By Josh Griffin, Principal
I hope that this edition of the Jaguar Tracks finds you and your family doing well and enjoying a well-deserved break this summer. Our community, state, and nation have faced many challenges in 2020, and since the end of the school year we have seen new tragedy and challenges in our society. The tragic death of George Floyd in Minnesota on May 25th, and the resulting protests throughout the nation and world, shed light on the challenges of discrimination and inequity in our country. My heart goes out to Mr. Floyd’s family and loved ones, and all that have been impacted by discrimination in our country. I understand and accept the challenge of leading D’Evelyn in a manner that honors, respects, and supports all members of our community. The D’Evelyn Founding Document states, “All students, staff and parents will be expected to maintain a behavior standard that demonstrates respect for authority, others, and self. Responsibility, honesty, self-control, kindness and fairness will be encouraged and expected.” We call upon all individuals in the D’Evelyn community to act in accordance with these important values. In living and working with these values in mind, we have a strong foundation in place to ensure all members of our community are treated with dignity and respect. However, I also understand from conversations with students, graduates, teachers, and parents, that there have been times when people within our community have not felt appropriate care, support, or treatment. I am committed to listening and understanding the student experience in a manner that allows us to grow and improve as a school community going forward. This task will require commitment, teamwork, collaboration, and most importantly, active listening from all involved. As we proceed into the 2020-2021 school year, our administration, faculty, and staff will be discussing and reflecting upon our practices to ensure that we are honoring our Founding Document, providing all students a rich liberal arts education that will prepare them for active, positive contributions in their communities. Several additional updates regarding the upcoming school year: The Jeffco Schools Board of Education had discussed the possibility of eliminating bus transportation for students to Jeffco option schools, including D’Evelyn and Dennison, along with Manning, Free Horizon Montessori, and Jeffco Open School. As a result of an increase in funding from both the state and federal governments, this budget cut is no longer on the table for the 2020-2021 school year. D’Evelyn students will have access to bus transportation next school year. A significant portion of the funds that helped avoid significant cuts to district funding for next school year are one-time funds, meaning that we will likely face significant budget challenges for the 2021-2022 school year (and possibly beyond). I encourage families to stay tuned to the budget conversations at the Jeffco Schools Board of Education level in the upcoming school year, as there will likely be a significant decrease in school funding available in 2021-2022. Jeffco Schools Restart Plan Jeffco Schools will continue to take feedback from parents and families through June 30, 2020 on the 2020-2021 Restart Plan. If you have not done so already, I encourage D’Evelyn families to provide feedback to the school district administration regarding the Restart Plan. The plan can be found here -- Jeffco Schools Draft Restart Plan. The survey is embedded in the report. On July 8th, the school district will announce the official restart plan for the 2020-2021 school year. In the days after July 8th, D’Evelyn administration will be drafting communication about how the restart plan will impact our school. We will seek input and feedback from our community members so that we ensure we have the best plan possible in place for the start of school this coming fall. Thank you for your ongoing support of D’Evelyn. Given all of the challenges we have faced in 2020, your support of your children and our school have been a great source of strength in our community. I hope that you all enjoy the remainder of your summer, and Happy Father’s Day to all of our D’Evelyn dads! Comments are closed.
|
Archives
May 2022
Categories |