Parent Post 8/8/2025

Posted August 8, 2025

We would like to invite caregivers to continue to partner with us in the education of your children. We know you do this daily through conversations about school, reading with your students and helping your students with homework. We hope that you also get involved by joining the PTA and completing a volunteer application https://face.dpsk12.org/o/communityengagement/page/volunteer-services so that you can volunteer at school.

Back to School Night

Due to ongoing construction and limited time for classroom preparation, this year’s Back to School Night will look a bit different. We invite you to join us on Wednesday, August 13th from 5:00 to 6:30 PM for an evening designed to connect with other families, get to know our staff, and learn about the upcoming school year.

Feel free to bring a dinner and blanket to enjoy a relaxed atmosphere on the field, where families will gather by grade level. Each teacher will have a table on the field, and you’ll have the opportunity to meet them in person. To complement this, teachers will send out a welcome video ahead of time, along with a QR code linking to important information for the year. The administrative team will also send out a video with important Cory information. 

The evening will begin with a warm welcome from the Principal and Assistant Principal, setting the tone for an engaging and supportive school community. In order to prepare for Back to School Night, we are asking families to submit any questions they have about Cory.  The purpose of submitting questions for Back to School Night is to ensure that families have the opportunity to address their specific concerns and interests in advance. This helps us prepare meaningful, targeted responses and presentations that meet the needs of the community. Please submit your questions using the form by Aug. 11th. 

We look forward to seeing you there and starting the year together!

We ask that school supplies are brought on Back to School Night.  Teachers will have tables where you can place the items.  

Parking at Cory: 

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 

• Students will walk with paras out to their designated spot 

• Students will be released to parent/guardian or if parent has completed the form for students to walk themselves or bike home, they can proceed to go home without being released to parents 

• When leaving school grounds, ALL students and families must use crosswalks. 

Parent Permission to walk and bike home alone- https://forms.gle/aBZ4R2YSyPxKUGtv8 

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.

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.

Navigate to Absence Requests within Infinite Campus. You are now in Infinite Campus Portal.  On the right side of your screen, click on Absence Requests under Shortcuts.

Safety and Security 

What This Means for You:

• Student Number: Please be prepared to provide your child’s student number upon arrival or dismissal. This will assist us in streamlining the check-in and check-out process. You will be checking your student  in or out on our the new computer system 
• Visitor Check-In Process: Upon entering the school, visitors will be asked to provide their name, the reason for their visit, and check in at the main office. This new protocol will help us monitor who is entering our building and ensure that all visitors have legitimate reasons for being on campus.
• 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.
  • We have an easier visitor check in and check out. Visitors that visit the schools often, can download the application and verify their identity ahead of time, allowing them to not need to sign in with their state issued ID. 
  • 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. 
    • Raptor Safe App and Passport (English)
    • Raptor Safe App and Passport (Spanish)

Supporting the Whole Child at Cory

Mental Health Minute

At Cory Elementary, our goal is to provide a number of comprehensive services to support the academic and personal/social-emotional growth of every student. 

• Attendance: We encourage you to start the year with a plan for strong student attendance. Please be aware that DPS has set an attendance expectation of 95% for elementary school students.  It is typical for students to miss six or fewer days of school over the course of the entire school year. If your student misses school 7 days or more during the school year, the school will reach out to you to communicate the need to improve attendance and offer support. EVERY SCHOOL DAY COUNTS and we are here to help should you need any support ensuring your child is in class and ready to learn by the time the school bell rings every day. 
• Our first day is fast approaching. It is an exciting and often nerve-wracking time of the year for parents, students, AND teachers no matter how many times we go through it. Please check out the link below for some cool resources and interesting ideas to support starting the new year successfully. 
• Virtual Book of Tools: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1pTWUD1F_Qguo-CGnNswFZT_vzovgcw29uq-OqB7LwK8/preview?slide=id.g8db07fa37a_5_75

GT Corner

Cory is a DPS Highly Gifted & Talented (HGT) magnet site and therefore provides challenging, enriching and differentiated instruction to students who are identified as Talent Pool, Magnet Eligible, GT or HGT. Identified students are clustered at each grade level and classroom teachers provide differentiated instruction, extensions and acceleration, therefore, all 1st-5th grade teachers are trained or endorsed in Gifted & Talented instruction. The GT teacher is Summer De Herrera. She is a full time GT teacher. The GT Teachers priorities are to provide state testing, identification of students into the GT program and provide instructional support to staff, students and families. To ensure that all GT/HGT students are continually challenged, the teachers at Cory accommodate in the following ways:

• We provide daily social-emotional instruction to support all students with their social-emotional needs. 
• We analyze assessments during our weekly data team process and use this data to identify students who need to be challenged beyond grade level curriculum including students who are in SPED or who are second language learners.
• Acceleration or advanced curriculum for those showing ability beyond their grade level is used where it is appropriate in reading and/or math.
• Students receive enrichment in science, social studies and writing; where they dig deeper through project based learning, research and/or presentations.
• The GT teacher works with students that are in need of higher level challenges in math, reading, writing, and critical thinking through a push-in model to support differentiated groupings in the classroom. 

Important Information

School lunch menus can be found at: https://www.schoolcafe.com/dps 

• Click on View Menus (as a guest), then click on Monthly, Select School (Cory), Meal Type (Breakfast or Lunch) and then Traditional Lunch in the next box. The full month doesn’t always populate at the beginning of the month so you might have to check back later in the month.

You Benefit (Meal Application) – My School Apps

• The School Breakfast and National School Lunch Programs provide nutritionally balanced, free meals to students every school day.
• Families must complete the “You Benefit” form to determine eligibility for additional support such as fee waivers and school funding.
• Apply online:
  
  1. Visit www.dpsk12.org
     
  2. Click: Departments → Food & Nutrition Services → Meal Benefits → Submit Application
     
• Parents must check the consent box to allow the disclosure of eligibility status for other benefits.
• We’re excited to share that ALL DPS students will receive free of charge Breakfast and Lunch, thanks to the Healthy School Meals for All program. Meals will continue to be free during the Fall Semester 2025.  Due to the uncertainty of State funding for free Healthy School Meals for All, DPS is highly encouraging all families to complete the Meal Benefits Form.

Meal Prices

• Unlimited access to the Fruit & Vegetable Bar at no extra charge for students who eat school meals.
• Second meals are available for purchase:
  
  • Elementary: $4.00
    (Funds must be in the student’s account or paid on-site. Add money at www.myschoolbucks.com)
• Adult meals are available:
  • Breakfast: $4.00
  • Lunch: $5.00
  • Entree Only: $2.50
  • Fruit & Veg Bar Only: $3.00
  • Milk: $1.00
    

2025-26 Registration

Online Registration for the 2025-2026 school year will take place in July/August. You must have a Parent Portal account to register online. 

•  If you need to open a Parent Portal account so you can do online registration, as well as have access to other important information about your student, go to myportal.dpsk12.org and click on ‘Create an Account’.  You will need your student’s DPS ID# to start your account. If you forgot your Parent Portal password click on the forgot password link. 
• If you have any other trouble logging in (you must log in at least once every six months to keep your account active), you can ask for help by emailing portalteam@dpsk12.org or calling the portal hotline at 720.423.3163. Only caregivers in the primary household can do registration.

Additional information:

• If your student needs to keep medication at school you will need to pick up a new form to be filled out by a caregiver and physician.  These will be available in the Cory office throughout the school year or you can email Debbie and she can send you a copy. They are also available on the Cory website under the Resources – Health Room 
• All families must please fill out the Free/Reduced Lunch form, you can do this through https://www.myschoolapps.com/Application 
• Enrichment Classes
  • Fall Registration Window

• Opens: Tuesday, August 6 at 6:00 AM
• Closes: Monday, August 26 at 10:00 PM

Families will return to the same link to enroll once registration opens.Family Account Setup All families must create an Arux account before registering.

• Instructions to Create an Arux Account
• Go to the Arux Community Portal  (create an account, login, register)

• Thrillshare information
  • DPS is switching to a single two-way communication tool called Thrillshare Rooms. Like Thrillshare Alerts and Engage, Rooms is replacing all other two-way communication tools such as Reachwell, ClassDojo, or School Deets and is free to all DPS schools, including charters. Families will access Rooms through the new DPS app. Having one universal app not only removes login barriers for schools and families