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“To teach in a manner that respects and cares for the souls of our students is essential if we are to provide the necessary conditions where learning can most deeply and intimately begin.”
– bell hooks
Teaching to Transgress: Education as the Practice of Freedom
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Upcoming Dates For Your Calendar
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Tuesday, April 12: Elementary Citywide Art Show
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Tuesday, April 12: Round 2 of SchoolChoice Opens
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Tuesday, April 12 - Thursday, April 21: CMAS Testing (see detailed schedule below)
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Wednesday, April 13: 2nd Grade Field Trip to the Denver Art Museum
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Friday, April 22 - Thursday, April 28: CMAS Make-Up Tests (see detailed schedule below)
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Friday, May 13: Field Day
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Friday, May 20: Alternative Field Day (If there is bad weather on the 13th)
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Friday, May 27: ECE & Kinder Water Day
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Dear Hallett Families,
It was a joy to welcome students back from Spring Break!
CMAS testing continues for our 3rd-5th grade students next week. Be sure to look at the detailed schedule below to see which days your student(s) will be testing.
Also, next Tuesday, April 12th join us at the Denver Art Museum for the Elementary Citywide Art Show! Entry to the museum is free all day, and there is a free reception in the evening from 5:00-6:30pm. You can find additional details below.
With love,
Dominique Jefferson
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CMAS
Dear Hallett Academy families:
We will begin the Colorado Measures of Academic Success (CMAS) assessments on March 21st-April 29th. These assessments focus on the knowledge and skills our kids need for success in our global economy, including skills such as analytical thinking and the ability to solve complex problems. The CMAS assessments focus on four different content areas depending upon the grade your child is in:
- English Language Arts (ELA) and Math - 3rd, 4th, 5th grade
- Science - 5th grade
We want to help parents and families with information to support student success during this time. These assessments will give our teachers critical information to help our students be on track for college and career readiness and help us understand whether our students have the necessary skills to succeed after high school.
Calendar: The calendar below was created to communicate to you when the CMAS assessments are occurring. We ask parents and families to ensure their children get plenty of sleep and a healthy breakfast every day, but especially on assessment days. In addition, if there are doctor’s appointments or other appointments that need to be made, we hope this calendar will help you to make those appointments on non-assessment days.
Volunteers: Please also note the days in which we cannot allow volunteers in certain floors of our building. This is to adhere to the ethics and other policies set forth by DPS and the State of Colorado to maintain a secure testing environment.
Attendance: We also want to communicate that all students should be in school on-time, all day and every day, regardless of whether assessments are occurring or not. Important teaching and learning happens in between testing, so it is imperative that students are here. Our expectations remain around vacations and we expect parents to continue to plan vacations around the DPS calendar.
Make-Ups: Students do best when they are in their classroom environment for testing. In the event that your child has to miss a test session, they will have to make up the test another time and will be pulled during their instructional time to do so. In addition, due to our teachers needing to teach during all non-testing days, our paraprofessionals are used to give make-ups, which pulls them from supporting the classroom. To prevent disruption to your child’s and other student’s day, please make sure that your child is at school every day and limit their absences to only when they are sick.
We appreciate your support during this time. Assessments, including CMAS as well as those taken throughout the year, are vital tools for teachers to support student success. There are online resources to help parents and families support their student during CMAS testing, located at https://coassessments.com/practice-resources/. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to me. Thank you, and go Hawks!
Julia Scott
Assistant Principal and School Assessment Leader
Hallett Academy
Denver Public Schools
CMAS Schedule
Testing Times:
- Math 65min
- ELA 90min
- 25-30min built in for distribution and reading directions
Tuesday, April 12
- 3rd ELA 9:30-11:30 (90min)
- 5th SCI 9:30-11:30 (80min)
Wednesday, April 13
- 3rd ELA 9:30-11:30 (90min)
- 5th SCI 9:30-11:30 (80min)
Thursday, April 14
- 3rd ELA 9:30-11:30 (90min)
- 5th SCI 9:30-11:30 (80min)
Friday, April 15
Monday, April 18
Tuesday, April 19
- 5th Math 9:30-11:00 (65min)
Wednesday, April 20
- 5th Math 9:30-11:00 (65min)
Thursday, April 21
- 5th Math 9:30-11:00 (65min)
Friday, April 22
Monday, April 25
Tuesday, April 26
Wednesday, April 27
Thursday, April 28
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Round 2 of SchoolChoice
Round 2 of the DPS SchoolChoice enrollment process for the 2022-23 school year opens 10 a.m. April 12 for all grades and closes 4 p.m. Aug. 31 for all grades except ECE (Round 2 for ECE remains open until April, 2023).
Who is it for?
Round 2 is the first-come, first-served segment of SchoolChoice for families who missed Round 1; took part in Round 1 but want to re-explore their options; or are new to DPS for next school year.
How do I apply?
Start at dps.schoolmint.net. Sign into your SchoolChoice account and apply to your preferred schools that have availability. If you don’t have an account, you can create one using your email address or a current Parent Portal log-in.
How does Round 2 work?
Round 2 applications are processed on a first-come, first-served basis. Once the application is received by the school, your student will be placed on a waitlist while the school processes the application. If the school has available space, your student will be approved and enrolled for next year. There is no lottery in Round 2, but priorities are given. If a waitlist exists, your student will be added to the list in date and time order within your given priority. Please note: This means that waitlist positions may change up or down.
If your student is accepted to a school in Round 2, any Round 1 school assignment is relinquished. You will remain on waitlists for any higher-ranked schools.
Questions?
Call the SchoolChoice Hotline at 720-423-3493, email SchoolChoice@dpsk12.org or visit schoolchoice.dpsk12.org.
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Anchored in Excellence Summer Resources
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SUMMER CONNECTIONS
Summer Connections is a FREE full day, 6 week program available in all DPS regions for ALL rising 1st-5th grade students that combines literacy, math, and science. Students will engage in hands-on enrichment experiences in STEM, Art and Spark Career Exploration. Students may receive individual or small group tutoring.
How to Register
Registration is open from Jan. 24 through
Mar. 25, 2022.
1. Log into your Parent Portal account
2. Select “Summer Connections” in the top navigation bar
3. Fill out the application
4. Submit the application
Click here for Parent Portal technical support.
Schedule & Locations
Summer Connections operates June 14 - July 22, 2022. The start and end time at some schools will be 8 am-3:30 pm and it will be 9 am-4:30 pm at other schools. Breakfast, lunch and snacks will be served at all Summer Connections locations. All locations have central air conditioning. Students will be assigned to the school that is closest to their residence address. Bus transportation is available but is not guaranteed.
Castro Elementary School Joe Shoemaker School Schmitt Elementary School Eagleton Elementary School Marrama Elementary School Smith Elementary School Farrell B Howell ECE-8 School Munroe Elementary School Southmoor Elementary School Green Valley Elementary School Newlon Elementary School TBD (replacement needed for Swansea due to construction) International Academy of Denver at Harrington
Place Bridge Academy TBD (replacement needed for Trevista due to construction)
**Registration is first come, first served. Once the capacity is reached at each school, students will be placed on a wait list.** For more information, visit our website at
For questions or assistance, please contact the Expanded Academic Learning team at eal@dpsk12.net or 720-423-3629.
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Need an activity for the next snow day? DPS Online Library has a large selection of free books, audiobooks, and read-a-longs! Click Here to Explore!
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COVID-19 Vaccines for Children
INFORMATION FOR FAMILIES
The most effective way to keep our schools healthy and safe -- and our students learning in person -- is by getting your family vaccinated against COVID-19. Vaccines are now available for everyone age 5 and older.
Benefits of getting vaccinated:
Getting vaccinated against COVID-19 has many benefits for you, your child, your family and your community, including:
- More in-person learning days! The vaccine helps us reduce the unpredictability of the pandemic.
- If you are exposed to COVID you will not need to quarantine, unless you develop symptoms.
- Safer and easier to participate in extracurricular sports and clubs.
- Helps us get closer to returning to more of our pre-COVID freedoms, like not wearing masks.
- Protects your family members, particularly those at higher risk -- and means there can be more hugs!
Where to get a vaccine:
COVID vaccinations for all eligible individuals -- now including children ages 5 and up -- are available for free through our Denver Health School-Based Health Centers (SBHCs).
With 18 locations across the district, our SBHCs offer a quick and convenient way to get vaccinated. To learn more or to schedule an appointment, please contact Denver Health at 303-602-8958.
Other vaccine providers:
COVID vaccinations are widely available across the City and County of Denver. Talk with your child’s primary-care provider to find out if they are providing COVID vaccinations. You can also locate a vaccine provider through the national website Vaccine.gov.
To learn more about DPS’ response to COVID-19 and how to keep your student safe and healthy, please visit www.dpsk12.org.
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Free Mental Health Services
In October, the Colorado Department of Human Services, Office of Behavioral Health launched I Matter, a program that provides three or more free counseling sessions for any Colorado youth. Youth and their parents can visit the I Matter platform to take a confidential online survey about their mental health and schedule sessions with a licensed behavioral health clinician, primarily via telehealth. All Colorado youth ages 18 or younger—or 21 and younger if receiving special education services—are eligible to receive free services.
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Free Meals for All Students 18 Years and Younger Will Extend Through the 2021-22 School Year!
All students enrolled in Denver Public Schools will have access to breakfast and lunch meals at no cost, regardless of free and reduced meal eligibility. Breakfast, lunch, and snacks are eaten in the classroom daily.
Families who would like to get meals for children at home may go to their nearest school cafeteria and request meals for children 18 years and younger.
Families are encouraged to complete a Free and Reduced-Price Meal Application to be eligible for additional family benefits and school funding, including items such as fee waivers, EBT benefits, and to ensure proper funding for schools.
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“We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope.”
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
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