Additional Resources - Classroom Speakers

Teachers and presenters, thank you both for your participation. Together, you make a tremendous difference in the lives of young people. Presentations are a collaborative process, requiring active engagement from both parties, so please familiarize yourself with the best practices of each party to ensure successful engagements. Thank you.

Teachers: Making the Most of Your Presentations

Before the visit

• Prepare your students for the topic.

• Please advise your school’s office of your presenter’s scheduled visit with the arrival date, time and location that should be added to the master calendar.

• Have any requested equipment available and set up before your guest presenter arrives.

• If you need to make a change, e.g., add a class, please call our office first (720) 423-1222.

Day of the visit

• Assign a student to escort the presenter from the office to your classroom and assist in carrying materials or equipment.

• Introduce your guest presenter to your class, including the topic that they will be sharing.

• Stay with your class and be an active participant. Classroom management is up to you.

• Take photos when possible. CRI and the presenters would love to see them!

After the visit

• Complete the evaluation form that was sent to you with the reminder email. Your feedback is very important and appreciated as we strive to provide high-quality programs.

• Presenters love to receive thank you messages from students. Letters/cards may be sent to CRI’s office via school mail, and we will gladly forward them on to the presenter or organization.

Additional Tips

• Early requests help ensure your presenter and date are available.

• Please put only one request on each form. Fill in all fields, including address with ZIP code. Unavailable/conflicting dates are important.

• Source of payment is required for programs with fees. Please provide your funding source with your request. These programs require a minimum of six weeks to schedule due to the Independent Contractor’s Agreement (ICA) DPS requires (between your school and the presenter).

• Once your request has been scheduled, you will receive an email confirmation and a Google calendar invite. Accepting the Google meeting helps everyone stay organized. Kindly acknowledge/accept it. Reminder emails are also sent two to three days before the scheduled event.

• Be prepared. Make sure all requested equipment is ready and working. Please introduce and thank the presenter. Create a learning/listening environment. Be involved and actively participate in classroom management.

• All field trip transportation arrangements and payments are the responsibility of the school/teacher.

Let us know if you have ideas for a speaker or topic that is not listed in our catalog. We will do our best to identify and schedule a fit for your class. The Classroom Speakers Program offers so many fabulous speakers from which to choose! Here’s to a great year!

Presenters: Making the Most of Your Visit

Thank you for sharing your knowledge with the students of DPS! Your expertise and passion help learning come alive. When a presentation is requested by a school, you can expect to be contacted by our staff to arrange the best date and time for the presentation. Our primary mode of communication will be email and/or phone. Your confirmation information, reminder and evaluation form will be sent electronically. Please review this confirmation information when you receive it and call our office if you have any questions.

Presentation Day

• Report to the school office. A student will meet you there, or the office staff will direct you to your classroom.

• Introduce yourself to the teacher and the class.

• Set the mood, capture their attention. Tell the class what you intend for them to know when you have completed your program.

• Hands-on activities create a unique learning opportunity. Using visual materials (charts, pictures, artifacts, costumes, etc.) to illustrate your topic will help maintain high interest. Interactive presentations are always well received.

• Students need reinforcement; emphasize key points by repeating or summarizing them as you go along.

• Don’t rush, but try not to go over the time allotted for your presentation. If you feel that you may run over, check with the teacher to see if it fits with their schedule. Allow time for a question period at the end of your presentation.

• When possible leave the class with suggestions for follow-up activities related to your topic.

Additional Information

• If teachers contact you directly to set up classroom visits, please inform them that all arrangements should be made through the CRI office.

• If you need to cancel your scheduled presentation, please get in touch with our office ASAP by calling (720) 423-1222.

• Discipline is the responsibility of the teacher. If you feel that proper behavior is not being maintained, feel free to terminate your presentation at any time. Please also include this information on your Speaker Evaluation Form.

• Please complete the Speaker Evaluation Form (or visit the evaluation tab under Classroom Speakers on this site).

Presenters or Programs with Fees

It is the presenter’s responsibility to complete all of the required paperwork for payment in a timely manner.

• All contractors and vendors must be registered on the DPS PaymentWorks system and receive a Vendor Number (one-time process).

• If you need us to initiate the PaymentWorks account setup, please let us know.

• An Independent Contractor’s Agreement (ICA) is required for each school visit. You will receive an email from DPS with instructions on completing each ICA. This must be done prior to your school visit. A completed ICA will produce a Purchase Order

• After your presentation, please send an invoice which includes your Vendor Number and Purchase Order number to: invoices@dpsk12.org.

• Any questions about the status of payment should be directed to the school or AccountsPayable@dpsk12.org. Community Resources, Inc. is not involved in the payment process.