This week is National School Psychology Week (NSPW)! Last week, we asked DPS team members to shout out a school psychologist to celebrate, thank you to all who submitted! Check out our Top 5 shoutouts below, and see the rest of the shoutouts here.

5.“Jenacee Bradbury joined our school a couple of years ago and has since made a significant impact at Green Valley Elementary. Her level of commitment and professionalism is truly impressive! Jenacee has established strong and long-lasting relationships with all the children and families she interacts with on a daily basis. We cannot thank her enough for all that she does. We feel incredibly fortunate to have her on our team!” -- Jessica Hernandez, Green Valley Elementary

3.“Natalie Koncz is our building school psychologist and does a wonderful job supporting all TJ students (and our staff as a Wellness Champion). She is an expert in mental health, learning, and behavior, collaborates extremely well with others, is calm and professional in her demeanor and has an ability to think about the big picture in order to advocate for all students. She is detail-oriented, very thorough in all she does and always puts students first. We are so lucky to have Natalie at TJ -- she makes our school a better place!” -- Maggie Kennedy, Thomas Jefferson High School

4.“Jess Davis is one amazing school psychologist! She is dedicated to her work and her students even when she isn't physically in our building. Her paperwork is exemplary and she allows others to learn from her over and over again. She's always spreading that knowledge. She is super approachable and kind to everyone. I am lucky this is my second time I get to work with Jess. I wish we had her 5 days a week! She's truly incredible! Her dedication to supporting students AND staff is outstanding!” -- Grace Hauck, Bear Valley International Middle School

2.“Rachel Wilberg is a rock star School Psychologist at Cory Elementary! She proactively identifies students needing her services while supporting all students with their individual needs. She helped ensure that all student's social and emotional needs were seen by having all parents, teachers, and students complete the BESS, then shared detailed support provided based on results. She is always available to support and even leads the Girls on the Run after-school group to make a healthy space for students!” -- Sara Laughlin, Cory Elementary

1.“Stephanie Patton, our school psychologist, takes her job to the next level. She not only does ALL of the things required by her job, (supporting students in need, testing, IEP meetings, teaching suicide prevention curriculum, running SEL screeners, paperwork and more) she starts new programs and makes them run. She is instrumental in developing our monthly school assemblies (and emcees them) where we award students for amazing behavior and attendance. She loves wearing costumes. She started and runs student council, runs the school store, and started a national honors society program for elementary schools at our school. She emceed the school talent show (see picture) and made the school dance happen. She endlessly gives her time, talent and treasure. We love her!” -- Jen Courtney-Keyse, Isabella Bird Community School

In a continued effort to protect student and staff information, DoTS will begin blocking access to certain Google Marketplace Add-ons and additional Google OAuth applications/sites, starting Tuesday, Dec. 19. Please refer to the Google Ad Ons and OAuth document for more details.

The Apple devices listed below will lose DoTS support at the end of the 2023-24 school year. Please work with your school or department to plan accordingly for a replacement device prior to fall 2024. If you need a quote or have questions, please contact DoTS at dotshelp.dpsk12.org or 720-423-3888.

Savory dishes may jump to the top of our minds when thinking about Thanksgiving. But we know, for our sweet tooth lovers, there's only one thing on their minds -- PIE! Answer the poll question below and tell us your favorite pie. Check back to see the results in next week's Team DPS Weekly.

The Employee Wellness team, CELT and the Culture Champions encourage Team DPS to join the November Gratitude Challenge, promoting positive culture and well-being for all! DPS Gratitude Week will take place Nov. 13-17. Participants with the highest engagement will have the chance to win a catered breakfast for up to 50 people! 

Upload photo or video submissions of your school or team engaging in Gratitude Week before the window closes! The timeline to submit is Nov. 13-30 and the winner will be announced on Dec. 5. Resources such as gratitude cards, gratitude bingo and additional resources and opportunities are located within the Gratitude Week folder.

Food and Mood Live Webinar: Dive into the connection between what we eat and how it influences our mood. Join our interactive webinar on Wednesday, Nov. 15 at 4:30-5:15 p.m., where we will share valuable insights on maintaining a healthy diet and its impact on your emotional well-being. Register now!

Gratitude Challenge: In collaboration with the Culture Champions and CELT, we invite all staff to embrace the power of gratitude with the Gratitude Challenge! Join us in promoting positive culture and well-being for Team DPS this November by participating in the #DPSGratitudeChallenge.

Enter for a chance to win a catered breakfast for your school staff or department team! Click here for more information.

The 2024 Urban Leaders Summer Fellowship applications are open now through March 20, 2024. The Urban Leaders Fellowship runs in-person for seven consecutive weeks in the summer, typically from June through August. Applicants should be motivated professionals looking to make a difference in their communities through policy and community engagement. Applicants don’t need to have a background in legislative policy to join the fellowship, however, candidates should have a passion to learn about policy and how it can impact the lives of those in their community. 

For more information, explore available opportunities here and see the Denver 2023 Regional Report, which outlines the projects and partners from last summer's fellowship.

Join us in supporting the Denver Nuggets as they take on the Houston Rockets on Wednesday, Nov. 29 at 7:00 p.m. at Ball Arena! Tickets start at $27, with a portion of each ticket sold being donated back to the DPS Foundation! Buy your tickets today..

The DPS Skills program offers a variety of workshops designed to support all DPS team members. During these workshops, you will have the opportunity to focus on personal and professional development while sharing experiences with your teammates from across DPS. Join us for the final three sessions of 2023! All sessions are held in-person. 

If you are having difficulties registering, please contact Melissa Muniz. To review additional DPS Skills offerings, visit the DPS Skills page on The Commons.

Family and Medical Leave Insurance (FAMLI) offers paid leave benefits to eligible employees to support and protect loved ones during challenging life events. This State program covers a variety of circumstances, such as the birth or adoption of a child, serious health conditions and caring for loved ones in need.

This coverage is available for most DPS employees beginning Jan. 1, 2024. DPS is proud to offer this additional benefit to our team members. Visit the FAMLI page on The Commons to learn more and see how FAMLI can work with your other benefits. You can enroll in FAMLI anytime - simply complete the Enrollment Form to get started. 

FAMLI is a State-provided benefit. Most questions can be answered by visiting https://famli.colorado.gov/.

Applications for the Climate Champions Grant Program are due Friday, Dec. 1. If you would like additional support before submitting your application, please attend the final virtual Application Workshop on Wednesday, Nov. 15 from 4-5 p.m. Attend using this link. 

The Climate Champions Grant Program provides funding to help DPS students implement climate action projects in their schools. If you have questions, email the DPS Sustainability Team at dept_sustainability@dpsk12.net.

Denver Public Schools sends all district newsletters and critical employee communications through Constant Contact. Please do not unsubscribe your dpsk12.org email address from any message; if you unsubscribe from one newsletter or one communication, you will be removed from all other district-managed email lists in Constant Contact. If you have any questions, please email newsletters@dpsk12.org.