Helix Feed

Take a look at how DSST is planning for the future

Over the summer, DSST kicked off planning for what we want DSST to look and feel like in five years. Since then, DSST has hosted focus groups, conducted interviews, sent out surveys, researched, and engaged nearly 1,600 DSST community members -- students, alumni, families and staff members -- in this process.  Community input and support have been crucial and will continue to be critical as we continue to build out the DSST Strategic Plan.

Josafat Rodriguez piling up goals for Manual boys soccer

Josafat Rodriguez, DSST: Cole high school student, is just trying to have fun on the soccer field. The nearly three goals that he scores every game are just an added bonus.
 
Rodriguez and the Manual Thunderbolts are a part of the Class 2A classification this fall, which has far more scoring than anywhere else in the state. The Junior forward is battling it out, day in and day out, with the Loftus School’s Fredy Peraza for the top scorer in all of Colorado.

Want a free lunch for your school? Here's how to get it.

The Tri 1 Family Survey is open now through next Friday, Oct. 28. We use a lot of this data to help us create the best environment and experience for our students and families. 

401K Update: What you need to know about the migration to Empower Retirement

Last year, Empower Retirement purchased Mass Mutual (our 401k provider). As a result, at the end of this month, all Mass Mutual data will be migrated over to Empower Retirement.

5 tips for students during Colorado's Free Application Days and college application season

Colorado’s Free Application Days event offers every student across the state the opportunity to apply to college free of cost. But even if students miss the three-day window, they haven’t missed their chance to apply to college or prepare for life after high school.

The days, from Oct. 18 to Oct. 20, serve as an unofficial kickoff to the college application season. However, Colorado students shouldn’t feel like they need to rush through the college application process just to meet the free application deadline.

A persistent myth among students is that you have to pay to apply to schools, said Analise Gonzalez-Fine, director of college initiatives at DSST Public Schools, a Denver-area charter school network. But that’s not universally true.

The deadline is fast approaching! It's time to submit your Public Service Loan Forgiveness paperwork.

The deadline to turn in your Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) paperwork is fast approaching. 

FYI on DEI: What you need to know about DEI work at DSST

Here are some of the things our DEI team focused on for the 2021-22 school year.

Workday is getting a new look!

Workday is going to look a little different starting Sept. 10. Here is what you need to know about the changes coming to the site.

Denver teachers, stoked to see their students, know COVID's legacy is still with them

COVID forced everyone at Denver Public Schools to learn from home during the 2020/2021 school year. Kids were mostly back in classes last year, but things were still a little sideways, and they remain as such.

Madi Perry, a calculus teacher at DSST: Green Valley Ranch High School, told us she signed up for an Amazon wishlist for the first time this year. She mostly worried her students’ families would struggle to afford the items on their back-to-school shopping lists.

“I offered folders yesterday, and way over half the class came up and took them from me,” she told us. “Everything I bought has been used. I felt like I was totally right about that.”

Perry also said “massive dips and declines” in academics, which stemmed from the learn-from-home era, are still super apparent.

Back to school: dogs, AP classes and alarm clocks. What Colorado students are looking forward to this school year and what they want changed

Amaryana is launching her senior year. The 17-year-old is excited about the classes at her Denver school, DSST: Montview, and excited for her last year of playing volleyball. When asked if she has played all four years of high school, she answers with a polite, “Yes, ma’am.”

Amaryana said she likes the team bonding on the volleyball squad – it’s like a family. On the team she’s learned the nuances of good communication and knows that will help her in life. She’s also looking forward to her advanced placement classes this year. She doesn’t really like reading but said the heavy reading and writing load gets her ready for college.

“I’m being prepared for that,” she said.