Principal’s Update for In-Person K-2nd Grade Families

Posted November 13, 2020

Student writing alphabet letters

Dear In-Person K-2nd Grade Families:

McT teachers and staff are committed to providing safe, consistent, and effective learning opportunities for all of our students. We’ve offered all our families the opportunity to choose the learning option that works best for them, whether that is in our school building or 100% remote, and we have worked hard to guarantee that every family has received the learning preference that they requested. Families will be given an opportunity in December to indicate their preferred learning model for the second semester, which begins in January.

If an in-person student or their family is exposed to COVID-19 and needs to quarantine (based on the direction of our school nurse or your medical provider), we are able to temporarily enroll your student in their grade level’s remote learning class for the duration of the quarantine. Please allow a full 24 hours for us to gather important remote learning information for your family. Students may not attend the remote learning class until their parent or guardian completes these steps:

  1. Call our office to provide COVID tracking information — 720-424-5600.
  2. Speak with our school nurse, Jennifer Iltis, to receive quarantine information.
  3. Receive your child’s class schedule and placement in small groups.
  4. Pick up all required materials from the school building.
  5. Help your student join their first remote class 15 minutes early to meet the teacher and review expectations.

Unfortunately, we do not have the staff capacity, materials, or resources available for in-person students in grades K-2 to switch to our remote learning classes on a short-term basis for reasons other than quarantine.

  • If your child is in quarantine for 14 days or more (and this has been verified with our school nurse), we will enroll your child in our remote class for their grade and ensure we provide the materials and resources they need to participate successfully. Please follow steps #1-5 above.
  • If your child is sick for a few days, we are NOT able to temporarily enroll your child in the remote class. Just like in a normal school year, if your child is sick, they should rest and recover, and not attend classes. They will make up missing work when they return to school.
  • Even if your child is not allowed to attend school due to COVID-like symptoms, we are NOT able to temporarily enroll your child in the remote class. Even if their symptoms are mild, they should rest and recover, and not attend classes. They will make up missing work when they return to school.
  • If your child is missing school for other reasons (vacation, family business, etc.) we are NOT able to temporarily enroll your child in the remote class due to a lack of staff capacity, materials, and resources.

If you have any questions, please call our main office at 720-424-5600 or email us at McKinley_Thatcher@dpsk12.org. We deeply appreciate your compassion and understanding for our teachers and staff as we work our hardest to best serve your students and help everyone stay healthy!

Thank you,
Sonia Geerdes
Principal