8/29 Community Updates

From the Desk of Ms. D

Dear Hallett Families,

It's week two and we're already back in the full swing of things here at Hallett! I've got some exciting updates for you all:

The Near Northeast Community Hub is located HERE at Hallett and is now open! Stop by between 8:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday for basic needs assistance, language classes, workforce support, support in navigating DPS and more. We'll be sharing Community Hub offerings and updates in each newsletter going forward.

I'm launching Candice's College Corner in today's newsletter! I believe that it's never too early to start talking to our students about college and getting them excited for higher education. This reflects the Hallett goal of academic excellence and DPS's mission to prepare students for career, college and life. Candice's College Corner will be in the newsletter the last Thursday of each month and will include an idea for getting your child excited about college!

Don't forget to join us for Back to School Night today from 5-7 p.m. Principal sessions will be from 5-5:15 p.m. and 6-6:15 p.m. and you can meet your child's teacher in between! Information booths on other Hallett services will be available as well.

See you tonight,

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

Important Dates For Your Calendar

Thursday, Aug. 29: Picture Day

Thursday, Aug. 29 from 5-7 p.m.: Back to School Night

Monday, Sept. 2: NO SCHOOL (Labor Day)

Thursday, Sept. 12: Picture Day Retakes

Monday, Sept. 16: NO SCHOOL (Hallett students only)

Students on the rug facing their teacher

Pick Up and Drop Off Reminders

When dropping students off, please pull all the way up to the next available orange cone.
ECE parents, please drop off and pick up your children at the back of the school (the blacktop entrance).
If your child arrives at school after 8:55 a.m., they are considered tardy and need to check in at the main office.
Most of our students walk to class independently. If you'd like to walk your child to class, you'll need a visitor pass.
If it is your first time getting a visitor pass, please bring a physical copy of your driver's license so we can scan you into the system.

Picture Day

Picture day is today! Your child will come home with a card that has a QR code on it. Scan the code to view and order their pictures!

Back to School Night

Back to School Night is tonight from 5-7 p.m. Principal presentations will be from 5-5:15 p.m. and 6-6:15 p.m.

Family Handbook

Curious about Hallett's policies on everything from our dress code to school visitors? Check out our Family Handbook. This is a great resource for understanding Hallett expectations for our educators, our students and our community.

How to Get Involved

At our Meet the Principal event on Aug. 8, we learned that Hallett families want to get more involved in our amazing school! To make that possible, we want to hear what involvement means to you. If you haven't already, please fill out this short form to let us know what volunteer opportunities you are interested in.

Sponsor Student Planners

We hope to gift our 5th graders with planners to help them achieve academic excellence this school year! This organizational tool will help them prepare for middle school as well.

If you or your company is interested in sponsoring planners for our 5th graders, please reach out to Ms. Yvonne for more information.

Join the Collaborative School Committee

Want to have a voice in how we do things at Hallett? Join our Collaborate School Committee! This is a great opportunity to strategize with Ms. D, Hallett educators and staff and other Hallett community members on how to improve our student achievement.

The CSC will meet 4 times this year. For more information, please contact Ms. Yvonne.

Near Northeast Community Hub

Community Hubs are a partnership between Denver Public Schools, the City of Denver, and local community organizations. Hubs provide services that support the social, emotional, physical and academic needs of adults and children so that all students will have an equal chance to learn and thrive.

The Near Northeast Community Hub located at Hallett is open from 8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m. You do not need to be a Hallett community member to access our Hub's services; we serve the entire near northeast region! Stop by our main office and we'll direct you to the Hub.

Services Offered

Basic needs assistance

Energy outreach assistance

GED classes (English and Spanish)

Early literacy classes

English classes

Spanish classes

Citizenship classes

Financial literacy

Workforce support

Denver Health Mobile Clinic all Fridays

Newcomer identification and placement

Support in navigating DPS and the US school system

See here for more information!

Climate Champions Grant Program

Is your student passionate about protecting our planet? Encourage them to develop a climate action project!

DPS sustainability is partnering with Denver’s Office of Climate Action, Sustainability & Resiliency to fund student-led climate action projects at the school level.

If your student has ideas for combatting climate change, we encourage them to team up with their peers and submit a grant application. All grade levels can apply!

Project teams can request up to $25K in funding!

Pre-Applications are due Oct. 22.

Applications are due Dec. 3.

Candice's College Corner

I believe it's never too early to get your student excited about college! That's why, on the last Thursday of each month, you can expect a college readiness tip from me in your newsletter.

Today's tip: Start the conversation! It sounds simple, but just talking to your child about college will open up opportunities for them. Try some of these conversation starters at your dinner table tonight!

What do you think college is like compared to school? Help your child differentiate between elementary school and the college experience.

What is something you love learning about? Connect your child's passions to potential college majors and career paths.

What kind of fun activities do you think college students do? Discuss extracurricular activities, sports, and clubs that might interest your child.

If you could choose any place in the world to go to college, where would you go? This can be a fun way to talk about different colleges and their locations.

Do you think you'd like living in a college dorm? Discuss the experience of living on campus and what it might be like.

Who do you know that went to college? Talk about family members, friends, or famous people who have attended college and how it helped them achieve their goals.

3 students watching the front of the classroom