What Does The Fox Say?
September 14, 2023
Dear Inspire Parent/Guardian,
As I am driving to the meeting, I am feeling uneasy and I am taking slow breaths to calm my anxiety. This is silly, why am I feeling this way? The meeting is in person. It was easy to hide when the meetings were virtual last year. As I drive closer I realize the meeting is somewhere in Stanley Marketplace. This place makes me feel stressed. Don’t ask me how I can navigate the complicated NYC subway system but finding a bar in Stanley Marketplace is overwhelming. As I walk through the parking lot I see a cute kid in a dancer’s outfit. I can’t help but smile. I look toward the adult who is holding this child’s hand and it’s a parent from Inspire. She’s a lovely human being. We start chatting and walking. I tell her I am a mess with finding the meeting spot and ask if I can follow her. Her husband and other child come from a play area and we have a great conversation as we head inside. My irrational fear starts to melt away. If you’re reading this principal letter, thank you for being you and I loved hearing about how you two met. Then we walked into the PTO meeting. As I head inside, my stress rises again. Why does this feel like walking into the cafeteria on the first day of high school? Where do I sit? Who do I talk to? What if I say the wrong thing? My nerves is my introvertedness screaming at me from within. After all, it’s a different kind of psyching myself up than a Friday Celebration. I sit down across from a familiar face - another lovely human being. I get a chance to talk to new kinder parents and a returning parent whose older child is now in middle school. The meeting starts, the PTO board shares out everything they are or have been working on, requesting support for committees, and give a clear explanation of how funds are used to support the school. Fundraising includes Fox Trot, Spring Auction, sponsorships, milk caps, Box Tops, shopping events, restaurant nights, King Soopers Rewards, and Minted. These efforts fund the Enrichment Coordinator and a paraprofessional and pays for curriculum, staff appreciation, food pantry, SustainEd (the goats!) programming, and special events. All I can think is WOW. I admire these people. These are gracious moms and dads who attended the first meeting of the year. Don't get me wrong, I take my daughter to soccer, piano, Girl Scouts, and attend school performances but I won't do an overnight event nor go to the sock hop, and have only volunteered once at her school in six years. I look around and think to myself that after a long day of caretaking or working, these parents show up to find out how they can be of support and the members of the board have shown up in a way that matters. These are the real game changers and what they do make a difference. Thank you for being a positive and productive force at Inspire. If you want to get involved with PTO see below for details. If you're not actively involved in PTO, no worries! There are lots of ways to be engaged like attending Celebration of Learning, Mystery Reader, Room Helpers, chaperone field trips, etc. Keep an eye on WDTFS and Bloomz messages for ways to connect!
Together, we are Inspire.
Sincerely,
Linda August
Principal
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Important Dates
9/20/23: PTO Meeting, 6:30-7:30pm
9/22/23: District PD Day - No School
9/25/23: Inspire PD Day - No School
10/2/23: Fox Trot, PTO Fundraiser
10/3/23: Fox Trot, Rain Date
10/6/23: Celebration of Learning, 1:40pm-2:40pm
10/10/23: 5th Grade Field Trip, Planetarium
10/12/23: No School, District PD Day
10/12/23: Family Conference Day (evening hours), 3:30pm-6:30pm
10/13/23: No School
10/16/23: No School, Family Conference Day, 7:30am-3:30pm
Get Involved with the Parent Teacher Organization (PTO)
- Check out the PTO Website, complete the PTO membership form, and/or email the board at board@inspirepto.com.
- Interested in a committee? Contact the following committee leads:
Fox Trot: lizajlorenz@gmail.com
Staff Appreciation: racheladler1002@yahoo.com
Celebrations: christinenoelle303@gmail.com and gracecstearns@gmail.com
Spring Fundraiser: auction@inspirepto.com
Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) Meeting
September 20, 2023 at 6:30pm
passcode: PTO2023
NO SCHOOL
- Friday, 9/22/23 - District Professional Development Day
This is time set aside for the district to provide district-wide professional development. Examples of trainings include Using Data to Build on a Student's Strengths and Inform Instruction, Mastering Structured Literacy Instruction, Unpacking your first Inquiry Journey's, The Essentials of Functional Behavior Assessment - Monday, 9/25/23 - Inspire Professional Development Day
In general, this is dedicated time to work on school specific needs such as social emotional learning, equity work, data review, and individual/team planning. On 9/25 our sessions include: BESS Delivery, Norming Practices (safety and school scenarios), Equity, Circles introduction, Affirming Gender, Sexual and Family Diversity.
BESS Social Emotional Screener, 9/27/23
Per DPS: Addressing the mental health and social/emotional needs of our DPS students is critical to ensuring their well-being and healthy development, their access to safe and welcoming schools, and their ability to engage with grade level texts and tasks. The 2021 U.S. Department of Education's Supporting Child and Student Social, Emotional, Behavioral, and Mental Health Needs specifically recommended school districts “adopt a structured and comprehensive universal screening process to catch internalizing and externalizing child or student needs…three times per year…” in order to address the youth mental health crisis (p. 34). Fortunately in DPS, we have had access to the reliable Behavioral and Emotional Screening System (BESS) since 2017, and we have already laid a strong foundation for comprehensive universal mental health screening.
- As part of our effort to support the Whole Child, Inspire will be implementing a universal Behavioral and Emotional Screening System (BESS) school-wide per DPS guidelines.
- Teachers will submit a Teacher Report in grades K-5 on 9/22/23
- Students in grades 3-5 will submit a Student Report on 9/27/23
- Parents will be able to submit a Parent Report starting on 9/29/23
- Opt-Out form was included in DPS Registration
- Questions? Contact michelle_hauck@dpsk12.net.
Inspire Fox Trot on Monday, 10/2/23
We’re excited to hold the annual Fox Trot on Monday, October 2nd. Our foxes will run laps on the field to raise money for the school while getting their hearts pumping and having fun! Our goal is to raise $50,000 this year.
- Funds from the Inspire Fox Trot will be used to support curriculum and staff, making exciting learning experiences possible across the school. Funds raised support our long-term relationship with SustainEd Farms. With this curriculum, we give all students a chance to work with the goats, chickens, and garden on campus. We are also raising funds to support the equivalent of one full-time paraprofessional at the school.
- We want to promote a healthy lifestyle to our students and the community. Please help us reach our fundraising goal by supporting our jog-a-thon. Complete these 5 easy steps!
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Register or re-LogIn on Get Movin’© FundHub [link to https://www.getmovinfundhub.com/register?school_uuid=613fa395ed2a3] and create your child's fundraising page.
Email/text your child's fundraising page to 10-15 friends and family.
Post on Facebook and Twitter: it's fun to see who ends up donating!
Volunteer for the event! Email lizajlorenz@gmail.com.
Come cheer your foxes on the day of the event! We will have a special viewing area for families. Schedule for the day coming soon!
An Introduction to Michelle Hauck, School Counselor
The School Counseling program at Inspire Elementary is based on the American School Counseling Association (ASCA) Model and our district standards. It includes a variety of services for ALL students and is designed to assist with interests and issues related to the stages of student growth in the areas of academic, career, personal, emotional, and social development. Our incredible School Counselor is Michelle Hauck. Click here to learn more about her and what she does at Inspire.
CSC 9/13/23 Meeting Highlights
Click here for agenda and notes regarding:
- Safety Report
- Student Achievement Data
- Gifted & Talented Update
- Financial Update
- Staff/Hiring
- Hiring Committee
Community Resource
FACE University: Supporting LGBTQ+ Community
Thursday, September 21st
6:00-6:45pm via Zoom!
RSVP Here
Convivir Colorado
A leadership program for immigrant, refugee, and first generation 6th-12th grade youth from any nationality and with any immigrant status - that helps them channel their leadership through the lens of their migrant journey, so they can strengthen their sense of self and contie practicing agency as they make a positive impact on their Colorado communities. Check out their website here and spread the word! Check out other family resources here!
Everyday Learning at Inspire
Library Time During Literacy Class
Playground Fun
Inspire Elementary
Email: linda_august@dpsk12.net
Website: https://inspire.dpsk12.org/
Location: 5677 North Galena Street, Denver, CO, USA
Phone: (720) 424-4850