** End of year picnic! Thursday, June 15th @5:00pm at Greenwood Park**

It’s almost that time!! The end of year picnic at Greenwood Park is fast approaching!

The PTA invites everyone to the end-of-year picnic at Greenwood Park. This is a great chance for families to gather and celebrate another wonderful year at DTS.  Pack your own dinner, pick up carryout. Grab your chairs (and bug spray) and come relax and enjoy the company of DTS friends. 

Just a few things to note:

The splash pad will be on and operational. 

This is NOT a drop off event.  Parents need to stay with their children during this event; it is not staffed by our PTA or DTS for supervision.

Welcome Mohamed Nasr!

My name is Mohamed Nasr, and I am deeply honored to join the Downtown School as a new staff member. I bring with me a genuine passion for education and a strong commitment to fostering a positive and inclusive learning environment. I firmly believe in the transformative power of education and am dedicated to helping students thrive academically, socially, and emotionally.

I eagerly look forward to meeting all the incredible staff, students, and families at the Downtown School. I firmly believe that collaboration among educators, students, and families is crucial for creating a supportive and enriching educational experience. Together, we can inspire curiosity, cultivate a love for learning, and empower students to reach their full potential.

In terms of my educational background, I hold a bachelor’s degree in Language Arts and a master’s degree in special education, and I am in the final stages of completing my doctoral degree in Special Education at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. My area of research centers around the implementation of Individualized Education Programs (IEPs), with a specific focus on literacy-related goals. I am dedicated to investigating effective strategies and interventions that can be used to support students in achieving their literacy goals. By implementing these strategies, I aim to enhance students' literacy skills and contribute to their overall academic success. I am deeply passionate about inclusion and have extensive experience in collaborative practices within inclusive classrooms. While I have worked across primary, middle, and high schools, my passion and research focus is teaching primary school students. I am excited to bring my expertise to benefit the students at Downtown Elementary School.

Welcome Deb Copeland!

I am so excited to be a part of Downtown School! I have been working at DMPS for the past six years, first as a substitute teacher, then as a SPED associate for the past 3.5 years at Merrill Middle School. I am married to Jeremy Phillips and our teen Declan – who attended Downtown School! -- is a senior at Roosevelt/Central Academy. Before becoming involved with education, I worked in video and film production. The majority of my career was as a talent agent and casting director, and most recently as a location scout. We live in Sherman Hill, which means I get to walk or ride my bike down the hill to school every day! I have a bachelor’s degree in communications/broadcasting from Iowa State University (from a long time ago), and a (recent) paraeducator certification from Upper Iowa University. 

Welcome Claire Bartlett!

My name is Claire Bartlett and this is my first year teaching! I just graduated from Drake University with a Master’s Degree in Elementary Education. I’m a California native turned Midwesterner- and I love living in Des Moines. When I’m not in the classroom I like to read, travel, walk my dogs, and spend time with family and friends. I am so excited to be a part of The Downtown School family and start my career at such a great place! 

Welcome Renee Jansen!

My name is Renee Jansen, and I am looking forward to joining the Downtown School staff and community. I am returning to Des Moines from Charleston, South Carolina, where I worked for the past four years as an Instructional Coach at a Public Montessori School. I have many years of experience in multi-age classrooms in public and private Montessori schools. There are many similarities between Montessori and the Project-Based learning approach. Concrete, hands-on learning experiences promote positive student outcomes in the classroom. 

My undergraduate degree is in Music Education. I hold a Montessori Elementary l & ll Credential from the American Montessori Society. I also completed a Master of Education in Early Childhood Pre-K through Grade 3 with additional graduate coursework for Grades 4-6. I hold a Master Educator License in Iowa. 

I have been married for almost 41 years, and I have two grown sons who live in Des Moines. I have a two-year-old French Bulldog named Gigi. I love traveling, reading, and spending time with friends.

Don't forget to register for DTS Summer Reading Program!

This will be a 4 week program taking place on Wednesdays and Thursdays from 9:00am-11:00am, with a snack provided.   Students are not required to attend all sessions to register.  Students will have the opportunity to engage in book clubs, book discussions, and creating book projects during their time on campus.    

Each child will receive a DTS drawstring bag in which they can fill with books each session to read throughout the summer.  Each session, they will return with their books and bag  to engage in book discussions with other students and create book projects to share about the stories they have been reading.

Dates:

Week 1: July 5th & 6th

Week 2: July 12th & 13th

Week 3: July 19th- & 20th

Week 4:  July 26th & 27th 

Please register at https://shorturl.at/ACFM0.  

Find answers to frequently asked questions, here and if you have other questions about summer programming, please reach out to Peter DeLaFuente at peter.delafuente@dmschools.org. 

Des Moines Public Schools is participating in the USDA Summer Food Service Program, which will allow for a safe and streamlined service of nutritious meals during the 2023 summer break at 29 locations. Meals will be provided for all children ages 18 and younger at not cost. DMPS has been providing free summer meals for more than 40 years.

The USDA requires that meals must be eaten at the distribution site. The meals will be provided with a first-come, first-served approach at the sites and time sindicated at  summer meals program webpage.
(Unless otherwise noted, there will be no meals served on July 4th.)

Closest sites to DTS: Walnut Street or Edumunds 

If you have any questions you can contact Carol Wynn-Green at carol.wynngreen@dmschools.org.