Dunstan Newsletter

Dec. 12, 2025

Greetings Parents and Guardians of Dunstan Students,

This has been a joyful and event filled week! Today WEB leaders built gingerbread houses with their 6th graders! Earlier this week we held our GT Showcase. We also had a standing room only Orchestra Concert at Green Mountain High School. Please see the photos of our events below.

Please talk with your student this weekend to make sure they have completed all assignments and quizzes prior to the end of the semester. This is a critical time to check on grades and behavior of your students prior to next week, which is the last week of the semester.

Second semester schedules will post in Infinite Campus after school today. As always, please check these to make sure your child has 4 core classes (Language Arts, Social Studies, Science, and Math) and 2 explore/electives classes. If this is not what is on your child’s schedule, please email their counselor so we can correct this prior to the start of second semester.

This week I provided our staff with an update about our budget and staffing for next school year. Unlike many Jeffco schools that are experiencing declining enrollment, this is not the case for Dunstan Middle School. Our enrollment is expected to incrementally increase over the next few years due to the development of the Rooney Valley. Additionally, we have the longest choice enrollment waitlists we have ever had and for every grade level. Additionally, our financial secretary and I have held 4% of our overall budget, which is the maximum amount we are allowed to keep, in carry forward for the past few years. This 4% was maintained in case of a budget shortfall in Jeffco. As a result of all of these factors, Dunstan will not have to reduce/cut staff for next school year. This includes all staff whose funding comes from the Dunstan budget. We have a small handful of positions whose funding comes from Jeffco that we do not know about yet. As far as I know, we are the only school in Jeffco who will not be reducing staff members for the 2026-27 school year. If you would like more information about this and our budgeting oversight and process, please feel free to attend our Accountability Meeting on January 28th at 6:00 PM in the Library.

As we get closer to Winter Break and the holidays, I hope you have a wonderful holiday and are able to connect with family and friends!

As always, it is a joy to serve our community and Dunstan!

Respectfully,

Jen Pennell

January 14: 5:30 PM @ DMS (Library)

March 11: 5:30 PM @ DMS (Library)

May 13: 5:30 PM @ DMS (Library)

to the following students for acquiring the most MVPA (Moderate-Vigorous Physical Activity) minutes for the month:

September:

P1 Billy Thomeke 59

P2 Stella Schafer 63

P5 Zay Vialpando 71

P6 Miles Anderson 57

October:

P1 Connor Romack 440

P2 Trong Ho 479

P5 Zay Vialpando 485

P6 Ronan West 431

November:

P1 Connor Romack 465

P2 Noah Elliot 506

P5 Logan Ranker 425

P6 Ronan West 448

December:

P1 Connor Romack 307

P2 Noah Elliot 356

P5 Logan Ranker 331

P6 Jacob Tanner 336

Congratulations to the top MVPA earners for fall semester, 2025:

P1 Connor Romack 1,265

P2 Noah Elliot 1,368

P5 Logan Ranker 1,288

P6 Brycen Fleming 1,135

Hello Dunstan Families!

Second semester is quickly approaching! Counselors are working on finalizing students’ second semester schedules and we will be releasing them in Infinite Campus on Friday, December 12th after 4pm. Once schedules are released, please take a look at your child’s schedule with them to ensure your child knows what classes they will be taking and in what order.

All student schedules should include:

• Advisement class

• 4 grade-level* core content classes - Math, English Language Arts, Social Studies/History, Science

• 2 elective classes

*If your child qualified for and took honors or accelerated classes in 1st semester, the same class should appear on the 2nd semester schedule unless you have discussed otherwise with the teacher.

Teachers for advisement, core content, and year-long electives should remain the same from 1st semester to 2nd semester unless you and/or your child has been notified otherwise, though core classes may be in a different order.

Counselors try our best to place students in elective classes they request while also keeping in mind class sizes for both elective and core content classes, and working within the constraints of the overall school schedule. Please let us know if you discover an error on your child’s schedule or if you have questions about classes. You can contact us through the Contact a Counselor Form or the emails and phone numbers listed below.

Sincerely,

Ryan Cole, 6th grade Counselor 25-26 Ryan.Cole@jeffco.k12.co.us 303-982-6123

Jen Baker, 7th grade Counselor 25-26 Jennifer.Baker2@jeffco.k12.co.us 303-982-9219

Leslie Walker, 8th grade Counselor 25-26 Leslie.Walker@jeffco.k12.co.us 303-982-0502

Dunstan's Celebration for our On-Track students, in ALL GRADE LEVELS, is on December 18th! Please help us celebrate our On-Track students with food and drink for the celebration portion of the day. If you are able, please click THIS LINK to sign up for donations.

It's starting to get cold outside! Please make sure your student is coming to school with weather-appropriate clothing and gear. We will go outside, when it's 19 degrees and above, so please make sure students are packing (and wearing) jackets, sweatshirts, hats, gloves, etc. Thanks for your partnership!

Hello Dunstan Community!

We have a fantastic opportunity that we would like to share with you. The University of Colorado has gifted us tickets to two of their upcoming basketball games. Students, along with their parents, have the opportunity to attend these games. Interested? Here’s the fine print!

• We have a limited number of tickets available on a first come, first serve basis.

• Maximum: One ticket per student and one ticket for their parent or guardian

• Students must be accompanied by a parent or guardian; transportation is not provided by the school

• A representative from Dunstan will be at Will Call at 6:30 to give you the tickets.

• Sign-ups will start Wednesday, November 12th at 8:00 AM

If you have any questions, please contact Nathan Jacobson - Nathan.Jacobson@jeffcoschools.us

• Colorado 211: Dial 2-1-1 or (866) 760-6489 or visit https://www.211colorado.org.
• Jefferson County Human Services Find Resources page includes local food banks and many other resources.
• Quick Reference Resource List available in English and Spanish
• With delayed SNAP benefits, local food pantries will see increased demand. See a Zip Code Heat Map showing the areas most impacted. Those able to help are encouraged to donate to their local food banks. While canned goods are welcome, financial donations go further — every dollar helps food banks purchase and distribute more meals statewide. Donations can also be made at FeedingColorado.org/donate.

Here is a list of Dunstan Staff's Favorite Things.

Dear parents and students,

We are writing to you today regarding an important and exciting community service fundraiser as part of our Capstone Project. The Action Center provides critical resources and services such as food, clothing, and utility assistance to families and individuals experiencing hardships in Jefferson County. During the holiday season, the Jeffco Action Center supports families in providing food and gifts to uplift the community. Due to the government shutdown and the removal of SNAP benefits, the Jeffco Action Center is in need of food and money donations to provide all families with necessary supplies during the holiday season. To complete our Capstone, we are launching a fundraising campaign with the goal of raising $500-$1000 to directly support The Action Center's holiday needs. To make the donation process easy and secure, we have created an official GoFundMe page dedicated solely to this Capstone Project. All funds raised will be directly transferred to The Action Center, and it is tax-deductible. No donation is too small, and every contribution helps us support the Action Center and also helps us successfully complete our Capstone project. If you have any questions, feel free to email us at Jonesmaya2009@gmail.com or marly.esquibel101@gmail.com.

Thank you!

Mava Jones and Marly Esquibel

We use SchoolCafé to:

Families Who Need Meal Modifications - You need to communicate your needs with our new Kitchen Manager, Sandra Bartle at Sandra.Bartle@jeffco.k12.co.us. Also click for the district special diets link with info.

Families that are eligible for free and reduced lunch should still complete a Student Benefits Application to receive other benefits and free access to district programs.

---Click the Picture on the Right to Visit the Site---

Green Mountain High is looking for Host Families - Click the Link For More Information

https://efexchangeyear.org/iec/aimee-nicholson/