What Does The Fox Say?
January 13, 2022
Para leer este boletín en español, haga clic en el botón "traducir" en el cuadro negro en la esquina superior derecha.
Dear Inspire Parent/Guardian,
Early last week, my younger daughter tested positive for COVID. Despite taking precautions after she tested positive, I tested positive as well. She is fine and I am fine. I was out for a couple of days earlier this week. As I was drafting this letter, I was trying to think about the message-in-the-moment to share. As most of you know after so many months of reading my principal letters, I try to be logical, transparent, yet positive in my stories. Today, I'm going to sit in it for a minute and then come back to the positive. I think it's okay to acknowledge that there is unease right now with the higher positive rates. Just because it was predicted, doesn't make it easier when we are experiencing it. Families are checking Bloomz/email hoping it's not their classroom that is closed and we're watching on the news what's going on nationally for school systems. For those of you whose kids tested positive since the start of the school year, I relate to watching your poor kid coughing, going through boxes of tissues, etc. and having your heart ache for them (or wondering when the whining will end!), hoping others weren't exposed, and mumbling to yourself that you wish you could curse COVID away. For those of you who have unfortunately gotten COVID, it's the kinship of you-got-through-it, understanding trying to balance family and work while double masking, quarantining, and hoping no one else in the home also gets sick. It's a pain in the butt. For those whose homes have not been affected - thank goodness and fingers crossed it stays that way! For some of us, we are still reminded of loved ones we lost since the pandemic began nearly two years ago. The notification phone calls or texts from family and friends were painful, which was compounded by physically being unable to be there during a terrible time of need. As I think back to the start of the pandemic, we were not prepared. How could we have been? Despite the recent surge, we are still better off than we were 1.5 - 2 years ago. There was a time when there was suspicion with positive cases, a possible sense that neighbors or the school were not doing everything possible to be safe. Remember the empty supermarket shelves like the apocalypse and zombies were about to come to life? At its worst, schools were shut down and everyone was miserable. Trying to work while getting small children through remote learning - I mean, who were we kidding? Or when quarantine affected whole classrooms... my kids were taking turns weeks at a time being home. We got through those awful moments and we are going to keep moving forward because going backwards is not an option. That is a fat no-thank-you with two thumbs-down. I cannot thank this community enough for your continued patience and flexibility. Keep reaching out if you aren't sure or don't feel safe. I will keep answering your questions. Finally, and with all my heart - seriously, there are not enough words for the ongoing commitment from our staff. Y'all are keeping our school as safe as possible, operational, and normal so as many kids as possible can still be learning in-person. Collective deep breath and good vibes to you all.
Together, we are Inspire.
Sincerely,
Linda August
Principal
Important Dates
1/14/22: School Choice Round 1 Opens (for ECE and transfer families)
1/17/22: MLK Day, NO SCHOOL
1/18/22: PD Day, NO SCHOOL
1/19/22: Second Grade Field Trip, Denver Museum of Nature & Science
1/19/22: Virtual Tour for Prospective Families, 5:30pm
1/19/22: PTO Meeting, 6:30pm
2/15/22: School Choice Round 1 closes (for ECE and transfer families)
2/16/22: 5th Grade Balarat Overnight Trip
2/21/22: President's Day, NO SCHOOL
2/22/22: PD Day, NO SCHOOL
2/23/22: Family Conference, NO SCHOOL
3/4/22: End of Second Trimester
'22-'23 School Year Departmentalization
As we continue to strengthen our structures and instructional practice at Inspire, our Instructional Leadership Team (ILT) has decided to departmentalize grade level instruction starting next school year. This means teachers have a specific content focus: math/science or literacy/humanities. Under this model, students will have two core teachers. Families will still have one point of contact to communicate student needs. Click here for additional information.
Resource from Dr. Rice, Gifted & Talented
Happy New Year! Parents often have questions/wonderings about Gifted and Talented and how to support self-efficacy. This is the idea that GT students may often have to work on ways to self advocate as well as attempt to be life-long problem solvers. Here is a link to an excerpt entitled Developing Self-Efficacy hosted by the NAGC (National Association for Gifted and Talented) that you may find interesting.
Lost and Found
Take some time this week to check for missing items. Items will be donated on Tuesday, January 18.
COVID Health Guidelines
- Any parent that is uncomfortable with their child attending a field trip can keep the child home on that day as an excused absence. We will continue to evaluate each event and the risk of attendance.
- The 5th grade Balarat trip was intended to be an overnight trip. It will now be a day-trip (similar to the adjustment made for the trip last spring).
Tips on Masks
Please see below for recommendations on which mask is best to wear for the highest level of protection:
- N95 or KN95 offer the best protection. However, they may be hard to access or afford.
- Medical disposable mask.
- Two layers of breathable fabric and have a wire bridge around the nose.
- Do not wear gators, handkerchiefs, or faceshields.
Note: It was announced yesterday (1/12/22) that, "CDC says it will update mask 'information' amid COVID surge." We will share any new information or mandates as we learn them.
Help Keep School Open
We cannot emphasize enough that if your child is sick, please keep them at home. The Omicron variant's symptoms are similar to the common cold or allergy symptoms - sore throat, runny nose, sneezing, headache, body ache, etc. Please air on the side of safety! Check our COVID Precautions page for health guidelines and helpful information.
How Else Can You Help?
Please give us some grace. We had 8 staff absent on Monday, 10 on Tuesday and Wednesday. Most of these are not COVID positive cases. Staff absences are also impacted by other illnesses, childcare or personal needs, etc. We are stretched thin and in various states of exhaustion. We are here for your kids and are committed to keeping school open.
Positive COVID Case School Snapshot
The numbers below include both adults and students and only include active cases. Active cases refers to staff/students who are currently quarantined due to a positive test result.
ECE: 1, Kinder: 3, 1st: 2, 2nd: 2, 3rd: 0, 4th: 1, 5th: 0
Parent Teacher Organization (PTO)
- Join us for our next PTO meeting on Wednesday, January 19th at 6:30 PM. Zoom Link: https://zoom.us/j/7429950191
- Save the date for our next PTO Restaurant Fundraiser at Mici's Central Park on Tuesday, January 25th.
- Get all the details in our latest PTO newsletter.
Collaborative School Committee (CSC) Meeting
Next meeting is 2/9/22 at 4:00 PM.
Join Zoom Meeting, Meeting ID: 880 0816 7999, Passcode: i6mka2
CSC 1/12/22 Meeting Highlights
The school will participate in an External School Review (ESR) on from 1/24-1/25. An educational consulting company, School Works, partners with DPS to observe classes and interview staff. They review instructional practices based on nationally normed indicators of school quality, and help us gain a better understanding of current strengths and challenges. It is intended to be a starting point for intensive and strategic supports.
The school received 161 responses relative to 530 total students for the Specials Programming at Inspire Elementary. Click here to review the survey responses. The results will be used to inform any future hiring initiatives/opportunities as well as after-school and summer programming.
Review of hiring priorities for '22-'23, enrollment projections, compensation philosophy and school supplies fee for next school year.
Click here for access to CSC meeting notes.
Spotlight on Learning
Foam Exploration
Welcome Back
Read Aloud
Inspire Elementary
Email: linda_august@dpsk12.net
Website: Inspire.DPSK12.ORG
Location: 5677 North Galena Street, Denver, CO, USA
Phone: (720) 424-4850
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/InspireElementary