Commander Communicator – 8/21

• SCHEDULE: Here is a "How To Get to Class in a Remote World" guide in English and Spanish. Please know the Counselors are working around the clock to make sure all schedules are ready to go by Monday, August 24th. You can check your Student Portal for an updated schedule on Sunday, August 23rd after 6pm. If you notice any errors in your schedule at that time, please complete the JFK Student Schedule Questions Google Form that will be sent out on social media, JFK website, and Schoology on Sunday, August 23rd after 6pm. The JFK Counseling Team will use this form to review all schedule questions/concerns.Thank you for your understanding and patience as we prepare for the 20-21 school year. Check out our block schedule here. 

• TOWN HALL Meeting on Wednesday the 26th from 5 -6 PM. Please attend to ask questions about the schedule, getting connected with Schoology, and creating a positive learning space while remote learning. If you missed any of the previous town halls meetings you can view the Virtual Town Hall Q&A Document here.

• 100% Virtual Option: We wanted to clarify that choosing the 100% virtual option in your Annual Family Update means you are only electing for 100% virtual learning through December. Also, if you have selected 100% virtual learning but you change your mind and would like to attend school in-person once we resume you do not have to change your Annual Family Update. You can just send your child to school as you normally would! We are still working out a solution for the situation that you have selected in-person and would like to shift to 100% virtual.

• Supply Pick-Up: We are planning a supply pick-up so that students can come to the school and pick up any materials they may need for their classes. For example: instruments, textbooks, etc. We still send out communications once the date has been finalized. 

• Health and Safety Requirements for in-person learning:  In partnership with CDPHE, DPS has identified Health and Safety requirements, including the wearing of masks, handwashing, and other specific notes, that will be in place when we are in the hybrid and full-time in-person learning contexts.  Information is available on the DPS website.

• Hey 9th, 10th and 11th grade students: Here is an amazing opportunity for you! Have you thought about wanting help transitioning into high school, and also planning for your career or college? We want you to participate with Ms. Bria from the Future Center, in the Scholar Prep Program (SPP) which is designed to give you 1:1 mentoring, college and career readiness/exposure, personal development skills and overall relationship building. Especially with the school year starting off virtual, this gives you the chance to get extra support! If you need more information or are interested just fill out this short survey at this link: https://tinyurl.com/dsfsppsurvey or text Ms. Bria at 720-588-3755, or email her at amerriex@denverscholarship.org!

• New Classes Available —  Click the link to access the interest survey!
  1)    Latinos in Action – Leadership class where you will work at an Elementary School to help children who are learning English as a second language, are struggling with reading or other subjects, or simply need a good role model. As a part of the class, LIA students will receive training in leadership, teaching methods, mentoring, job skills, and college preparation.
  2)    Ethnic Studies - It will be taught by a professor at JFK and you will learn Multi-disciplinary survey of contemporary and historical research analyses of the diverse social, economic, political, and cultural facets of African American, American Indian, Asian American, and Latino communities and cultures. You will earn 3 college credits and JFK pays for the course.
  3)    Criminal Justice - It will be taught by a professor at JFK and you will learn an overview of the criminal justice process and the criminal justice system in general. You will earn 3 college credits and JFK pays for the course.
  4)    Environmental Sustainability - This course has the potential to bring together a diverse group of students with interests in biology, chemistry, and/or environmental studies, and it gives students the opportunity to lead their own learning, collaborate, and gain skills needed to communicate their creative solutions. 

We received very sad news that one of our students, Emiliano Vigil,  was involved in an incident resulting in the loss of his life. So many of our students and families are directly affected by violence in the Southwest Denver region, and leaders are beginning to collaborate to determine an action plan moving forward to address systemic community issues and to be more proactive in identifying signs that our students are exhibiting violent and unsafe behaviors. We will keep you posted on next steps that arise from this collaboration. Although we know this collaboration is way overdue, taking action now is imperative. Our thoughts are with the student’s family at this time. We will continue to process this sad news as a school community, and please feel free to reach out as needed for ongoing support. 

Also, please send out positive thoughts to Victoria "Tori" Vialpando who was a victim in a shooting at a neighborhood park near Valverde. Her injuries are not life-threatening and she is maintaining a positive outlook through this hard time so we want to wish her a swift recovery as a community!

• REGISTRATION: If you still need to register you can come to the JFK main entrance any day next week between 8 AM and 12 PM or 1 PM and 3 PM for in-person support. You can also still complete this process online through our online registration document.
• TECHNOLOGY: If you still need a Chromebook please email Mr. Brewer at rick_brewer@dpsk12.org. 

• 8/24 — First day of school 20-21
• 8/26 — Virtual Town Hall 
• TBD — Supply Pick-Up

• Here is the link to the Virtual Town Hall Q&A Document.
• Here is the "How To Get to Class in a Remote World" guide in English and Spanish.
• Here is the link to required Summer Homework also found on our website.
• Here is the link to our step by step online Registration process, as well as the dates of our in-person registration. All families are required to register their children each school year.
• Schoology Parent One-Pager English | Spanish 
• Parent Portal Login Presentation
• Parent Portal Login Video
• Schoology App Login Guide - English | Spanish
• Schoology Parent/Guardian FAQ - English | Spanish
• If you need tech support please click here.
• Here is information on where to get Free Meals from DPS.
• Here is the link to access DPS Coronavirus Resources. 
• Here is the link to our COVID Relief Go Fund Me page, donate if you can, and reach out to me at tiffany_almon@dpsk12.org if you need support from this fund

JOHN F. KENNEDY HIGH SCHOOL

2855 S. LAMAR ST. DENVER, CO 80227