Students pursue medical and certified nursing assistant careers at CEC Early College.
May 12, 2022
Top 5: School Nurse Shoutouts
Thank you to the team members who submitted shoutouts for their school nurses, showing appreciation for their dedication to providing top-notch care for students, families and school staff. Read the top 5 shoutouts below and more here.
5. Lilly Ng is such a fantastic nurse! She is a great communicator, she creates strong relationships with our students, she responds quickly to radio calls and she is on top of our COVID data. She goes above and beyond each day! We are so thankful for nurse Lilly!” -- Kerstin Rowe, Carson Elementary
4.Stella Ramirez is always going above and beyond for our students at the West Campus! Our nurse's office is an open and welcoming place, even during a pandemic, because of her kindness. She ensures every student feels cared for when they visit her. She is fun and in turn makes our school more fun!” -- Kelsi Kraft, West
3. Melissa Siefkes has been amazing. She started at our school when COVID started. She had to adapt to a new job, a virus no one knew much about, remote learning, COVID tracking and all the questions we all had! She has been so patient and flexible with everything. She worked around the clock to help families, students and staff with anything and everything. She is our hero!” -- Rocio Salazar, McGlone Academy
2. “I’m the para health tech for our Denver South High School nurse, Andy Payne. Our school has over 1,700 kids and Andy is a nurse to all, including teachers and staff. From helping students with special needs, training staff, managing medications, handling emergencies and so much more, Andy is always there to help those in need. He has a positive attitude every day and he’s always there to listen to students and staff alike. He’s also one of the coaches on the football team! Thank you, Andy, for all you do at South!” -- Amy Homburger, South
1.Suzanne Retzer is an amazing nurse for two schools and works full-time to provide care for over 800 students total. She is constantly up and around. She forms relationships with students who she doesn't even see in Special Education to support things like their anxiety to get them into the building and learning. She is an amazing advocate for our students to ensure they get whatever they need in order to be successful in school. She is part of multiple student incentive plans meaning she is literally an incentive for kids to spend time with because they all know how amazing she is. She balances all the paperwork for the school for IEPs, 504s and everything else!” -- Grace Hauck, Lake
Top 5 Callout: A Big Win from the School Year
The end of a school year is a great time to reflect on our accomplishments. Tell us one big win you celebrated this year. Whether it was professional development or an activity that improved your physical or mental well-being, we'd love to hear about your success! Send your big win here for a feature in next week’s newsletter.
Join Team DPS GIVES for a Chance to Win United Airlines Vouchers
Kick off your summer by joining the DPS Foundation’s Team DPS GIVES Employee Giving Campaign. Make your donation by May 20 and you’ll automatically be entered to win two United Airlines flight vouchers. Support year round or make a one-time gift to help teachers, students and schools access funds for critical programming, including the $1 Million Fund, A to Z Fund, afterschool programs and much more. Together we can help all students reach their highest potential.
 
Donate here by 5 p.m. Friday, May 20 and you'll be entered to win! Note: No contribution is necessary to qualify for prizes.
Discount Alert: DCPA's Quixote Nuevo
Join the DPS Foundation for some summer fun May 13-June 12 to see the Denver Center for the Performing Arts' Quixote Nuevo at the Wolf Theatre! Enjoy discounted tickets in price levels 2 and 3 when you use the code DPSFUND at checkout. Tickets start at $44, and $5 from each ticket sold using our discount code will be given back to the DPS Foundation to aid in student success and initiatives. Buy tickets and learn more!
Reminder: Review 2022 Financial Services Year-End Deadlines
Please review important and upcoming deadlines for Financial Services year-end close. As a reminder, if year-end close processes are not completed prior to June 30, they could have potential budget implications for fiscal year 2022-23. If you have questions, contact your Financial Partner.
Living Our DPS Honoree
Jeny Garst
Senior Team Lead, Manual High School
Students First

“Jeny goes above and beyond every day to make the teaching and learning in our building more exciting and accessible to all students and teachers. She is an inspiring Senior Team Lead and has supported our math team in developing student-centered, equity-focused strategies for classroom learning and assessment. Jeny consistently utilizes everyone's strengths to bring our team together to grow in the pursuit of excellence for our students. She has also stepped beyond her STL role and is hosting an after-school PDU about bringing more ‘thinking’ into our classrooms -- getting kids to talk to each other and interact authentically with content in all subject areas. Her PDU is tremendously popular and brings a large interdisciplinary team of teachers together to shift the culture of teaching and learning in our building. Jeny inspires us all to bring our best selves into the classroom every day and positively impacts our students' experiences and growth through her leadership. She makes us all, teachers and students, feel valuable and welcomed in our community.”

-- Cary Hoste, Manual
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