LEAP observations for this school year:
  • Observers should complete all of their observation and feedback sessions remotely, no matter the teaching scenario, for safety reasons and to ensure fairness (see separate ECE Guidance).
  • Teachers and coaches will mutually agree upon a date, time or class for the full remote observation(about 45-60 minutes) to take place or be recorded.
  • If using a video recording for evaluation, the teacher must complete this Video Consent Form (per state law) for the recording to be used in evaluation.
  • The coach is required to analyze the student work from the lesson within the LMS; a body of evidence for the lesson should be used for evidence of both teacher and student behaviors, when appropriate.
  • Formal observations should not happen within two weeks of a teaching scenario shift (i.e. from in-person to remote due to COVID quarantine or vice versus). 
  • For more details and exceptions read this Remote Observation Guidance one-pager.

These updates have been reflected in the LEAP Fairness Guide, the In-Person with COVID Restrictions Appendix, and the Virtual/Remote Appendix. Reach out to LEAP@dpsk12.org with any questions.
Google Read & Write Extension Added to Secondary Students with ACCESS Levels 1-2.9
The Google Read & Write extension has been loaded to the devices of students in grades 6-12 with an ACCESS level of 1-2.9. If you have a student who falls outside of these bounds (such as students in grades K-5 or 6-12 students with ACCESS levels 3.0 and higher) and would benefit from using the Google Read & Write extension, please complete this survey to request it be added to their device. Click here to learn more about the Read & Write extension.
Native American Heritage Month: Use These Classroom Resources
Our teammates in Native American Culture and Education and the Academics Division have curated resources for you to share in the classroom and deepen your personal learning about Native heritage and culture. Access curriculum supports in art, music, general classroom resources and more on The Commons. Questions? Email dpsequity@dpsk12.org.
'Undocumented and in College!' Virtual Opportunity
Metropolitan State University (MSU) of Denver is proud to offer virtual visits from MSU Denver DREAMER students to your high school classrooms. This unique opportunity is available throughout the 2020-21 school year.

During the visit, high school students will virtually connect with MSU Denver DREAMER students on topics including:
  • Experiences before and in college
  • Why DACA and undocumented students belong on campus
  • Financial Aid
  • Advice to prepare for college

For additional information, please see this handout or contact the CCS Higher Education Initiatives Team or Estefani Pena Figueroa and Grego Mieder from MSU Denver.
Share Your Transformative Social-Emotional Academic Learning Supports
We would like to hear from you about Transformative Social-Emotional Academic Learning and "crowd source" promising practices in supporting the SEL needs of our students. Please take a moment to complete this short Google Form so we can celebrate, learn from and align resources across DPS.
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