Oakland Elementary School

Oakland Elementary School

 

Weekly Newsletter

February 6th, 2026

 

This Month in the Nest

February 9th: First Basketball Practice

February 12th: Principal Selection Community Forum and Meet & Greet Event, 3:00PM

February 13th: Coffee With Your Principal Cruz/Cafecito con su Directora Cruz, 8-9AM

February 13th: Valentines Dance, 4 - 6PM

February 21st: Women's Basketball Field Trip

Principal Hiring Timeline - New Date! 2/12

We want to share an important update regarding the principal selection process at Oakland Elementary School. This letter outlines our gratitude for the leadership guiding Oakland during this transition and explains how the upcoming selection process will reflect our shared values of inclusivity, equity, collaboration, and integrity. We invite all members of our school community to stay informed and engaged as we move forward together.

Click here to see the timeline letter. 

On February 12th, Oakland will hold the Principal Selection Community Forum and Meet & Greet Event from 3-4:30 p.m. in the Auditorium.

Let's Dance!

Friday, February 13th Oakland PTO is hosting a Family Sweetheart Dance and Fundraiser for our entire school in the Gym and Cafeteria.

Admission is FREE! We hope to see you there! 

See more information and fliers here: https://oakland.dpsk12.org/o/oakland/article/2685041

Lost and Found

The lost and found will be donated Monday 2/9. If your student is missing something, please see the lost and found in the office.

Saturday School

February Saturday School Themes:

February 7th- Wear Blue or Yellow to represent National Random Acts of Kindness Day

February 13th: Coffee With Your Principal Cruz/Cafecito con su Directora Cruz, 8-9

February 14th- Wear Pink or Red for Valentines Day

February 21st- Denver Aquarium Field Trip 10a.m.- 12-p.m.

February 28th- No Saturday School

Students are encouraged to participate in the themes to add fun and excitement to their learning experience!

What to Expect Each Saturday

Focused Reading & Math instruction to accelerate learning
Engaging enrichment activities that make learning meaningful
A positive, supportive environment that builds confidence and friendships
Recognition and incentives for attendance, effort, and participation

We are so proud of our Saturday School Eagles and grateful for your partnership. Your commitment to showing up and supporting learning makes a powerful difference for our students. 

Let’s continue our momentum and making Saturdays something our students look forward to!

We can’t wait to see you this Saturday at 9:00 AM!

Winter Basketball Starts February 9th!

ELC Sports Winter Basketball is open for all 4th and 5th grade students. Practices will start on February 9th and run on Tuesday and Wednesday for two weeks. Reach out to LeShaun for more information at leshaun_gullion@dpsk12.net 

Submit Artwork for the Chance to be Featured in the Superintendent's Notecards

Eagles are encouraged to submit original artwork for a special opportunity! Selected art pieces may be turned into greeting cards used by DPS Superintendent, Dr. Alex Marrero, throughout the year! This is a chance for our Oakland students to share their creativity, celebrate their voice and have their art seen and shared across DPS and beyond. Submissions are now open through Feb. 27. More details are linked in this submission form. We can’t wait to see what our students create!

DPS is Cooking Up a Surprise 

Calling all Eagle chefs! If you have a favorite recipe that uses iconic Colorado foods or locally grown ingredients, share it with the DPS Communications team here. In addition to the recipe, please add your contact information, so a member of their team can contact you if your recipe is selected for their upcoming surprise!

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdu2__sYpUEQgopvuZw86huzIyLT4hvlt3IizyKBXxHJoV-Bw/viewform?usp=sharing&ouid=117338815525497351116 

Oakland Launches Its First After-School Robotics Club

We are excited to announce that Oakland Elementary will be launching its first-ever After-School Robotics Club for the 2025–26 school year! This exciting opportunity was made possible through Ms. Feret, who applied for a grant and received confirmation of the award during winter break. All robotics materials and equipment arrived on campus just last week.

The grant fully covers all costs, including robotics equipment and teacher training—making this program accessible and sustainable for our students.

The Robotics Club will focus on collaboration, teamwork, and problem-solving, building on students’ prior experience working with LEGO-based learning. Through hands-on challenges, students will design, build, test, and refine their ideas while working together in teams. The club is scheduled to begin meeting on Thursdays starting in mid-February.

The program will serve students in 5th Grade ELA-S and ELA-E, with the possibility of including 4th grade students if space allows. As the season progresses, students may also have the opportunity to participate in a Denver Public Schools robotics competition, where elementary and middle school teams from across the district come together to showcase their skills.

We are so excited to bring this innovative, hands-on learning experience to Oakland and look forward to seeing our students grow as engineers, collaborators, and problem-solvers. Thank you to our wonderful teachers like Ms. Feret for making this opportunity possible.

Leah Villa Recognized as “Poderosas”

Leah and the Oakland Art Student Council were recognized for their outstanding work on the school-wide mural project. Read the full story: More than a Mural: Power Lives Here.

 

Oakland Food Bank

We understand that times may be rough and are here to wrap around you and your family in whatever ways you need. Please fill out the form so we can best support you. This is a private form and will only be used to assist in meeting the needs of your family. Any requests will be fulfilled based on availability, but please list any needs that we may be able to meet from our Food Bank. We love you and value you as part of our Oakland Village!

Fill out the form here.

Access or Donate to Local Food Resources

As a reminder, our school meals at DPS will not be impacted. School breakfast and lunches will continue as normal and remain free to families.

If you need support securing food…

  • City and County of Denver: Visit their website to find food assistance across the city.

  • Tasty Food Program: After school meals for children will be offered at Denver recreation centers. Visit the Tasty Food website for locations and hours of operation.

  • Food Bank of the Rockies: Find a food pantry near you using their Pantry Locator tool.

  • Colorado 211: This confidential and multilingual service connects people to vital resources across Colorado. Call 2-1-1, 866-760-6489 or visit 211colorado.org. Note: The hotline is open 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Friday, however, expect long wait times. To avoid waiting, use the call-back feature.

  • Feeding Colorado: The collaborative effort of the 5 Feeding America food banks that serve Colorado and Wyoming to coordinate and enhance food resources, ensuring food insecure Coloradans have access to healthy, fresh foods. Visit feedingcolorado.org/find-food or email info@feedingcolorado.org.

  • Hunger Free Colorado: Connects Colorado families and individuals to SNAP/food stamps, food pantries, free meal sites, WIC (Women, Infants, and Children) and other nutrition programs geared toward families, children and older adults. Call 855-855-4626 Monday through Thursday from 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.

  • Struggle of Love offers a food pantry every day Monday through Friday 9 a.m. - 2 p.m. Address: 12005 E 45th Ave, Denver, CO 80239

  • FACE Community Hub offers support at John H. Amesse Elementary School. 

The City and County of Denver’s Department of Human Services (DHS) will continue processing SNAP applications and renewals to make sure benefits are processed in a timely fashion as soon as the government shutdown ends. SNAP beneficiaries will receive SNAP benefits retroactively once the government reopens. DHS strongly encourages families to continue submitting SNAP paperwork in the meantime.

If you would like to support local efforts…

  • Denver Public Schools Foundation: Support the DPS community by donating to the DPS Foundation Food Security Fund.

  • City and County of Denver: Visit their website to learn more about donating food, money and/or time.

  • Denver Recreation Center Drop-off Locations: Non-perishable food items can be dropped off at any Denver rec center. Visit the City and County of Denver website to learn more.

  • Denver Animal Shelter: Donate pet food to the Denver Animal Shelter located at 1241 W. Bayaud Ave. or through their Amazon wishlist.

  • 10 Ways to Support Your Community Now:This slide deck from the City and County of Denver provides resources, suggestions and ideas on how to take immediate action in your community.

Interested in supporting our immediate community? Reach out to Ms. Long at rachel_long@dpsk12.net. Ms. Long will be leading an Oakland Family Drive to provide extra food and essential items to our families in need. The Food Bank can be found in the main office.

 

iReady

We’re launching our i-Ready Monthly Challenge—a fun and motivating way for students to build strong Reading and Math skills and earn presents all year long! 

Weekly Awards starting November 21st!

How it works:
👉 Students complete i-Ready lessons each week (2 Reading + 2 Math)
👉 Aim for 49+ minutes in Reading and 49+ minutes in Math
👉 We celebrate growth every month with trophies, medals, stickers, posters, diplomas, and fun prizes!

How to support at home:

  1. Go to your district Clever portal or visit login.i-ready.com

  2. Log in using your student’s school username and password

  3. Encourage short sessions (10–20 minutes) throughout the week

Ask your student: “Did you hit your minutes and lessons this week?”

Click here to see more about iReady.

 
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Note from Nurse Lupe

Quick Decision Tips for Parents - Ask Yourself: 

1. Does my child have a fever? → If yes, stay home 

2. Are they acting like their normal self? → If no, consider staying home 

3. Can they participate in regular activities? → If no, stay home 

4. Could they spread something to other kids? → If yes, stay home 

Remember: When in doubt, contact nurse Lupe. She is there to help you make the best decision for everyone's health.

Note from the Cafeteria

Please note: Instant noodles that require microwaving are not allowed, as we only have one microwave available.

flying eagle