Cheltenham Newsletter - Sept. 18

Be sure to mark your calendars for upcoming important dates and events at Cheltenham:

• No School: Staff Professional Development Day: Monday, Sept. 22

• K-5 Field Day: Friday, Sept. 26

Dear Families,

Recently, the DPS Gifted and Talented (GT) Department shared a message with families about changes to this year’s Universal Screening process. As mentioned in the DPS GT Department’s message, starting this fall, only 1st and 5th grade students will automatically take part in GT Universal Screening cognitive assessments. Kindergarten, 2nd, and 6th grade students will no longer be tested unless families choose to opt in.

Some of you may have been expecting this testing to happen for your child, so I want to let you know about the opportunity to opt in for GT testing this fall.

Please know: this testing is optional and will not negatively affect your child if you choose not to participate. You are also welcome to nominate your child for testing at a later time if that works better for your family. For more information about the nomination process, please visit the GT Department website.

If you want your child in K, 2nd, or 6th grade to be tested this fall:

•  Please click here to fill out the opt-in form (available in English and Spanish) by 9/22/25.

• If you need the form in another language, click here to download the file. Completed forms can be emailed to giftedandtalented@dpsk12.org or give directly to me before 9/22/25.

Important: If your child is already identified as Highly Gifted and Talented (HGT) or Magnet Eligible (ME), they don’t need to take this test again. They have already met the qualifying score this test is designed to measure.

The deadline to submit the form is September 22, 2025.

If you have any questions or need help with the form, feel free to reach out to me. I’m happy to support your family through this process.

Warmly,
LoriJones

 Gifted and Talented Teacher
Cheltenham 

K-5 Field Day will be Friday, Sept. 26 with K-2nd grades in the morning and 3-5th grades in the afternoon. The backup rain date is Oct. 2 if our Sept. date will need to be postponed due to weather.

Each student will be provided tickets to invite two guests. Other guests will not be allowed.

To keep our community safe, we kindly ask all electric scooter and bike riders to avoid using our main entryway, which is considered a sidewalk—not a driveway. In Denver, e-scooter users are required by law to ride in bike lanes or on the right-hand side of the road, not on sidewalks. Our entryway sees heavy foot traffic during arrival and dismissal times, and riding scooters or bikes there creates a safety hazard for everyone.

Let’s work together to keep our school environment safe and welcoming for all! For more information, check out Denver’s ordinance here: Denver Code of Ordinances - E-Scooters.

Cheltenham Elementary doors open at 7:20 a.m., even in cases of inclement weather. We are unable to provide safe coverage for students before this time. In the case of inclement weather at arrival, we will open the doors at 7:20 a.m. and have students move to the cafeteria until 7:25 a.m., when classrooms will open. Students will grab breakfast on the way to class. In the case of inclement weather at dismissal, we reserve the need to 'hold' students in the building in the case of unsafe weather conditions. In other cases, please go to your students' regular pick-up location. Teachers will dismiss students individually from the building door when they see students' caregivers.

Join us next week on Wednesday, Sept. 24 at Cheltenham Elementary School for Coffee and Community!

Mackenzie Zimmerman will be joining us and providing more information regarding services that are available to DPS students and their families from the UCD Counseling Center.

See you here!

McAuliffe is pleased to offer in-person tours for 30 families most Wednesday and Thursday mornings from 9:30 am - 10:30 am. We ask that families sign up for one slot ONLY. Each family may bring up to 3 people per family (you do NOT need to specify the number attending in the sign up process). Please do not bring siblings on tours. Families will need to remain outside the main entrance to the school until the 9:30am start time. In order to avoid traffic and waiting in the cold, please do not arrive more than five minutes before your tour. Prior to attending your tour, we strongly encourage you to watch our promotional video and access our activities list via our school website. If you have questions, please contact Sherry Beardshear at sherry_beardshear@dpsk12.net.

Tour Sign-up Link

We are excited to open the doors to our new gathering space, a dedicated place for DPS Native American families to connect! Whether it's for Culture Nights, potlucks, book clubs or FAFSA and scholarship support, this space is for you. The event will take place on Oct. 2 at West High School (951 Elati St.) in Room 112 and the cafeteria from 4-7 p.m. Come see our new space, meet our team and get to know our new Director of Native American Culture and Education, Dr. Jennifer Wolf. We also invite you to learn about our new American Indian Parent/Guardian Advisory Committee and help shape the future of our community. Register for the Grand Opening of the Native Student Center.

The application window for Early Access to Kindergarten and 1st Grade is open from September 1 – October 15. Families interested in having their child evaluated for possible entry into Kindergarten or 1st Grade a year earlier than typical age eligibility (for enrollment beginning in Fall 2026) are encouraged to visit our Family Site for more information (https://gt.dpsk12.org/o/gifted/page/early-access-to-k-or-1st-grade)

Hey Cheltenham Parents/Guardians,

Your child’s social emotional and behavioral screener, the BESS is now open for parents/guardians to complete. Our fall screening window is open from August 4th through October 31st. Please go to tinyurl.com/bessparent to complete your student’s screening today.

If you would like to learn more about the BESS and universal social emotional and behavioral screening in Denver Public Schools, please review our BESS Overview for Parents/Guardians document.

Thank you so much for your participation!

Celebrate the legacy of Hispanic educators!

Join us at the Denver Public Library to honor the history and future of the Congress of Hispanic Educators (CHE).

Sunday, Sept. 21, 2025 | 11 AM–1 PM

• Park View Room, Denver Public Library
  Reflections from founders & leaders

• Showcase of archives & artifacts

RSVP today. Light refreshments provided!

Check out the above flyers for more information on CSU's Trauma and Resilience Assessment Center and their Family Resilience Center and visit https://csuspur.org/frc/ to learn more!

Reading Dragons is a collectable card game that rewards you for reading! Cards are dragons and other mythical creatures. Battle players with your cards, or collect them just for fun! Learn more at the Rodolfo “Corky” Gonzales Branch Library! For Grades 2 and up. The program will run from September to April. 

Reading Dragons es un juego de cartas coleccionables que te recompensa por leer! Las cartas son dragones y otras criaturas míticas. ¡Reta a otros jugadores con tus cartas, o colecciónalas solo por diversión! ¡Aprende más en la Biblioteca Rodolfo"Corky" Gonzales! Para grados 2 y mayor. Septiembre - abril.

3rd, 4th, and 5th grade families: Does your child love to sing, dance, and perform?  Registration is open for Aplausos de Colorado Children's Chorale, a dual-language community choir that rehearses just 7 min away at Valdez!  Tuition is free and rehearsals are Tuesdays afterschool until 4:30pm.  Register here by Aug 31 or email Director Jamie Wolf with questions (wolf@childrenschorale.org)