Links: 24-25 Calendar (Spanish Calendar)

• May 7-9                 Musical @ Skinner 6pm

• May 12                  No School for students- Skinner-only PD Day #4

On May 7th, students will receive paper copies of their final progress report for the year during their Period 7 Learning Family class.  With only four academic weeks remaining in the year, this is an important opportunity to review your child’s current grades, make a plan with teachers to complete any missing work, and schedule retakes or reassessments as needed.

Signed progress reports are due back to your child’s Learning family teacher by Friday, May 9th.

If you have academic questions, feel free to reach out to your child’s specific teacher (Staff Email List). If you have questions or concerns about behavior or attendance, please reach out to administration or support staff. Please note: DPS uses the Federal Attendance Rate, which does NOT differentiate between excused and unexcused absences. Even if a student has an "excused absence" it still counts against their overall attendance percentage. For eligibility purposes (especially 8th Grade Continuation) we do take excused absences into consideration.

Skinner Staff will be engaged in professional development sessions, per our Innovation Plan.  Thank you for your support and partnership!

Please come out and see the Skinner production of Disney's "Descendants" on May 7-9th, 6pm in our Auditorium; doors open at 5:35pm. Tickets can be found searching on MySchool Bucks for "Spring Musical Skinner Descendants". You can also purchase tickets at the door - on a first come, first serve basis.

If you're wondering how you are going to manage end-of-year thank you gifts for all your kids' teachers, plus the other amazing staff at Skinner, the PTO has you covered!

From now until Saturday, May 24, you can use this link to donate money that will be pooled so that every teacher and staff member at Skinner will receive a gift card to thank them for all their hard work this 24-25 school year.

Dear DPS Families, Our school will be sending out a survey about vaping habits in middle and high school to students soon. This anonymous survey will provide us with information around the motivations for students choosing to or not to vape. This data will inform a larger anti-vaping campaign that the district will be working on with our Substance Use Prevention team. Our goal is to better understand why students are choosing to vape and what would motivate them to stop, as well as understand why other students are choosing not to vape. 

Individual student responses are kept private and anonymous; they are only viewed in combination with hundreds or thousands of others. Students are not required to take the survey. The survey will remain open until June 6. 

The survey will also be sent to the family email on file and responses will be accepted until June 6. If you would like to review the questions in the student survey, please click here. If you prefer that your student not participate in the vaping survey, please complete this form by May 16 to opt them out. 

If you would like to participate in a family focus group around vaping, please complete this form. Food and refreshments will be provided at the focus groups and family participants will receive gift cards for their participation. Thank you so much for helping us learn more about how we can support our students.

6th/7th GRADE PARENTS: We are in need of a few parents to help set up, work, and tear down the reception for 8th grade Continuation on Thursday, May 29 from 6:30-7:30.  We appreciate your support with this so the 8th grade parents can participate in the ceremony! Sign Up Link

8th GRADE PARENTS: The last week of school for the 8th graders is fun-filled, due in part to the support that you can provide.  Please sign up below for the following events: 

8th grade BBQ/Field Day, Tuesday, May 27: sign up here for donations or to volunteer
8th grade Dance, Wednesday, May 28: sign up here to volunteer

If you aren't able to volunteer for the dance, but would like to help support with donations, please check out the Amazon wish list. Thanks for your help!

Family Learning Session: Preventing the Summer Slide | Tuesday, May 13 from 4-4:30 p.m. via Zoom
Did you know students can lose learning during the break? Help your child stay sharp and confident all summer long with simple, fun and free ways to keep your child learning. Get access to local resources around the Denver Metro area. Complete the course at your pace and you’ll be entered into a prize giveaway! Join us for a quick Zoom walkthrough video, available in English, Spanish and Vietnamese.

Supporting Students During Times of Uncertainty | Tuesday, May 27 from 5–5:30 p.m. Live on Zoom, Presented by Denver Children's Advocacy Network

Join us for a powerful 30-minute session designed to equip parents and caregivers with tools to support students facing stress and uncertainty. Learn practical ways to help your child cope with environmental stressors, build family-wide resilience and navigate challenges while waiting for therapy or additional support.

I apologize for the multiple notifications, but if your student has not yet been vaccinated, please schedule an appointment with your pediatrician. Alternatively, feel free to reach out to me, and I can provide a list of resources where students can receive vaccines at no cost. Also, here is a link to upcoming vaccine clinics offered through DPS. My email is lindsay_koller@dpsk12.net for any questions or concerns.

Protecting Your Family from Rising Measles Cases - Large measles outbreaks are occurring throughout the United States, including in states bordering or close to Colorado. Measles is more than a rash. It's a serious respiratory illness that can lead to severe complications. Measles is easily spread and can remain in the air for up to two hours and stays on surfaces, too. If one person has it, nine out of 10 people who are unprotected around them will get measles. A person can spread measles to others even before they show symptoms.

Making sure your child is protected is key to keeping your family and community safe. Find a vaccine provider near you by visiting cdphe.colorado.gov/immunizations/get-vaccinated.

Early Bird Registration for the 2025-2026 school year will be open for families from May 5 - May 23. As a reminder, each year families must complete online verification. To complete the registration process, families will need access to their Parent Portal account.
Confirm Parent Portal Account is active or create one: https://myportal.dpsk12.org/  
Complete the Annual Family Update using your Parent Portal Account: 

• Online Registration Directions with Pictures (English) 

• Online Registration Directions with Pictures (Spanish) 

• Online Registration Directions with Pictures (Arabic)

If families do not complete the online verification process during Early Bird Registration, families will need to complete it starting late July/early August (date TBD). All students must be registered before the first day of school August 18, 2025. 

Skinner's Restorative Justice League (RJL) is hosting a two week-long fundraiser (May 5-16) to raise money for Colorado Children's Hospital, which gives life-saving care to thousands of kids every year. Your donation gives the care, support, and surgeries they need. There will be a special spirit week May 5-9 that we invite all Skinner students and staff to participate in.

Donations will be collected through Family Meeting and there are prizes for Learning Families that collect $50+ dollars and a special prize for the Learning Family that collects the most in the school. Donations can be turned into your student's Learning Family mentor from Monday, May 5th to Friday, May 16th. We are excited for this opportunity to give back and help our greater Colorado community! 💚🦂💛

The Butler Institute for Families at the University of Denver, the Kempe Center at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, and WellPower (formerly known as the Mental Health Center of Denver) are recruiting youth and parents/guardians who live in the City & County of Denver to participate in feedback sessions regarding the development of a youth and family well-being and resilience program. Last year, we asked youth and families what they needed to increase resilience and well-being. Now, we would like your feedback on our plans for the new program.

If you are a youth or a parent or guardian of a youth aged 12-21 that lives in the City & County of Denver, please sign up if you are interested in participating in a feedback session. Sessions will last approximately 90 minutes and will be held virtually via Zoom. All participants will receive a $30 Amazon electronic gift card within two weeks of participating. Your participation is voluntary and will not impact your relationship with WellPower, the University of Denver, or the University of Colorado. Please click here for the PROGRAM FLYERS including all session dates/times. Sessions in English and Spanish.

Twice a month, we host an online workshop that allows caregivers to connect, ask questions, and learn how to care for grieving kids. Upcoming workshops: Tuesday, May 13  | 6 – 7:30 p.m. and Saturday, May 17  | 10 – 11:30 a.m.
Register for one of our free upcoming monthly workshops and learn about tools and resources to best support the grieving children in your life.https://judishouse.org/caring-for-grieving-kids/

Rising 6th-8th grade students who feel safe in a pro-girl and girl-centered environment are invited to join this summer research camp run by female STEM faculty and undergraduate students using an inquiry-based curriculum in biology, chemistry, mathematics, neuroscience, physics and more. By engaging in authentic research, we hope for our campers to leave feeling empowered and with an increased sense of belonging in STEM. Dates: June 23-27 or July 14-18 - 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. Location: Regis University's Northwest Denver Campus. Click here to learn more and register.

Registration for summer activities opens Tuesday, May 6 at noon — mark your calendars and don’t miss out! From swimming and sports leagues to arts, camps, and outdoor fun, there’s something for everyone to make this summer unforgettable. Let the summer adventures begin! Browse the guide now and start planning your sunny season of recreation: Summer 2025 Activity Guide

Youth Program Locator: To learn more about summer programming and resources throughout the City and County of Denver, utilize the new Youth Program Locator and connect with events and activities near you!

My Denver Card: Youth ages five through 18 have free access to Denver’s recreation centers, swimming pools and cultural centers with their My Denver Card

The DPS website will be continuously updated with more information about summer programming. Keep checking the DPS Summer Programs page to see what opportunities are available!

Greetings Skinner Families! My name is Christy Heaton and I’m a local coordinator with EF High School Exchange Year. I help students find host families and create a wonderful global family, with experiences that make their American dreams come true! We are searching for host families for our over 2,000 students who will be arriving this August. Benefits of hosting include:
-  cultural exchange right in your home
-  rediscover your own community through the perspective of an international teenager
-  your kid/s gain a new sibling 
-  if your child participates in an EF student trip and you host an exchange student, you receive a $500 discount towards your child’s trip
-  learn about a new culture or a new language 

Questions about the program? Don’t hesitate to reach out or you can also peruse public profiles of students here.  Thank you and I hope to connect with you soon!

Costa Rica in 2026 & Japan in 2027! Reach out to Jamie Brnilovich (6th Grade Lang Arts Teacher), Group Leader with questions  jamie_brnilovich@dpsk12.net

CSC: Collaborative School Committee - first Wednesday of every month 4:00-5:30 at Skinner Library

• Meet with parents, admin, staff to discuss issues, impacts, and solutions for the school

• All meetings are open to the public

• CSC slide-deck

• Additional CSC meeting scheduled for March 19th to continue conversations around Staffing/Budget

PTO: Parent/Teacher Organization - first Wednesday of every month 5:30-6:30

• Fundraising, teacher appreciation, parent volunteers. 

Check out Skinner Website PTO for more information.

The school year calendar for the 2025-26 school year is now available. 2025-26 School Year Calendar

Several Skinner teachers have DonorsChoose projects posted hoping to obtain classroom and project supplies for their students. Please click here to see the projects and consider a donation today! Thank you in advance for your generosity.

Skinner's support staff team is in need of your help! Please check our Amazon wishlist and consider making a donation so we are able to provide to our students in need. Thank you for your generosity and commitment to our community's youth. Please click here and order some items today! Thanks in advance for your generosity.

Want to see a prior issue of Skinner Family News? Links are posted on the Skinner website, click here to access.