What Families Should Know about E-School This Year

We are thrilled to kick off the 20-21 school year with E-School. We are choosing to view this challenging moment as an opportunity. It’s an opportunity to live our values, to use technology in new ways and to foster innovation and creativity. Our commitment to our students remains unwavering, even during this difficult time.

We are working on a number of additional resources to help you understand and prepare for this school year, and we will continue to share them via email and on our website. Even though E-School details are still being finalized, we want to answer some pertinent questions and ensure every family is equipped with the right tools going into the school year.

What will the first day of school look like?

The first day of school - August 24th for all Denver DSST schools and August 18th for Aurora Science & Tech - will look different this year. We will begin the year online. Students will use their school laptops to login to Microsoft Teams, meet their teachers, and begin their classes.

Will DSST reopen for in-person school?

The earliest we would return to school would be after fall break. We will be re-assessing whether reopening is safe closer to that time, on October 1.

The safety and health of our community is of utmost importance to us. We will continue to monitor the state of the pandemic and update our community as we have more information.

Where can I find the latest updates and resources regarding the DSST 20-21 school year?

You can visit this website at any time to find the latest information about the 20-21 school year and any related network decisions.

What do parents need to do before school starts?

1. Ensure their student has a dedicated workspace where they can focus on their work throughout the school day.
2. Complete DPS Annual Family Update (or Registration for Aurora Science & Tech) and laptop pickup. This week, we distributed nearly 7,000 laptops. If your student did not receive one, please contact your school as soon as possible.
3. It’s important to have your student turn on your DSST computer, log in, and connect to a wifi network the week before school starts. This has a number of important benefits: 
   • It helps to ensure that the computer is in working order, it allows the computer to automatically download important updates, and allows the computer to “check in” with the DSST network to let us know that the computer is working as expected for the first day of school.
4. Download and verify yourself on the Flyer app! We will continue to leverage the Flyer app this year to ensure fast, efficient, and equitable communications directly from your school and the DSST network. Progress reports will be distributed through Flyer during this school year, so it is vital that at least one guardian has the app downloaded and themselves verified. You can visit our Flyer info site or view this quick tutorial to get started. 

What will a typical day look like?

More specific schedules will come from your school before the first day of school.  In response to your feedback from last spring, we will have even more real-time instruction this fall for all DSST students, and just like last spring, we will be offering full and structured days to maximize learning and engagement.  

• DSST Middle schools will run from 8:15AM - 2:45PM Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday. Wednesdays are early dismissal across the network; please see your campus-specific schedule for end time (no later than 1:00PM). 
• DSST High schools will run from 8:30AM - 3:00PM with 6 academic periods during the day. High schools will run an alternating block schedule on Wednesdays at most campuses, beginning at 8:30AM and ending at 1:00PM.

How will E-School differ from last spring?

E-School this year will look very different from this spring. While we are still finalizing the details, we know a few things for sure:

• Live Learning - This year’s online classes will feel like a typical school day, with more real-time instruction and small classes with our teachers.
• One academic platform - All academic materials will be stored in one platform (Google Classroom) to make it as easy as possible for students and families to find them.
• STEM @ home kits - Students will receive science supply kits that will allow them to conduct hands-on science experiments at home in real time!
• High school “opt-ins” - We are thrilled to offer additional STEM and Arts courses as “opt ins” that are open to all High School students across our schools. These courses will be taught by some DSST's experts in their content area across our network, some after school and some during school, scheduling permitting.
• Student supports - Students who receive special education or English language learning services will have those built more seamlessly into their day.

Who do I contact for help?