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Written by: Josh Griffin, Principal
Return to hybrid learning - January 25, 2021 We look forward to the return of students in the hybrid learning model on Monday, January 25th. I am encouraged by the improvements in public health data that have allowed approval from the Jefferson County Public Health Department for our school to return to the hybrid learning model. Thank you to the students, teachers, staff, and families that have worked so diligently to ensure successful implementation of the 100% remote only model of the past few months. We believe in the power and strength of in-person connection between and among students and teachers, and remain optimistic that we will continue to improve upon the course of the school year with the adjustment back to the hybrid model on January 25th. For important updates/reminders on the return to hybrid learning, please review the following content that was distributed earlier this week via School Messenger: Tuesday 1/19/2021 School Messenger (Schedule, Rotations, 7th hour): Thursday 1/21/2021 School Messenger (Drop-Off, Pick-Up, Busses, Safety Updates): We remain committed to ensuring the health, safety, and wellbeing of all D’Evelyn community members, and dedicated to continuing to support quality learning for our students. Thank you for your partnership in supporting our students throughout this challenging year. D’Evelyn Marching Band performs in the 2021 Presidential Inauguration Congratulations to the award-winning D’Evelyn High School Marching Band on their outstanding performance in the virtual presidential inauguration ceremony, the “Parade Across America”. What a great achievement for these hard-working students, dedicated coaches, and supportive parents and families. We know that the D’Evelyn High School Marching Band is a remarkable representation of D’Evelyn Junior/Senior High School, Jefferson County, the state of Colorado, and this great nation. Below, please find links to the band’s full performance and the recording of the inauguration events, including a time marker for the D’Evelyn Marching Band performance. D’Evelyn High School Marching Band performance of American Patrol Parade Across America (D’Evelyn at 6:08.20) D’Evelyn Accountability Committee Surveys Each year, the D’Evelyn Accountability Committee surveys D’Evelyn families about their experiences in the school. While the survey is dedicated to measuring feedback regarding the current school year, the Accountability Committee, in collaboration with the Steering Committee, did not tailor the questions to reflect remote learning. We hope to ascertain valuable feedback from our families regarding the school year, nonetheless, and hope that all families will take some time to provide their feedback, both positive and constructive. Thank you in advance for your time in completing this survey. Parents/guardians have the opportunity to provide feedback based on the unique experiences of each of their individual students, which is helpful in our reflective practice as a school administration. Please complete the Parent survey here: D’Evelyn Parent School Satisfaction Survey Season B CHSAA Sports Good luck to the D’Evelyn girls basketball, boys basketball, and girls swimming & diving teams on a successful 2021 season. We are thrilled that our winter sports teams will be able to participate and compete this year, and we wish you all the best on a successful season. Big thanks to our Athletic Director Mr. McWhorter, our coaches, student-athletes, and families for your dedication to continuing participation in these sports during this difficult time. Let’s make it a great winter season at D’Evelyn! CHSAA girls basketball preseason polls CHSAA boys basketball preseason polls Thank you for your continued and ongoing support of your student(s) and our school. I appreciate the additional care, dedication, and vigilance required of parents and families during this unique period in our history. I hope that you all had a nice weekend, and best wishes on a successful return to the hybrid model.
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Written by: Josh Griffin, Principal Thank you to our students and families for your efforts to help us get the 2nd semester off to a strong start at D’Evelyn. The success of our school depends strongly on the dedication and commitment of our students and families, and I am particularly grateful for the efforts made so far this semester. We know that a strong start to the semester is crucial to student success over the course of a school year. I am hopeful that students will be able to build a strong routine to start this semester, and if additional help or support is needed, we encourage students to connect with teachers during class, during 7th hour, or during Office Hours as appropriate. In order to support students, I want to ensure D’Evelyn families are familiar with the “Securly” app, which can be used to monitor student device usage during school hours. This may be a helpful tool for parents/families to support students in their efforts to engage productively in classes throughout the school day. Please see the comparison chart below for clarifying information about the different aspects and functionality of this tool.  D’Evelyn Well Being Application
As we have presented to students and shared with parents/families via School Messenger, we are excited to launch our new D’Evelyn-specific well-being online application. During the course of the pandemic, we have identified that our students often feel disconnected from their peers, teachers, and fellow school community members. While we await a return to normal operations once the pandemic has subsided, we continue to seek opportunities to engage and connect with our students. Among the various operational elements of this new application, the app will offer students a chance to connect with one another, to participate in unique 30-day schoolwide challenges, to complete journaling exercises, and to see/hear inspirational messages during this challenging time. Our first thirty day challenge will center around Resilience. We are optimistic that this application will help offset at least a small piece of what has been lost with the substantial adjustment to operations we have experienced since March 2020. Thank you for your continued and ongoing support during this challenging year. I am proud that we have continued to provide our students a strong liberal arts education in spite of our challenges, and am eternally grateful for the support and sacrifice of so many that have helped to make this school year successful. Best wishes on a continued strong start to the school year, and if we offer any additional support, please be sure to reach out to the most appropriate person at D’Evelyn. We are here to help! Written by: Josh Griffin, Principal
Happy New Year and the Start of a New Semester Happy New Year! I hope that you, your family, and your loved ones had a safe, healthy, and restorative Winter Break and a very happy holiday season. While we are hopeful that 2021 will be a better year in regards to the Covid-19 pandemic and its impact on our school, community, state, and nation, we are also looking forward to a great second semester for D’Evelyn students. I am grateful for the engagement, support, and dedication shown by D’Evelyn students, teachers, staff, and families throughout the pandemic, and I am hopeful that by continuing to work together towards the best possible outcomes for our students, we will have a successful semester. Mr Griffin’s 2nd Semester Welcome Video In our faculty meeting this week, we had an important opportunity to reflect upon the first semester and plan for the second semester. While our faculty and staff made many thoughtful adjustments to typical D’Evelyn operations in the first semester as a response to the pandemic, we acknowledge that continuing to refine and improve direct instruction to best support student learning is crucial this semester. In particular, we emphasized: · Educating our students with mindfulness for the challenges of our times, including continued thoughtful adjustment to curriculum, instruction, and assessment to best support meaningful student learning · Limiting the typical Friday time commitment to one-hour per class for students in standard, grade-level courses · Engaging students proactively in the new 7th hour system We will continue to work with our faculty and staff throughout the duration of this school year to ensure that we are delivering the best possible educational experience to our students during this challenging time. With the beginning of this semester in the 100% remote learning model, we encourage our students to start the semester off on a strong note, with consistent routines and steady dedication to their academic responsibilities. Our focus remains on supporting student learning. While grades are very important to our students, we know that it is easier to keep grades up than it is to raise them throughout the semester. Below, please find several recommendations for our students to start the semester in a positive manner: Consistent, daily engagement in classes - we made the determination to utilize a 6-period bell schedule in this initial period of remote learning because the shorter class periods with more consistent connection between students and teachers would be most effective to start the semester. As aligned with the D’Evelyn Founding Document, the daily interactions between students and teachers will facilitate greater connection between the two groups and improve the learning experience. We encourage all students to establish a consistent, daily routine for engaging and participating in classes in a distraction free environment. The first few weeks of school in each semester are an important time to learn routines and norms of classes and begin the learning process for the semester. The importance of a strong start to a semester cannot be underestimated and consistent routines are critical to early and sustained success. Connect with teachers in 7th hour - this semester, 7th hour will be at the end of the school day with voluntary participation. Students will be able to connect virtually with any of their teachers each day during 7th hour. The 7th hour time is a critical part of the school day, and we encourage students in need of additional support or guidance to utilize 7th hour time wisely by attending sessions with the teachers from whom you need help. Productive Fridays - in the asynchronous, remote learning model used on Fridays, it is important for students to maintain consistent routines and engagement. In our faculty meeting this week, we established the expectation that student work commitment should not exceed one hour per course in a standard-level class on Fridays. The assigned learning and work products are nonetheless very important to student learning and success this semester. I encourage all students to continue to maintain structure in their learning on Fridays. While learning is designed to be asynchronous, we encourage students to get a good start in the morning and follow their schedule in order as they would in a typical day. Reach out for help when needed - students should communicate with teachers if expectations are unclear or not understood. Students are also encouraged to reach out to their assigned counselor and/or administrator if they are struggling during this semester. A simple request for help can go a long way, and if it does not, please contact your assigned administrator for additional assistance. Most importantly, it is crucial that as a community we continue to work together to best serve the personal and academic interests of D’Evelyn students. We know that this has been a challenging school year, but with teamwork and thoughtful collaboration, we can continue to provide our students with a strong liberal arts education in the remote and hybrid learning environments. I reiterate my gratitude for the engagement and support we have seen from students and families. In the event that your student is struggling or needs additional support during this time, please reach out to the most appropriate member of the D’Evelyn faculty, staff, or administration. Best wishes to all D’Evelyn students and families on a great start to the new semester. Whether your first semester went well, poorly, or somewhere in between, you all have a unique opportunity to start fresh and start strong in the new year. Best wishes on a successful semester! Written by: Josh Griffin, Principal
Finals Week I hope that the Finals Week went well for our students and families. I know that this week can be stressful for students, but I hope that you are all refreshed and uplifted by the great work you have done throughout this semester. I appreciate the commitment and dedication we have seen from our D’Evelyn students as well as the support of D’Evelyn families, and I hope that the 1st semester of learning has been meaningful and impactful. Start of 2nd Semester As announced on Friday, December 18th, Jeffco Schools will begin the 2nd semester in the remote learning model. At this time, the district plan includes the consideration of a return to the hybrid model for secondary schools on Monday, February 1st. The potential return to hybrid learning will depend upon Covid-19 health data in Jefferson County, as well as a successful return to in-person learning in our elementary schools beginning January 19th. I understand that these decisions will be met with mixed reviews. Unfortunately, given the public health circumstances in our community, we are not in a position to fully satisfy all interests and groups. At D’Evelyn, we will continue to honor all health and safety guidelines, while working to deliver the strongest possible liberal arts education to our students. With that in mind, here are our plans for the period of 100% remote learning to start the 2nd semester: · To start the semester, and until we return to hybrid learning, we will follow a 6-period bell schedule for the period of 100% remote learning. · The 6-period bell schedule is linked here. · We chose to move to a 6-period day to start the semester because: o It best aligns with our school philosophy, curriculum, and instructional model o We believe that the shorter class periods will better engage students online o We expect the daily interactions between students and teachers to provide a stronger start to the semester than less frequent, longer class sections would allow. Prior to January 6th, students should complete two tasks: · Review their 2nd semester schedules in Infinite Campus to ensure that their schedule is accurate for the first day of school · Gather their course code access information for Google Classroom so that the first few days of the semester will go smoothly. They can access course code information via their first semester History teacher’s Google Classroom. In advance of the shift to the hybrid model, we will share reminders and updates about the schedule in that model. We believe that the plans we have in place for 100% remote learning and the hybrid model will best support our students’ learning in the upcoming semester. Thank you for your understanding and support as we continue to navigate this unique school year. Enrollment for 2021-2022 The first round choice enrollment window for Jeffco Schools runs through January 15, 2021. You can learn more about EnrollJeffco here. The first round choice enrollment window is the best opportunity students and families have to seek enrollment for a school in 2021-2022. A few reminders/updates regarding EnrollJeffco: · Students currently enrolled at D’Evelyn will roll to be enrolled at D’Evelyn in 2021-2022. Nonetheless, it is helpful for our administration if families enter EnrollJeffco and submit their intent to return in 2021-2022 if that is their plan. · Students interested in beginning school at D’Evelyn in 2021-2022 will need to be entered into the lottery via EnrollJeffco by January 15th, 2021. This includes younger siblings of current D’Evelyn students. For D’Evelyn families with younger students seeking enrollment for next year, please ensure that you submit your child’s name by January 15th via EnrollJeffco. · D’Evelyn students/families that are considering other options for junior high school or high school next year should honor the January 15, 2021 deadline as well to seek enrollment in other Jeffco Schools. As mentioned, this is the best opportunity students have for enrollment in any Jeffco school for 2021-2022. I encourage students and families that are looking for other options to ensure that they have applied for enrollment to those other schools by January 15, 2021. We hope that all students and families return next year, but we understand and hope to support all students throughout their education. In the event that D’Evelyn is not a great fit for a student, we encourage students/families to make thoughtful choices about enrollment for next year and beyond. Happy Holidays, Happy New Year, and Enjoy the Winter Break On behalf of the D’Evelyn faculty, staff, and administration, I wish you, your families, and your loved ones a very happy holiday season, a Happy New Year, and a wonderful, relaxing Winter Break. We look forward to a successful 2nd semester with sincere hopes that we will be returning to in-person learning and activities as soon as healthy and possible. Written by: Josh Griffin, Principal
Please accept my best wishes for your student and family on a successful completion of the 1st semester and an excellent Winter Break. I am grateful for the dedication, resilience, and commitment shown by D’Evelyn students, teachers, staff, and family members this school year as we continue to face unprecedented challenges to our core mission - the education of our children. I know that this semester has presented many challenges for D’Evelyn community members, and I am proud of the great work and success we have found against significant odds. I also understand that the end of the semester can be a difficult time for students, teachers, and families. In our current 100% remote environment, the lack of direct contact between our students, teachers, staff, and families creates yet another barrier to providing robust support to our students. In the event that your child is struggling with academics or personal wellness, please reach out to teachers, counselors, staff, and/or administrators for additional support during the conclusion of the semester. At the beginning of the school year, I asked that all community members work to keep our focus on two objectives: the health, safety, and wellness of all community members, and student learning. I acknowledge that there are substantially greater considerations in the successful secondary academic experience for our students, but given our challenges in this pandemic, it is important to ensure we are meeting the basic needs of our students to the greatest extent possible. With that in mind, as we approach what will likely be a hectic and stressful end of semester for students, please join in helping our students understand and appropriately frame the significance of final exams and the end of the semester. Exams and other forms of assessment are important factors in the learning and teaching process, but there are far more important considerations in our lives, most importantly the health and wellbeing of our children. With that said, best of luck to our students on a successful completion to the first semester. It is my most sincere hope that you find all the success and achieve your aspirations throughout the duration of this semester. As a reminder, you can find the 1st semester final exams schedule here. For 6th grade students and families, please refer to this 1st semester 6th grade final exams schedule. A look ahead to 2nd semester The D’Evelyn faculty, staff, and administration is preparing to start the 2nd semester in either remote only or hybrid learning environments. At this time, we do not know the plan for Jeffco Schools restart in the second semester, as district leadership continues to monitor the public health circumstances and their impact on our school system. Whether we begin in remote-only or hybrid model in January 2021, we are preparing for a strong, successful start to the school year. As soon as we know how we will begin the semester, we will share more details with students and families regarding how the new semester will look at D’Evelyn. If we begin the semester in the remote-only environment, we will follow a virtual 6-period class day schedule, like the schedule we followed for the 1st 2 weeks of the first semester. Additionally, we intend to stick with our recently announced plans for hybrid learning in 2nd semester, so for all periods of hybrid learning in the 2nd semester, we will follow the plans outlined in my Jaguar Tracks article published November 7, 2020. The Pandemic I remain saddened and disappointed at the sheer volume and magnitude of learning, athletic, extracurricular, and social opportunities lost by D’Evelyn students since March 2020. It is my most sincere hope that we will return to hybrid and, even better, full 100% in-person learning as soon as possible in a healthy and safe manner. Ultimately, the public health data matters immensely in determining the level of operations schools may offer going forward. I hope that you and your families are able to stay healthy in the upcoming weeks. Further, I am hopeful that each member of our community will take appropriate precautions to slow the spread of Covid-19 to the greatest extent possible going forward. With recent news about soon-to-be available Covid-19 vaccines, I am more hopeful than ever before that our return to increasingly normal operations is on our horizon; however, I do not want to see that return compromised by the continuation of high case numbers and hospitalizations. I am grateful to you all for the sacrifices you have and will continue to make to slow the spread of Covid-19 in our community. Ideally, I believe our collective efforts to observe safety recommendations and guidelines can make a positive impact in expediting our return to normal operations in our schools. I hope that you and your families have a wonderful Winter Break, a very happy holiday season, and a Happy New Year. May your break from school be restful, relaxing, and restorative, and best wishes on a wonderful 2021! Written by: Josh Griffin, Principal
I hope that you and your family had a Happy Thanksgiving and a restful, enjoyable Thanksgiving Break. With a little over 2-½ weeks until Winter Break, I know that our students, teachers, staff, and family will be very busy in the upcoming days. I wish you all the very best on a successful conclusion to the 1st semester. As Principal, I am a member of the D’Evelyn Education Foundation Board of Directors, and I take great pride in advocating for the needs in the D’Evelyn school community. Our community is fortunate to have the support of DEF, who since its inception has allocated hundreds of thousands of dollars to support acquisition of textbooks and technology, student and teacher scholarships, D’Evelyn athletic, performing arts, and extracurricular activities, among many other goals supporting our students, faculty, and staff. DEF plays an integral role in the success of our great school and the quality of the student experience. This week, the D’Evelyn Education Foundation launched its 2020 Giving Campaign, an important annual fundraiser to support D’Evelyn students, teachers, and staff. This year’s annual campaign assumed added significance, given the challenges associated with the Covid-19 pandemic, particularly the cancellation of commonly held in-person fundraising events like the Annual Dinner Auction. In spite of the public health and economic challenges associated with the Covid-19 pandemic, the D’Evelyn Education Foundation maintains its acute focus on raising and allocating funds to support and enhance the experience of D’Evelyn students, teachers, and staff, both inside and outside the classroom. Among the various fundraising targets for the 2020-2021 school year, I highlight the following areas DEF seeks to support: · Sound improvements in the auditorium; · Funding support for the D’Evelyn Theatre Department planned spring productions; · New softball & football uniforms; · Renovation & expansion of the existing music classroom – with over 100 students involved in Marching Band, and hundreds of students participating in instrumental & vocal music classes/programs at D’Evelyn, we have outgrown our capacity in our current classroom; · Continued funding for student and faculty scholarships- continuing education for faculty has become increasingly necessary as our faculty quickly learn remote and virtual teaching tools; These initiatives will go a long way to improving the student, faculty, and staff experience during this challenging year and well beyond. In order to reach the lofty goal of raising $70,000 this year in the Annual Campaign, we are seeking 100% participation by D’Evelyn families and communities members. Given the economic challenges we face today in the Covid-19 pandemic, we ask our community members to consider what they may be able to contribute with the idea that no donation is too small! While a $5-$10 donation may feel inconsequential, in our fundraising efforts, the accumulation of donations will go a very long way to supporting the needs of D’Evelyn students, teachers, and staff. With our quick and straightforward donation method, we encourage families to consider using our online donation option, via the link to DEF webpage, by clicking the “Donate” link: http://develyneducationfoundation.weebly.com/ You may submit your donations via mail to: D’Evelyn Junior/Senior High School 10359 W. Nassau Ave. Denver, CO 80235 Thank you for your ongoing support of D’Evelyn Junior/Senior High School, and in particular, thank you for considering making a donation to the D’Evelyn Education Foundation this year for our Annual Giving Campaign. Written by: Josh Griffin, Principal
As we approach the Thanksgiving Break and holiday, I am particularly thankful for the faithful dedication of D’Evelyn students, teachers, staff, and families, as we seek to ensure our students continue to have strong learning experiences in the 2020-2021 school year. In spite of the health, economic, and social challenges we have faced in 2020, I continue to derive great enthusiasm and inspiration to lead this school from the spirit, vigilance, and engagement shown throughout the D’Evelyn community during this year. Thank you students - I appreciate the spirit and energy you bring to school each day, whether in-person or remote. I know that the loss of many of our treasured programs and traditions has had a big impact on you since March. You have shown incredible resilience and commitment to learning and growth during this challenging time. Ultimately, in the long run, your well-honed perseverance and pragmatism will serve you very well. Thank you for your continued commitment to your education. Thank you teachers & staff - I appreciate the courage and determination you have shown to continue to educate, mentor, and support D’Evelyn students against a myriad of extraordinary challenges. This year has challenged educators and support staff in ways we never could have predicted. You all have shown thoughtfulness and earnest commitment to deliver high quality learning experiences for your students in the remote and hybrid models. Thank you for your steadfast dedication to the education of your students. Thank you D’Evelyn families - I appreciate the support, engagement, and encouragement provided by D’Evelyn families. The impact of remote/hybrid learning models and the continued Covid-19 pandemic has undoubtedly impacted home and family life to a great extent. As a school community, we are fortunate to have the dedication shared by D’Evelyn families to supporting a quality education for our students. We would be unable to provide the rich, rigorous D’Evelyn liberal arts education without your great support. In challenging times like these, it is important that we all keep our focus on what is important in our lives. The education of our students is a high priority, and I am proud that by way of great efforts throughout our community, D’Evelyn continues to provide a strong liberal arts education to our students. It is my most sincere hope that all members of the D’Evelyn community have a restful, relaxing week-long break from school and a very Happy Thanksgiving. I look forward to a strong finish to the first semester in the upcoming weeks. Thank you for your ongoing and steadfast support of D’Evelyn Junior/Senior High School. |
AuthorJosh Griffin, Principal Archives
January 2021
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