Heads Up Hamilton: Sunday, February 21, 2021

Posted February 21, 2021

Upcoming Week

Important dates & information for the week ahead.

Weekly Overview
  • Monday, February 22
    • Virtual, asynchronous day for all Hamilton students
    • Staff Vaccination Day
  • Tuesday, February 23
    • Group A students in-person all other students virtual
    • CMAS survey due: Read More Below
    • Dine Out & Support Hamilton! Read More >>>
  • Wednesday, February 24
    • All students virtual.
  • Thursday, February 25
    • Group B in-person learning, all other students virtual
  • Friday, February 26
    • Group B in-person learning, all other students virtual.
    • CMAS opt-out due: Read More Below

Students, please remember when you are in the building no hats, no hoods, and no phones. Please maintain social distance in the classroom and hallways, and use hand sanitizer frequently.

Christian’s Corner

Dear Hamilton Families,I hope that you are well in these times. I say that with purpose, as I know how challenging these times are in many of our lives. I am so proud each day that I get to work with our Hamilton Huskies and see how hard our students, community, teachers, and staff are trying to work together and forge ahead in our learning through these times. 

I am writing to share some personal news. Unfortunately, I will have to step away from my work at Hamilton for a period of time, beginning in early March. I must have surgery and deal with a health concern that cannot be delayed. I am grateful that I have the opportunity to access healthcare, though I truly wish my work with Hamilton would not be interrupted in these times. 

While I am away, I am leaving the building in the more-than-capable hands of our assistant principals, Ms. Victor and Ms. Shearer. Rest assured that there will be no disruption to the learning environment, and that the excellent progress at Hamilton will continue to grow through the strong leadership of our entire team. Additionally, I will be thankful to introduce you to an interim principal, who will serve our Hamilton community during my leave. I look forward to introducing them to you in the coming weeks. 

Hamilton is a very special place to me, most especially because of the students in our community. I will be eager to return to work with our Huskies to have a successful conclusion to our school year. And, in the meantime, I know our beloved school is in great hands.

Go Huskies!

Christian

In-Person Health & Safety
Technology

If your child needs to replace a damaged chromebook or charger come to Hamilton for:
Technology Support Office Hours
by appointment
Monday: 8:30 am – 10:30 am
Wednesday: 12:30 – 2:30 pm

Please email our School Technology Partner, Mr. Driggers, at DAYTONA_DRIGGERS@dpsk12.org to let him know that you are coming.
Thank you for respecting social distancing guidelines.

Monday Morning Meeting

CMAS

We need all families to fill out this short survey about whether they plan to have their student(s) take the CMAS assessments this year! Please complete the survey by Tuesday, February 23.

Not Taking CMAS

If you do not plan to have your student take CMAS, you must officially opt out by Friday, February 26. To officially opt out:

  1. Log into Parent Portal
  2. Go to “See All Aps” under the Alerts bar
  3. The Assessment Opt Out Form will be on the second row.
  4. Please do not hesitate to reach out if you are unable to access the site or the form.
Taking CMAS

If you are having your student take CMAS and they are currently 100% virtual, you will need to bring them to school on their testing days.

HEALTH SCREEN: Students will be given the following health screen.  Please review and screen your student prior to sending them to school.

MASKS: It is absolutely required all students are wearing a mask at all times.

Families

Opportunities for families

Parent-Teacher Student Association

JOIN THE PTSA!
The Hamilton Parent Teacher Student Association (PTSA) welcomes ALL Hamilton families, staff, and students to become members! CLICK HERE to complete a membership form and pay annual dues.
 

SUPPORT OUR HUSKIES
AMAZON SMILE
Experience feel good shopping! Begin your shopping at smile.amazon.com and Amazon will donate 0.5% of eligible purchases to Hamilton at no cost to you!

BOXTOPS FOR EDUCATION
The new and improved Box Tops mobile app uses state-of-the-art technology to scan your store receipt, find participating products and instantly add Box Tops to your school’s earnings online. Learn more at boxtops4education.com.

School-Based Health Center Awareness Month

Denver Health’s School-Based Health Centers (SBHCs) offer no-cost pediatric care. Services are available to any Denver Public Schools (DPS) student or child that attends a DPS affiliated Early Childhood Education (ECE) center within Denver County. SBHCs offer convenient care that limits the amount of time students are out of class and parent/guardians have to be off work. Students are able to get same day or next day appointments.

Read more >>>

Yearbooks on Sale Now!

People are reserving their yearbooks! They cost $25, to purchase a yearbook go to yearbookordercenter.com.

Summer 2022: France & Spain Trip

Dear HMS Parents– We are so excited to announce our next international travel adventure for Hamilton students which will take place in the Summer of 2022: a return to France & Spain!
We are hosting an online meeting so families can learn more from the safety and comfort of their homes. Please use the highlighted link at the bottom of this email to register for the meeting, even if you can’t make it. Thank you! For security reasons, you must register for the meeting in order to receive the online meeting link. 
Why this opportunity now?

  • Something for students, who’ve sacrificed so much, to look forward to
  • A chance for students to reconnect to a world that feels distant and remote right now
  • Spread payments over a longer period of time, making the opportunity much more affordable
  • Access to a $200 enrollment scholarship (we’ll talk more about this at the meeting)
  • Allow students to step out of their comfort zones, grow their social skills, make connections to their studies, bridge cultural gaps, and take part in an experience that will set them apart when applying to college and their future careers

There has been a ton of interest among the students, but unfortunately, we can only offer a limited number of spots. These spots will be available on a first-come, first-served basis and have traditionally filled up quickly. We’ve been talking about this experience at school if you would like to ask your student for more details, as well. Meeting Details & Registration (must register to receive meeting link): bit.ly/2OAQeHw
We look forward to seeing you there and filling you in!
Sincerely,
Ms. Mariani & the HMS France & Spain ‘22 Travel Team

Students

African American Young Ladies Summitt

Create spaces for AA young ladies to belong, be safe to grow, learn and feel like the amazing creations they are. Hamilton has a YYAFS group! We meet on Wednesdays from 3:15 – 4:00 pm. Google Meet Code: GGAAYLS.

African American Young Ladies’ Summit (AAYLS) consists of young ladies from 6th grade through college. The program started with 9th-12th grades and has expanded due to the demand of students and the community. Each gathering provides culturally responsive support in a trauma-informed/sensitive environment enriching the educational, social, intellectual and interpersonal opportunities for African American young ladies. LEARN MORE >>>>

Love Peace Diversity (LPD) Club

We welcome new and old members on Fridays! LPD = Hamilton’s GSAClub meets every other Friday.Meeting Time 12:10 – 12:55 pmQuestions? Send a Schoology message or email to Ms. Flipse, Mr. Mollman, or Mrs. PetersGoogle Meets code: HamiltonLPD

Yearbook

Submit your selfies and photos of remote learning  for Hamilton’s 2020-21 yearbook with our yearboook app. Hamilton families can load the app HJeShare onto their phones. The school code is hamilton. You can upload photos directly from your camera or photo files onto the yearbook website for us to use. 

8th Grade STEM Students

If you are an 8th grader interested in the CCT STEM Magent program at Thomas Jefferson High School please reach out to Ms. Fussner!

Even if you did not choice into TJ you can still be recruited to the magnet program with a recommendation from Ms. Fussner, email her through Schoology with any questions!

Resources

Clothes for Kids

CLOTHES TO KIDS OF DENVER 
The mission of CTKD is to provide new and quality used clothing to students from low-income or in-crisis families in the Denver Metro Area, free of charge.

Shopping at CTKD is as easy as 1 -2 -3: Call us at (720) 379-4630 and dial “0.” Phones are open Monday – Friday from 9:00 am – 5:00 pm. If we don’t answer, please leave a voicemail, and we will call you back as soon as possible. You can also request a wardrobe by emailing us at appointment@clothestokidsdenver.org
Please go HERE for more information.

COVID-19 Vaccination

Read about the COVID-19 Vaccination
Health Care Resources

FREE COVID-19 TESTING
Now through the end of December, free COVID-19 testing is available to all community members. Through a partnership with Colorado Department of Public Health and the Environment, COVIDCheck Colorado — which has been providing free testing to all DPS employees — is offering free tests for all employees, their families and members of the Denver community to help slow the spread of COVID.

Community members can use this link to schedule a free test at one of several locations throughout the Denver-metro area. 

HEALTH CARE FROM HOME

Hazel Health and DPS are extending our partnership to offer “Hazel at Home”, our telehealth platform that allows Hamilton students to connect to a licensed medical provider from the comfort of their home using any device with a web browser.

In addition, there are no copays for any families through the end of the 2020-21 School Year, due to the pandemic.

Hamilton Families can now sign up for Hazel at Home by navigating to: my.hazel.co/dpsk12

DENVER HEALTH SCHOOL BASED CLINICS
We are open to all DPS students for both in-person and telehealth appointments for both new and existing patients. Our services are provided at NO COST to all DPS families.
Flu shots are now available.

For more information visit https://www.denverhealth.org/services/school-based-health-centers

Thomas Jefferson School Based Clinic: 720-423-7190
Place Bridge Academy School Based Clinic: 720-424-2050

Food Resources
FREE MEAL DELIVERY 
Sign Up for Colorado Food Cluster Meal Deliveries
Colorado Food Cluster (CFC) provides free meals to youth ages 6-18 in the Denver Metro Area (within 20 miles of downtown). Any students ages 6 – 18 are eligible – they just need a student ID to enroll and families can enroll multiple students in each household. 
Each student will receive a weekly delivery of 7 dinners and 14 snacks, including fruit and milk, until June 30, 2021. Complete this form to enroll!
FREE LUNCH & BREAKFAST FOR STUDENTS
Hamilton is a food distribution location
Denver Public Schools is distributing DPS student breakfast and lunch meals at sites throughout the city this fall. Sites are open Monday through Friday from 11:00 am until 1:00 pm. Hamilton Middle School is now a distribution site. You can view the list of curbside pickup locations HERE.
FREE AND REDUCED COST LUNCH FORM Fill It Out or Update before In-Person Learning
DPS is committed to feeding every child, every day! 
To apply for Free or Reduced Lunch or to update your application visit https://www.myschoolapps.com/Application

Community Food Resources

Drivethough Foodbank 
Hertiage Christian Center has a drive through Food Pantry open every
Tuesday from 11:00 am – 1:00 pm &
Saturday from 10:00 am – 12:00 pm.
No registration required.

Heritage Christian Center is located at 14401 E Exposition Ave Dever, CO 80224.
Call 303-738-5080 with questions.

Neighborhood Food Pantry
The Community Life Center has a Food Pantry open on the third Friday of the month from 6:00 – 8:00 pm. The registration is required. Community Life Center is located at 9725 E Hampden Ave, G-106 Denver, CO 80231. Email iolcmauroraFoodBank@gmail.com with questions.

Food Pantry – REGISTER HERE.

Jewish Family Services Weinberg Food Pantry
The Weinberg Food Pantry is providing pre-packed boxes of food to anyone experiencing food insecurity with no documentation or sign up needed. To limit face-to-face interactions and promote social distancing, boxes of food are distributed through a pick-up system directly outside of the pantry.

Struggle of Love Foundation Food Pantry
Struggle of Love offers alternatives to those with limited opportunities that may not qualify for any other community based assistance programs. SOL’s wish is to inspire and educate our future generation so that they can make a positive difference in the world’s future.

Coventant Cupboard Food Pantry
Weekly food distributions to ensure that immediate food needs are met.

Whole Child

Whole Child Resources

No-Cost Child Safe Kit for Hamilton Middle School

No-Cost Child Safe Kits for Hamilton Families. Use the digital request form to request your FREE kit. Digital request form

Social Emotional Learning at Home

The recording is now available for… Social Emotional Learning at Home Click HERE to access the recording and presentation materials in English, Spanish, and Vietnamese.Have a great day!