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Written by: Josh Griffin, Principal
SAT & PSAT Thank you and congratulations to the D’Evelyn juniors, sophomores, and freshmen for the successful completion of the SAT and PSAT exams this week. We appreciate your commitment to success on these exams and look forward to receiving results in the next few weeks! 2021-2022 remote learning As shared via School Messenger on Tuesday, April 13th with our community, and in an email correspondence with all incoming families, we are offering D’Evelyn families considering remote only learning for their child(ren) in the 2021-2022 school year one last opportunity to share that interest with D’Evelyn administration. If you are interested in remote-only learning next year, please complete the following survey. Please note that at this time, due to very limited interest, it is unlikely that we will be able to offer remote-only classes next school year. If you are NOT interested in remote-only classes for your student next year, please do not complete this survey. Link to the 2021-2022 remote learning survey Please submit your response by Monday morning, April 19th. If you have questions or concerns, please contact your student’s assigned administrator or counselor Building Addition Update On April 8th, the Jeffco Schools Board of Education approved the funding for the D’Evelyn 6th grade building addition. We are thrilled with this news, and grateful to the Jeffco Schools administration and Board of Education for their support with the addition of the new D’Evelyn 6th grade program and supporting facilities. Construction will likely begin in early May 2021, with the intention that the new facility is open and ready to support student learning in August 2022. Please note that the east parking lot at D’Evelyn will be impacted with higher traffic and more vehicles at the outset of the construction. I will update the community as I am able regarding this; however, I expect that the construction firm will begin setting up around the first full week of May. I hope that the past weekend and upcoming week are great for you and your families. Best wishes to the juniors and seniors on a great Prom this upcoming weekend!
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Written by: Josh Griffin, Principal
The first week back in the 100% in-person learning model was a great success. It was both refreshing and energizing to see so many students back in school together, enjoying learning and social opportunities on campus. Thank you to the students, teachers, staff, and families for all of your efforts to make the first full week of 100% in-person learning go so well. I am excited that the last several weeks of the 2020-2021 school year will include these greater in-person learning, athletic, extracurricular, and social opportunities for our students. In this upcoming week, D’Evelyn 9th, 10th, and 11th grade students have an important opportunity to demonstrate their learning by way of the scheduled PSAT and SAT tests. The SAT is an important assessment for the college application process, and I am glad we are able to offer our 9th and 10th grade students the opportunity to prepare for the SAT in the future by completing the PSAT. Good luck to the D’Evelyn juniors on the SAT on Tuesday, April 13th. All students in grades 6 - 10 and 12 will participate in synchronous, remote classes on that day. For details on the test administration for SAT, juniors should review this information as provided by Mr. Wille, our D’Evelyn School Assessment Coordinator. Good luck to the D’Evelyn freshmen and sophomores on the PSAT 9 and 10 on Friday, April 16th. All students in grades 6 - 8 and 11 - 12 will have a typical Friday, with asynchronous, remote learning opportunities as provided by their teachers on that day. Details on the test administration for 9th and 10th grade students can be found here. At D’Evelyn, we are fortunate to have enjoyed a rich tradition of outstanding performance on many standardized tests, including the SAT and PSAT. For the past 19 years of statewide administration, D’Evelyn juniors have earned the highest average ACT or SAT scores in the state among all public, non charter schools in Colorado. We recognize that this level of sustained achievement is a great reflection of the hard work and dedication of D’Evelyn students and teachers over many years. The D’Evelyn liberal arts curriculum supports the development of the knowledge and skills necessary to support student success on these nationally-normed standardized tests. While we do not teach specifically to these tests, we are confident that the broad-based, content-rich curriculum our students experience over their years at D’Evelyn is a great foundation for them as they complete their assessments. We wish all students in grades 9, 10, and 11 the very best as they complete the SAT and PSAT next week. Written by: Josh Griffin, Principal
We are excited to welcome back our students for 100% in-person learning on Monday, April 5th. This is an important opportunity for us to restore normalcy and improved learning and social opportunities for our students throughout the duration of this school year. With the excitement associated with the return to in-person learning, we also need to maintain our adherence to important health and safety guidelines to discourage the spread of Covid-19. By doing so, we provide our school the best possible chance of maximizing in-person learning opportunities and increasingly typical operations going forward. Please note that we will continue to follow the same bell schedule, with three class periods and 7th hour each day. Students will continue to either attend lunch/7th hour in the building or from lunch, based upon their choice as we have documented in our Infinite Campus system. Several important reminders/updates for students and families as we prepare to return to greater in-person learning on April 5th: Health Screening starts at home - Students and staff members that are feeling sick or show signs of Covid-19 symptoms should stay home from school. As they are able, students at home can participate in class virtually, a valuable support for students that are not feeling well. Health Screening will continue at D’Evelyn as students/staff arrive - Upon arrival, all students and staff will have their temperatures taken, and be asked health screening questions regarding Covid-19 symptoms. Students with fevers or symptoms of Covid-19 will need to return home. Health Screening throughout the day - If students or staff become ill during the course of the school day, they should report the illness to our Health Aid in the Main Office so that we can make arrangements for ill students and staff to return home for the day until the illness has subsided. Students & staff will continue to wear masks throughout the school day. Students & staff should continue to place an emphasis on frequent hand washing Classrooms will be sanitized between classes - teachers will continue to clean/sanitize desks and surfaces in their classrooms between class periods. Assigned Lunch Areas - for students staying at school for lunch, we will have assigned areas based upon grade level. We will encourage and support outdoor lunch as the weather permits. We ask that students leaving school after the third block do so promptly each day. Staggered arrival and designated pick-up/drop-off locations - To support our process for welcoming students to school, we ask families/students to adhere to the established drop-off schedule and designated pick-up locations outlined in my Jaguar Tracks article last week (linked here for your reference). Additionally, we ask that parents/families pick up students promptly at the conclusion of the 3rd block or 7th hour each day, depending on the student’s chosen schedule. We look forward to the opportunity to welcome back our students for 100% in-person learning. I know that we will have an exciting conclusion to the school year, with many opportunities for continued academic, extracurricular, and social experiences for our students. Written by: Josh Griffin, Principal
I hope that all D’Evelyn students, teachers, staff, and families have an outstanding Spring Break during the upcoming week. Spring Break is an important opportunity for rest, relaxation, and time with loved ones. We know that D’Evelyn students have been working diligently this semester, and I am confident that a break to recharge will support a successful conclusion of the semester. For our teachers and staff, this is an important opportunity to at least briefly step away from work and relax. Finally, we are so grateful for the ongoing support and care of our families, as you all have contributed greatly to the success of this chaotic year. I hope that you all will have more time to spend with your children and families. When we return to school on April 5th, D’Evelyn will be different in ways we haven’t seen since March 2020. We are thrilled to welcome back our in-person students for daily learning Monday - Thursday each week. I am confident that this increase of in-person learning opportunities will support our students personally, academically, and socially. I expect an increase in enthusiasm and engagement forthcoming for our students, and I know that our faculty is excited to see students more frequently in the building. With the significant increase in the number of students in the building each day, as a community, we need to remain focused on important health and safety expectations. It is important that we take appropriate steps and precautions to avoid greater spread of Covid-19 with the return of students to 100% in-person learning. While the proximity of students and teachers will decrease due to the larger number of students in the building, it is important that we honor expectations with masks, continued (albeit limited) social distancing, appropriate hand washing, and health screening. I appreciate the partnership of our parents and families throughout this school year as we have navigated the litany of challenges and limitations associated with the pandemic. As we proceed to the final stretch of this semester, thank you for your continued support in educating and encouraging your child(ren) to sustain the very positive momentum we have established in our school for honoring health and safety guidelines of the time. It is my most sincere hope that you are enjoying (or have enjoyed) the Spring Break. I look forward to the return to school on April 5th with great enthusiasm in the knowledge that we will be a lot closer to normal school operations than we have been in over a year. Thank you for your continued support of our school! Written by: Josh Griffin, Principal
With just one more week of school prior to a well-deserved Spring Break, I hope that this message finds you and your family doing well. As has been the case this semester, we have many important updates/reminders to share with D’Evelyn families, and I hope that you will find the following materials helpful in your planning for next week, next month, and the 2021-2022 school year. CMAS Testing As we have shared in the past few weeks, the week of March 22nd will be an important week of CMAS testing for our students in grades 6-8. In addition to Mr. Wille’s School Messengers he has distributed to our families over the past few weeks, you can review the CMAS schedule in his February 21st Jaguar Tracks article linked to our Jaguar Tracks Administration page. Good luck to our students completing CMAS testing and thank you for giving your best effort on these assessments in the upcoming week. Spring Break Our 2021 Spring Break runs from March 29 - April 2. Especially this year, the break will be an important opportunity for our students, teachers, staff, and families to rest, relax, and enjoy some time off of school. It is my sincere hope that you and your family enjoy a restful and fun Spring Break, finding yourselves recharged for a strong last two months of the 2020-2021 school year. April 5th - 100% in-person learning We are excited to welcome our students back to 100% in-person learning on April 5, 2021. One area where we will need support from students and families is in pick-up and drop-off. Because of the increase in the number of students attending school each day, we will need to return to our scheduled arrival times by family. Below, please find our schedule for drop-off for all days of in-person learning for the duration of this school year. We are grateful to our students and families for your commitment to this schedule, as we expect to be welcoming and health screening more than twice as many students each day as we have been throughout this school year. Thank you in advance for your compliance with this drop-off schedule. Assigned Morning Drop-Off Locations In order to honor health/safety guidelines, and provide time for health screening all students and staff entering the building each day, we will follow these assigned morning drop-off plans: · West Parking Lot Parking & Drop Off is reserved for: o student drivers o students riding with student drivers o 6th grade students riding with older students or in “6th grade only cars” · South Parking Lot (Main Entrance) Drop Off is reserved for: o School bus drop off · East Parking Lot Drop Off is reserved for: o Parents, family, carpool drop off Assigned Drop-Off Times We will have assigned arrival windows for students based upon the first letter of last name as follows: · 7:00 - 7:10 am, students with last names starting with A - Haz · 7:10 - 7:20 am, students with last names starting with He - Pit · 7:20 - 7:30 am, students with last names starting with Pos - Z Students riding in carpools or with student drivers should arrive and enter the school during the assigned time period of the last name of the driver of the car. Assigned Dismissal We will have two dismissal times for students each day as follows: · Students doing 7th Hour and Lunch at home will be dismissed at 12:15 · Students having lunch and 7th Hour at School will be dismissed at 2:30 Pick up locations will mirror drop-off. Student drivers leave the west parking lot, busses will pick up and depart the south lot, and parent/family/carpool pick-up will be in the east lot. 2021-2022 plans Thank you to our families that shared their level of interest in the 100% remote-learning model for the 2021-2022 school year. Earlier this week, we sent a direct communication to all families that completed the survey indicating that due to the very low interest in a remote-only option for the 2021-2022 school year, it is unlikely that we will be able to offer that option for D’Evelyn students next year. For those families that did not receive the direct email, you can view the content of the letter here. As outlined in the letter, due to the low interest in remote-only learning among current and incoming D’Evelyn students for the 2021-2022 school year, it is unlikely that we will be able to offer this program. Nonetheless, we will do one last community outreach in April to ensure that we have an accurate picture of the interest in remote learning for next year. I encourage families that were considering remote-only in 2021-2022 to begin considering their possible options for next year in the event that D’Evelyn does not offer 100% remote learning for students. As noted in the letter, it is my hope that with increasingly positive news regarding the Covid-19 pandemic and vaccine distribution, more of our students will continue to feel comfortable attending school in person next year. I will provide additional updates on our plans for 2021-2022 in upcoming Steering Committee meetings, including the April 5th meeting. In the event that you have concerns or wish to discuss options further, please contact your child’s assigned counselor or administrator. Thank you for your continued and ongoing support during this school year. I am grateful for the steady dedication and support of our students and families. Written by: Josh Griffin, Principal
At the time of this writing, I am looking at weather forecasts calling for 15-to-25 inches of snow in the metro area and western foothills over the weekend. Regardless of the total volume of snow, I hope that you and your family have enjoyed a relaxing, fun, safe, and healthy weekend to the greatest extent possible given the weather forecast. The operations and planning at D’Evelyn are not slowing down with the weather. I hope that the following updates are helpful for you and your family as we quickly move into the last few months of the 2020-2021 school year. CMAS Testing We will be administering CMAS English Language Arts (ELA) and Math testing for junior high students Monday, March 22nd - Thursday, March 25th. As outlined in Mr. Wille’s CMAS schedules, 6th and 7th grade students will complete CMAS ELA on Monday, March 22nd and CMAS Math on Thursday, March 25th. 8th grade students will complete CMAS ELA on Tuesday, March 23rd and CMAS Math on Wednesday, March 24th. From Monday, March 22nd - Thursday, March 25th, students that are NOT completing CMAS tests each day will be participating in remote, synchronous learning in accordance with our established bell schedule. We wish our students the best as they complete these assessments prior to Spring Break. Return to 100% in-person learning on April 5, 2021 We are excited to welcome back our students to 100% in-person learning on Monday, April 5th, the first day after Spring Break. Thank you to the families that completed the change in learning model preference as we prepare for the transition to 100% in-person learning. As a reminder, we will continue the 100% remote option for students throughout this school year. We expect our students to have great enthusiasm and engagement upon a return to a more typical school experience starting on April 5th. However, we are asking for the partnership among our students, teachers, staff, and families, as we know that at times adolescent enthusiasm and health/safety guidelines (including social distancing) do not always correlate. As we prepare for our larger student population in attendance each day, I appreciate all the support that our D’Evelyn parents and families can provide in encouraging responsible, respectful behavior when students are in school and at school events. As we move closer to the official transition back to 100% in-person learning, we will share important details and information regarding our health and safety plans and precautions with our community. 100% remote option for 2021-2022 We are continuing to work and refine the plans for our remote-only option for D’Evelyn students next year. Thank you to those families that completed our remote only survey to let us know that you are considering the remote-only option for next year. This will be helpful in our planning as we proceed with important staffing and course selection decisions. I am grateful for your thoughtful consideration of this important issue for your child(ren). For those interested in learning more about our final plans for this program, I plan to present them to the Steering Committee in the April 5th meeting, which can be attended virtually via Google Meetings. For more information about accessing Steering Committee meetings, please visit the Steering Committee website. After the April 5th meeting, I will share an update more broadly with our community regarding these plans, and ask for a more formal commitment from families seeking the 100% remote option for their students. I hope that you all have enjoyed the weekend. I look forward to the next few weeks going well as we head towards a very well-deserved Spring Break for our students, teachers, staff, and families. Written by Josh Griffin, Principal
I hope that you and your family enjoyed your weekend. At this time, the D’Evelyn faculty, staff, and administration is working to prepare for two important changes on our horizon: 1. The return to 100% in-person learning effective April 5, 2021 2. The design of the 100% remote learning model for the 2021-2022 school year for students with individual or familial health concerns regarding Covid-19. Return to 100% in-person learning model effective April 5, 2021 To learn more about our transition to 100% in-person learning while preserving the 100% remote option effective April 5, 2021, please review this message sent via School Messenger to D’Evelyn families on Friday, February 26th. If you would like to switch your student from remote to in-person, or from hybrid to remote effective April 5, 2021, please complete this survey (previously distributed in School Messenger on March 1st) by the end of the day Sunday, March 7th. 2021-2022 100% In-Person / 100% Remote Learning Model We are planning for a full return to 100% in-person learning in the 2021-2022 school year. However, given the student population with personal or familial health concerns, we plan to provide a limited remote-only learning option for D’Evelyn students next school year. We do not intend to continue the remote-only option after the 2021-2022 school year. To learn more about our current plans for the remote-only learning option next year, please review this article I published in the Jaguar Tracks on February 27, 2021. If you are considering the 100% remote-only option for your child(ren) in 2021-2022, please complete this survey by Wednesday, March 10th to help us plan our master schedule for next year. If you are not interested in remote-only learning next year for your child(ren), please do NOT complete the survey. We acknowledge the large volume of important decisions for families in a short time frame, and thank you for your continued thoughtful support of your child(ren) and our school. The Covid-19 pandemic has challenged us in many ways, particularly in our educational system. We are proud of what our students, teachers, and staff have achieved this year, but we know we could not do it without the ongoing and sincere support of our D’Evelyn parents and families. If you have questions regarding the transition on April 5, 2021, or our plans for the 2021-2022 school year, please contact your student’s assigned counselor or administrator, the D’Evelyn Main Office at 303-982-2600, or me directly. |
AuthorJosh Griffin, Principal Archives
April 2021
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