What Does The Fox Say?

Dear Inspire Parent/Guardian,

Tomorrow is my daughter's first day of middle school. She's never been an extroverted kid and she feels loved but isn't confident in her sense of self. We have consistently encouraged her to be who she is, not to strive to be like others and that who ever she is, is absolutely okay. Last week, after we put her to bed, she came down well after midnight, with tears in her eyes. She couldn't really explain what was happening. I brought her back to bed and laid down with her. When I thought she was asleep, I tried to slip out. Nope, she was awake and I had to lay back down. Insert flashbacks to when she was a toddler. I slept in there all night. The next night, the same thing happened. She still didn't have the words to explain. Up to her bedroom we went. This time, I grabbed a different blanket. I was marginally more comfortable. My husband and I put our heads together. Best we could come up with is that she is anxious about starting school. Game plan. There is a lot we cannot control, so let's control what we can (our staff refers to this as agency). So we planned that one of us would sleep in the spare bedroom in the bunk beds with her. At least whoever was in there could sleep comfortably and she would feel safe having someone close. I woke up the next morning to a photo text message of her crying face (let's bypass the fact that she has a cell phone in bed with her - I know, it's too late, there's no going back). But whhhhaaaattt happened? She said she didn't want to wake up daddy who was sleeping right below her. Okay. Regroup and game plan some more. It's okay to wake us up. It's better than sad face text message that wrenches my insides! Fourth night... I am fast asleep on the lower bunk and I wake up to movement on the edge of the bed. I open my eyes and her legs are hanging off the top bunk. She's crawling over to me. I hold her for a moment, pull the blanket open for her, cuddle her for a few minutes. Then whatever it was passes and she climbs back up to the top bunk while whispering "I love you mommy". I don't know what tomorrow will bring but we know we did the best we could talking about change, transition, and going through possible scenarios. I know the school has their own game plan and I trust that the staff know how to support their new students. I'll just hold my breath until the school day is over. In our building, Inspire staff have been busy getting ready for Monday, 8/19/24. The floors are shiny, the class supplies are delivered, recess routines are ready, staff have engaged in professional development, cubbies are waiting for backpacks and our teachers know how they will ease kids back into school life. For some kids, they will be excited and oh-so-ready to run back into school, others will need a nudge, and a few will have big tears. When you leave them at the door, we got them. Thank you for trusting us to take care of them during the school day. We hope to see you at Meet & Greet and I hope you enjoy the final weekend before school starts on Monday!

Sincerely,

Linda August

Principal

Important Dates

8/16/24: An Inspired Welcome: Meet & Greet, 1:00pm-3:00pm

8/19/24: First Day of School

8/23/24: Friday Celebration, 7:40am-7:55am

8/27/23 - 8/29/24: Picture Day

8/30/24: Friday Celebration, 7:40am-7:55am

9/2/24: NO SCHOOL, Holiday - Labor Day

9/3/24: Spirit Day: Labor/Career Day - dress like what you want to be when you grow up

9/3/24: Career Day - Morning Meeting Career Talk

9/6/24: Friday Celebration, 7:40am-7:55am

9/11/24: CSC Meeting, 4:00pm-5:30pm

WDTFS Newsletter

If you haven't read the 7/29/24 WDTFS newsletter, be sure to read it for information regarding:

Enrollment Withdrawals, School Calendar, Family Handbook, DPS Required Registration, IEP/504 Documentation, Immunization Records, Medical Forms, Homeroom Teacher Assignment, Staff Bios, Summer Reading Challenge, ECE School Supplies, K-5 School Supply Fee, Community Giving, ECE First Day of School, ECE Before School Care, ECE Registration Paperwork, Lost & Found, School Spirit Wear, Family Resource.

Meet & Greet, 8/16/24

We hope you can make tomorrow's (8/16/24) Meet & Greet from 1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. Stop by to meet your child's teachers and stop by the informational tables to learn more about Special Education, Multilingual Education, Whole Child Team, Family and Community Engagement, Transportation, Turn in the Summer Reading Challenge (for 1st-5th grade returning students), Arrival / Dismissal Procedures, Setting up MSB, Bloomz, or Parent Portal, Volunteering

Parent Teacher Organization (PTO).

Drop Off Medical Forms and Medication

All medical forms (including general health appraisal / vaccination) and medication may be dropped off during Meet & Greet. The School Nurse will be at an informational table. See below for medical forms:

• Student Medication Administration Agreement
• Anaphylaxis Action Plan and Medication orders
• Self-Carry Medication Administration Contract
• Asthma Action Plan and Medication orders
• Seizure Action Plan and Medication Orders
• Vaccine exemption forms

Permission Forms

Homeroom teachers will be collecting permission forms during Meet & Greet. If you would like to print, complete and bring in your permissions forms in advance click on the following links. Otherwise, homeroom teachers will have copies available:

ECE (Early Childhood Education) Families

• Please refer to the reminder communication from Ginger Torres, Office Manager with additional requirements for ECE compliance.
• Families in need of before school care (7:25 a.m. - 8:00 a.m) should use the following link to pay for year long care.

First Three Days of School

Teachers will come outside to greet students as they adjust to the start of a new school year. Please note:

• Teachers will come outside at 7:25am
  
• Teachers will have signs with their names on it
  
• Parent/Guardians will say goodbye to their children outside
• Students will begin entering at 7:35am to ensure students get into the building in a timely manner
• There will be NO breakfast during the first three days of school as all staff will be greeting/assisting students outside

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.

School Meals

Per DPS, all students are eligible for free breakfast and lunch. New this year, there will be unlimited access to the Fruit & Vegetable Bar to students who select school lunch for the day.

Students may purchase a second meal at a cost of $4.00. Students must have money on hand or money in their account. Money can be applied to the student's MSB myschoolbucks.com account.

School Supply Fee, K-5 Families

Be sure to complete payment student's MSB myschoolbucks.com account for the school supply fee. NEW: If you are family with a financial hardship, please email ginger_torres@dpsk12.net with your FRL (Free Reduced Lunch) letter to request financial assistance.

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.

Bloomz Messages Will Resume

• Bloomz messages will resume next week. Be sure you have accepted your child's teacher's Bloomz classroom invite. If you need help logging into Bloomz, stop by the informational table at Meet & Greet, or email your child's homeroom teacher for assistance.
• We also received some feedback that some parents did not receive the automated email notification from Bloomz. We have notified their tech team regarding the issue. We will also send information differently next year to ensure all families receive a code to sign up to the respective classroom.

School Website

If you are not familiar with our website, be sure to check it out. There is a lot of helpful information regarding our school hours, the school calendar, becoming a member of PTO, purchasing Inspire gear, school supply, etc. Go to the Inspire Elementary website and click "Family Information"!

Friday Celebrations

If you are new to Inspire, you are welcome to attend our Friday Celebrations. Fridays from 7:40am-7:55am, we facilitate an assembly in our gym. It includes announcements, short presentation, student performance and jokes! The intent is to enjoy our time together as a whole school. We will host our first Friday Celebration on 8/23/24. You do not need to sign in at the front desk. Please walk into the school with your child and sit in the designated parent/guardian area (staff will direct you).

School Spirit Wear

To purchase school spirit wear visit our Spirit Wear page.

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