Hallett Academy Community News: Friday, January 15

Posted January 19, 2021

Download the newsletter here.

Upcoming Dates For Your Calendar

  • Friday, Jan 15: SchoolChoice Round 1 Opens
  • Monday, Jan 18: No School (Martin King Jr Day)
  • February 15 & 16: NO SCHOOL

Community Updates

Dear Hallett Families,

In years past, we’ve enjoyed the tradition of our K-2 students participating in a peaceful Marade to Montview Church with students from Smith, Stedman, and Park Hill Elementary schools. Our students have stood together to proclaim the messages of Dr. King on the very steps where he stood once several decades ago.
Our participation looks different this year; our students created signs that will be displayed around Montview Blvd Presbyterian Church (go take a peek this weekend!). We will also display student-created signs throughout our building in celebration of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. Enjoy a few photos from former MLK celebrations!
We hope you enjoy the three day weekend. Stay safe and healthy, Hallett Community!
With love,
Dominique Jefferson


Discovery Link Opportunities

For those needing before/after school childcare as we resume in-person learning, please remember to sign up for Discovery Link. Registration is live NOW: https://www.dpsk12.org/discovery-link-before-and…/
Discovery Link accepts students 5+, is open from 6:30AM-6:00PM….and it’s FREE!(Contact ANTOINETTE_FOSTER@dpsk12.org with any questions.)
In addition, see below for incredible virtual enrichment opportunities. Be sure to sign up!

  • For current Discovery Link families click here.
  • For families not enrolled in Discovery link, click here.

SRO Transition Resolution Implementation

Your Help is Needed from DPS

FROM DPS: As we begin the 2nd semester and dig into the work of the SRO Transition resolution implementation, we know one of the most critical voices in this work is that of the parents and families. Therefore, we would like to invite parents and families to participate and engage in this work through the following opportunities. Ideally, we would start outreach to the interested families and parents by Jan. 15th. Please fill out the Interest Form if you are interested in participating in any of the following groups: Steering Committee: Looking for 1-2 volunteers

  • Role: Provide oversight and accountability; provide leadership on key decisions. Advocating for this work. 
  • Time commitment: 1-1.5 hours per month
  • Example of outputs/deliverables:
  • Feedback on outputs from workgroup, planning team & engagement 
  • Approval for project to move to next phases
  • Project decisions based on options from Workgroup or Planning Team
  • Support and address with escalation and issue resolution

Workgroup: Looking for 4-5 volunteers

  • Role: Engage in solution design by researching best practices and developing recommendations to redefine school discipline and safety.
  • Time commitment: 3-4 hours per month
  • Example of outputs/deliverables:
  • Current state and gap assessment: What is the problem and what are we trying to solve
  • Future state/desired state: Research best practices
  • Exploration and ideation for solutions
  • Recommendations for support in schools that will have their SROs removed and what safety and discipline looks like DPS schools moving forward.

 For additional information or questions regarding SRO transition project please reach out Su Pal at Email: Su_Pal@dpsk12.org| p 720-423-3781 


SchoolChoice Begins January 15

Hallett Families: All families with children entering ECE, Kindergarten, Middle or High School MUST participate in SchoolChoice. This year, Round 1 is taking place from January 15th-February 16th. Please be sure to let us know if you have questions about this process (which takes place entirely online). Ms. Yvonne or Ali Larson can support you through this process, so please reach out at any time: 720-424-6070 or alison_larson@dpsk12.org.

Please tell your neighbors and friends about Hallett and the wonderful things happening here!

5th Grade Families: We hope to provide space for a few virtual tours of some middle school options in January. Please keep an eye out for emails from various schools to learn more about what is out there for your child! See below for more information.


5th Grade Transition to Middle School

We will continue to provide more information about options as we receive it!


Denver Green School Northfield Open House: DGS Northfield is a middle school option in our zone that students of Hallett have a preference to get into. The school is hosting open houses on January 12th and January 19th. You can sign up for an open house here. You can also learn more about this school, which focuses on creating a joyful and safe community and the power of engaging and relevant learning by checking out their website, dgsnorthfield.org and watching their informational video


McAuliffe International School: You are welcome to access our online presentation, promotional video, and activities list at your convenience,  or you can join us at 7pm on Thursday, December 10th, January 7th or January 14th, to watch the presentation and video and then join us for a live question and answer session with McAuliffe staff members via Zoom. If you choose to join us for one of the evening presentations, please be sure to sign-up here to reserve your spot.


Denver Discovery School: Offering virtual tours soon. Check out more about them here.


Food & Other Assitance

Please see the letter above about weekend food bags. If you are interested please fill out this form or contact Ms. Talvy at brittany_talvy@dpsk12.org or 720-424-6099.

Important: If your family is struggling in ways that we might be able to support, we hope you will reach out. We have access to many resources that might be helpful and would appreciate knowing how we can best meet the needs of our families. Please fill out this survey and we will be in touch:


Free COVID-19 Testing for Students

Denver Health’s School-based Health Centers (SBHC) and Denver Public Schools (DPS) announced yesterday that students throughout the entire district will now have access to free COVID-19 tests at any of the four Denver Health testing sites, starting immediately.
Read HERE for more information.


Emergency Assistance

Knowing the COVID-19 pandemic continues to negatively impact the lives of Denver families, DHS is now offering emergency/disaster assistance payments up to $4,000 to qualifying residents. These payments can be used for a variety of reasons – to cover rent or pay the mortgage, to pay for mental or medical care, to pay for home or auto repairs, to pay for food or school supplies, and more. To qualify, one must be:

  • TANF Broad-Based Eligibility Criteria for Disaster Aid: Denver resident
  • Household is determined to be ineligible for public assistance programs;
  • Annual household income is under $75,000;
  • Eligible child in the household (according to state rules and regulations);
  • Lawfully present in the country; and
  • Has a need for services directly relating COVID-19-related emergency

The program is open until funds are exhausted. To apply, go to Colorado.gov/PEAK and apply for Colorado Works/TANF. Please note that because this is a unique and temporary program, the “Am I eligible?” feature will not distinguish between this program and the regular Colorado Works/TANF programs. We encourage anyone with questions to call 720-944-4DHS (4347) to speak with a customer services representative.