Weekly Roundup January 24

ASSESSMENT – SAT, PSAT 9 and PSAT 10/SAVE THE DATE
This April, all freshmen, sophomores and juniors will participate in Colorado School Day accountability testing. These assessments are critical to understanding student growth and school-level trends. The Colorado Department of Education requires at least 95% of our students take these assessments. Please be sure your student is in school and on time for the following assessments:

• Wednesday, April 12 – All juniors take the SAT
  • There will be no school for freshmen, sophomores, or seniors
• Thursday, April 13 – All freshmen take the PSAT 9
  • There will be no school for sophomores, juniors or seniors
• Friday, April 14 – All sophomores take the PSAT 10
  • There will be no school for freshmen, juniors or seniors

Important attendance requirement: Juniors attending Prom must participate in (1) CMAS Science on April 5, and (2) SAT School Day on April 12. Sophomores who are invited by an upperclassman to attend Prom must participate in PSAT 10 on April 14. All juniors, seniors and invited sophomores attending Prom must have no more than four (4) unexcused absences this semester, which includes participation in our assessment days.

If you have questions about exempting your student from these assessments, please refer to these guides in ENGLISH or SPANISH.

2023-2024 SCHOOL CHOICE NOW OPEN
DPS SchoolChoice for the 2023-2024 school year is open through February 14 at 4:00pm. DPS’s annual open enrollment process is for any student who wants or needs to attend a new school for the following school year, particularly incoming kindergarten, sixth- and ninth-grade students. All incoming ECE-3 students, as well as incoming students who reside in an enrollment zone, must complete an application in order to list enrollment preferences. Research your school options using School Finder, the Enrollment Guide, or by contacting schools directly. Once you have your preferred schools in mind, rank them in order of preference (up to 12) and submit your SchoolChoice application by the deadline. There is no advantage to submitting early. Simply submit your application anytime between now and 4:00pm on February 14. Families will be notified of their results in late March. Call 720-423-3493, email schoolchoice@dpsk12.org or visit schoolchoice.dpsk12.org for more information.

SAFETY – STUDENT ID BADGES REQUIRED FOR ENTRY
To better ensure the safety of our community, all students are required to show their student ID badge to the security camera when they press the buzzer for building entry. Students, if you need a new ID badge, please come to the Main Office before school or during lunch only. The replacement fee for a lost ID badge is $5 (there is no replacement fee if you never received your student ID badge).

DOUGHNUTS WITH DR. DAVIS
Parents, guardians and community members, please join our principal, Dr. Davis, on Wednesday, February 1 from 9:00 to 9:30am in the GWHS Community Room for doughnuts and conversation. Dr. Davis will be hosting a “Doughnuts with Dr. Davis” event the first Wednesday of every month, so watch future Weekly Roundup issues for reminders about upcoming dates. Dr. Davis would love to take your questions, engage in conversation, and listen to your ideas during this casual event.

ACADEMIC AWARDS NIGHT
Join GWHS staff and families in celebrating our students’ accomplishments at Academic Awards Night! Students will receive an email to their @dpsk12.net account if they are receiving an academic award. Academic Awards Night is Thursday, February 2 at 6:30pm in the GWHS Auditorium. Dessert to follow!

SPRING SPORTS PARENT/PLAYER MEETING
This spring, GWHS offers track and field (boys and girls), baseball, boys volleyball, boys swim and dive, girls golf, girls soccer and girls tennis. Interested in playing one of these sports? Join us for a parent/player meeting Thursday, February 16 at 5:30pm in the GWHS Library. Questions? Contact Mr. Netherton. 

GET PAID TO GET YOUR COVID VACCINATION!
Denver Health School-Based Health Centers (SBHC) are offering $30 Visa gift cards to any DPS student or sibling of a DPS student who gets their COVID-19 vaccine! To receive a gift card, DPS students or DPS siblings must receive their COVID-19 vaccine at an SBHC site during a provider visit. A Visa gift card is gifted for EVERY COVID-19 vaccine dose (first, second, or booster); however, The Pulse (the SBHC at GWHS) ONLY has Pfizer bivalent booster doses at this time, which can only be given after the primary vaccine series has been administered. Multiple Visa gift cards can be gifted to the same family (for example, if one DPS student and one sibling are scheduled, the family is gifted one $60 Visa gift card or two $30 Visa gift cards. Funds for additional family members receiving doses will be loaded to the initial Visa gift card provided two weeks after a visit completion.

SAT PREP COURSE AT DU OR ONLINE
Campus Prep is offering a 27+ hour SAT Prep Course starting in February at University of Denver or online, with a special discount for GWHS students. The in-person course at DU is normally $225 (plus the cost of course materials), but GWHS students will pay $175; the online course is normally $175 but GWHS students pay $155. Campus Prep SAT prep courses are taught by a highly experienced teacher who formerly served as director of math for Denver Public Schools. Apply today at campusprep.org; courses are filling very quickly and space is limited.

GWHS FOOD PANTRY
GWHS is proud to announce its Food Pantry is now open for the 2022-2023 school year! All students and staff are eligible to participate. Each Wednesday, food will be distributed at the Food Pantry (located in room 3 in the sub-basement) from 2:45 to 3:30pm. Family-sized bags for weekend meals are available by signing up in advance, and special distributions will be make for holidays, winter break, etc. Interested in participating, or in volunteering or making a donation? Click HERE for more information.

MINI CHEER CAMP
Do you know a young student with a passion for cheer? Register for Mini Cheer Camp! Camp runs Monday, January 30 through Thursday, February 2 from 5:30 to 7:00pm in the GWHS Dance Room and Gym. Participants will learn cheers, tumbling and stunts, take lots of photos with our GWHS cheerleaders, and perform during halftime at the GWHS varsity basketball game on Saturday, February 4! Register for $45 before Monday, January 9; registration is $60 starting Tuesday, January 10. Questions? Contact Coach Shenae via email or text at (720) 628-2816.

GW LANDSCAPING COMMITTEE MEETING
Want to help beautify GWHS or plan the 2023 Go Green Day? Join us Wednesday, February 22 at 5:00pm at the Chop Shop in Lowry for our next GW Landscaping Committee meeting. Questions? Email Lisa Emerson.

BUY A BRICK!
Create a lasting dedication to honor a graduate or other loved one at GWHS by purchasing a customized, engraved brick. All bricks are installed in the walkway of the school’s north entrance. Supporters can also purchase tree dedications, which include a permanent customized plaque placed at the tree. 100% of contributions benefit the GWHS campus through the GW Landscape Committee and support GWHS’s annual Go Green event. To order or for more information, click HERE. Questions? Email Lisa Emerson. 

GO GREEN DAY/SAVE THE DATE
Mark your calendars! GWHS’s annual Go Green Day is Saturday, May 6 from 8:00am to 1:00pm. This is a fun day for students (who can earn community service hours), families and community members to plant trees and improve GWHS’s beautiful campus grounds. Lunch is provided. More details will be provided later this spring.

MULTILINGUAL EDUCATION DISTRICTWIDE ADVISORY COMMITTEE (MLE-DAC) MEETING
Come to the MLE-DAC meeting Wednesday, January 25 at Thomas Jefferson High School from 5:00pm to 7:00pm. Interpretation, dinner and childcare provided! At this session, you will receive important information and resources about the DPS Gifted and Talented Program. To register, scan the QR code in the ENGLISH or SPANISH flyer.

DPS BOARD REDISTRICTING FEEDBACK NEEDED
DPS needs your family’s feedback! The Denver Public Schools Board of Education is composed of five representative districts and two at-large members. According to Colorado state law, after each US Census, DPS must adjust the Board representative district borders in order to balance the total population in each district. In order to get the five board districts in balance, DPS Board of Education will be changing the borders of the five representative districts and need your feedback on how to shift the lines. Click HERE to learn how to attend a meeting (in-person or virtual), get more information, or complete a feedback survey.

PARENT/TEACHER HOME VISIT ADVISORY COMMITTEE APPLICATION
This committee will be made up of Denver Public Schools family, staff, and community members to help enhance and support the Parent/Teacher Home Visit program here at Denver Public Schools and GWHS. This committee will meet via Zoom from 6:00 to 7:00pm on the third Tuesday each month starting in February. The application closes Friday, February 10 at 4:00pm. More information and a QR code to apply is available in ENGLISH, SPANISH, ARABIC and SOMALI.

ATHLETICS WEEKLY UPDATE
Patriots perform highly in academics and athletics! See our weekly athletics update HERE.