What Does The Fox Say?

Dear Parent/Guardian,

I hope everyone has had a smooth transition back to school these past two weeks. Getting back into a routine after a long break can be a challenge for both kids and adults, but it also offers a great opportunity to set new goals, create new routines, and implement positive changes in our personal and professional lives.

I’ve always been a goal-oriented person but have never been one to set “resolutions” for the new year. We all know the stat (whether it’s true or just something we all read online 🤷🏼‍♀️) that most New Year's resolutions fail by the first Friday in January. Personally, I don’t feel the push to make a life-changing declaration that I’ll likely fail at within a week. It just seems like a recipe for disappointment and self-criticism.

However, over the break, I learned about something called the “Fresh Start Effect.” A 2015 study published in the Journal of Psychological Science found that “emphasizing a temporal landmark marking the beginning of a new time period increases people’s intentions to initiate goal pursuit” and that “people’s strengthened motivation to begin pursuing their aspirations following such temporal landmarks originates in part from the psychological disassociation these landmarks induce from a person’s past, imperfect self” (Dai, Milkman, & Riis, 2015). Common temporal landmarks include New Year’s Day, the start of a new week or month, the beginning of a new school year, and birthdays or anniversaries.

This new-to-me information got me thinking and gave me the motivation I needed to sit down, reflect, and write out some small but attainable goals for myself. Rather than a monumental resolution destined to fail, I focused on small, process-oriented goals I could set for myself to improve my day-to-day life. Some of the goals I set include intentionally limiting my phone usage after 7 p.m. on weeknights, engaging in a new creative hobby twice a week, and actually foam-rolling after my runs three times a week (I know myself, and every day is simply too tall an order!).

Here at school, we’re embracing the new year as well! After a long break, teachers are spending extra time revisiting classroom expectations and routines. We’re leaving behind classroom conflicts from December when everyone was ready for a break and getting on each other’s nerves. There’s a renewed emphasis on social-emotional learning, and our classroom communities feel reinvigorated as students come together again. As a staff, we’re engaging in professional development and making shifts in coaching and collaborative planning to meet the ever-evolving needs of our students. This fresh start provides an exciting opportunity to reset and feel like our best selves once again.

I hope this fresh start is offering you and your family time to reflect and build habits and routines that fill your busy days with more intention and joy. I’m so happy to be back in the building with students, see their smiling faces, and continue working toward our collective goals for student success!

-Ms. Fairbanks

Important Dates

1/16/25: 1st Grade Field Trip - Denver Art Museum

1/16/25: Arts Showcase - 1st Grade, 5:00 PM - 6:00 PM

1/17/25: Friday Celebration, 7:40 AM - 8:00 AM

1/18/25: Stars of Honor at MSU (by invite only)

1/20/25: NO SCHOOL - MLK Day

1/22/25: CSC Meeting, 4:00 PM - 5:30 PM

1/24/25: Friday Celebration, 7:40 AM - 8:00 AM

1/28/25: Spelling Bee, 5:00 PM - 6:00 PM

1/29/25: Spirit Day: Lunar New Year - year of the snake or wear red

1/29/25: PTO Meeting, 6:00PM - 7:00 PM, Cafeteria

1/30/25: 2nd Grade Field Trip (Martin/Schuler) - Center for Colorado Women's History

1/31/25: 2nd Grade Field Trip (Corley/Fargason) - Center for Colorado Women's History

1/31/25: Friday Celebration, 7:40 AM - 8:00 AM

2/7/25: Spirit Day: 100th Day of School (wear a 100 anything ex: buttons, dress like you're 100, etc.)
2/7/25: Friday Celebration, 7:40 AM - 8:00 AM

2/12/25: Class Picture Day

2/12/25: CSC Meeting, 4:00 PM - 5:30 PM

2/13/25: Spirit Day: Valentine's/Friendship Day (wear red/pink or positive message)

2/14/25: NO SCHOOL, PD Day

Spring Enrichments - Registration Now Open

• Enrichments are now live. Please follow this link to register.
• Schedule of after-school enrichment programs
• Enrichments are first come, first serve basis. Your order is not final until payment is processed and you receive a confirmation receipt, even if it was in your cart.
• You will receive an email from CheddarUp (our processing partner) to confirm your student’s spot. If the email you receive shows a $0.00 value this means that your enrollment did not process as the enrichment is already full.

• Registration is final. Sorry, no refunds.

• Kerrie Hall (our PE teacher) will provide the operational support. Please email Coach Hall if you have any operational questions (kerrie_hall@dpsk12.net).

Did You Purchase A Yearbook?

The saver deadline has passed. Don't forget to purchase a yearbook at https://yearbookforever.com/ for $30 until 4/1/25 (end of March break). Thereafter, the price is $35. Once we sell out we are unable to accommodate requests to print additional books.

NO SCHOOL - 1/20/25, MLK Day

There is no school on Monday, 1/20/25 to celebrate the birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr.

CSC 1/22/25 Meeting, 4:00 PM - 5:30 PM

• Join Zoom Meeting, Meeting ID: 889 9135 5574, Passcode: xdnf7P
• Agenda to include: 25-26 Staffing Budget, Leadership Team Student Data Review Recommendations, Review 25-26 Parent Feedback Survey Draft, CSC Mid-Year Review
• If you would like to make a public comment and will be attending the meeting, complete the Public Input Form.

PTO Coordinated Staff Potluck 1/24/25

Our next staff appreciation potluck is on 1/24/25 and sponsored by ECE & 5th Grade families. Families can sign up here to contribute to January 24th’s Staff Appreciation Soup & Sandwich Potluck! Thank you in advance. Your contributions will help us celebrate our staff!

PTO FREE Family Karaoke at Inspire Elementary! 1/25/25

Grab your family & friends and come sing your heart out at the first ever family karaoke party on January 25th from 3:00 PM - 5:00 PM. Sign up here!

Next PTO Meeting 1/29/25

Our next PTO meeting of the year will take place on Wednesday, January 29th at 6pm at Inspire. We hope you will join us! Enter at the Cafetorium door. We'll have pizza and non-alcoholic drinks for attendees. Kids are welcome!

• During this meeting you’ll have the opportunity to get to know the PTO board, get updates on what we’ve been up to, hear about our committee and volunteer work this year and learn about our budget, fundraising efforts and continued goals. We hope you’ll join us!
• To get connected with the PTO start by filling out our PTO membership form.

Spelling Bee - 1/28/25, 5:00 PM - 6:00 PM

1st - 5th grade classrooms hosted a Classroom Bee this week. The top three winners from each classroom in grades 3-5 will move on to our school Bee on January 28th. Families will be notified by their student's teacher if their child is a classroom (top three) winner. If you have any questions, contact your child's homeroom teacher. This is our second year participating in the bee and we are excited to continue to celebrate students' learning of the spelling rules and word meanings in our language. We hope you and your kids are as excited as we are!

Spirit Day - Lunar New Year, 1/29/25

Lunar New Year is 1/29/25. This year is the year of the snake. Students can wear snake themed clothing or wear red. Click on the link to learn more information about the Lunar New Year.

PTO Pickleball Night Out 2/6/25

Please join us for our first annual Inspire PTO Pickleball Night Out- a night of pickleball fun at Mile Hi Pickleball Club on Thursday, February 6th from 6p-9p! Registration is for a team of 2 players and is open to 30 teams (this will be a private event for our teams only!). All levels of players are welcome! Adults only please- a cash bar will be available!

• Email board@inspirepto.com for more information.
• Registration link.

Inspire Spring Auction! 3/15/26

Spring Auction tickets are on sale now! Grab yours today and join us for an unforgettable evening of fun, community, and support our children’s education on Saturday, March 15th at The Rally Hotel at McGregor Square.

• Click here to purchase your ticket today!
• You can also support Inspire by purchasing the limited "Inspire Roundup" spirit wear today! Click here to order.

A Messages from Ms. Comfort, GT Coordinator

We're happy to share that the fall universal screenings for kindergarten and 2nd grade students are complete! Parents and guardians of participating students should have received their scores the week before winter break. Those who gained magnet eligibility received communication from the GT department about the School Choice process, which you can read more about here.

• Our GT Coordinator will continue collecting data throughout the spring to identify more students for gifted and talented programs. Don't forget that Cognitive Testing nominations are open until February 21st, with testing scheduled from March 3rd to April 28th; the parent nomination form can be found here. Thank you for your support as we nurture our students' talents together!
• Do you have a newly identified student and would like more information? Understanding GT in Denver Public Schools.
• Questions? Reach out to Michele Comfort at michele_comfort2@dpsk12.net.

Achieving Excellence Academy

Achieving Excellence Academy (AEA) is a free, cultural, summer enrichment program for rising ninth through 12th graders, taking place June 9-July 2 with orientation on June 5. This program highlights the experiences of Asian-American/Pacific Islander, Black/African-American, Latine/LatinX and Indigenous students and families. The AEA helps students develop leadership skills, uncover passions and form strong commitments to social justice and service, where lifelong friendships and lasting memories are made!

• Program Highlights: Fun, hands-on learning! Multicultural-blended homerooms. Cultural student affinity groups. Cultural excursions - Lincoln Hills, Cleo Parker Robinson, University of Denver and more. Teaching teams, staff and community members who reflect student identities
• Registration opens soon, and spaces are limited. Additional details and deadlines will be shared in the next few weeks.
• For more information, email Ashlea Skiles.

Family Resources

• Scientific and Cultural Facilities District (SCFD) Denver Free Days.
  2/2/25. Denver Museum of Nature & Science. Click here for more information.
  1/20/25 & 2/13/25. Denver Botanic Gardens. Click here for more information.

• CPUN Community Meeting. Our first monthly community meeting in 2025 will be held on 1/21/25, from 6:30-8:30 PM at the MCA Cube (8371 Northfield Blvd) or via Zoom. We’ll hear updates from our community partners, and we’ll be joined by Ann Dang and Aleiya Evison of Radian Inc. to discuss ways to improve outreach and engagement in communities and neighborhood organizations. Click here to RSVP and add it to your calendar.

Email: linda_august@dpsk12.net
Website: https://inspire.dpsk12.org/
Location: 5650 N. Elmira Ct., Denver, CO, 80238
Phone: (720) 424-4850