Weekly Commander Communicator – John F. Kennedy High School

From The Principal's Desk

Dear Commanders,

On behalf of the entire JFK staff, welcome Commanders to this EPIC and Game-Changing year. Our vision for all students and staff that “As Commanders, we are advocates of our passions, challengers of inequity, and champions of change. We find P.R.I.D.E. (Professionalism, Respect, Inclusion, Dedication, and Excellence) in shaping a more inclusive global community and taking command of our role within that world.” This vision will be a driving force behind us as we embark on the 20-21 school year! We aim to provide engaging learning experiences for all of our students that push them to think critically and to realize their full potential. We will also be more intentional about our value of INCLUSION, as we know that the diverse cultures, languages, learning styles, and ethnicities of our students makes Kennedy an amazing place to learn.

The COVID Pandemic has rocked our worlds, in a way that, I’m sure, none of us could have predicted on March 13th of last year when brick and mortar school doors closed; yet, we have so much to celebrate. Last year JFK was recognized with the Whole Child Distinguished Award, we became one of only two schools in Colorado, we have a nationally recognized Counseling program, we reduced our out of school suspensions from 77 in 2018-19 to 14 in 19-20, we launched the skills for success center and peer mediation to empower students to take ownership of and learn from their mistakes, we started a dance/yoga program, we raised over $3,000 for the Make a Wish foundation, our students in JROTC, DECA, FBLA, HoSA, and the PLTW programs won countless awards, we hosted the City Wide Orchestra, held our inaugural JFK Arts Night, and we recommitted to the IB World model. We have so much to celebrate and can’t wait to see what this community accomplishes in 20-21.

Although there are a lot of excitement and celebrations as we launch the new school year, we also know that there may also be anxiety and uncertainty about what lies ahead. Please read the information below for details regarding schedules, how to log into courses on Monday at 8am and throughout remote learning, logging onto Schoology, and getting connected. Email me or attend our virtual Town Hall on Wednesday from 5 -6 PM if you have any questions or concerns. And, as always, Commander Community, WE ARE STRONGER TOGETHER.

Here is a "How To Get to Class In a Remote World" guide in English and Spanish

With love and gratitude,

Tiffany Almon
Proud Principal

EMAIL ME REGISTER DONATE VISIT OUR SITE PARENT PORTAL

UPDATES

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.

A TRIBUTE TO A FALLEN COMMANDER

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 AND TECHNOLOGY

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.

ATHLETICS CORNER

Congratulations to Commander Softball who won Season Opener 11-3 v. GWHS, Congratulations
In case you didn't know the JFK Denver Health clinic is open and safe to visit! All you have to do
in order to use the clinic is fill out the consent form which you can access by clicking these links
below. After you e-sign and make an appointment, just call them at 720-423-4355 so they can
let you into the building. They also do sport physicals if you are still in need of one!
- English E-Sign
- Spanish E-Sign
- To make an appointment: E-mail SBHC@dhha.org or call 303-602-8958 or
  the JFK Clinic direct number: 720-423-4355

MAXPREPS

IMPORTANT UPCOMING DATES

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

EVENT CALENDAR

HELPFUL LINKS

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