| Cori’s Note
Welcome to March! We are nearing the end of the third quarter with next Friday being the deadline for student work completion. We encourage all families to check in with your students on their progress and what support they might need to finish strong AND to celebrate their amazing achievements so far this year. Fourth quarter begins on Monday, March 15th. March is a busy month with some fun student events, the start of fourth quarter AND our two week long Spring Break! Carol has put all of the most important dates below – please note that Spring Break runs from Monday, March 22nd through Friday, April 2nd. There is a professional day on Monday, April 5th and students return on April 6th. I hope everyone is headed into an amazing weekend! Cor |
| Updates/Reminders:
2020-21 Yearbook- Order by April 9 We are doing a yearbook this year, although a smaller one than in years past. Please place your order before April 9. Please see Yearbook Flyer for ordering details. Students have the opportunity to design the cover for this yearbook. If your student is interested, please have them submit their design to Michelle Iris_Mendoza@dpsk12.net no later than April 5.
Please continue to check out the DMHS Newspaper/Blog! Mark your calendars! Friday, March 5: DMHS Movie Night Soul 4:15-6 pm link to join Tuesday, March 9: 9th Grade Virtual College Expo Friday, March 12: End of Quarter 3 Monday, March 15: Asynchronous Day for all students, start of Quarter 4 Monday, March 15-Friday March 20 –Spirit Week sponsored by Student Council Monday, March 22- Friday, April 2: Spring Break, No School Monday, April 5: Professional Development for Staff, no school for students Monday, April 12-Friday April 23- CMAS Testing Window for 7th, 8th, 11th graders Tuesday, April 13: SAT Testing for Juniors Wednesday, April 14: PSAT 9 for 9th graders Thursday, April 15: PSAT 10 for 10th graders Friday, April 23: Early Release at 11:30 am Friday, May 28: Graduation Thursday, June 3: 9th Grade Continuation Friday, June 4: Last day of school Covid-19 Health and Safety Protocols Guide for Families Thank you for following! |
| High School Updates from HS Director Leah Bry The High School is dedicating Thursday, March 11th and Friday, March 12 (the last days of Quarter 3) as finals/make up days. Here is what to expect:
Quarter 4 will begin on Monday, March 15th. This will be a remote learning day in order to allow for 3-days of no contact for any students who are switching cohorts. PSAT/SAT
All testing will be done in person, there is no remote option for PSAT or SAT. Should you have questions about this, please do not hesitate to reach out to us directly. Thank you! Leah Parker Bry DMHS High School Director |
| Health Updates
From Nurse Tracy: There are now several COVID Check Colorado sites offering the saliva test which is processed locally to expedite results. Here is some additional information about the saliva testing being offered: SalivaDirect™ FAQsWhat kind of test am I getting? How sensitive is the test? SalivaDirect™ is an FDA Emergency Use Authorization-approved PCR testing protocol where participants provide a saliva sample under the supervision of a medical professional. Yale’s studies have shown that SalivaDirect™ PCR is as sensitive as a nasal PCR test and is both more convenient and comfortable for participants than a nasal swab. What do I need to know before getting this test? In order to ensure accurate results, for the 30 minutes prior to your appointment, please do not eat, drink, smoke, chew gum or use nasal sprays, and for the 10 minutes prior to your appointment, please do not drink water. With SalivaDirect™, saliva samples are self-collected at testing sites under the supervision of a medical professional and then transported to a local lab, enabling results to be delivered to individuals within 24-48 hours, and potentially sooner How does this test compare to the previous nasal test? The SalivaDirect™ test is still a RT- PCR test — the main difference is in the mode of collection: the participant provides a saliva sample, vs getting a nasal swab. There is a slight modification in the lab process, resulting in a more efficient sample analysis and a quicker turnaround time for results. Where to test: https://covidcheckcolorado.org/where-to-test/ (specifies which sites are offering the saliva testing) If you have any questions about testing or vaccinations, please email me Tracy_Smith@dpsk12.org DPS Launches Free Covid Testing DPS is pleased to announce we are expanding our partnership with COVIDCheck Colorado to offer our free COVID-19 testing for students to support a safe return to school. Our full community of students and staff will now be able to take a baseline COVID-19 test before coming back to school, and then we will be able to offer an ongoing COVID-19 student screening test every other week. Registering for testing can be completed at any of COVIDCheck Colorado’s testing sites via this link. We encourage everyone, unless you have tested positive in the last 90 days, to take a baseline test in the new year. The tests are free, fast, and reliable. You can see an updated list of testing sites here including sites at DPS schools at the Montbello campus, Abraham Lincoln Campus, North HS Campus, All City Stadium and a new site at George Washington HS. The test will be completed via nasal PCR test or SalivaDirect™, and results will be returned within 36-72 hours. At any time, your family and your student can schedule a test at existing CCC sites. Any DPS student or employee should use our district link, while family members can continue to use the community link (https://www.primarybio.com/l/cdphe). Please take a moment to check out these Resources from Lauren our School Psych |