Dunstan Newsletter

October 16, 2026

Greetings Wonderful Dunstan Parents,

Although this was a short week due to Fall Break, we need to highlight a few student activities from last week and this week. We are exceedingly proud of our students who participated in NASA Hunch this year. As you know this program has grown over the years. We now have 29 students who are participating. Our students spend the day at Red Rocks Community College where they present design ideas to engineers. The engineers then provide their feedback to students that specifically targets aspects of their design that could be better. This experience emulates the values of growth mindset and learning from feedback that we want for each of our students. We are proud of our students who participated in this event!

We also want to congratulate our Orchestra students who had their first concert of the year at Green Mountain High School. They did an excellent job and this concert serves as a baseline for their growth from this point forward. We also want to welcome our new Orchestra Teacher, Mr. Nathan Prismon who came to Dunstan from Alameda International.

Additionally, we will be starting a Spelling Bee Club with Mr. Davis. If your child is interested in this opportunity, please watch PTV for more information. If you ever have the opportunity to thank Mr. Davis for the large variety of clubs and opportunities he provided for students, please do so! If you read our newsletter on a regular basis, you know we have calculated that 80% of our students who are on-track are also involved in some sort of sport or activity. Engagement with your community matters! Thank you for your ongoing support of your student(s) and us!

Our first round of SEL (Social Emotional Learning) results are in. Please see below. We use these results to shape our SEL lessons each Wednesday in Advise class. Our next administration of this survey is in January 2027.

I’d like to provide an update about our On/Off Track rewards field trips and events. As you know we have been on a pause that entailed cancelling our first reward field trip to Skate City. Currently 90% of our students are on-track and should be bringing home bi-weekly letters to inform you of their status. As a reminder, students can use Travel Days (Tuesday & Thursdays) during Advise class to access extra help from teachers (this structure emulates the access periods they will have in high school). Also students can make up tardies, behavior, etc. by helping out around the school.

This pause has allowed us time to work with the school district staff. Our next steps to evaluate the impact of our rewards events include surveying all 7th and 8th grade students who experienced our On/Off Track rewards last year (2 field trips and 2 school-wide celebrations) and then follow up interviews with some 7th and 8th grade students. Likewise we will send a shorter survey to our 6th graders about the reward events. The results of these will be shared with our Positive Behavior Supports Committee members and Accountability Committee members at their next meeting to determine next steps. Whenever students take a survey, we notify parents and offer an opt out option for your student. If you want to opt your child out of this survey, please email me at jennifer.pennell@jeffco.k12.co.us

During this pause our school staff has also taken some time to generate ideas that could include more students in these events. I believe these will be meaningful adjustments to our system that will recognize more students. We hope to restart our recognition of students who are doing well and working hard to succeed in school in December.

In the meantime, we are continuing with our bi-weekly On/Off-Track letters, Advise classes to help students, and ongoing encouragement of our students to engage with school.

As always, please feel free to reach out with questions and/or concerns.

Respectfully,

Jennifer J. Pennell, Ph.D.

• Friday, October 16th: Last day of first quarter
• Tuesday, October 20th: 9:30-1:15 PM Jeffco Theatre Fest Field Trip and Convivo Cafe Field Trip 10:30-2:30 PM
• Wednesday, October 21st: Musical information meeting 8:15-8:45 AM
• Thursday, October 22nd: Band concert at 6:00 PM @ DMS (Gym)
• Friday, October 23rd: 6th Grade Social (more info to come!)
• Monday, October 26th: On/Off Track letters go out to students in Advise
• Wednesday, October 28th: Battle of the Books (BOTB) meeting in library during grade-level lunches and Musical audition workshop from 4:00-5:00 PM
• Thursday, October 29th: GMHS Trick or Treat Street from 6:00-8:00 PM @ GMHS

We would like to learn more about our students, our community, climate, and culture using student voice.

To do this, we are hosting small-group empathy interviews—listening sessions where we can hear directly from students about their everyday experiences at Dunstan Middle School. Unlike traditional surveys, focus groups allow us to listen deeply, ask open-ended questions, and uncover richer, more meaningful insights that numbers alone cannot show.

Participating students will be selected randomly or based on survey (Panorama) data to ensure a well-rounded perspective. Once interviews are complete, we will summarize and share key findings with our community to help guide positive changes at school. If you have any questions, concerns, or would like you opt your student out of this experience, please e-mail our principal, Dr. Jen Pennell, at jennifer.pennell@jeffco.k12.co.us.

Our awesome WEB leaders are planning a 6th Grade/WEB Leader, Fall-themed social for your students! We would love a little help with some of the items to make this a bigger success! Please see the signup genius HERE for items that we need. Thank you so much for your support, in advance!

Here are the details of the social:

When - Friday, October 23rd from 4:00-5:30pm

Where - Dunstan’s cafeteria

Cost - FREE to all 6th grade students!

• There will be food, music, games, dancing and prizes!

• No fancy dress code! Just come as you are!

• Please make sure students have a ride for after the social at 5:30pm.

If you have any questions, please contact Jen Baker at jemsmith@jeffco.k12.co.us.

Thank you!

Recess is an important daily break for our middle schoolers, and we continue going outside throughout the fall and winter months. Please ensure your child comes to school prepared for the elements each day with a warm jacket, gloves, and appropriate footwear. Staying warm means everyone gets to enjoy their outdoor time safely and comfortably!

The Jeffco Listens: Annual Family Survey is now open through Friday, October 30. This anonymous survey is a valuable tool that provides us with insights into our families' experiences and only takes 15-20 minutes to complete. It will help us better understand what we are doing well and inform us how we can better support our students and families. This important feedback will direct our decision-making as we work to provide a world-class education for all Jeffco students and prepare them for bright and successful futures.

Please click HERE to sign up to support Dunstan's PTA through King Soopers Community Rewards. This is a quick and easy way to support our school!

Jeffco has officially launched ParentSquare as our primary platform for school communication. Families will now receive messages through email, app, voice or text, helping everyone stay informed and involved.

An account is automatically created for each parent or guardian using the contact information in Infinite Campus, our student information system. We encourage you to activate your account to download the free mobile app, set your language preferences, and choose how and when you’d like to receive messages.

What you can do with ParentSquare:

• Receive updates from your school via email, app, or text notification

• View posts, photos, calendars, and important announcements

• Communicate in your preferred language with automatic translation

• Comment on school posts and stay engaged with your school community

• Send direct messages to teachers and staff

• Participate in group conversations

Thanks to Healthy School Meals for All (HSMA), Jeffco Public Schools will continue to provide all students with one breakfast and one lunch at no cost through the 2026-27 school year, regardless of income eligibility. Research shows that students who are not hungry perform better in school. Even though meals are free for all students, families are strongly encouraged to complete a Student Benefits Application.

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.