It has been our discovery here at ScoopToo.com that we are not alone – that YOU are not alone.  The dark little secrets that we harbor about what-to-do-about-finding-the-right-school-for Johnny or Susie are, more often than not, running through the heads of the majority of parents of 4 year olds out there. Quite possibly the ambitious parents of 2 and 3 year olds as well.  These are people like us, who don’t have a stellar default school option just waiting with open doors to welcome your 5 year old.

Jennifer Holladay, the former Senior Adviser for Strategic Affairs at the Southern Poverty Law Center, and former director Teaching Tolerance tells us about her family’s Journey to Kindergarten.  Enjoy the read.  There is hope!

Check out Kerri getting interviewed by 9 News regarding their joint venture Website: coloradoschoolchoice.org.  Sorry Kerri, but you are no longer an incognito blogger!

The coloradoschoochoice.org is a useful data-driven site if you’re looking for certain statistics on schools.  The specific data included are: maps, CSAP scores, percentage of free & reduced lunches, enrollment/diversity and choice-in numbers.  The site does not include any other significant content at this time.

[kaltura-widget wid="xfrdpinzh8" width="400" height="365" addpermission="" editpermission="" /]

School: Carson Elementary

Website: http://carson.dpsk12.org

Type: Public – DPS

Tours: Tours are scheduled beginning October and are usually listed on the front page of the school Website.  Call the main office to schedule.

Main Phone: (303) 355-7316

Principal: Tamara Acevedo

Location: 5420 E. 1^st Avenue, Denver, CO, 80220 – Crestmoor neighborhood

Hours: 8:55 AM-3:45 PM

Grades: ECE-5^th Grade

Average Class Size: There are approximately 400 students at Carson Elementary including 71 Highly Gifted/High Achieving students and 39 Deaf/Hard of Hearing students.  In the two Kindergarten classrooms, student capacity is set at 25 students for the full-day program.  The average in the rest of the classrooms is 26 students.

Before/After Care: Carson does offer aftercare (Kaleidoscope Corner) as well as some after school enrichment programs that vary throughout the year.

Facilities/Playground: The 1950’s style building reflects many of the ranch-style homes in the area.  The inside of building is impeccably clean and orderly.  The traditional classrooms are average in size with a few smaller classrooms assigned to the deaf and hard of hearing students.  The Kindergarten classrooms are in an entirely separate wing of the building and a separate playground directly outside the rooms.  The outside area/playground is enormous and includes a giant grass playing field, large blacktop and several fairly modern play structures (the colorful plastic and metal kind).

Special & Core Programs: Carson is extremely proud of their special programs and facilities for deaf and hard of hearing students.  There are currently 39 students in this category.  Some hard of hearing students are fully integrated into the classrooms while others (deaf students) have their own teaching staff and classrooms.  Teachers wear personal microphones in each of the classes so those with hearing issues can follow along just as any other student would do.

Carson is also one of eight DPS elementary schools that host the Highly Gifted and Talented Magnet program.  There are currently 71 students in this program with specialized instruction for high achievers/highly gifted. These students come from across the district.

The Character Trait program is also very strong at Carson.  The entire community is educated on using Respect, Responsibility, Kindness, Tolerance, Perseverance, Integrity and Courage as key elements of learning.  This isn’t just a program that is posted and forgotten. They truly educate these traits.

Impressions: I was greeted with a very warm welcome from the tour guide who has two children at Carson and lives in the neighborhood. She directed me into the main office where I signed in and received a nicely put together folder of information on Carson, including an evaluation form for the open house/tour.  It seems that they really want to know the impressions of those taking the tour!  After our group gathered and was ready for the tour, the Principal, Tamara Acevedo, shared her feelings about the school.  She told us that Carson chose her as much as she chose the school.  The “fit” was right for her, just as the “fit” must be right for our families, she explained.  It is her first year at Carson as principal and she was very clear that education is her passion.  Principal Acevedo feels that Carson Elementary is a “very unique” place and a “school unlike any other”.  You could see it in her eyes that she meant it.  She invited us to contact her with further questions and then went on her way.

Our tour guide then introduced us to two other Carson parents also part of the tour.  I didn’t notice them at first but they were standing among us with nametags on.  One of the parents had three children who went through the school and one that was about to start ECE next year.  The other had two children in the school, both in the HGT program.  I thought it was a great idea to have multiple parents give the tours and offer different perspectives on the programs as well as tag-team any questions that were asked.  All three parent tour guides were very knowledgeable and passionate about the school.  We were asked to introduce ourselves as well and I came to find that there were a mix of parents from the Crestmoor, Hilltop, Stapleton, Palmer and Teller neighborhoods.

One thing I thought was interesting was that the very active PTA plans their annual fundraiser in the fall instead of the spring.  This is very clever given almost every other school solicits auction items and donations in the spring and wear out businesses in these efforts.  Also, the funds raised by the PTA fundraisers go to school-wide improvement as opposed to specific classrooms, staff or single programs.  I really liked this concept.

As we walked down the long hallway toward the Kindergarten wing, I couldn’t help but notice the impeccable cleanliness of the halls.  It’s almost as if they knew we were coming and had a school wide cleanup session!  The floors were spotless and while there were endless rows of hooks for student’s jackets and lunchboxes, not one thing lay on the floor.  The walls were adorned with student artwork, poster boards to vote for class officers, and a variety of unique student projects.  I noticed projects on symmetry as well as positive and negative battery power.  I thought this was surprisingly different that the typical elementary school projects I’ve seen on walls.  Some classrooms were being led down the hall quietly by their teachers and were expected to use their “quiet voices” and keep their hands to themselves.  This was very reminiscent of my experience with Montessori environments where children were encouraged to be peaceful and respectful during their transitions.

The Kindergarteners have their own separate wing with two classrooms, a common room, a bathroom and an outside play-area all to themselves.  The classrooms were quite large and filled with all the things you’d expect to see in a Kindergarten classroom.  The playground is large but offers very little shade.  I imagine this can be quite hot during summer months and is cause for limited outside playtime.

The playground for the rest of the students was absolutely enormous.  There were several play structures, a gigantic blacktop as well as a grassy area as large as a football field.  Some of the students were being led outside for gym class with the full time Gym Teacher.  The inside gym room is tiny so this must be a welcome respite for the twice a week gym class when the weather is nice.

The library is also small but equally as pristine as the rest of the school.  Each class has the opportunity to use the mobile technology lab with laptops right in their classroom and some rooms have been outfitted with Promethean Boards (electronic interactive white boards) in the rooms.  With incoming technology grant funding from the Federal Government to DPS, the school expects to install these Boards in each of the rooms in the near future.

When the tour was over, the three parent guides expressed their very heartfelt feelings on the new Principal when asked how she compares to the beloved former Principal.  They said that Ms. Acevedo was warm, responsive and approachable to both kids and parents.  In her first year she is observing a school that has had a successful past.  She will wait to make any changes in following years only if necessary.  This seems to be a very intelligent move for a first time Principal.  I walked out of this tour thinking “that is a great school” and wishing it were my neighborhood.  Bravo Carson!

We welcome your comments and impressions on your experience with Carson Elementary.

If you’re like many of us, the deadlines and application process for the various facets of the DPS system can be confusing.  Let this be your reminder that the Denver Public Schools Highly Gifted & Talented nomination deadline (2010/2011 school year) is November 2, 2009. The deadline for applications for the Advanced Kindergarten program is December 11, 2009. You will need to take several steps to get testing and applications prepared for these deadlines.  To find out how it works, you can read our related post: Testing, Who Needs It? . You can also go to the DPS Gifted & Talented Department site.

Here are some important dates for information sessions at each of the HG&T and Advanced K school locations:

HIGHLY GIFTED PROGRAM INFORMATION NIGHTS
6:00 pm – 7:00 pm
Elementary program information at all locations
Middle School program information at Morey only
Spanish translation available

September 29, Polaris at Ebert Elementary (NE), 410 Park Ave. West
September 30, Gust Elementary (SW), 3440 W. Yale
October 1, Cory Elementary (SE), 1550 S. Steele St.
October 7, Southmoor Elementary (SE), 3755 S. Magnolia Way
October 8, Teller Elementary (S Central), 1150 Garfield St.
October 13, Morey Middle School (Central), 840 E. 14th Ave.
October 14, Edison Elementary (NW). 3350 Quitman
October 20, Carson Elementary (SE), 5420 E. 1st Ave.
October 27, Archuleta Elementary (Far NE), 16000 E. Maxwell Pl.

ADVANCED KINDERGARTEN INFORMATION NIGHTS
6:00 pm – 7:00 pm
Spanish translation available

September 29, Polaris at Ebert Elementary (NE), 410 Park Ave. West
September 30, Gust Elementary (SW), 3440 W. Yale
October 14, Edison Elementary (NW). 3350 Quitman
October 27, Archuleta Elementary (Far NE), 16000 E. Maxwell Pl.
Date to be announced, Palmer Elementary (E Central), 995 Grape
Date to be announced, Stedman Elementary (NE), 2940 Dexter
Date to be announced, Bill Roberts (NE), 2100 Akron Way

Again, the process can be frustrating and confusing so attending one of these sessions should help in answering some of your questions.  If you have further questions or comments, feel free to post it below.

y49gku7h3s

It’s that time of year again folks! Many of you will be starting your school search soon. You may be asking yourself all sorts of questions, in particular, where do I begin? You want the SCOOP? You got it. Below are some of our first posts (many of which were buried in past archives) that can help get you started. We think you will find them both informative and helpful because finding the right school can be a bit daunting to say the least. After reading some of these articles we hope you walk away feeling recharged and ready to do your “homework.”

Getting Started
Testing: Who Needs It?
Choices, Choices, Choices….School of Choice Process
Options for Kindergarten—Part I—Full Day vs. Half Day
Options for Kindergarten—Part II—Redshirting
Options for Kindergarten—Part III—Kindergarten Twice

Testing, Who Needs It?

We all like to think, or hope, our kids are pretty darn smart.  We throw them praises for counting to 100, for remembering and retaining things that happened years ago, for reading “the cat chased the rat”, or for constructing a complicated Lego contraption.   We are told they’re bright by their teachers, relatives and friends, but are they?  Are they really as gifted as we think they are?

There is no telling that where you send them for Elementary School will determine a whole lot in their future, after all, there are plenty of extraordinary and successful individuals that went through the most feeble of early childhood education.  Nonetheless, if you seek to get some answers about your child’s intellectual talent, here are the ways:

Private School Testing:

In Denver, there are three private Kindergarten-age school programs that require a cognitive assessment. They are: The Logan School, Colorado Academy and Ricks Center for Gifted Children (part of the University of Denver). Graland and Stanley British Primary used to required these tests several years ago and starting next fall, Graland will once again require cognitive testing.

The two accepted tests are called the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence (or WPPSI-III) which The Logan School prefers and the newer version of the Differential Abilities Scale (DAS-II) which Colorado Academy prefers.  Graland will accept either one of these.  The tests are for ages 2-5 years and for older children (6+) there is a different assessment called the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC-IV).

If you are considering one of the previously mentioned schools for your child, then you will need to speak to a Child Psychologist who is trained in and specializes in administering cognitive assessments.  Typically you can speak with a Child Psychologist (schools can provide you with a list of names) on the phone to first assess the need for the test and to answer any questions you might have about the child’s learning style.

If you’re expecting to prep your child for one of these tests, think again.  According to Child Psychologist, Dr. Mary Monroe, if a parent were to prep or train their children on the subject matter, the integrity of the test would be compromised and wouldn’t be a true test of a child’s cognitive abilities.  The child’s score would not be valid if the information they are being tested on isn’t novel to them.  It is supposed to measure cognitive abilities and is NOT a measure of achievement.  A Child Psychologist (via the test) is looking to see how a child’s brain responds to a novel experience (left brain vs. right brain, visual vs. language, spatial relationships, analytical, etc.) which will provide a truer sense of the child’s abilities as opposed to how well they have studied the material. Here is an explanation of the Wechsler Tests on Wikipedia.

Public School Testing:

In the Denver Public School System there are three different types of assessments given to children based on their age and need.

Early Entrance

If you are considering Kindergarten for your child but they do not meet the birth date cutoff of October 1^st for the following year…you may take the Early Entrance assessment which is administered by the DPS Early Education Department.  As stated on their Website, the Early Entrance assessment is available for children with exceptional academic need who turn 5 years old between October 2 and December 31 of the year of enrollment. The Board of Education policy stipulates that students must have extraordinary academic need for early entrance.” The fee for this assessment is $50. 

Advanced Kindergarten

DPS offers Advanced Kindergarten classrooms in eight elementary schools that are specifically designed for academically advanced kindergarten students in the areas of reading and math. These classrooms provide a full-day curriculum that enriches, expands and accelerates state and district kindergarten standards according to student academic readiness and assessed curriculum mastery. The Advanced Kindergarten Program is a part of the full-day Tuition Based Kindergarten Program. There is a test/assessment that is administered by the DPS Early Education Department for these programs for a $50 fee as well. The application is an additional $50 fee.

Advanced Kindergarten classrooms are available in the following elementary schools and you must apply to your neighborhood school or go through the choice process (through the Advanced Kindergarten Dept. and NOT the School of Choice Dept.) if it is not your district: Archuleta Elementary, Bradley International School, Edison Elementary, Gust Elementary, Palmer Elementary, Polaris at Ebert, Stedman Elementary and William Roberts School.

Highly Gifted & Talented

There are also eight schools that offer the Highly Gifted & Talented Magnet program in the Denver Public School System: Polaris at Ebert, Southmoor Elementary, Carson Elementary, Cory Elementary, Edison Elementary, Teller Elementary, Archuleta Elementary and Gust Elementary. Qualifying students will be offered placement in their area HGT Magnet site based on their home address and their DPS neighborhood school. A child has to be “nominated”, during their first grade year, for the Highly Gifted & Talented Program. A child can also be “self-nominated” if a parent chooses to do this for their child.  If accepted, the child will be placed with other students with similar abilities and taught by trained teachers.

There is an application on the DPS Website for this nomination and it’s typically due in early November.  If you are seeking for your child to be nominated and your school offers the HGT program, you should discuss it with their teacher. There is no single criterion that determines Highly Gifted & Talented students, rather several in combination, including observation by teachers and an assessment given by the DPS Department Psychologist.  Typically, the students that are a part of the HGT program are the top 5^th percentile of those tested.

———–

Hopefully, this breakdown will help you in determining what will be the best path for your child and eliminate some of the mystery in this process.  I, for one, had trouble navigating through the muddy waters during my quest and am still in the process of figuring out a final path to take.  Sometimes it can be tricky, especially if you have a potentially gifted child, but they do not meet the cutoff date for enrollment.  There is an onslaught of new questions that arise because of this.  Do they do Kindergarten twice?  Do they go Early Entrance AND to Advanced K?  Is it better or worse for a boy or a girl?  Only you can make that choice…and instinct will lead you there.