Weekly Family Newsletter: 8/30/21

Posted August 30, 2021

 

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Para leer este mensaje en español, haga clic aquí.

Dear Commander Community,

The first week of school was quite a success! Students learned and reacquainted with the school, got a ton of exercise tackling our school’s stairwells and five flights of stairs, enjoyed reuniting with friends and staff, engaged in relevant learning experiences, received a brand new Chromebook and charger, and many of us had a blast at our first ever Commander PRIDE Day Celebration. Additionally, many parents attended our first virtual Commander Conversation of the school year to get more information about our school. 

We know that although the first week was filled with smiles, laughter, and excitement, that many Commanders are still feeling uneasy about being back in large crowds, uncertain about their classes, and are not yet feeling connected to our community. Not to worry, we have many supports for our students and opportunities for students to get involved and to build the life skills necessary to thrive and take command of their future. Some examples of ways that students can receive extra support and get involved include:

  • Our Club Fair will be held this Friday during lunch

  • Period 9 Support Block will launch this week in room 227 from 2:45pm to 3:30pm Monday through Thursday

  • Teacher Office Hours are held from 2:40 – 3:00pm Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday

  • Our Mental Health team and Counselors are available to provide an extra layer of Life Skill support, visit this website for more information

  • Class meetings during advisory on Wednesday

Students must bring their fully charged DPS-issued Chromebook to school every day. If students did not yet receive the DPS – Issued Chromebook and charger, they should email sean-michael_jonesz@dpsk12.org. If you need a hotspot, please email sean-michael_jonesz@dpsk12.org. If you would like a locker, please see Mr. Thompson before school or during lunch in the cafeteria to receive your locker number. If you have an off period you may see Ms. Ambrosia in the main office to request a locker as well. Students do not need to share lockers. 

Please check out this flyer with information regarding our Blacktop Back to School Night event occurring from 5 – 7 PM on Thursday 9/2/21 (there will be a virtual option as well).

 
Have a Commander Kind of Summer!

Tiffany Almon
Proud Principal
She, her, hers and why they matter
tiffany_almon@dpsk12.org
 

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UPDATES
  • JFK's Commander Conversations (Formally known as Town Hall): JFK's first Commander Conversation of the year took place on August 25th at 5 PM. If you missed it, you can review the information here. Going forward, these virtual conversations will take place every other Wednesday. The next one will take place on September 8th at 5 pm and can be accessed here.

  • Listening and Learning Session: The goal of the Listening and Learning Tour with Superintendent Dr. Alex Marerro is to allow him the opportunity to connect with students, families and communities – especially those who have been unheard in the past. Dr. Marrero is joining the Commander Community to listen and learn from YOU during our Commander Conversation on September 22nd at 5PM on the JFK Blacktop. We hope you will join us for this amazing opportunity to have your voice heard by our Superintendent!
  • BESS Opt Out Form: As part of our effort to support the Whole Child, our school will be implementing a universal social and emotional screening for students. Universal social and emotional screening is NOT an assessment or an evaluation. Instead, screenings are a useful tool to help identify students who may need extra social or emotional support. You also have the option to EXEMPT your child from participating. If you DO NOT want your child to participate in social and emotional screening, please indicate so by completing this form. If we do not receive an OPT-OUT form from you, we will assume you are choosing to have your child participate in social and emotional screening.

  • Code to College: Code2College has a FREE program for YOUR student! This program offers software-engineering and web-development instruction, professional skills development through consistent mentorship, and the opportunity to qualify for paid, software-engineering internships. The deadline to apply for Fall classes is Monday, September 30th. You can find the application here in English and Spanish.

  • Website Maintenance: Our website is undergoing a ton of maintenance right now in order to bring you a more user friendly experience! Please bare with us as we make these updates as there may be some 

ATHLETICS

We have a new ticketing system to purchase game tickets! See here.

 
RESOURCES
  • Our school nurse created a virtual health office containing links to lots of different information. Click on LINK for helpful resources.
  • Here is a link to a list of various food assistance resources around Denver!
  • Here is a link to information on Free Covid Tests.
  • Here is the link to access DPS Coronavirus Resources
  • Here is the Southwest Denver Free Activities Calendar
 
 
OPPORTUNITIES FOR FAMILIES TO GET INVOLVED
  • Commander Conversation virtual Town Hall on 8/24/21 from 5-6:30 virtually HERE. Attending the Commander Conversation nights give our families an opportunity to learn more about what is happening at Kennedy and to ask questions and give feedback.
  • Attend Back to School Night to learn more about the student experience at Kennedy on 9/2/21 at 5 pm on our Blacktop. You may access pre recorded videos that highlight teacher's class overviews by clicking the banner on our website on September 2nd.
  • Are you interested in joining the Collaborative School Committee to give input on school budget, personnel, school goals and the unified improvement plan, and increasing enrollment? Email me at tiffany_almon@dpsk12.org.
  • Want to join our Parent Teacher Student Association, the Commander Connection? Email our Communications Specialist, Laurentz Gilmore at laurentz_gilmore@dpsk12.org.
  • Want to be involved in making decisions in regard to our English Language Acquisition programming? Join our ELA – Parent Advisory Committee by emailing laurentz_gilmore@dpsk12.org. See HERE for more information regarding the ELA – Parent Advisory Committee. 

 

 
HEALTH AND SAFETY

If students are masked and vaccinated while at school, students only need to quarantine if they start experiencing symptoms. Staff and students should monitor who they are in close contact with when masks are off, especially during lunch time. Eat outside whenever possible. See COVID-19 Exposure decision tree here for more information.

Please note, students are not required to get vaccinated to return in person. However, we highly encourage our students to get vaccinated. If we can continue to increase the number of people aged 12 and older who get the vaccine, we can get closer to herd immunity, and resume the fun activities that make life as a high school student so memorable. Check out this information regarding the COVID-19 vaccination and the sites located all-around Denver. 

Please read this information from our Superintendent, Dr. Marrero, for details about vaccinations, mask guidance, and safety measures.

IMPORTANT UPCOMING DATES
  • 9/2 — Back to School Night
  • 9/22 — Listening and Learning Session with Dr. Alex Marrero

    For more information on any of these events check jfk.dpsk12.org
   EVENT CALENDAR

 

HELPFUL LINKS

JOHN F. KENNEDY HIGH SCHOOL

2855 S. LAMAR ST. DENVER, CO 80227