2/6 Community Updates

Dear Hawks Community,

We made it to February - and that means we're celebrating Black History Month here at Hallett! We'll be welcoming guest speakers at Hallett today, Feb. 13 and Feb. 27. Our guests will include Black leaders from the Denver Fire Department, Denver International Airport, the Children's Hospital, and more! I am confident that our students will be inspired by these examples of Black excellence as they learn about our guests' career journeys.

Discovery Link is also honoring Black History Month with a dance celebration on Feb. 28 from 4:30-5:15 p.m. Join us for their performance featuring the movements of Black dancers throughout history and their own versions of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech.

I am grateful to be celebrating Black excellence at Hallett alongside our Hawks community!

Warmly,

Ms. D

“To teach in a manner that respects and cares for the souls of our students is essential if we are to provide the necessary conditions where learning can most deeply and intimately begin.”

- bell hooks, Teaching to Transgress: Education as the Practice of Freedom

Monday, Feb. 10 through Thursday, Feb. 13: Spirit Week (See below for details!)

Friday, Feb. 14: NO SCHOOL (DPS non-contact day)

Tuesday, Feb. 18 at 4 p.m.: SchoolChoice Round 1 closes

Friday, Feb. 28: Discovery Link Black History Month Dance Celebration from 4:30-5:15 p.m.

Monday, Feb. 17: NO SCHOOL (Presidents Day)

Monday, March 3: NO SCHOOL (Hallett non-contact day)

March 24-31: NO SCHOOL (Spring break) Please plan for alternate child care if needed. DiscoveryLink will only be operating March 24 and 25 the week of spring break.

Friday, Feb. 14 is a DPS non-contact day. There will be no school for students and no Discovery Link. Monday, Feb. 17 is a holiday. There will be no school and no Discovery Link.

DPS has published the calendar for the 2025-26 school year! Find it here. Our Hallett-specific calendar is coming soon!

Spirit Week is next week! We hope to see all our Hawks dressed up!

Monday - Pajama Day

• Come to school cozy in your favorite pjs.

Tuesday -  Senior Citizen Day

• Ladies... put on your Moo Moo, sweaters, knee highs, and glasses. 

• Fellas… grab your suspenders, bow ties, glasses, and handkerchiefs. 

• Let's have a Medicare-eligible good time! 

Wednesday - Opposite Day 

• It's opposite day! Wear your clothes inside out or backwards.

Thursday - Valentine's Day

• Show your love by wearing hearts or Valentine's Day colors (pink, red or white)

NO SCHOOL FRIDAY, FEB. 14

When dropping off your child in the mornings, please be mindful of the flow of traffic. Do not stop in the middle of the road or go against the traffic flow as this poses a hazard to other families and children.

Please be respectful of our neighbors - DO NOT park in front of driveways.

Once the tardy bell rings, we do not allow anyone down the hallway except students and staff. Thank you for understanding and following this protocol to keep our school safe.

School lets out at 3:50, please be here no later than 4:05. If you’re going to be late picking up your child, please be courteous and notify the office. Please understand that staff members have families to get home to as well.

If you would like to meet with your child’s teacher, please schedule a meeting with them before school. Once the tardy bell rings, teachers begin instruction time and are not available to meet.

Don't forget to register your child for Discovery Link Summer Camp 2025 - it's FREE and registration is OPEN NOW! Learn more here.

At our latest Collaborative School Committee meeting on Jan. 28, we discussed our budget for the 2025-26 school year.

Our budget for the 2025-26 school year will be smaller than the budget was this year. There are a few reasons for this:

• DPS provides additional funding to schools that are in need of extra academic support. Hallett qualified for this during the 2024-25 school year. We did not qualify for this support for the 2025-26 school year because our school performance framework status improved from red to yellow.

• We will have smaller enrollment numbers next year than we did this year. DPS funds schools per student so we will have less funding based on this.

As a result of these budget changes, we will be making some necessary adjustments at Hallett for the 2025-26 school year. We will share more details after our budget is finalized in the next few weeks.

SchoolChoice Round 1 is open now and closes at 4 p.m. on Feb. 18.

If your Hawk will be in ECE-4 next year, please be sure to submit both a Colorado Universal Preschool (UPK) application and a DPS SchoolChoice application to be matched to a school for the 2025-26 school year. The school match will come from UPK. Learn more here.

If your Hawk will be in kindergarten next year, you have to go through the SchoolChoice process to select Hallett. If your Hawk is a current 5th grader, you have to go through the SchoolChoice process to select their middle school for next year. Otherwise, they will automatically be enrolled in their neighborhood middle school.

If your Hawk is in any other grade (1st-4th), they will automatically be enrolled in Hallett again next year.

All students, regardless of immigration status, have a constitutionally protected right to access free public education. Public K-12 schools must teach all students free of charge, regardless of their immigration status or their parents’ status.

This family toolkit is a comprehensive guide designed to assist families in creating personalized action plans in case of deportation or prolonged absence. It provides practical tools and advice on organizing critical documents, managing legal and financial matters, and developing communication strategies. This resource empowers families to navigate challenging circumstances with greater confidence and readiness.

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