Hallett Academy Community News: Friday, February 6

Posted February 8, 2021

Download the newsletter here.

Upcoming Dates For Your Calendar

  • February 8 – 12: Black History Month Spirit Week
  • February 15 & 16: NO SCHOOL
  • Tuesday, February 16: SchoolChoice Round 1 Closes at 4pm

Community Updates

Dear Hallett Families,

We are looking forward to celebrating Black History Month with a special Spirit Week next week. Be sure to join us!

I wanted to also let the community know about communication we received from the District recently about the COVID-19 vaccination for our staff. DPS and Children’s Hospital are now partnering to provide vaccinations for our educators. Each school will likely be assigned one designated day for all staff to receive a vaccine. Because of this, the District has indicated that we should hold an ASYNCHRONOUS day when our vaccination date is scheduled.

What does this mean for you? It means that we hope you will keep an eye on communication from us, as there will likely be an asynchronous day coming up where no students will attend school or take part in live instruction but instead complete assignments and activities online. Please stay tuned!
We look forward to moving slowly and cautiously back to some semblance of “normal” life, and vaccinations are an important part of that.
For our ECE and 5th Grade families, please don’t forget that SchoolChoice Round 1 ends next week (February 16th at 4pm). If you have questions or need support, don’t hesitate to reach out to Ms. Yvonne.
Have a wonderful weekend.

With love,
Dominique Jefferson


Black History Month Spirit Week

Join us in celebrating Black History Month with a Celebratory Spirit Week! Feb 8-12
Monday, 2/8 – Chucks & Pearls/J’s and Shades

Tuesday, 2/9 – Hip Hop Fashion

Wednesday, 2/10 – Black Lives Matter

Thursday, 2/11 – African-American Culture

Friday, 2/12 – Support Black Business


Valentine’s Day

We know students always look forward to Valentine’s Day festivities at school. Here are a few guidelines for this unique year as we approach the fun holiday:

  • Cards/goodies need to be brought to the school by February 8th so that we can quarantine the items before they are distributed
  • No homemade treats- all items must be store-bought and individually wrapped. These also need to be at school by February 8th
  • No adults are able to participate in the parties• Teachers will distribute items to students during class parties on February 12th.

Free Meal Delivery in Denver

Sign Up for Colorado Food Cluster Meal Deliveries: 
Colorado Food Cluster (CFC) provides free meals to youth ages 6-18 in the Denver Metro Area (within 20 miles of downtown). Each student will receive a weekly delivery of 7 dinners and 14 snacks, including fruit and milk, until June 30, 2021.
Complete this form to enroll! https://www.coloradofoodcluster.com/sign-up-english


Food Assistance at Hallett

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 reach out to Ms. Talvy or text Ali Larson at 303-242-6414.


Free Clothing

Clothes To Kids of Denver (CTKD) provides FREE clothing to children and youth who are in need or in crisis. To shop, students must live in Metro Denver, be age 3 – 21 and be enrolled in school (remote or in-person) or working toward a GED.
https://clothestokidsdenver.org/

Our wardrobe includes 5 outfits, 1 coat, 1 pair of shoes, 1 bra (optional) and 5 pairs each of new underwear and new socks. Students are invited to select clothing in a welcoming, store-like setting or can order a wardrobe for contactless curbside pick-up.’

We are very excited to have in person shoppers in our store and are taking extra precautions to protect the health and safety of our visitors, volunteers and staff. 

Take a look at our COVID-19 Safety Procedures to learn more.


For families who would prefer a contactless option, we are continuing to offer wardrobes via Curbside Service. This option enables parents and caregivers to request a wardrobe for any student in need, and our staff will shop on their behalf.


Families wishing to shop in person or request a wardrobe for pick-up should call us at 720-379-4630 or email us at appointment@clothestokidsdenver.org for an appointment. Up-to-date phone hours are on the Shop With Us page of our website. 

No Referral Required! No matter how families choose to shop, we have temporarily loosened our referral requirements and are providing wardrobes to anyone who says the young people in their households are in need of our services, no questions asked.

Hours of Operation:

Tuesdays – Fridays 9:00 – 4:00

Saturdays 9:00 – 3:00

Sundays & Mondays Closed


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 reach out to Ms. Talvy or text Ali Larson at 303-242-6414.


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.