Cory Caregivers,
What a wonderful first week of school! We are so grateful for the positive energy our students and staff have brought to Cory as we begin this new school year.
This week, our teachers and students have been focused on building classrooms and a school community that are safe, predictable, and consistent. Students are learning and practicing our school-wide expectations, routines, and rituals, while teachers are providing the structure, encouragement, and support students need to feel confident and successful.
Across the school, we are seeing students beginning to step into their roles as leaders and active members of our Cory community. Classrooms are filled with joy, curiosity, learning, and connection. Our teachers are intentionally building strong classroom cultures where students feel known, valued, and supported.
We know that building a strong culture takes time, and we are excited about the foundation being established during these first days. Our goal is to create the conditions where every student can thrive and grow—not only as a learner, but as a kind, confident, and contributing human being.
I want to celebrate the Student of the Week!
Jackson C, Bishop S, Eleanor B, Zaid A, Wyatt C, Kacey B, Finn B, Mila F, Mari B, Logan C, Mats K and Tuck G. Great work kiddos!!! Thank you for showcasing our Cory values!!
Thank you for partnering with us as we begin the year. We are looking forward to all that is ahead!
Warmly,
Joan and Anna
Parking at Cory:
We do ask for all caregivers to read the expectations for drop off and pick up. It is important that adults follow these expectations so we can keep students safe! Kiss & Go Arrival - Iowa Street
• Please arrive at Kiss and Go on Iowa to drop students off at 8:05
****Vehicles will not be allowed to park in the Kiss N Go Lane on Iowa.
• Vehicles will pull up to the Kiss and Go zone on Iowa Street.
• Once the front vehicle reaches the cones, students can exit the car.
• When the student is unloaded the vehicle will drive forward.
• Vehicles will not be permitted to make U-Turns upon leaving the Kiss and Go lane.
Kiss & Go Dismissal
• Kiss and Go dismissal will begin at 3:15 PM. Please do not arrive before 3:15 so we do not interfere with C3. It takes students at least 3-5 minutes to walk to the Kiss and Go.
• All Vehicles will pull up into the Kiss and Go zone on Iowa Street.
• Drivers will remain in their vehicles and wait for their students to be dismissed.
• Cory staff will dismiss students in the order of vehicles in the lineup.
• When the student is safely loaded the vehicle will drive forward.
Walkers/Bike Riders Dismissal
Parking Lot
• Families who need to park and enter the school will be allowed to park in the lot. Please do not drop students off in the parking lot without parking. Please do not park in the assigned parking spaces. The parking lot is not a Kiss and Go. PLEASE DO NOT DROP OFF STUDENTS IN THIS AREA.
IMPORTANT DATES:.
September 1 - PTA Dine Out at Bonnie Brae Ice Cream
September 7 - No School Labor Day
September 10th - Back to School Night - 5:00 – 6:30 PM: This evening is designed for parents and guardians to learn more about classroom routines, school expectations, curriculum, and important information for the upcoming school year. Families will also hear from school administration about schoolwide expectations, opportunities, and ways to stay connected throughout the year.
September 11 - First PTA Meeting
September 15 - Student Individual and class pictures
September 15th - Field Trip - Adapted Field Day
September 16 - Student Individual and class pictures
September 24th - October Count Begins!
September 28th - No School for Students - Teacher Work day
CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR STUDENTS OF THE WEEK for the week of August 24th!
Thank you for showing our Cory Kindness Value of CARING. Go CORY COUGARS!
1st Grade
2nd Grade
3rd Grade
4th Grade
5th Grade
Jackson C
Bishop S
Eleanor B
Zaid A
Wyatt C
Maggie T
Liam P
Kacey B
Finn B
Mila F
Mari B
Logan C
Mats K
Tuck G
Safety and Security For Parent Volunteers - The Raptor Sign in
ID Requirement: When visiting the school, we kindly ask that all families bring a government-issued ID. This is to help us verify identity and maintain a secure environment for our students. You will be entering your information into the DPS system in the school when you are working or in the building from now on. This process takes a few minutes so give yourself plenty of time.
The QR code resets often (creating a level of security) and is for the individual visitor. The visitor will scan the QR code at the main office and bypass the steps in verifying their identity. Once signed in, they will select their destination, their badge will print and they are good to go. This process would not take over current main office procedures, the main office staff should still verify the badge picture matches the visitor.
Here are the instructions on how to set up the Raptor application and the passport, in English and Spanish.
Submitting Attendance Online
Did you know you can save time by letting us know that your student or students are going to be arriving late, leaving early, or absent. You are able to use your computer or smartphone to let your school know about absences. Guardians of DPS students must have an active DPS Parent Portal account to use this new feature. Visit myportal.dpsk12.org to sign up, or to check that your account is active and ready.
From myportal.dpsk12.org you will need to maneuver to Infinite Campus. From the landing page, click on See All Apps in the upper left hand side of your screen Now click on Infinite Campus or IC.
Attendance
Our collective goal is that every student arrives to class on time and remains in class for the full day, every day. Every absence, even excused, makes it more difficult for students — and their peers — to succeed, no matter what grade they are in.
Access the 2026-27 school year calendar to plan appointments and vacations, ensuring your child does not miss valuable learning time.
The return to school also means the return of germs. Visit the Attendance website and one-pagers in multiple languages for guidance on when to keep your child home and when to send them to school.
Do you hear that? Band is BACK at Cory!
Stop quietly listening to music and start MAKING YOUR OWN! You will learn everything you need to start making your own music. Band is available for all 4th and 5th graders. You’ll learn how to read the secret language of music, how to play flute, clarinet, saxophone, trumpet or trombone, as well as perform on stage with your
best friends and have the skills to make music yours!
Registration opens Friday, 8/28 and closes Sunday, 9/6). Band Class is before school in the Cory Auditorium, from 7:15-8:10AM. Band starts 9/8 for Beginners and 9/16 for Intermediates. Email or message Jason at jasonolneymusic@gmail.com // 208-339-4090
What’s the best way to get connected with Cory?
Log on to our Cory Website to stay current on all of our community events and needs.
Thrillshare, the communication platform for DPS, offers the accessibility for families to communicate with staff.
Join our Cory Facebook and Instagram pages for general school information.
We have the BEST PTA ever!
We would not be able to do our best for our students and school without the dedication and investment of our PTA and parents. I encourage you to join our Parent Teacher Association! https://johncorypta.givebacks.com/shop. Our PTA continues to amaze us with their fundraising efforts which provide incredible support for our staff and students. The PTA helps to fund things such as:
Financial support for technology upgrades, curriculum resources, and staff professional development
Funding for supplies, materials, and equipment for our Specials teachers
Grant funding to grade-level teachers and individual classrooms who seek additional funding for special projects and classroom resources,
And much, much more!
I hope you enjoy your last weeks of summer! The staff and I are eagerly waiting to welcome you to another wonderful school year and look forward to seeing families and students very soon!
We look forward to continuing building our mission and vision with the partnership of our amazing community. As always, please email me at jwieser@dpsk12.net or call the main office at Cory at (720) 424-8380 if you have questions or need assistance.
Social-Emotional Success at Cory:
The Behavioral and Emotional Screening System (BESS) Social Emotional FALL 2026 screener is now OPEN! Parents and guardians, please complete this for your student, we conduct this screener 3x per school year and these results inform decisions regarding behavioral and social emotional supports for students at school. *** 1st-2nd grader parents are REQUIRED to complete the BESS parent screener for their child. 3rd-5th grade parents are highly encouraged but not required to complete the BESS parent screener.
Questions about the BESS? Click here: https://ess.dpsk12.org/o/studentequity/page/dpsscreening
Link here to complete your child's screener: https://review360connect.com/Prod/DenverPublicSchools/Parent/
Thank you for your participation in supporting our students’ social and emotional well-being!
What is TSEAL? Transformative Social Emotional Academic Learning
“Transformative SEAL” is a process whereby young people and adults build strong, respectful, and lasting, relationships that facilitate co-learning to critically examine root causes of inequity, and to develop collaborative solutions that lead to personal, community, and societal well-being. This form of TSEAL is aimed at redistributing power to promote social justice through increased engagement in school and civic life. It emphasizes the development of identity, agency, belonging, curiosity, and collaborative problem solving
It's critically important that school wide TSEAL implementation intentionally nurtures an environment in which educators gain social and emotional competence by learning, collaborating, and modeling their social and emotional skills. Along with these social and emotional skills, schools must also fold in conversations about race, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, language and ability so that the conversation about TSEAL takes into account the student’s fullest identities. It is recommended that schools do a deep dive into understanding how educators, students, and community can navigate conversations about race, sex, gender, ableism and other social identities in order to establish systems and supports that strengthen both adult and student Social Emotional Academic Learning.
Come along on our Cory TSEAL journey!
Unit 1: Positive School Culture and Classroom Community - Value of the month is Caring