New Hallett Principal Says Hello

Editor’s note: Jason Sanders is the new principal at Hallett Fundamental Academy, at 2950 Jasmine St. He recently sent a letter of introduction to parents and families of the students, A version of that letter is reprinted here.

Dear Parents and Families of Hallett Fundamental Academy,

My name is Jason Sanders and it is my pleasure and honor to introduce myself as the incoming principal for the 2015-2016 school year.

I am originally from Seattle, Wash. (Go Seahawks!) and attended Gonzaga University in Spokane, Wash. (Go Zags!). I worked in Spokane with homeless and runaway teenagers for two years and then made the decision to move to Denver almost 13 years ago. Since moving to Denver, I have continued my work with youth in various capacities: volunteer, counselor, interventionist, special education teacher and as the assistant principal at Hallett and, most recently, at Marie L. Greenwood Academy (1st through 8th grades) in Montbello.

This will be my third stint at Hallett and I couldn’t be more proud and excited. It is my goal to continue the momentum that Mrs. Keeton has built alongside families, teachers, staff members and community partners: a culture of high academic expectations, culturally responsive teaching and the vision that all of our kids will be prepared for college and/or career.

Consider the following:

• Hallett has consistently been considered a “Green School” by DPS metrics and standards.

• We believe that our success can be greatly attributed to our school’s focus on 1. High Expectations/College Readiness for all students, 2. Culturally Responsive Practices in every classroom and 3. Strong Relationships between our teachers and their students/families. Despite our change in leadership, our school will remain strongly focused on those three tenets.

• Our registration dates and times for the upcoming school year are Aug. 20 and Aug. 21, from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Aug. 22 from 8 a.m. to noon.

I look forward to introducing myself to you, in person (or re-introducing myself, in many cases). Once again, I could not be more thrilled to begin my work alongside all of you!

Jason Sanders