Open Enrollment Is Live: Take Action Today |
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We’ve worked hard to keep insurance rates as low as possible through benefit credits, subsidies, and employer contributions. Visit page 10 in the Benefits Enrollment Guide to see how DPS contributes to employees’ coverage. Additionally, access the Open Enrollment page on The Commons for virtual resources in both English and Spanish, virtual benefits events and personalized support for choosing the best benefits.
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Collecting Student Quotes: Why Do You Love Your Teacher? |
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During national Teacher Appreciation Week May 3-7, DPS is celebrating our amazing educators -- and we want to hear from our students themselves about what makes their teachers so great!
As our teachers continue to go above and beyond for our kids, we want to take this time to show them how much they are valued. Work with the students in your life to tell us why they love their teachers using this short form and they may be featured on the DPS website and the DPS Facebook page.
Stay tuned for more Teacher Appreciation celebrations coming soon!
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Top 5: Family Engagement Practices
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Thank you to the team members who shared how they've been engaging families as we gear up for Parent Teacher Home Visits. Check out the creative ways team members are connecting below! |
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5. "The Parent Teacher Home Visit (PTHV) program has been an amazing resource at our school in order for us to connect with our students and their families. Many educators at Carson, including myself, have used the program as a way to establish strong connections and to build long-lasting relationships with our students and their families. This pandemic has brought many challenges and it was not easy to start the school year in a remote setting, especially at the elementary level. The PTHV, despite the pandemic and starting the school year online, gave educators an opportunity to know our students on a more personal level and to establish a great foundation for our in-person return." -- Emilie Gauthier, Carson
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4. "While the pandemic has been challenging for all of us, I think it has brought more opportunities to engage with our families. As a school, we continue to inform families about different resource opportunities and provide important information through different online communication platforms. I feel like I have seen more involvement this past year than years before. We have worked to build relationships with our families by listening to them as they share their stories during these unprecedented times, and I think that has helped in getting better family participation and feedback." -- Harold Sanchez, Bruce Randolph
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3. "Although the pandemic has presented many challenges, especially in regard to communication, teachers and families have been able to connect through alternative means. Sometimes through texting, a phone call, and video conferencing through Google Meet or Zoom. A silver lining is that some families that may have been reluctant to have a visit in the past, or had a busy schedule, have been open to the virtual visits. As a result, stronger bonds are being established." -- Mario Galvan, Barnum
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2. "I have been using talkingpoints.com for two years to engage with families. It comes across as a text, but does not share my number. I can send a mass text or an individual text. Families can respond and have a great dialog. The key to using talking points was the process I developed for a teacher to set up talking points on their own and then quickly record it in Infinite Campus." -- Matt Groves, Hill Campus of Arts and Sciences
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1. "Last fall, our dean of culture, family and community liaison, psychologist, and I (a social worker) started a tradition of weekly Family Town Hall Meetings. We have been holding these meetings just about every Thursday since then in an effort to increase communication between the school and families. Each week, we have a different theme from SchoolChoice to preparing your child for returning to in-person learning and much more. It is also a place for parents and guardians to share their concerns or even join us for a mindful minute. Admittedly, we don't always have a large turnout, but we see it as a success if even one person shows up because students' families are some of our most valuable resources!" -- Kirby Peterson, Farrell B. Howell
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Top 5 Callout: Earth Day! |
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Today is Earth Day, and we want to know how team members are "going green" to help the planet. Share your sustainable projects and tips through this form, and we'll share it in next week's edition!
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Learn More about Sick Leave Bank Changes for 2021-22 |
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The Benefits Board recently approved changes to Sick Leave Bank (DPS' version of a Short Term Disability plan.) Effective July 1, all employees working 20 hours or more per week (.5 FTE) who accrue sick time will be enrolled in the Sick Leave Bank. Employees will no longer need to donate a day of sick time to participate.
The purpose of Sick Leave Bank is to provide additional sick leave days (upon approval) to employees who are on an extended personal illness leave and have used their available time off, and would otherwise be on an unpaid leave status. Learn more at the Sick Leave Bank Page on The Commons.
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Last Chance to Register for the Power of Pregnancy Workshop |
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The DPS Employee Wellness team is offering the Power of Pregnancy Workshop from 10:30 a.m.-2 p.m. May 1 at Level 3 Fitness (6795 E. Tennessee Ave. Denver, CO 80224). This is a free, half-day workshop for women who desire to feel their best during pregnancy. During this easy-to-follow small group workshop, participants can expect to learn techniques and exercises to boost vitality, increase stamina, manage stress and more. Our instructor, Gina Fontaine, has been a fitness professional for over 25 years and specializes in pre- and post-natal fitness. See this video for a sneak peek of the workshop.
Register here for one of fifteen available spots by April 28. Masks and social distancing will be required.
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Grace Montenegro
Teacher, Denver Online High School
Fun
"Our amazing math teacher, Grace Montenegro, is helping students shine in more ways than one! One of the most special things Grace has done this year is initiate a music club. Not many people would be able to pull this off amidst a year of social distancing but she joyously took on the challenge.
Grace has allowed students of all skill levels to participate and have fun creating and sharing music. They recently shared their first performance where each student recorded their parts separately and then all pieces were edited together for a final performance. She encourages her students to use their creativity in multiple ways and does so by example, even submitting her own artistic digital arts and music performance piece combo to our school's talent showcase. Grace is very special to our school community and is bringing the Fun through music and creativity!" -- Kaci Sintek, Denver Online High 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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