Posted January 26, 2024
Dear Angels Community,
On Wednesday, January 31st at 9:00 am, we will be practicing a LOCKDOWN drill. A lockdown occurs when someone poses an immediate threat to the lives and safety of students, staff and visitors inside our school or on our school campus.
During a lockdown, students, staff, and visitors must take decisive and immediate action to find safety from the threat and create time barriers that allow first responders to stabilize the situation. Unlike drilling for less rapidly evolving emergencies, action must be taken quickly and smoothly, with coordination and purpose. Therefore, it is critical to practice and train the appropriate responses in order to gain confidence and understand how to safeguard students, staff and visitors during such an event.
While I know it may cause anxiety for us to contemplate such a scenario, it is important that we train ourselves how to properly respond rather than react. We want to gain confidence and understanding of the situation and the tools and technology we use during this type of event so we become emergency prepared rather than being emergency scared. During these drills we will NOT use any type of simulated gunfire, smoke or role players.
We will simply provide instruction, practice, and learn how to respond by going through the actions we want to duplicate during a crisis. Students will review a video demonstrating emergency response protocols created by our Students Demand Action group prior to the lockdown drill.
During the Lockdown drill, we will be supported by School District Security, School District Administration, Law Enforcement, and RedBag personnel who will assist us in checking doors and classrooms and coaching us through the process.
This is important as all of them will have a part in responding to help.
Each drill should take approximately 30 minutes as we practice all aspects of our emergency procedure.
At the conclusion of the drill, our building Safety Team will debrief the drill to discuss lessons learned and provide us with strategies to improve our response. We invite all staff and students to provide feedback and ask questions about the process so that we can continuously improve our practice.
Thank you for participating with us in this important training event so that we can help keep our school and our community of students, staff, and visitors safe. As always, thank you for your support.
Sincerely,
Terita Walker
East Principal
As always, thank you for your support of our East Community and follow our active student body on Instagram @eastangels_madamprincipal and @denvereasths or visit our website for additional information https://east.dpsk12.org/
Note: Editions of Friday News tend to be long and may get clipped by Gmail. Please make sure to click “view entire message” at the bottom of the chain to read the full edition.
As always, thank you for your support of our East Community and follow our active student body on Instagram @eastangels_madamprincipal and @denvereasths.
Important Upcoming Dates
Jan 30 Voices/Art Show (5:30-7:30)
Jan 31 9th Grade CU Boulder Trip
Jan 31 Level 4 Performance TBD
Feb. 5-9 Winter Spirit Week
Feb 07 National Signing Day
Feb 07 National Women in Sports Day
Feb 07 NAHS Fashion Show (6:00-8:00)
Feb 08 Level 2 Performance 7:00-8:00pm
Feb 09 Winter Pep Rally
Feb 10 Lunar New Year**
Feb 10 MORP Dance (8:00-10:30)
Feb 12 Special Olympics (All Day)
Feb 13 Special Olympics (All Day)
Feb 13 Early Release Day
Feb 13 Grade Email #1
Feb 14 Ash Wednesday
Feb 14 Val-O-Grams
Feb 16 PD for Teachers/No School Students
Feb 19 No School
Student Spotlight
Last weekend East Engineering students made history in their rookie year at the FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC) robotics competition. Team Dynamite placed 3rd in qualifying and moved on to semi-finals as an alliance captain, taking two more East teams with them – Scrapyard Robotics and WURM (worm). The BEAN Team not only won the Design Award for their innovative build, but were chosen by the #1 seeded team and went on to win the entire competition! They are qualified to compete in the Colorado State Championship on February 17th. Congratulations to all students involved in the robotics challenge for your hard work, innovation, and dedication to this semester long project!
Saturday Detention Policy
Two or more lunch tardies will result in assignment of Saturday school. Saturday school is ran weekly on Saturdays from 9-11. If you have any questions please reach out to Candice Malone.
Students:
East High School students must present their school IDs every time they enter the school and must have their school IDs with them at all times within the school.
Students from other schools are not allowed on campus.
Visitors:
All visitors to campus must check-in at the front foyer desk via the Raptor system.
All adults in the school should have one of the following visible
a) an East High School ID
b) a DPS ID (these come in two colors, blue for DPS employees and orange for outside contractors)
c) an East High School volunteer badge
d) a Raptor system generated visitor badge
The following started Tuesday, January 17th:
All visitors East High School should make an appointment prior to coming. Visitors who have not made an appointment will need to contact the staff they are attempting to visit to secure entry.
Testing
The guardian of a Denver Public Schools student, can request to excuse their child from participating in the state assessments. It is a disadvantage for you and your child to lose access to the feedback that testing provides, however if you wish to opt your child out, follow the directions at this link in English or this link in Spanish. The deadline for opting out is February 29.
❄️ Weather Update ❄️
With the shift in weather, temperatures are dropping, and we want to ensure the comfort and well-being of our students. For those seeking refuge from the chill, you now have the option to enter the building through the Detroit Street entrance; however, please be advised that students are required to stay in the Commons until the building officially opens.
Lunch Update
Lunch is FREE for ALL students regardless of students free or reduced price meal benefit status; however, it is still very important that families continue to complete the Household Application for Student Meal Benefits to determine lunch eligibility status.
Counseling News
Community Resources:
We wanted to share resources for our students and families who may experience a crisis event or may need assistance in accessing mental health support. Please see these links for a list of community resources available to you in English and Spanish.
Upcoming College Deadlines
Seniors, please remember to complete a transcript request form for each school you are applying to. These forms, along with other important college application information can be found on the Senior Resource Document. Please see below for the deadlines for completing your requests.
For Applications Due On…
February 15, 2024 (S2 grades on transcript)Complete the Transcript Request Form and turn into your counselor BEFORE…February 1, 2024
Also want to include this BESS Parent Screener again this week…
Hey Seniors, Ms. Ambria checking in to make sure you are on track for your Spring semester action items! As you are getting accepted into your colleges, please make sure you are going to MaiaLearning to update your admission decisions. If you have been awarded scholarships and grants, also add that amount to the Financial Plan tab– local scholarship amount tab.
If you have not been checking Schoology, there are new scholarships posted that you can be working on throughout March. Here is the link to the scholarship folder.
Seniors, if you have a GPA over 3.75, you can potentially qualify for the East Family & Friends Alumni: Cleworth LEAP Scholarship that is worth $25,000 each year for 4 years! You can start and submit your application here
Career Center Update:
Parents, please note upcoming opportunites for career exploration and readiness:
Family & Community Engagement Update
Can’t participate in the PTSA? No problem, you can grant our wishes anyway! Click HERE to send materials to benefit our student body and staff.
Family Constituency Services (FCS) also known as the DPS Helpline! Students, parents, teachers, staff, and community members can call the helpline for school-based or districtwide questions and support. Our FCS addresses concerns, conducts mediations, and supports community meetings. Here’s more information about what else they can support with.
Helpline: (720) 423-3054
DPS Job Fairs at Community Hubs!
January 31st @ Far Northeast Community Hub from 10am-12pm
February 2nd @ Southwest Community Hub from 10am-12pm
10am-12pm
Join the Community Hubs and Talent Acquisition Teams to learn about the different career opportunities
available in Denver Public Schools!
Schedule Breakdown for both events:
10:00 – 10:45 a.m.
Information Session hosted by the Talent Acquisition team regarding different career
opportunities, along with qualifications, pathways programs, and benefits information.
10:45 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Open hours to meet with recruiters and workforce coordinators regarding your path
and what support you need getting started.
Please continue to invite Black families to sign up for our first Black Family Engagement Newsletter!
Here is a PDF version for families who might not have access to an email. Here’s a blurb you could send out to families on Tuesday:
“Are you a Black/African American identifying family? Did you receive a January Newsletter from Iyana Hunter? If not, please sign up to stay informed on all the happenings!”
Refugees, migrants and access to services
Colorado has recently welcomed many newcomers arriving from the Southwest border. New arrivals are often in need of many of the programs and services offered by county Human Service offices. Though these migrants may be fleeing similar circumstances as refugees, there are some crucial terminology and immigration status differences to understand, as human service departments assess individuals’ eligibility for benefits and services.
Check out this document created by the Colorado Office of Economic Security that lists out different resources for our Migrant and Refugee families.
Volunteers
Please remember, all volunteers need to complete a background check prior to volunteering within the school and classroom. The purple Volunteer Background Check Portal tab is hyperlinked to the Sterling Volunteers DPS prepaid account landing page. When using this link, payment is not required. The DPS Online Volunteer Background Check is located at the following link – https://equity.dpsk12.org/get-involved/volunteer-services/
One location for 2024 DHS and Food Bank Rockies mobile food pantries
In 2024, there will only be one Denver Human Services and Food Bank of the Rockies mobile food pantry per month. These will take place at Empower Field at Mile High, Parking Lot E. Most pantry events will take place on the third Friday of the month (dates subject to change due to Empower Field event conflict or weather). Distribution time will remain from 9-11:30 a.m. or until food runs out.
For those that would still like to attend a food distribution in East Denver, check out these pantries close to the 80205 zip code area or go to Food Bank Rockies to find food.
Department of Housing Stability: Temporary Rental & Utility Assistance
The Temporary Rental and Utility Assistance (TRUA) Program assists eligible households with:
Learn more about the Department of Housing Stability and apply for the TRUA Program and share this flyer with your families today!
Athletics Update:
Highlights & upcoming events:
Athletics:
National Letter of Intent Day February 7th
Time sensitive! If your senior is planning on signing or has committed to play a sport in college please have them come and see Tee in room 100. In addition she would like them to fill out this link which will be helpful in getting your students information for the program. https://forms.gle/dXGE5PsqoGWb8Zrr8 The deadline is January 30th.
Game
Updates:
Links:
Activities Update
MORP – East’s winter dance is February 10th from 8-10:30pm. The theme is Glow in the Dark. Tickets are $15 and are on sale now. We are also allowing a limited number of guests. Guest forms are available in room 100 and must be approved before a ticket can be purchased. All guests must enter the dance and remain with the East student they share the ticket with. Guest/couples tickets are $25. A portion of the proceeds from the dance goes toward our Make a Wish fundraising efforts.
Senior Information:
The senior hub is full of valuable senior information and is available on the website. The senior fee ($25) can now be paid through the hub.
Legacy Stole order forms will be available on January 5th in room 100. Students whose parents, grandparents, aunts or uncles graduated from East are eligible to apply for a Legacy Stole. Unfortunately siblings do not count. The deadline for turning in the legacy stole form is March 8th
Cap & Gown If your senior has not yet ordered their cap and gown please have them come to room 100 and see Tee.
Class T-shirts: 10th & 11th grade class t-shirts are available in room 100 only $10
Winter Pep Rally Schedule
Friday, February 9th
Pep Rally 8:20-9:05
Period 1 9:15-9:55
Period 2 10:00-10:40
Period 3 10:45-11:25
Period 4 11:30-12:10
Lunch 12:15-1:00
Period 5 1:05-1:45
Period 6 1:50-2:30
Period 7 2:35-3:15
Club List 23-24: Here you can access all of the amazing club opportunities we have this school year. Feel free to reach out to club sponsors or Tee MacDonald theresa_macdonald@dpsk12.net for more information.
Yearbook Information
Yearbook sales purchase link: https://www.jostens.com/apps/store/productBrowse/1008646/East-High-School/2024-Yearbook/20230711041857043152/CATALOG_SHOP/
Spirit Store
East High School’s Spirit Store is located on the second floor just south of the Main Office.
Operating hours are:
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday – during lunch
Friday – during seventh period
The Spirit Store is run by volunteers and will be closed if a volunteer is not available. If you would like to confirm store hours, volunteer, or ask questions, please contact spiritstore@eastangelfriends.org.
All Spirit Store proceeds support the East Angel Friends & Alumni Foundation. For more on EAFAF, visit eastangelfriends.org. Go Angels!