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What Does The Fox Say?
July 31, 2023
Dear Inspire Parent/Guardian,
The start of a new school year brings varying emotions for families. Maybe you saw the back-to-school sales at the store and thought you didn't want the summer to end. Time to travel or perhaps not adhering to a schedule as you go for a walk, to the pool, or the library with the kids. Those same back-to-school sales can make others feel anxious. How do I prepare my child for their very first day of school? What if they don't make any friends? (Need a resource? Scroll down to Family Resource - First Day of School.) Maybe you're wondering, "Can I take them back to school sooner?" Like we tell the kids, "All feelings are okay."
Like hold up... my 10yo is heading into fifth grade. When did that happen? Where did the years go? My brain is doing an emotional roller coaster trying to grasp that she is in her last year of elementary school. The difficult dynamics of friendships/peers and gossip has been strong for a while. I lost my mind when she told me back in first grade that kids had crushes on each other. There is no emoji that can show how I feel about that. She doesn't have a ton of friends, which is totally okay. We've had many talks about quality vs quantity of friends. I worry that she won't tell me things when she is scared, worried or stressed. Maybe some day she'll be more comfortable. At the start of summer, we read a puberty book. She really did not want to. I told her it was non-negotiable. My parents didn't talk to us about any of that stuff and we had to learn the hard way. Not cool man. There is way too much misinformation out there. Fast forward to last week, as she was getting ready for bed she said, "Mommy. I usually say I would rather be in school but I really like summer because I like being with mommy and daddy." I'm not crying you're crying! Now the memories are flooding, oh here we go - wondering when she was going to sleep through the night, her baby giggles, her first steps (that I was not physically there for - grrrr), the guilt when I dropped her off at daycare, worrying about her making friends, trying to figure out what kind of present to get other kids for birthday parties, first day of pre-k when she was crying and I was crying because she was crying, reminding myself to affirm her successes, the ugly days of virtual learning, apologizing to her when I make mistakes or lose my cool, asking her if we can drop one of her after school activities because we couldn't keep up, finding things for her to do over the summer because we are so fortunate and we can do that... Like my dad says, 她过着美好的生活 (she's got a good life). Tangent thought: I cannot read or write Chinese, I had to Google translate and double check with my dad. Anyway - we did that for her. We did all-the-things we could for her while she was home with us in hopes she would be okay when she is not with us. Being a parent is the toughest job we have. Please know when you drop your kids off at school we are ready for them. We love them for seven hours a day and then send them back to you. We thank you for that partnership and we are excited to see them soon!
Sincerely,
Linda August
Principal
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Important Dates
8/11/23: Deadline to complete Inspire Enrollment Paperwork
8/12/23: Deadline to complete DPS Online Registration
8/14/23: Class teacher notification available, families will receive a welcome letter and an invite to Bloomz from their classroom teacher
8/16/23: Back-to-School Informational Night (virtual), 5:30pm-6:30pm
8/18/23: Meet & Greet (in-person), 1:00pm-3:00pm
8/21/23: First Day of School (for K-5)
8/22/23 First Day of School (for ECE only)
8/25/23: Friday Celebration, 7:40am-7:55am
8/30/23 - 9/1/23: Picture Day
9/1/23: Spirit Day: First Friday - wear Inspire or fox gear, school colors
9/4/23: NO SCHOOL, Holiday - Labor Day
9/5/23: Spirit Day: Labor/Career Day (dress like what you want to be when you grow up)
9/13/23: CSC Meeting, 4:00pm-5:30pm
WDTFS Newsletter
You are receiving this What Does the Fox Say? (WDTFS) newsletter as a listed guardian of a child at Inspire Elementary. Please note our listserve resets each school year. If you would like someone else in your extended family or a caretaker to receive our newsletter, please email Linda August at linda_august@dpsk12.net with the email address you would like us to add.
Family Resource - First Day of School
DPS Annual Family Update - Required, August 11th Deadline
If your family missed the early bird registration for the Online Registration, it is now available.
Families with missing registration will receive a phone call from an Inspire staff member with a friendly reminder.
Timely completion of the Online Registration helps us update our enrollment and offer available spots to families on the waitlist.
Questions? Email Danielle Vialpando, Front Office at d_vialpando-padilla@dpsk12.net.
Inspire Enrollment Paperwork - Required, August 11th Deadline
ALL families must complete the 2023-2024 Inspire Registration process.
Questions? Email Danielle Vialpando, Front Office at d_vialpando-padilla@dpsk12.net.
Enrollment Withdrawals
If your plans have changed and your student will no longer attend Inspire, please complete the withdrawal form and email to Danielle Vialpando, Front Office at d_vialpando-padilla@dpsk12.net.
23-24 Family Handbook
- Please review the updated Family Handbook for additional procedures regarding dress code, early pick up, etc.
Homeroom Teacher Assignment, August 14th
Class lists will be finalized the week before school begins. Since School Choice programming allows students to unenroll and enroll throughout the summer, it affects our ability to finalize class lists until the end of summer. We anticipate sharing classroom teacher assignments on August 14th.
On August 14th go to Parent Portal, click on the "schedule" tab to confirm who your child's teacher is.
If you don't have a parent portal account go to myportal.dpsk12.org, click on "create account".
You will also receive a Welcome Message directly from your child's teacher.
Please do not email staff or administration to request a classroom change. Teachers created the class lists to ensure the success of students and the lists have also been reviewed by our SpEd and Whole Child Team.
Staff Bios
- Staff bios can be accessed on our school website, go to the “Our Team” page.
Back-to-School Informational (virtual) for New Families, August 15th, 5:30pm
Anyone is welcome to join. Most of the material is intended for new families.
Meet the school leadership team, learn about school priorities, and bring your questions about back-to-school.
Specific classroom questions should be saved for the teacher Meet & Greet on August 18th.
Zoom Webinar link is available on the school calendar (on our website): Join Zoom Session, Passcode: 2jLKKf
Meet & Greet (in-person), August 18th from 1:00pm-3:00pm
Families will have an opportunity to come in and meet their child's teacher.
Come anytime between the hours of 1:00pm-3:00pm.
Stop by the Specials classrooms: Art, Music, Physical Education, STEAM
Families are also welcome to stop by the School Counselor, Social Worker, SpEd, Interventionist Offices.
PTO (Parent Teacher Organization) will be in the main lobby and will distribute an activity bag for kids, including a scavenger hunt, and a limited number of school t-shirts will be for sale.
School Supply Fee K-5
Tomorrow (Tuesday, 8/1) Parents/Guardians will receive a $110 invoice from MySchoolBucks (MSB) for School Supply Fee. You do not need to purchase school supplies on your own. This decreases shopping stress for parents and increases equity for students. Note: The fee is waived for families that are Free Reduced Lunch (FRL). FRL families do not need to pay the invoice. If you receive an invoice please contact Gabbi Rodriguez at gabriella_rodriguez@dpsk12.net to request a waiver.
School Supplies, ECE
ECE programming is tuition based and not included in the School Supply Fee. Click on the link for information on what supplies to purchase and drop off on the first day of school.
First Days of School - ECE Only
Per DPS, the first day of school for ECE students is Tuesday, 8/22
Students attend half the day for one day (morning or afternoon)
See the schedule below, by last name which varies according to the homeroom teacher:
Foote: Student last names A-P 7:40am-10:55am, Student last names Q-Z 11:40am-2:40pm
Klinzing: Student last names A-Ha 7:40am-10:55am, Student last names He-Z 11:40am-2:40pm
Please adhere to the denoted last name schedule denoted above. ECE has ratio (adult to student) requirements, which this schedule accounts for
Regular / Full day schedule begins Wednesday, 8/23
Arrival & Dismissal Procedures
Arrival and dismissal can be stressful times of the day. Please read the arrival and dismissal procedures for respective grade levels to ensure you know how to help it run smoothly.
Lost & Found
Please please please write your child’s first and last name on all water bottles, lunch boxes, and outerwear (sweatshirts, jackets). If we find the item and your child’s name is on it, it’s like winning the lottery and your child will get it back (to their classroom). If an item does not have a name on it, then it will make its way to the lonely Lost & Found in the corner of the main entrance / vestibule. Lost & Found items are periodically donated.
Per DPS, Update on 23-24 School Meals
Per the Healthy School Meal Act, all meals for the 23-24 school year will be free
Students are still welcome to bring lunch from home
We do not have microwaves for student use
Additional information regarding individual food purchase during lunch:
If a student brings their lunch from home and would like to purchase milk, the charge is $0.75
If a student would like to add to their home lunch, they are welcome to the Fruit & Vegetable bar for $1.00
If a student would like to purchase seconds of the main entree they may do so for $3.00
The cafeteria will also be providing a la carte items for students to purchase in the fall that are Smart Snack approved. Pricing information coming soon.
School Spirit Wear
To purchase school spirit wear visit our Spirit Wear webpage.
Innovation Plan Renewal Approved
In the Spring our Innovation Plan was approved by DCTA staff, administration and CSC (Collaborative School Committee). As summer began, the Denver School Board met (on June 15th) to review Innovation Plans. We are happy to share that our Innovation Plan was approved and will be in effect for the next three school years. If you would like to review the Innovation Plan (waivers), you can access it on the school webpage under “About Us” → Innovation Plan or click on Inspire Elementary Innovation Plan Renewal 2023.
Governor's Distinguished Achievement Award
If you haven’t heard, Inspire Elementary received the 2022 Colorado Governor's Distinguished Improvement Award! The Governor’s Distinguished Improvement Awards are given to schools that demonstrate exceptional student growth. On the school performance framework that is used by the state to evaluate schools, we "exceed" expectations on the indicator related to longitudinal academic growth and "meet or exceed" expectations on the indicator related to academic growth gaps. Three of our six years as a school, was surviving and coming out of a pandemic. We made some significant changes in the past couple of years because your children deserve the best education we can offer. As we head into a new school year, our staff return refreshed and we will focus on refining how we teach and care for your kids!
Inspire Elementary
Email: linda_august@dpsk12.net
Website: https://inspire.dpsk12.org/
Location: 5677 North Galena Street, Denver, CO, USA
Phone: (720) 424-4850