Can you believe that February is basically over? March is right around the corner. As we head into the last days of February and look toward March, here are some important dates to remember:
February 26th- Asynchronous school for ALL students
February 26th- Last day for 3rd-5th grade parents to opt students out of CMAS testing in Parent Portal (see below)
March 5th- Student Led Conferences. No school for students. Check with your crew leaders to sign up for a SLC time if you have not already
March 8th- Non-student contact day. No school for students.
In other news, today I read a powerful email from EL Education. Instead of trying to paraphrase what I read I thought I'd share the email in it's entirety with you since the message is timely and relevant to the anti-racist work we're engaging in at Centennial. Many parents are facing difficult choices about sending their children back to in-person classes: will the students get sick? Will other members of our household be safe? But for Asian American families, there is an additional concern: will my children be the target of racism built on slander, lies, and blame for the coronavirus? These fears are well founded: between just March and December of 2020, more than 2,800 incidences of harassment or violence were reported to the group Stop AAPI Hate. Recent acts of extreme violence against members of the Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) community across the country make it clear that the issue is not going away.
In the words of James Baldwin, “History is not the past. It is the present.” Recent derogatory aspersions have inflamed long-simmering racism that reaches back to a history of discrimination. The harm experienced by generations of Asian American students, whether being bullied based on physical features or stereotyped as a “model minority,” are rooted in past racism embodied in the Page Act of 1875, the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, and the Chinese Massacre of 1871. (For an example of EL Education students unearthing the silenced history in their own community, check out this projectfrom Silverton, CO).
At EL Education, we know that all students need “mirrors, windows, and sliding doors”—the opportunity to see their own lived experience reflected in stories, both ones they read and those they create; views into the different perspectives of others, and how power and privilege look in different cultures; and doors that empower them to be changemakers in creating a better world. Through such learning experiences, students build their identity and imagine how their lives are connected to the larger human endeavor. Racism in all its forms, including anti-Asian and anti-Black, has shaped our students’ lives and our educational systems. In response, we have committed to four pillars of anti-racist education:
Instruction that challenges, engages, and empowers learners
Access to standards-based, content-rich, culturally affirming curriculum
Explicit anti-racist discussion, practice, and action
School culture that fosters positive identity, belonging, agency, and purpose
Building these pillars is very much still in progress—in the work of our organization and likewise in our own growth as individuals. As the Lunar New Year celebration comes to a close and the Year of the Ox gets underway, we look to this symbol of trustworthy patience and diligent hard work for inspiration. Please join us: together we will succeed in creating an equitable future for all.
Further resources from EL Education:
Asian and Asian American Books that Changed Us. Ingrid Wong, Genie Kang, Alison Lee, Karmela Herrera Billones, Laxmi Rajak, Roel Mason-Vivit, Rominna Villasenńňor, members of the EL Education AAPI Affinity Group
As always, we're extremely appreciative off your support and collaboration.
Have a wonderful weekend and reach out should you need anything.
Sincerely,
Laura and Emily
Colorado Measures of Academic Success (CMAS)
If you are a family with students in 3rd-5th grade please make sure that you read the recent information shared with your crews about the upcoming Colorado Measures of Academic Success (CMAS) assessments. As of now, school districts are still required to administer the CMAS assessments and all test administration must be done in person. Letters shared with 3rd-5th grade crews speak in more detail about the testing dates, and what steps families need to take should they wish to opt their student out of CMAS testing this year. Because of the pandemic there is NO penalty to students or schools if students are opted out of the assessments. In a ’normal’ year the school would receive a 0 score for students who don't take the assessment, but this ‘penalty’ has been waived this year. If you did not receive the recent 3rd-5th grade CMAS communication please reach out to your teacher. Teachers can answer questions as well, OR you can email Laura or Emily directly.
Updates from the Science Lab!
Fourth & Fifth: Students continue the work of systems engineers, trying to determine the cause of blackouts in the fictional town of Ergstown. They have spent time researching energy sources and are now learning how those sources are converted into usable electrical energy. Scroll down to the blue section of this website to learn more about source converters. https://sites.google.com/dpsk12.net/caselscienceexpeditions/4-5/energy-conversions?authuser=1
Second & Third Grade: We are continuing the work of wildlife biologists as we learn about traits and inheritance. Students are using digital and paper models to grow their understanding of how offspring gain traits using special instructions (inherited genes). Keep exploring wildlife biologists at work or read more from our Handbook of Traits books: https://sites.google.com/dpsk12.net/caselscienceexpeditions/2-3/frogs?authuser=1
Kindergarten & First Grade: Students have been introduced to a weather and sunlight mystery: Why do playgrounds have different temperatures? Through modeling and spending time outdoors, students are exploring how sunlight affects surfaces. Please keep exploring weather together: https://sites.google.com/dpsk12.net/caselscienceexpeditions/k-1/weather?authuser=1
Your enrichment teachers have created lessons for you and your ECE-4 student. Here are the links to the lessons and please reach out with any questions:
MONDAY: PE and Dance with Mrs. Marcely (shari_marcely@dpsk12.org)
TUESDAY: Art with Miss Katie(Katie_McGowan@dpsk12.org)
WEDNESDAY: Library and Technology with Miss Cindy (cindy_spruce@dpsk12.org)
THURSDAY: Sciencewith Miss Michelle(michelle_morton@dpsk12.org)
Non-Student Contact Day
Friday, February 26. 2021
Student Lead Conferences
Friday, March 5th
Enrichment Teachers will be available during Student Led Conferences on Friday, March 5. Please stop by our shared Google Meet link anytime between 8:00-2:00. Here's the link: https://meet.google.com/uht-omsx-bqj
