DPS School Counselor Receives District and State Honors |
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Sonya Palafox, a School Counselor at Denver Center for 21st Century Learning (DC-21), recently received multi-tier recognition by earning Counselor of the Year accolades through DPS and the Colorado School Counselor Association (CSCA). CSCA recognizes professionals who provide top-notch quality of service in the counseling field. Ms. Palafox represents over 1,600 school counselors in the state of Colorado.
Palafox supports the academic, social-emotional and post-secondary development of students in sixth through twelfth grades. She strives to create positive relationships with the students. She has also launched new programming, grew the school counseling program, strengthened its mental health offerings and prioritized the fight for equity and social justice for all of her students. She also serves DC-21 as their DCTA, the mental health representative and a contributor toward the renewal of their innovation plan.
“Counseling is not just about scheduling,” says Palafox. “It’s a responsibility to check systems put in place and bring equity and social justice to our students. This award is not just recognition for me but for all counselors and noticing that our efforts are working.”
Sonya embodies what it means to serve our community. Congratulations!
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Top 5 Callout: Classified Employee Shoutouts |
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This week is DPS Classified Employee Recognition Week! Classified employees are paraprofessionals, facilities managers, food service workers and other team members who keep DPS running every day. Read the Top 5 submissions below and more shoutouts here. Thank you to our classified employees for all you do! |
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5. “Amber is not only committed to supporting the students in the AN program but continuously looks for opportunities to support all students throughout the school day. Amber goes out of her way to share ideas to support students with unique learning needs. Students look to Amber for guidance, love and support!”
-- Jessica Tietz, College View Elementary School
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3. “I want to shout out Mrs. Garcia, our para in ELS-S Spanish in Kinder and first grade at Garden Place Academy, for being a wonderful partner in this amazing adventure of teaching and learning. GRACIAS!” -- Patricia Mestres, Garden Place Academy
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4. “Shout out to Ms. Marisa for always holding our students to a higher standard. She has been a great addition to our third-grade culture. Third lunch and recess run smoothly because of her. She is so organized and caring. I can tell she values others' times in the way she holds me accountable for lunch count each morning.” -- Fernanda Mansfield, Garden Place Academy
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2. “A big shout out to my long-time para Ms. Deborah Cline! Our classroom would definitely not run as smoothly as it does without her hard work and dedication to our students. Their lives are enriched by her creativity and thoughtfulness. She exemplifies our core values of students first and collaboration. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU for all that you do for me and our students.” -- Alyssa Mahoney, Marrama Elementary
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1. “Our ECE paraprofessional Sam Martin is one of the nicest people you will ever meet. He also teaches Art, Music, PE and anything else that hits his creative mind for the special portion of the ECE day. On top of that, Sam is also working towards his teaching license through Relay and is working with our amazing third-grade teacher, Ms. Hattaway-Wood, to bring that to fruition. These are only a few things Sam does every day for us at Inspire. Thank you for all you do, Sam!” -- Anthony Bryant, Inspire Elementary
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Top 5 Callout: Principal Shoutouts |
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October is National Principals Month! This month of recognition honors principals for their significant impact on the success and well-being of all students. Want to shout out your principal? Submit your shout-out here for a feature in next week's edition!
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Red Day for Disability and Dyslexia Awareness Month |
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Join us in painting the district red this Monday, Oct. 16 as we come together to celebrate Red Day! In honor of Disability and Dyslexia Awareness Month, our school district is taking a bold and colorful stand to raise awareness and support students and staff facing unique challenges.
On Red Day, we encourage all students, teachers and staff to wear their most vibrant shades of red. The color red symbolizes strength, courage and determination - qualities that resonate with those who navigate the journey of disability and dyslexia. This day is about unity, inclusion and understanding, reminding us all that our differences make us stronger together.
Let's make a statement and spread the message of empathy and acceptance, proving that DPS is a place where everyone is valued and celebrated, no matter their abilities or challenges. So, don your crimson attire and join us in this heartwarming display of solidarity on Red Day! Together, we can make a difference and foster a more compassionate and inclusive community.
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Announcing the Strengthening Our PaCT Initiative |
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The Strengthening Our PaCT (Parent Communication Technologies) project is an all-DPS collaboration led by the Communications Department to improve the web-based communication tools used by Denver Public Schools. This initiative includes DPSK12.org and all departmental and school websites.
The vision of this project is that as a result of its full implementation, Denver Public Schools will have the most comprehensive, equitable and understandable web presence of any school district in the United States. For more information, please visit dpsk12.org/strengthening-our-pact/.
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Educators Take Flight Applications |
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The Educators Take Flight program aims to remove flight costs as a barrier to top-quality professional development opportunities for Team DPS. Whether an educator seeks to attend an out-of-state conference or to bring an expert in their field to Denver for group learning experiences, the DPS Foundation can help.
Apply before Sunday, Nov. 5 at 11:59 p.m. to be considered in the current cycle. For eligibility information, please visit our website or contact ETF@dpsfoundation.org.
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Sign Up for Bus Notifications |
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If you would like to receive alerts when a bus is running late, please submit this form. We recommend having at least one person from the front office staff sign up for notifications. Dispatchers will send an alert when a bus runs at least 10 minutes late. You can choose to receive calls, texts or both.
Families of eligible students are automatically enrolled in bus notifications. They do not need to sign up, though you could have them make sure their contact information is up-to-date in Infinite Campus. Please click here for instructions.
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Employee Wellness Opportunities |
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Join the Wellness Book Club! Fill out this form to request a copy of the book, In Defense of Food. The first 300 books are free! Book discussion in March. Date TBA.
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Check out the Renew well-being program that helps you increase energy, boost happiness and create calm. Registration begins on Monday, Oct. 23 and the program runs from Monday, Oct. 30 through Sunday, Nov. 26.
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Did you know that the Wellness department hosts a virtual Zumba Party every third Tuesday of every month? Join the fun and sign up here!
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Our partners at Fleet Feet are offering DPS employees a 20% discount on all their training programs, beginning with the Turkey Trot Trainings! Use the code DPS20 to register.
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October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month |
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Follow these tips to ensure you are creating a secure password:
Think Passphrase, Not Password
- DPS passwords must be a minimum of 16 characters. Turn your password into a passphrase by combining three unrelated words that mean something to you.
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Never reuse your passphrase for other online accounts (banking, social media, etc.). If one of those accounts becomes compromised, the hacker now has access to all the other accounts.
- Use a Password Manager like 1Password, LastPass or BitWarden to store a different password for every online account you have.
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Here is a good tutorial: Creating Strong, Memorable Passphrases.
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If you forget your DPS password, reset it at iforgot.dpsk12.org.
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Volunteer Opportunity for Thanksgiving |
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Thanksgiving is a perfect time to volunteer at your local school kitchen and help serve delicious food for lunch! Please join us on a day of your choice, Tuesday-Thursday from Nov. 1 to Nov. 16 to help our kitchen staff serve our students and guests. If you are interested in volunteering, please click here or contact Itzel James.
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Operations B.E.A.T. Newsletter |
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The Office of Operations is excited to introduce our newsletter, Operations Believing.Engaging.Achieving.Thriving. (B.E.A.T.). On a quarterly basis, we will keep you updated on departmental highlights, recent achievements and initiatives from the Office of Operations. This will promote transparency and collaboration among staff, students and the DPS community. Follow the B.E.A.T.!
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October Resources from Discovery Education |
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Check out the resource guides below from Discovery Education! All teachers and student have access via Clever Portal or Schoology Homepage. Click here for a quick tutorial.
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Robert Roybal
Facility Manager, Morey Middle School
Integrity
"Robert is new to the role of FM this year and we know we are so lucky to have him at Morey! He has created a new system so that staff voices can be heard and concerns can be attended to in a timely manner. He takes responsibility for his role and leads by example. He has a strong work ethic and does whatever needs to be done for an event or day to run smoothly. Prior to Back to School Night, he was proactive and communicated clearly so that he knew exactly what needed to be set up and how the night was going to impact his team."
-- Alison Doyle, Morey Middle School
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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.
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