One of the most valued sections on our blog has been the School Scoop posts, a place where we’ve profiled a number of schools within Denver. These profiles include some general data along with more in depth research we learned when visiting the school. We’ve included our impressions of a school based on a tour or open house we attended and sometimes speaking to administration and parent representatives.

It has been interesting, and exhausting, making these visits with the purpose of giving our readers a viewpoint they might not be able to get otherwise. Although we’d love to continue, the two of us simply cannot cover all of the schools in Denver ourselves. We brainstormed ways in which to keep this section of the blog alive and have come up with a new format.

The new format will be a school profile written by a parent. We will be contacting schools, friends and acquaintances to find parents who are able to take a little time out of their schedule to share (or brag) about what makes their school special and to give our readers a better sense of why you might want to send your child there. We are looking for parents whose children have attended the school for more than a few years and have a good overall understanding of the school culture.

The end of the 2012 school year is upon us but our hope is to post a couple of these a month. If you are interested in doing a profile for your child’s school, please email us (jennandkerri@scooptoo.com) so we can send you the profile questionnaire.

In addition, if you have further questions about schools, educational philosophies, or if you’re overwhelmed by the many school options available, be sure to visit here to learn about the Educational Consulting packages offered by Kerri.

Thank you!

Coleen Bennett, a mom from California wrote this guest post on how to plan for summer camps. Since it’s that time of year, we felt as though our readers might appreciate some of her suggestions. 

What are your kids doing this summer? A lot of kids go to the same childcare programs in the summer that they attend during the school year. Many year-round programs add activities and field trips to keep kids busy all day. There are a lot of good things about this plan, but let me suggest something different.

During the summer, opportunities for kids to learn and have fun explode! Many city recreation departments and businesses that offer some kind of children’s activity year round offer enhanced full-day programs during the summer. Kids can spend a week riding horses, doing gross science experiments or expressing their creativity. Summer camps available in the Denver area are just about as varied as the kids who attend them.

Since most camps enroll kids for one week at a time, I recommend signing for several different camps over the course of the summer. Your child will never get bored and they’ll have plenty to write about for the inevitable What I Did Over Summer Vacation essay in September.

This plan isn’t for everyone. Kids who are young, shy or just don’t like too much change might be happier picking one summer program and sticking with it. Those who are up for a summer full of adventure, however, can have the time of their lives.

How To Do It:

First you need to brainstorm possibilities. Take a look below for types of day camps or go to this link  for ideas. Decide if there’s anything you, as a parent, want your child to do. Maybe they could use some help with math or you want to make sure they brush up on their swimming skills. It’ll be a lot easier to get your kids to attend the camp you want them to participate in if they can pick camps for different weeks. Decide how far you’re willing to drive and how much you’re willing to pay. Then make up a list of summer camps and available weeks.

Now get your kids involved. Explain that they get to sign up for one camp each week and show them the choices. Let them pick some camps that interest them. If you have more than one child, they may need to decide together to limit your driving.

Put it all on a calendar and make your reservations. Some camps are only available for one or two weeks each summer, so start with those. Some camps have different themes each week. For example, a science camp might offer explosive chemistry experiments one week and study bugs another week. Camps that go on field trips may publish their schedule ahead of time, allowing you to select the week you want. What kinds of summer day camps are available? All kinds. Here are some ideas to get things rolling.

Sports Camps:

Any sport that your child participates in during the school year or wants to try certainly is available as a summer camp. Some organizations offer multi-sport camps where kids can try out a variety of sports. If your child loves a particular sport, this is a great chance to get extra practice and coaching.

Outdoor Camps:

The great outdoors is a wonderful place to play. There are camps for kids who like to hike, ride horses, sail or learn about the natural environment. The Denver Zoo even offers a summer camp program for animal lovers! Boy scout, girl scouts and other clubs offer summer camps that might include things like archery, swimming and nature walks.

Vacation Bible Schools and Faith Based Camps:

If your place of worship doesn’t offer a summer camp program, don’t worry. You’re sure to find a camp that’s perfect for your child. Many of these take place only one week out of the summer, so be sure to pencil this into your calendar early.

Creative Camps:

Does your child love to draw, work with clay or make movies? Have they always wanted to dance or act on stage? What about being in a rock band, making gourmet food, or designing fashionable clothes? The possibilities are endless.

Educational Camps:

Science catches the interest of lots of kids. Of course it’s such a wide field that you’ll need to zero in on the week about space, physics or robotics. Some camps even focus on computer programming! Summer is a great time to learn a foreign language or brush up on reading or math. Think about what you wish your child’s school spent more time on. Now your child has the time for it!

Field Trip Camps:

Camps that take kids on different field trips every week are often the most popular. You’ll find them at local schools, city recreation departments and the local YMCA. Who doesn’t want to spend time with their friends going to amusement parks, the movies and video arcades?

It’s probably a good idea to leave one or two weeks open near the end of the summer so kids can go for a second week of a camp they really enjoyed. Whatever you and your child choose, they’re sure to have a summer they’ll never forget.

About the Author:

Coleen Bennett is the mother of three teenagers in Southern California. After years of trying to find activities for her own kids, she put together an online directory to help other local parents.

I recently visited St. Elizabeth’s School in Denver and was very impressed with what this small school has to offer. This private, independent, Episcopal school opened in 2007 in northeast Denver. The mission of this school is to provide a high quality education to students of all socioeconomic backgrounds creating a true community. 

If you are a family looking for a small (one classroom per grade level), diverse (sliding-scale tuition), faith-based, nurturing and safe environment with high quality academics and an emphasis on the arts, you may want to consider St. Elizabeth’s. For those of you researching your middle school options, St. Elizabeth’s will be opening a middle school in the fall of 2013. The school will be relocating this summer to a new building at 2350 Gaylord Street. Please read the press release below from their Head of School, Walter McCoy.  

PRESS RELEASE

APRIL 2, 2012

St. Elizabeth’s School on the Move

St. Elizabeth’s School, one of only two Episcopal schools in Colorado, announced that it is moving from its current location on the Clayton Early Learning Campus to Loyola Square, located at 2350 Gaylord St.  The school building is easily viewed from York St. between E. 23^rd and E. 24^th Avenues. This announcement comes on the heels of the news that the school’s Board of Trustees reached a unanimous decision in January to add a middle school to their existing K-5 elementary school, a decision met enthusiastically by its current and prospective families.  The move to Loyola will be completed in time for the 2012-13 school year.

Head of School, Walter McCoy, states, “We are excited for the opportunities this move provides for our current and future families as we advance to fifth grade next year and add one grade at a time.  The Loyola building is strategically located to serve our mission and has nine large classrooms and spaces to accommodate physical education, chapel, music, art, faith studies, and Spanish classes and houses a large library.  We are delighted to partner with the St. Ignatius Loyola Catholic Church to continue our mission of offering excellent academic opportunities to an inclusively enrolled community.”  The Jesuit oriented Cassin Foundation provided generous funding for St. Elizabeth’s during the early start-up years.

Fr. Tom Cwik, S.J., Pastor of the Jesuit church states, “We are very excited to welcome St. Elizabeth’s School.  Providing high quality, faith-based education has always been an important ministry of St. Ignatius Loyola parish and the Jesuits.  Collaboration with others in ministry has increasingly become a focus of discussion in Jesuit circles.  This partnership with St. Elizabeth’s allows for resurrection of a traditional parish ministry and for greater ecumenical collaboration.” 

St Elizabeth’s School opened in 2007 with one small kindergarten class and has grown steadily.  In 2010 a 5280 Magazine panel of experts recognized St. Elizabeth’s School as one of Denver’s “Best Private Elementary Schools,” quite an accomplishment in three years.  The school’s mission states that it provides an unparalleled educational environment that fosters academic, social, artistic, and spiritual growth for an inclusive and diverse school community.  Essential to this policy is the Family Commitment Plan, which is based upon a sliding-scale tuition system that eliminates the categories of “scholarship” or “financial aid,” and is designed to determine each student’s tuition according to the principle that a family’s financial investment should be equitable to its financial resources.

For more information, call 303-322-4209, visit www.stelizabethsdenver.org, or contact:

If you caught last Sunday’s 60 Minutes that featured a piece on Khan Academy, were you as amazed as I was?  I just love this concept and feel strongly that if I ever had the chance to learn this way as a student, it would be a whole new world for me.  Sometimes it just takes longer for things to sink in for some people and with math, I am one of those people.  I could go on forever about how, if I had the opportunity to learn this way and the opportunity to master a concept at my own pace, I would have been a much more focused and successful student.  I am so grateful for Sal Khan and what he has developed so that my children can benefit.

Let us know your thoughts on Khan Academy and whether you think this concept would work for your child in his or her classroom or at home!

Click here to read an article from Education Week about Salman Khan.

Melanie Withers, Marketing Director at Monarch Montessori, recently sent us this important announcement (see press release below). Currently, Monarch Montessori is a privately run school providing an authentic Montessori approach for children ages 6 weeks through 5 years old.

This fall, they will open their doors as a tuition free DPS charter school for Kindergarten- second grade students. Their goal is to grow a grade each year until grade five so eventually they will be a Kindergarten-5th grade charter school. This will make Monarch Montessori the first Montessori DPS charter school. Recently, Jenn and I visited the school that is currently located in the former Samsonite Building at 11200 E. 45th Avenue in Denver. We met several passionate staff members while observing happy and engaged children learning in their creative environment. This school would be a good option for families residing in the Northeast area of Denver or for families who value a Montessori education for their children. To learn more about their Montessori program, visit their website here !

Press Release:

Monarch Montessori of Denver Charter is PROUD to officially announce the opening of a FREE lower elementary school of choice August 14, 2012 through Denver Public Schools.  We will be opening with 170 students in Kindergarten, 1^st and 2^nd grades with a school day from 8:00 am to 4:15 pm.  We are accepting “Intent to Enroll” forms (found on our website) until April 16^th and will run a lottery on April 17^th.  After the lottery, we will fill in empty spaces first come first serve until all spaces are filled. We have received the first tier of the Walton grant and have been invited to interview for tier two on March 21^st.  Funding at this tier is $220,000.  These funds will be used for opening the school.

Timeline for admission into Monarch Montessori of Denver Charter Grades K-2nd:

• ·        Accepting “Intent to Enroll” forms – April 16th
• ·        Run Lottery – April 17th
• ·        Receive Letter of Acceptance – April 20^th
• ·        Application Due – April 30^th

To learn more about the school, visit our website at www.MonarchM.com or come by for a tour of the building on one of the following Open Houses:

• ·        March 20^th from 1-3
• ·        March 29^th from 8-10
•           March 31st from 10-12
• ·        April 3^rd from 1-3 & 5-7
• ·        April 12^th from 8-10
• ·        April 17^th from 1-3

Melanie Withers

Marketing

Monarch Montessori of Denver

www.MonarchM.com

303-565-4165

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

February 24, 2012

Contact: Kate Paquette, Marketing and Communications Manager

(303)340-3647 Office; (303)709-1560 Cell; kate.paquette@dmischool.com

Denver Montclair International School Celebrates Groundbreaking for Historic Lowry Air Force Building Renovation with Denver Mayor Michael B. Hancock

(Denver, Colo.) Denver Montclair International School (DMIS), the Rocky mountain region’s oldest international school, is renovating one of the former Lowry Air Force Base buildings on the 6.4 acre school campus. DMIS will celebrate the groundbreaking of this renovation with Denver Mayor Michael B. Hancock, Denver City Councilwoman Mary Beth Susman and Colorado State Senator Pat Steadman on Monday, March 5 from 9 – 10:00 a.m.

Mayor Michael B. Hancock will speak at the event about the importance of education and the redevelopment of the City and County of Denver, including the historic Lowry neighborhood. DMIS students will also perform.

After the ceremony, there will be a closing reception inside the Peacekeeper building from 10 – 11:00 a.m.

All community members and Lowry neighbors are welcome to attend this special event. Guests may park in the lot located at the corner of 4^th Avenue and Red Cross Way. The Groundbreaking Ceremony will take place at the southeast corner of the parking lot, in between the Peacekeeper building and the main entrance to the school. Please RSVP to Diane Mourning, Director of Institutional Advancement, at diane.mourning@dmischool.com.

Denver Montclair International School is an independent school that offers full-immersion, bilingual education in French, Mandarin and Spanish to students 3-years-old through 5^th grade. The new middle school is an International Baccalaureate Candidate School implementing the Middle Years Programme in grades 6 and 7. The mission of Denver Montclair International School is to develop conscientious, self-confident, multilingual and multicultural thinkers and learners prepared to thrive in a competitive world.

For more information about the school, please visit www.dmischool.com

Many of you are beginning to think about the various preschool options available in Denver. Eileen Piper, CEO of the Denver Preschool Program, contacted us recently with  information regarding the DPP. I visited their website and learned a lot. A neat feature on the website is a tool where parents can search preschools to learn more about their programs and what they have to offer. Be sure to check it out! Please read below to learn more about the Denver Preschool Program (what is it?) and the results of their recent evaluation. Thank you Eileen for sharing this information.

By Eileen Piper

There isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t think about the education of my children. As the CEO of the Denver Preschool Program and as a parent myself, I’m constantly considering how to best educate and support my children so that they become well-rounded and successful adults.

In my position at the Denver Preschool Program, I have the advantage of learning preschool’s benefits on a deep level and am happy to report to other parents that preschool is an investment worth making. I’ve seen it in my own children, and we see it in many of the students who enroll in the Denver Preschool Program.

For those who aren’t familiar, the Denver Preschool Program is the result of a ballot initiative that passed in 2006. The program sets aside .12 percent of Denver sales tax revenue to fund tuition credits to help families pay for preschool and quality improvement grants to help providers improve their programs. All Denver children are eligible to participate in the year before kindergarten, and today nearly 70 percent of the city’s 4-year-olds are participating, making us one of the highest enrolled preschool programs in the country.

After only five years as a program, we’ve helped pay for more than 20,000 kids to go to preschool and are already seeing positive results from the program.

We just released our annual evaluation report (click here), which revealed that Denver Preschool Program students made significant progress during their preschool year—progress that is above and beyond what is considered typical. The vast majority of Denver Preschool Program children leave the program ready for kindergarten, both academically and emotionally. And we know that those kids who are ready for kindergarten are more likely to be successful in school and later in life.

We also learned from our evaluation report just how important preschool quality is to parents. Parents surveyed revealed that quality was a more important factor in selecting a preschool than cost. That may be why more than 90 percent of DPP students are enrolled in the highest quality preschools.

Many parents begin considering where to send their child to preschool at this time of year. As you think about that decision, I encourage you to consider the school’s quality rating. You can learn more about these quality ratings – as well as further information about the Denver Preschool Program’s various preschool partners – by visiting our website here!

In considering your child’s future, remember that preschool is an investment in a bright future for your child. To learn more about enrolling in the Denver Preschool Program, visit our website or contact us at 303-595-4DPP or info@dpp.org.

DPS recently announced a later start date to the school year. Next year, DPS will start school on August 27th and the students last day of school will be June 4, 2013. Parents were up in arms last year when children were diagnosed with heat-related illnesses at the start of the school year. The majority of DPS schools do not have air conditioning and the mid-August start to the school year seems cruel. Parents started a petition for a later school start, many signatures were gathered, surveys were completed and the idea of a later school start has been on the minds of many for years. DPS listened and the Board of Education voted YES in a 6-1 vote to delay the start date for the 2012 school year. 

Is starting a week later in August such a drastic change? No. Is it still going to be very hot in late August? More than likely. Wouldn’t it have made more sense to start school after Labor Day?  

What are your thoughts on the new school calendar? Does it seem like our children are in school a lot less than we were? Are you happy with a late August start date? Read the article below from the Denver Post re: next year’s school calendar for DPS. 

Denver school board approves school-start date of late August, seeks heat-days plan

A calendar pushing Denver Public Schools’ start date later by a handful of days was approved by the Board of Education on Thursday night.

“Changing the school start date is not going to be the solution for the heat, we all know that,” said board member Anne Rowe. “What it did do, I think, is set the stage for a much larger discussion around the school year, with regards to how that works in the best interest for students. That is a robust discussion.”

Superintendent Tom Boasberg was asked to commit to presenting the board with a plan for issuing heat days, which would work in the same way as snow days, by the board’s March meeting.

The calendar option approved in a 6-1 vote will have students starting school on Aug. 27 and ending June 4. That calendar would see a later winter break — from Monday, Dec. 24, returning to class Jan. 8 — and would shrink no-contact days, when teachers evaluate assessment data, to three days in the year.

During a discussion Thursday prior to the vote, board members considered various amendments to the calendars and weighed issues of sport schedules, test-preparation time and day care as they would be affected by the calendar changes.

Board member Andrea Merida, who voted against the calendar, attempted first to introduce an amendment to allow schools without air conditioning to choose their own start dates anytime up to Labor Day. That amendment failed with only Merida approving it.

In a public-comment session before the vote, four student representatives of the district’s student board of education talked about their preference for a calendar year to start Aug. 23.

The student board members conducted a poll at various high schools asking students about their preferences.

According to their poll, 75 percent of students wanted to start Aug. 23, compared with 11 percent who would have liked school to start after Labor Day.

A heat wave that coincided with the beginning of this school year in mid-August left students and teachers dealing with 90-degree heat in classrooms without air conditioning.

At least three incidents of heat-related illness were reported in the first week of school.

Parents had gathered and delivered more than 3,000 signatures asking DPS to start the school year after Labor Day.

DPS then created a task force of parents and teachers to design and distribute a survey that was available online for nearly three weeks in November.

Respondents were almost evenly split among three options: no changes, starting in the fourth week of August, and starting in the first week of September.

In other board action, three new schools received innovation status for their opening this fall. Also, Trevista ECE-8 was approved to begin a turnaround — in which a new principal will be hired, staff will have to reapply for their jobs, and the school will get additional federal funds and flexibilities to design a program for improvement.

Read more:Denver school board approves school-start date of late August, seeks heat-days plan – The Denver Posthttp://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_19781569#ixzz1k0OAfUGS

Read The Denver Post’s Terms of Use of its content: http://www.denverpost.com/termsofuse

It’s freezing cold outside.  You’re finally recovering from holiday planning and bills.  Super viruses are rampant and your kids have been out sick for a week at a time.  We parents have been sick for a week at a time.  You just can’t catch a break because now you are tasked with focusing your attention on the summer.  Besides your annual trip to Cape Cod, or to Disney World, or home to Iowa, you have 12 more weeks to plan for so that your children can be occupied and entertained this summer.  Who’s got time for that?

ScoopToo is here to help…a little.  Our annual Denver Summer Camp List has been in the works for a couple of years now.  Every year, we hope to make it more comprehensive with your help.  Talk to us. Tell us what you did last summer and this summer.  Help your fellow parents with feedback on camps that your kids loved.  We will continue to aggregate the information and deliver it right to you.  This year, we have a downloadable list for your convenience.  Enjoy and good luck!

Download a PDF here: Denver Summer Camps 2012

DENVER SUMMER CAMPS 2012

List Compiled by:

For those with TWINKLE TOES:

• Cleo Parker Robinson Dance
• Cherry Creek Dance
• Dance Conservatory of Denver

For the ANIMAL LOVER:

• Denver Zoo
• The Wildlife Experience
• Butterfly Pavilion
• Denver Equestrians

For the OUTDOOR ADVENTURER:

• Avid4Adventure
• Altogether Outdoors Summer Camps
• Bluff Lake Nature Center

For those with GLOBAL SIGHTS:

• Denver Montclair International School
• BIENVENIDOS Spanish Denver

For the SPORTS ENTHUSIAST:

Gymnastics:

• University of Denver 

Golf :

• The First Tee of Denver

Fencing:

• Denver Fencing Center

Basketball:

• Denver Nuggets

Tennis:

• Denver Park and Rec Tennis Camps

Soccer:

• Little Kickers
• Skyline Soccer
• YMCA of Denver
• University of Denver

Lacrosse:

• Gamebreaker Lacrosse Camp 
• Denver Lacrosse Club

Multi-sport:

• Stapleton All Sports
• University of Denver Youth Camps
• Jewish Community Center
• Bladium
• Dream Big Sports Camps
• YMCA of Denver

For the next PICASSO:

• Art Students League of Denver
• The Art Garage
• Mizel Museum
• Artful Journey
• Fox Art School

For the next OCSAR WINNER:

• Rocky Mountain Theatre for Kids
• Catchpenny Theatre
• Denver Center for the Performing Arts
• KidsTheatreWEST

For the SCIENTIST:

• Denver Museum of Nature & Science

For the future ENGINEER:

• Lego Camp
• Science Matters

For the TECH INSPIRED:

• Open World Learning
• Internal Drive

For the PIONEER:

• Four Mile Historic Park

For those with PATENTS PENDING:

• Camp Invention (you will find several locations around Denver that host this camp)

For the NATURALIST:

• Nature Rangers
• Denver Botanic Gardens

For the CREATIVE:

• Denver Children’s Museum
• All About the Arts

For the FOODIE:

• Sticky Fingers Cooking

For the ROCKER:

• Camp Jam

For the DAY CAMPER (various programs):

• Dream Big Day Camp
• JCC day camps
• Colorado Academy
• Montessori School of Denver
• Stanley British Primary
• South Suburban Parks & Rec
• Girl Scouts of Colorado
• Paddington Station
• Denver Parks & Recreation
• YMCA

For the OVERNIGHTER:

• Sanborn Western Camps
• Geneva Glen
• Camp Chief Ouray

PLEASE CONTACT US IF YOU HAVE A CAMP TO ADD OR MAKE A COMMENT IF YOU’VE HAD A GOOD EXPERIENCE WITH ONE OF THESE CAMPS.  LET US KNOW IF ONE OF THE LINKS IS BROKEN SO THAT WE CAN UPDATE IT.  THANK YOU!

Head of School, Stephanie Flanigan, stood before the Montessori School of Denver community Wednesday night and announced the exciting news that the school will be launching a middle school in August of 2013.  The MSD Board of Trustees had voted unanimously to extend MSD’s grades from Toddler through 6th grade to Toddler through 8th grade.

The idea of opening a middle school has been tossed around since the 1980′s at MSD but until now, “the time was not right” according to Stephanie. Last night, the audience stood up and cheered with the revelation of this news; it is something they’ve been waiting for for a long time.

This will be the only Montessori middle school option in Denver and will implement best practices for a top-notch, 21st century education for elementary and middle school students.  There is an exciting new and enhanced curriculum being developed that will take students outside the walls of the school, literally and figuratively, to encourage each student to be the critical thinkers, entrepreneurs,  globally minded,  stewards of our next generation.

Along with facilities planning for the addition of the 7th and 8th grades, the school will complete a comprehensive master plan, designed to address all MSD’s program and campus needs including acquiring additional property on which to build.

Enrollment will be for 40 additional students, 20 each for 7th and 8th grade, bringing the school’s total enrollment to 340 students by August of 2014.  At this point, the Montessori School of Denver will celebrate it’s 50th year in operation, a true legacy of premier education in Denver.

To learn more, please visit the Montessori School of Denver website for frequent updates.