Force Elementary

Home of the Roadrunners

Important Updates

Posted: Aug 04, 2020

Hi Everyone,

I hope you all are well and enjoying the last few days of July with your families.  There is a lot of information in this email, and a lot still remains unknown.  Thank you for your patience and your support as we are creating plans for this school year based on current information and guidelines available.  I will continue to send out updates as information becomes available.

First day of school K-5th: Monday, August 24th, Remote Learning for all students:  DPS will begin the 2020-21 school year with remote learning for K-5th grade students and may transition into in-person learning beginning October 26th. There has not been a plan published by DPS for ECE students at this time.  We will follow up shortly as soon as we have concrete details about ECE.

Annual Family Enrollment – Opened July 27th
The annual student registration process launched July 27, 2020- It is imperative that you complete this process online as soon as possible in order for us to prepare for staffing of both the 100% virtual program and the hybrid in-person/remote option.

Please note that a mandatory supplemental form will be included to capture each student’s enrollment decision for either the In-Person/Remote Learning option or the 100% Virtual/Online option. Families will make a choice to be in effect for through December 2020.

You must have a Parent Portal account to participate online.  If you need to open a Parent Portal account so you can do the update and have access to other important information about your student, go to https://myportal.dpsk12.org/ and click on Getting Started.  You will need your student’s DPS ID# to start your account.  If you forgot your password or you can’t log in, you can get help by emailing portalteam@dpsk12.org or calling the portal hotline at 720.423.3163.

To access the Annual Family Enrollment, go to the DPS website at https://www.dpsk12.org/  and click on the Departments & Services tab and scroll down to School Choice and Enrollment. There will be a link for Annual Family Update starting July 27th. You will use your Parent Portal username and password to get in. Only the parent listed as the first emergency contact in the primary household in IC can do AFU.

If you registered in May, you must go back into the system to fill out the additional document to determine online or in person (should it become available) learning for your child.

Instructional Programming Options for Fall 2020 (through December)
Force will offer two distinct instructional programming options for 1st semester: 1) a 100% virtual learning program; and 2) an in-person/hybrid/remote option. To help families make informed decisions for the new school year, below is a summary of how these two learning options will work.  Both of these options include instruction in English and Spanish.

100% Virtual Learning Program:
Students will participate in a full-time online school program from August 24-December 18. Students will NOT attend school in-person for the 1st semester.  Students will be assigned a teacher from Force wherever possible. In some cases, students may be assigned to a teacher from a different school in our community based on class sizes and staffing availability. This will be the assigned teacher for at least the first semester.  The 100% online program will utilize the Force curriculum and follow the same schedule, to the extent possible, as students attending the ‘in-person/remote option.’ Math and small literacy groups will continue to be differentiated to support all students in receiving engaging and challenging learning experiences.  Students will engage in learning in a variety of learning modes. Students will engage in: 1) live whole group and small group lessons 2) completion of work independently both online and on paper 3) practice of skills using various learning applications

In-person/Remote learning option:
Students will participate in school remotely from August 24th-September 8th. Beginning October 26th, students will engage in in-person learning, if conditions allow us to do so safely, or will continue with remote/online learning until conditions allow. Students may go back and forth between in-person and remote learning based on health and safety protocols.

Math and small literacy groups will continue to be differentiated to support all students in receiving engaging and challenging learning experiences.

When students are participating in remote/online learning, students will engage in learning in a variety of learning modes. Students will engage in: 1) live whole group and small group lessons 2) completion of work independently both online and on paper 3) practice of skills using various learning applications

When students are participating in in-person learning, students will engage in learning in a variety of learning modes, with health and safety safeguards in place. Health and safety safeguards will include, but are not limited to:

▪ Passive health screenings daily for all staff and students prior to entering the building;

▪ Students will be in cohorts (same class/group of students all day). Some students may be placed in a maximum of two cohorts based on staffing or student needs (dependent upon health guidelines);

▪ Lunch will be in classrooms or outside;

▪ Masks, frequent hand washing and social distancing required;

▪ Frequent disinfecting of common areas (bathrooms, door knobs, stair rails, etc.);

Student Technology
Every Force student (K-5) will be provided a Chromebook that they can access throughout the day and the school year. Students will not be able to share computers with peers.  Students who participate in the ‘In-person/Remote option’ will need to bring this computer to school and home each day.  If your child already has a Force Chromebook, you will keep it to use for this year’s remote/virtual learning. If your family needs a Chromebook, please communicate this on the Annual Family Registration and be on the lookout for more communication from us about technology distribution.

As always, let us know if you have any questions, need supports or if you have any concerns

Val and Lorenza