“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

Updates For Our Community

Dear Hallett Families,

We are looking forward to celebrating Black History Month with a special Spirit Week starting Monday!

A final newsletter reminder -

The SchoolChoice Round 1 window closes on February 14th, 2023. We're excited about what the 2023-2024 school year holds. Call our front office if you have questions about our school or the Choice process, at 720-424-6070.

Last week we released a video via Facebook, Instagram and Youtube about staying vital members of our community, re-establishing our neighborhood boundary, and supporting our school through financial gifts. Please continue to share tis video with your circle of family and friends. Additionally, give a tag to instagram influencers, businesses you support, etc. Click here to visit the school donation web page. Any amount continues to keep our community strong.

I am engaging our school board and district leaders to modify our bell schedule for next year to 8:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. We are waiting for an update on the status of this change. You can support this effort by sending letters to the board at board@dpsk12.org. You may sign a petition linked here: Hallett Academy School Start Time . You can also speak at upcoming board meetings; sign up for public comments here: Public Comments Sign Up.

Continue reading this week's newsletter for more school and community updates, events and more.

With love,

Dominique Jefferson

Principal

Important Dates For Your Calendar

Monday, February 13th - February 17th - Spirit Week
Tuesday, February 14th - SchoolChoice Round 1 Window Closes
Friday, February 17th - Early Release at 1:00pm
Monday, February 20th - No School, President's Day
Tuesday, February 21st - No School, Professional Learning/Planning

Hallett Calendar for 2022/2023

Black History Month Spirit Week

Family Engagement Meeting Updates

On February 2nd, we had our most recent Family Engagement Meeting where we continued to focus and discuss all things Hallett. Please read below to see our highlights and visit our website to read the details on all Family Engagement meeting minutes.

The Arts Exploration Team at Hallett is looking for committee members for the talent show this year. Please reach out to alyssa.blaisdell@etmcolorado.org if you are interested in getting involved.
If you are able to, Ms. Jaya has asked for parent volunteers to assist with hanging art through the next few months. Contact jaya_roberts@dpsk12.net to see how you can best help with these art displays!

Dahlia Campus Food Distribution

Pre-order your 2023 school yearbook!

2023-2024 School Year Bell Schedule

Next school year, 2023-2024, Hallett Academy's bell schedule will be 7:30am - 2:30pm. Read below for our fast five reasons this new schedule could be a positive change! Again, I've engaged the board to modify this schedule to 8:00am-3:00pm and we will continue to provide updates as they are available.

Summer In The City - Discovery Link

SchoolChoice Round 1

SchoolChoice Round 1 is open until February 14th. Call us if you have questions, or need support through this process at 720-424-6070. To learn more about SchoolChoice click here.

Apply For ECE 3 and ECE 4

Chopper Topper Dentistry

Chopper Topper is a totally free dental sealant program offered to our school through Kids in Need of Dentistry. They will be here at Hallett next week starting Monday the 13th and will be here a few days, depending on how many of our students sign up. All 1st through 4th grade students should have received a consent form in their folders/backpacks. If you need a consent form, please contact the nurse, Amanda, at 720-424-6076. Consents filled out last year are still valid, so if your child received this service last year, they may have it again, but, to be safe, it would be best to fill out a new consent. You can visit the Chopper Topper website at https://kindsmiles.org/chopper-topper/ for valuable information explaining the procedure. It has great videos geared toward children. For any questions, please call Amanda at 720-424-607.

DPS Weather Delay Process

This is a reminder that all schools (regardless of start time) will be delayed by two hours if a Weather Delay is called by the district. We are committed to informing families about school closures or delays as early as possible – with the goal to make the call by 5 a.m.

The decision to delay or close will be made by the superintendent. That decision is based on expected accumulation of snow, the size of the storm and its duration. The superintendent, transportation director and other district officials assess local & national weather projections and an independent weather service. Leaders also confer with City of Denver plowing schedules, CDOT and neighboring school districts before making the call.

When inclement weather reaches the metro area, members of the DPS Department of Safety and Facility Management teams visit sites checking on the impact of the weather in and around our schools. That information is shared with DPS leadership and is used in the decision-making process.

You can read more on the DPS website about weather delays by clicking here.

We're So Glad You're Here

We know that students who attend school regularly experience greater academic success than students who do not have regular attendance. At Hallett we celebrate students who have excellent attendance by acknowledging them during community circle, going on field trips to Skate City at the end of each trimester, and providing an age-appropriate movie and snacks for our youngest learners. Students who meet our goal of 95% attendance (which means that students miss 1 day or less a month or are tardy less than 3 days a month) are eligible to participate in our celebratory activities.

Students who are absent 3 days or less, or tardy 9 days or less from December 1- February 24 will be eligible to participate in our celebratory activities.

We want your chid(ren) here at school everyday ready to learn, and when they are we will celebrate them!

Early Release and No School Schedule

Early Childhood Education Stipend

Opportunities in Community

Job Fairs & Upcoming Hiring Events

FedEx Ground

February 14 | 10:00am to 12:00pm | IN PERSON | 14980 E Alameda Dr, Aurora, CO 80012

FedEx Ground is hiring for multiple positions and locations! Come meet the recruiters and learn more about available opportunities. Positions pay up to $21.50 per hour depending on positions and locations. Register at the link below.

Learn more

Denver Job Fair

February 15 | 11:00am to 2:00pm | IN PERSON | Embassy Suites - 4444 Havana St., Denver, 80239

Are you looking for a job in the Denver area? If you are then you need to register and attend this event! A job fair is a great place to to interview with hiring managers in your area who are the decision-makers. Update your resume, wear something nice, and bring your "A" game to stand out in the crowd. There is no cost to attend this event if you are a job seeker. If you are an employer looking to hire at this event, call us toll-free at (888) 899-8802. One of your awesome team members will get you the information needed to register

Learn more

Hiring Event - TSA

February 15 | 10:00am to 12:00pm | IN PERSON | 6974 S. Lima St, Centennial, CO 80112

Join TSA for a brief presentation and get help completing your online application!

Learn more

Hiring Fair

February 25 | 8:00am to 4:00pm | IN PERSON | 1700 N Wheeling St, Aurora CO

We are actively recruiting for clinical and administrative positions across our health care system. If you are interested in joining VA, we are interested in helping you be a part of the team! Click the link below for more information.

Learn more

Colorado Educators Diversity Hiring Fair

March 4 | 10:00am to 12:00pm | IN PERSON | 55 Clermont St, Denver CO

The main objective is to connect candidates with schools and help them learn the best ways to navigate the independent school hiring process. This event is sponsored by the Colorado Diversity Network (CDN), a collection of schools interested in creating a statewide network of collaboration for faculty and staff training around issues of equity, inclusion, and diversity to benefit all Association of Colorado Independent Schools (ACIS).

Learn more

Double Up Food Bucks!

Consider Supporting Hallett

The Kroger Family of Companies is committed to community engagement, positive social impact and charitable giving at the national and local levels. Every community is unique, but our common goal is to partner with the neighborhoods we serve and help the people there live healthier lives.

One of the ways in which we do this is through our King Soopers Community Rewards program. This program makes fundraising easy by donating to local organizations based on the shopping you do every day. Once you link your Card to an organization, all you have to do is shop at King Soopers and swipe your Shopper’s Card. Here’s how it works:

1. Create a digital account.

A digital account is needed to participate in King Soopers Community Rewards. If you already have a digital account, simply link your Shopper’s Card to your account so that all transactions apply toward the organization you choose.

2. Link your Card to an organization.

Selecting the organization that you wish to support is as simple as updating the King Soopers Community Rewards selection on your account.

1. Sign in to your account.

2. Search for your organization here.

3. Enter the name the organization you wish to support.

4. Select the appropriate organization from the list and click “Save”.

Your selected organization will also display in the King Soopers Community Rewards section of your account.

3. Your organization earns.

Any transactions moving forward using the Shopper’s Card number associated with your digital account will be applied to the program, at no added cost to you. King Soopers donates annually to participating organizations based on your percentage of spending as it relates to the total spending associated with all participating King Soopers Community Rewards organizations.

If you have any questions, please contact our Customer Service Center.

Middle School Tours

It's that time of year! Our 5th Grade Families will begin touring Middle Schools, and McAuliffe is staring their tours soon. Families can sign up for a tour here. We will share information from other schools as it comes in!

Leave us a Review!

As we continue to grow our enrollment and spread the word about Hallett, we'd love for you to leave us a glowing review on either Google, Facebook, or GreatSchools. Thank you!

RESOURCES FOR MENTAL HEALTH

Suicide and Depression Hotlines and Websites

***The following are available 24 hours a day 7 days a week

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline 24 hour English and Spanish 1-800-273-8255
www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org
Colorado Crisis Services 1-844-493-8255
www.coloradocrisisservices.org
Safe2Tell 1-877-542-7233
www.safe2tell.org
Crisis Text Line
Text “HOME” to 74174
Trevor Project for LGBTQ youth that are suicidal
1-866-488-7386
Text “START” to 678678
www.thetrevorproject.org

Mental Health Agencies (Therapy/Counseling)

Mental Health Center of Denver 303-504-6500
Maria Droste Counseling Center 303-756-9052
Catholic Charities 303-742-0828 www.ccdenver.org
Aurora Mental Health 303-617-2300 https://www.aumhc.org/
CU Denver Student and Community Counseling Center 303-315-7270
https://www.ucdenver.edu/counseling-center/community-members

DPS Community Resources:

DPS FACE centers https://equity.dpsk12.org/family-resources/
Denver Health School based health centers
https://www.denverhealth.org/services/school-based-health-centers/locations

Hallett Academy Mental Health Staff

Brittany Talvy, School Psychologist brittany_talvy@dpsk12.net or 720-424-6099 (Monday thru Friday)
Barbara Robinson, School Social Worker barbara_robinson@dpsk12.net or 720-424-3236 (Monday and Friday Only)

Please contact us with any additional questions or concerns

Mental Health Support for Colorado Youth

I Matter provides up to 3 free behavioral health sessions for youth in Colorado. Visit I Matter.com for more information.

“Courage starts with showing up and letting ourselves be seen"

Brené Brown

hallett.dpsk12.org