Dear DPS Community,
Welcome back from summer break! I hope everyone was able to recharge under the summer sun over the last two months. While the majority of the DPS community was taking a pause between school years, Team DPS has been hard at work planning and preparing for the new school year. Reflecting back on the Strategic Roadmap we launched at the start of 2022-23, our commitments to the Student, Adult and Systems Experiences have not wavered, and in fact, have become more concrete in how we will work together toward a better future for our scholars.
Some big improvements students, staff, families and community partners can look forward to this year include:
- Our partnerships with Care Solace and Hazel Health to connect the DPS community to mental health care and substance use treatment. In addition to the support our mental health team members provide, Care Solace and Hazel Health will make getting access to mental health services and resources quick and efficient.
- Progress on Bond projects, including Montbello High School renovations, the new Ceylon campus, the Glenbrook Greenhouse, Denver School of the Arts’ expansion and school AC upgrades. Get the latest updates on these projects by subscribing to the quarterly Our Word is Our Bond newsletter.
- Free School Meals for All! This year, all DPS students will get free breakfast and lunch. Families are encouraged to complete the “You Benefit!” form (formerly referred to as the Meals Application). By completing the form, you will help us access all available funds to cover the cost of meals, and other nutritional programs for students. Read more about free meals.
- Translation technology will be available at all six of our Community Hubs. These new devices will help us break language barriers to fully support families who come to the hubs for wraparound services such as basic needs assistance, ESL classes, DPS job applications, childcare and so much more.
- Implementation of the Climate Action Plan that was created last year in collaboration with DPS Students for Climate Action. The DPS Sustainability team and students are already collaborating with departments and schools to install more solar shades and panels, apply for grants for electric buses, grow tomatoes to reduce carbon emissions, and more.
- Narrowing our focus on attendance. In an effort to get overall student attendance back to (and surpass) pre-pandemic rates across the district, we will be rolling out a multi-year attendance campaign beginning this year. The goal of the campaign is to decrease absenteeism and provide students, families and staff with resources to ensure our students are present and ready to learn each day.
While we are still in the process of bringing these (and many more) initiatives to life, please know that our vision of Every Learner Thrives lives at the heart of each. I am eager to share the progress we’re making toward our vision with these initiatives and hope that it unifies us in best serving the needs of all our scholars.
To reground ourselves in the ongoing conversations around safety in our schools, having and maintaining safe and welcoming schools remains a top priority. If you have not yet, I encourage all members of the DPS community to read the Long-Term Operational Safety Plan we launched on June 30. Thank you, again, for your continued support and feedback during the creation process of the plan. Throughout the year, we will be working closely with community partners, our Safety and Climate Department experts, and our school leaders to implement the Safety Plan across the district.
As we turn the page to this new chapter of DPS, the 2023-24 school year holds much promise for our community and I am optimistic that we are going to make great strides in providing every single student with a high-quality education. With that, I wish everyone a successful start to the new school year, and urge us all to keep getting better at getting better.
In collaboration,
Dr. Alex Marrero
Superintendent
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