Northeast Early College

Wolfpack Weekly

Community Newsletter 9/12/25
Northeast Early College Banner: image of a wolf; text that says: Act Bravely, Be Curious, Think Boldly: Run with the Wolfpack
Group teachers smiling and posing with Wolfie mascot in the gym

Greetings NEC Families,

Thank you all for joining us for Back to School Night last night! We had a blast celebrating the start of the school year with our students, families and staff.

As I shared yesterday, we are looking for community members to join our Collaborative School Committee (CSC). It's a great opportunity to learn about what's going on at NEC and be a part of our decision-making process. If you're interested, you can find more information here.

Last night, we also shared information about NEC's Title 1 status. You can review the Title 1 info in English and Spanish.

With Gratitude,

Jennifer Warren

Principal

Jennifer_Warren@dpsk12.net

📅 Mark Your Calendars

SEPTEMBER

  • September 19: Picture Day

  • September 22: NO SCHOOL (Staff PD Day)

OCTOBER

  • October 4: Homecoming 7-10 p.m.!

  • October 7-9: Colorado Colleges Free Application Days

  • October 8 & 9: Fall PSAT/BESS Testing

📷 Picture Day: Friday, Sept. 19

Picture Day is next Friday, Sept.19. Orders will be sent home with your student after picture day. To pre-order your student's picture, go to mylifetouch.com and create an account or log in with your Picture Day ID: EVTX2VG9M.

Questions? Call 1-800-736-4753 or email colorado@lifetouch.com.

✍️ October 8 & 9: Fall PSAT Testing

Save the date for Fall PSAT testing!

On Wednesday, October 8, 10th and 11th graders will have PSAT testing from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. There will be no school for 9th graders.

On Thursday, October 9, 9th graders will have PSAT testing from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. There will be no school for 10th and 11th graders.

On October 8 and 9, 12th graders will only attend school for their required appointment to complete college applications. Appointments will be scheduled in their community class.

💼 Apply Now! Launch Internship Program

The Launch internship program, designed specifically for DPS high school students, helps students enhance their resumes and gain career experience! Depending on your performance, you can also earn high school credit and earn up to $500 during the Fall and Spring sessions and $1500 in the summer.

Fall internships run from September 29 - December 12. Students must sign up and complete all paperwork by September 22. Internship spots are popular and limited, so we encourage students to act quickly.

Our Career Navigator, Mona Stevens, is located in room C150 and is here to help if you have questions!

😷 How Sick is Too Sick? When to Stay Home From School

As we get into cold and flu season, please use the chart below and read the How Sick is Too Sick guide from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) to help guide decisions around keeping students home and reduce infections at school. Remember that washing your hands is one of the best ways to stay healthy!

Please contact Nurse Maura with any questions at maura_buck@dpsk12.net.

Keep your child home or seek care if they:

  • Have a fever of 100.4°F (38°C) or higher.

  • Have vomited two or more times in the last 24 hours.

  • Have a persistent cough, difficulty breathing or trouble catching their breath or if they develop a fever with the cough.

  • Have a rash with blisters that are draining, are painful, look like bruises and/or if a fever develops.

  • Have a sore throat causing drooling, trouble swallowing or a fever and/or rash.

  • Have eye swelling, eye pain, trouble seeing or an eye injury.

  • Have head lice. Children may stay at school or child care until the end of the day but cannot return until after they've had the first treatment.

Send your child to school even if they:*

  • Have a mild cold, which may include a runny nose and/or cough.

  • Have eye drainage without fever, eye pain or eyelid redness.

  • Have a mild stomach ache.

  • Have a mild rash with no other symptoms.

  • Haven’t had a fever overnight and they have not taken fever-reducing medicine during that time.

* If you don’t know whether to send your child to school or have specific concerns regarding your child's health, contact your child’s health-care provider, a local urgent care or the school nurse.

🎓 Save the Date: Preparing for College Event on Nov. 1

On Saturday, Nov. 1 from 10 a.m.-12 p.m., Metropolitan State University is hosting a workshop for students and their families about preparing for college! The event is specifically geared towards families with students interested in STEM.

Engineering students and professionals will cover the following topics:

  • Why College?

  • How to Choose a College

  • Preparing for College Visits

  • Applying to College

  • Paying for College

There will pizza for all attendees, plus free swag for the first people to arrive! To register, email Lohuertas@msudenver.edu.

💛 NEC is Growing Academically!

We are excited to share that our state report card has a yellow rating this year! The ratings progress from red to orange to yellow to green. As you can see in the chart below, we were in the red in 2022, the orange in 2023 and 2024, and in 2025 we are in the yellow.

We are proud of our students' continuous growth and we can't wait to see them grow further as we aim for green!

Graphic that shows NEC in the red zone in 2022 (labeled turnaround), the orange zone in 2023 and 2024 (labeled priority improvement) and the yellow zone in 2025 (labeled improvement).