FINAL: Team DPS Weekly-Sept.5

Sept. 5, 2024

DPS Hosts Healthcare Summit

DPS hosted an inspiring Healthcare Summit, uniting school districts from across the Denver metro area to reimagine employee benefits. Superintendent Dr. Alex Marrero energized the crowd with a warm welcome, followed by Chief Financial Officer, Chuck Carpenter, who shared game-changing strategies to make healthcare affordable and accessible. The day was packed with dynamic speakers and innovative topics to enhance the employee experience, cut costs and unlock group savings.

DPS is excited to continue collaborating with surrounding districts to create outcomes of unique cost management options for Colorado employers, achieve group savings through a health captive and more. Stay tuned!

Join a DPS Belong Group Today!

The Culture, Equity and Leadership Team (CELT) is excited to announce the relaunch of affinity spaces for the District! You’re invited to explore the opportunities to build a community with others at DPS. Access this flyer for more information.

Top 5 Call Out Results

Last week, we asked you to share your highlights from the summer! Check out the top 5 summer recap submissions below and all submissions here.

4. “I was fortunate to be able to travel to Australia and Fiji this summer with my husband. We scuba dove in the Great Barrier Reef and got advanced certifications in Fiji. Besides scuba, the highlight was either seeing an opera at the Sydney Opera House or getting up close and personal with this kangaroo!” -- Karen Casner, Willow Elementary

2.“I went on my honeymoon: a cruise through Spain, France and Italy, then a trip to the Netherlands, finished off with a week in Sweden.” -- Caleb and Jessica Reed, DoTS, Denver Language School

5.“Our little family (including pup Sadie!) went on a National Parks road trip. One of our favorite spots was in Moab. Sadie had to conquer a few ladders to get to this arch, but it was worth it!” -- Carlee Easton, Columbine Elementary

3. “My husband, Pete Phillips, and I, also a DPS teacher, went to South America. Here is a picture of us at Igúazu Falls in Brazil. We also visited Buenos Aires, Argentina, which was an incredible city.” -- Dr. Maria Falcón, Vista Academy High School

1.“I got engaged this summer!” -- Maria Crippen, Denver Center for 21st Century Learning

Top 5 Call Out: Kid Quotes

It’s no secret that kids say the funniest things — especially when they are excited to be back in school. Now we’d love to hear from you! What outstanding one-liners have you heard in these first few weeks of school and in your school community? Submit your one-liner here for a feature in next week's edition!

Countdown to Our Shared Core Values Spirit Week

Join in on the fun with Team DPS as we gear up for our first spirit week of the school year, happening Sept. 16-20! View the upcoming week of activities and spirit week resources provided to assist in grounding ourselves in our Shared Core Values. Whether you're creating a vision board, singing karaoke or cooking up integrity recipes, the goal is simple: come together to build community.

Complete this form for Spirit Week support and don't forget to have fun and document the memories!

DPS Skills - Register Now!

The DPS Skills program offers a variety of workshops designed to support all DPS team members. During these workshops, you will have the opportunity to focus on personal and professional development while sharing experiences with your teammates from across DPS. The first sessions, hosted at Emily Griffith Campus, are just around the corner:

Disrupting Bias: 1-4 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 11
LGBTQ+: 1-4 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 18

View the fall 2024 schedule for more upcoming events.

Apply to the Climate Champions Grant Program!

The Climate Champions Grant Program, ran by the Sustainability Team, provides funding for DPS students to implement climate action projects in their school communities. This program engages DPS students through real-world problem-solving, leadership development and project-based learning to allow for innovative and creative solutions to climate change.

There is $225,000 available to fund multiple projects, and project teams can request up to $25,000. Pre-application is due Oct. 22, and the final application is due by Dec. 3. If you have questions, email dept_sustainability@dpsk12.net. For inspiration, review the climate action projects that were funded last year.

Employee Wellness Weekly Highlights

Last call: Sign up for the DPS Back2School 5K happening this Saturday, Sept. 7 in Cherry Creek.
Explore possibilities with our dedicated workplace support. Click here for support and 1:1 consultations on work-life issues, stress, communication strategies, mental health, substance abuse, grief/ loss or family issues.
Try the DPS 20-minute virtual meditation, that takes place every other Tuesday. Complete this form to receive full details.
Cancer continues to be a significant global health concern. Join our Cancer Series and learn established guidelines that can save lives.

Email staffwellness@dpsk12.net if you have any questions.

Living Our DPS Honoree

Cathie Tate
Teacher, Escalante-Biggs Academy
Students First

"Cathie builds a supportive and equitable classroom where students talk about their differences and the support they need to help them learn at the early ages of three and four. She knows the importance of acceptance and belonging. When a student is upset, she supports the child to name their feelings, and express why they feel that way. She then restates the issue for the class, asking for ideas on how to support this student either emotionally or academically. It allows feelings to become the center of importance in the classroom and teaches empathy for others in a supportive way. Students have begun expressing their feelings and supporting their friends independently. Students are also taking more risks academically because they feel safe and heard emotionally, and it is only the first few weeks of school!"

-- Jamie Hencmann, Escalante-Biggs Academy

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