Return to School Update

Posted 01/13/2021

Greetings DMHS Families,

We want to provide you with an important update regarding the return to school process and the timeline for our return. Thank you for taking the time to read through this email completely as it contains several important dates.

First, Tomorrow, Thursday January 14th at 5:30 I will host a community forum to share an overview the return timeline, answer questions and hear your feedback. Please join at the following link: https://zoom.us/j/96413841039 or by dialing in at one of the following numbers:

        +1 346 248 7799 US (Houston)

        +1 669 900 9128 US (San Jose)

This meeting will be recorded and posted to the website if you are not able to attend.

I believe some of the most important work ahead is to ensure our community feels confident about the strategies and safeguards we have in place and to maximize the health and safety of our staff and students.  In October we diligently planned for a return that exceeded the guardrails that had been set forth, and that plan remains largely in tact. We will share the entire plan during a Return to School Family Forum scheduled for Monday, January 25th at 5:30pm.

There were mixed emotions when we had to make a quick pivot in the fall to remain in remote learning. It’s important to name that we are all in different places on the emotional continuum of change and anticipation and as we prepare, once more, for a return to the building I personally want to  thank you for your patience, grace and support through these coming few weeks.

I’m confident that we all share the same goal with this next transition, which is to continue to support and love our students – no matter what the setting is. To be sure that our staff and community feels entirely ready for the return there will be multiple meetings and trainings in the coming weeks. Whether your child is staying with remote learning, or they are returning to in-person learning there are three additional key dates to be aware:

  • Tuesday, January 19th – all classes will be asynchronous.
    • DMHS staff will be in-building preparing classrooms for students to return and engaging in virtual training;
    • Async instruction means there will not be ‘live’ remote instruction;
    • This IS a school day. Students will be provided specific work plans that can be completed independently for every class. Teachers will be available via email to support, but will not be teaching ‘live’ lessons so that they can engage in this training and prepare their classrooms appropriately.
  • Thursday, January 28th/Friday, January 29th – students will return to the building.
    • Students returning for in-person learning will attend in their cohort groups on EITHER 1/28 or 1/29;
    • Schedules and cohort assignments will be shared next week with families via Advisement and through email;
    • This day will be focused on ‘training’ for our students, returning them to their social setting and allow us to connect and establish our norms.
  • Beginning the week of 2/1 our Hybrid instructional schedule will officially begin.
    • This will be the first full week of the hybrid schedule – please stay tuned next week for more details on your child’s specific schedule to include which days they will attend school and which will be remote instruction.

To recap the dates:

  • Thursday, January 14th – 5:30pm, Community Forum via Zoom (links above)
  • Tuesday, January 19th – Asynchronous Learning Day/Staff Training and Prep Day
  • Monday, January 25th – 5:30pm, Return to School Family Forum via Zoom (links to come)
  • Thursday 1/28 OR Friday 1/29 – Students return to the building (schedules to come)
  • Monday 2/1 – Hybrid schedule for in-person learning begins

Please, as always, feel free to reach out to me directly or contact our main office if you have any questions, comments or concerns. Thank you for your commitment to DMHS and I can’t wait to see many of our students back here, in-building, very soon!

Warmly,

_______________________________

Cori Herbst-Loehr

(she/her/hers + why they matter)

Interim Principal

Denver Montessori Junior/Senior High School, Denver Public Schools

4250 Shoshone St., Denver, CO  80211

http://dmhs.dpsk12.org/