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

School: Cole Arts and Science Academy

Website: http://www.coleacademydenver.org/

Type: Public-DPS Innovation School

Enrollment: 635 students

Tours:  Call school to make an appointment

Main Phone: 720.423.9120

Principal: Julie Murgel (2 vice principals and a principal intern)

Location:  3240 Humboldt Street, Denver 80205 (Cole and Whittier neighborhood)

Hours: ECE 8:30 am-3:30 pm; K-5th 8:15 am- 3:45 pm; Middle School  8:15 am- 3:30 pm

Grades:  ECE-5^th Grade along with DSST Middle School (6-8^th grade)

Average Class Size: Approximately 26 students per classroom (3 classrooms per grade level plus middle school)

Before/After Care:

-Kaleidoscope Corner for grades K-5

-Fit Fun and Literacy for Grades K-4 (an after-school program providing physical fitness and nutrition with homework assistance)

-Cole Beacon Neighborhood Center for 5^th-8^th grade students (funding from the Boys and Girls Club…program offers a variety of enrichment opportunities to students focusing on skill building and relationship building)

Facilities/Playground: 

There is a learning landscape west of the entrance to the school (north of the tennis courts).  Cole has a huge field north of the school that is used for P.E. outdoor learning, middle school sports and by DSST for outdoor P.E. (soccer, flag football, and baseball). There are basketball courts north of the field used primarily afterschool. A smaller playground for ECE is to the north side of the school (MLK Blvd).

Special & Core Programs:

• The Denver School of Science and Technology at Cole opened its doors this year. Currently it’s a middle school that welcomed sixth graders only in 2011 (each year it will add a grade). To learn more, click here.
• Cole became an Innovation School in August 2009. It is achieving its goals according to the District’s SPF. The school will be up for review this June 2012. Innovation schools are up for review every three years to monitor their accountability to the children they serve.
• Students partake in physical education each day. They rotate every 3 weeks for art, music and technology classes.
• In the primary years (ECE-1^st grade) there are 3 programs for the students: a traditional classroom, ELA (English language acquisition classroom), and a Spanish speaking only classroom. Students in 2^nd grade and up are provided a more traditional classroom approach. They are assessed and grouped according to need for math and science as well as literacy instruction. The second – fifth grade classrooms use a platoon model where two teachers partner; one teaches literacy and the other math and science.
• Cole is a designated American Indian Focus School. The program provides one location where all DPS students with American Indian heritage are invited to learn together.
• Afterschool tutoring by staff for students who need support.
• This school offers the Primary Multi-Intensive program for students in grades 1-3 and the Intermediate Multi-Intensive for students in grades 3-5. The children are placed by the district’s special needs team. Many are bussed in but some live within the neighborhood. The programs provide support for students that have development delays specifically cognitive delays.
• Infusions–Cole offers two separate Infusion sessions. Each session is 6 weeks long and takes place for an hour and a half, once a week.  Students choose classes based on their interests. The classes are composed of a mix of children from varying grade levels with a teacher other than that of their homeroom. Some of the past infusion classes offered included Salsa Dancing, skateboarding, photography, History of Five Points, History of Mexico, Nutrition, Horseback Riding, etc.

Impressions:

Cole Arts and Science Academy opened four years ago in the Cole and Whittier neighborhood (northwest of City Park) in Denver. The building itself was a former middle school. Two failing elementary schools in the neighborhood, Wyman and Mitchell, shut down not long ago and as a result, Cole Arts and Science Academy opened its doors hoping to provide a successful school in this very diverse community.

Cole’s exterior is old, beautiful and grand. It’s a huge school on the outside and within. As you enter the school, you can’t help but notice the various pendants hanging from the foyer’s ceiling. These pendants represent the staff’s college alma maters. As you walk a bit further, you’ll see a number of banners in the hallway boasting the words, Class of 2021, Class of 2023, etc. I learned that those years represent when the present students will graduate college, something many of their parents never had the opportunity to do. The banners and pendants are visual reminders to the students that anything is possible even a college education. This inspiration tactic from the staff reminds students that the Cole faculty believes in them. It’s the first thing students see when arriving and leaving school each day.

Elena Saenz, a family liaison, greeted me and led me on a tour of the school. She is a full-time family liaison. Her job is to advocate for families and make sure they know their role when it comes to supporting their child at home. She works with classroom teachers as well to help make sure this happens. Family outreach and engagement is a big priority at this school. Elena is bilingual like many of the staff at Cole. This comes in handy for the 60% Hispanic population that attends the school. Elena gives tours to families, too. If only every DPS school could have a family liaison!

We started our tour on the first floor. The school is complete with three levels and shaped like the letter H. The vastness of the school was a bit overwhelming. I am guessing that becoming comfortable in such a large building takes time for new families and students. With that being said, the first floor houses the primary wings: ECE for 3 and 4 year olds, Kindergarten, first, second grade classrooms, and a large auditorium. Although the school is very old, the classrooms were spacious and bright. I saw many smart boards in the classrooms, a tool growing in popularity throughout DPS. The hallways were adorned with beautiful artwork. This year, two full-time art teachers work at the school and they’ve done wonders beautifying the school hallways with projects created by the students.

One of the primary classrooms we visited had a classroom teacher from the Teach for America program. This program helps ensure that children growing up in poverty can receive an excellent education. She went through the two year program at Cole and is now teaching here full-time. I enjoy hearing stories such as this. These high achieving educators are placed in urban schools within low-income neighborhoods. Currently, Cole has a 96% free and reduced lunch ratio.

This school has 11 DTR’s (Denver Teacher Residents). This program offers yet another way to bring in motivated and passionate educators who want to make a difference (both programs are enticing high caliber educators and providing them the support and resources they need along the way). I chatted briefly with a number of staff members that day, including the principal. Everyone seemed to be very energetic, happy and proud to be working at this school. With that being said, there seems to be some teacher turnover, 11 new teachers started this school year.

On the second and third floors are the upper elementary classrooms, middle school (separate entrance), two gymnasiums, cafeteria, huge music room, two art rooms, library, two technology labs, etc.  Each floor has access to a classroom set of net books, too. I was amazed at all the technological resources this school has despite the fact there is no PTA.

Students were coming and going as we made our way through the hallways. They wear uniforms at the school. Due to the recent partnership with DSST, Cole has adapted some of their cultural system. As a result, school behavior has improved this year. Julie mentioned that the partnership between DSST and Cole is unique in that it benefits both programs. For example, Cole has been influential to DSST on family and community engagement.

Since Cole is an innovation school, they have greater autonomy when it comes to their budget, hiring and curriculum. A short time ago, students were not finding success with the district’s reading curriculum. Students were struggling with phonics. The staff re-evaluated and decided that another more structured literacy model with a strong emphasis on phonics would be more successful for the kids.  This is why innovation is important, folks. If children are lacking important skills and not finding academic success, the school should have the freedom to find something that works! Shouldn’t more turnaround schools apply for innovative status so they have the freedom to see what works, what doesn’t and make the best possible decisions for their students based on these findings? The ultimate goal is to set our children up for success, not failure.

Elena mentioned repeatedly that Julie Murgel, Cole’s principal, is an extraordinary leader who works tirelessly on searching for funding to ensure that these children are getting what they need. I could see this by the abundant resources that the school has and the partnerships Cole has created within the community.

Has Cole made progress the past few years? Yes. Is Cole setting up systems to help students reach their full potential? Yes. Does Cole have a long way to go when it comes to academic achievement? Yes. This is a school that is trying to beat the odds by creating a team of intentional and passionate educators, having strong leadership at the helm, patience in making decisions based on the best interest of the child, and hope that every child no matter race or socioeconomic status can and will learn. Julie Murgel said it all when I asked what makes Cole special. She said, “Cole is Hope. It is an example of a school defying all the odds.” I hope it does!

We welcome your comments and impressions on your experience with Cole Arts & Science Academy.

 At times, it’s very confusing when looking at data regarding public schools in Colorado. Recently, a new website was unveiled to help bring some clarity to this task. This new system has taken all of the data collected by the Colorado Department of Education and translated it into a simpler language, a letter grade. The tool can be used for parents when searching for a school of interest for their child. Other parents may want to view it to find out if their present child’s school is making the grade.  No matter your reason for visiting the website, the information is presented in a simple way for all to understand. Please read the article below from 9News regarding the new site or click here to see if your school is making the grade! 

Simplifying your child’s school performance

KUSA – Understanding your child’s school performance is now as easy as going online. The confusing language is gone and, now, the schools just get a simple letter grade – A to F.

There is a statewide-advertising campaign already up and running with television, radio spots and billboards telling people about Colorado School Grades.com.

There were 18 groups and organizations involved in this 14-month-long process. Tim Taylor is with one of the groups: Colorado Succeeds.

“We wanted to make sure it was simple enough to understand,” Taylor said “Then there are opportunities to dig deeper. This is the first step no one should make a decision based solely on a grade a school got. It should encourage visits and additional research.”

—–

When Megan Talley works with special education students at Stony Creek Elementary, she knows she’s part of an aggressive approach that’s increasing academic achievement.

“It’s a very rare thing for special education students to meet, exceeds, or even meets progress,” said Talley, special education teacher at Stony Creek Elementary in Jefferson County. “To be in those categories is unheard of.”

The Colorado Department of Education examines numerous things when deciding how to score a school. Academic growth and student achievement are primary factors.

The state looks at different groups of students and decides if those students are meeting expectations, exceeding expectations, or needs improvement in areas of academic growth.

At Stony Creek, special education students met expectations in writing and exceeded expectations in math.

“The scores have gone up tremendously,” Sue Whelan, instructional coach at Stony Creek Elementary, said.

Whelan says teachers and administrators decided that what they were doing for special education students wasn’t enough.

“We noticed that structures that were in our school were not systemic,” Whelan said. “We talked about creating structures that made sense.”

Whelan says more time was created for teachers to work together on how to address student needs. She says teachers started monitoring progress of students more often. And, they created a team to intervene with students who really needed more help in reading, writing or math.

“You specifically get a group of people together to focus on that need and you go at it until that child meets that expectation, that’s going to push kids along,” Whelan said.

Stony Creek is an example of successes happening across Colorado. Overall, there are more high performing schools than last year. There are also fewer schools listed at the bottom of the list. Schools districts are classified into five categories:

1. Accredited with Distinction
2. Accredited
3. Accredited with Improvement Plan
4. Accredited with Priority Improvement Plan
5. Accredited with Turnaround Plan

Individual schools are classified into four categories:

1. Performance Plan
2. Improvement Plan
3. Priority Improvement Plan
4. Turnaround Plan.

VIEW: District ratings (Excel document)

The schools or districts listed as “turnaround” or “priority improvement” need to make academic gains quickly in the coming years, or else the state may take measures against the school or district.

VIEW: School Ratings (Excel document) (note: Aurora is listed as Adams-Arapahoe 28J)

Tally says seeing a strong school report card is encouraging.

“I love my job. I love coming to school every day. I love working with the kids,” Talley said. “But when you see growth like that, it makes it all worth it.”

The impending first round of school choice is fast approaching. If you are feeling a bit stressed about the new enrollment process or have questions now is the time to seek some clarity. Be sure to attend one of the two information sessions being offered by Get Smart Schools to get the answers you need before completing the choice application–deadline is January 31, 2012. Please read the information below…

Click here to read a recent article from the Denver Post regarding the new choice process. It should answer some of your questions especially ones relating to your neighborhood school.

The new enrollment program for DPS seems to be the talk of the town. I am curious to see how this new system will roll out. Parents are looking forward to an easier and streamlined application. While there are many changes that happen year to year regarding schools within a district, it’ll be reassuring to know that there will be consistency (ONE application) when enrolling your child in a Denver Public School. SchoolChoice guides and forms should be available this week. A special thanks to Sandra Konta, Application Processing Representative at DPS, for sending us this informative update detailing the enrollment process. 

Enrolling Your Child In a DPS School:  DPS SchoolChoice

Any student planning to attend a new school in the 2012-13 school year, including those entering ECE, elementary, middle or high school for the first time, should complete a DPS SchoolChoice form.  The SchoolChoice form is the one-and-only school application that needs to be completed for all DPS traditional boundary schools, magnet schools and programs*, and charter schools*.

*Please note that some magnet programs and charter schools require extra enrollment steps.  Please contact individual schools for details.

Step 1: Research

• Learn about DPS resources and programs: Consider your child’s strengths, challenges, and the kind of learning environment in which he/she is most successful. Then review the SchoolChoice Guide to create a list of schools that might be a good match for your child.

• Understand the DPS rating and ranking system: DPS uses the School Performance Framework (SPF) to evaluate how well Denver schools support student achievement. The rating is developed based on criteria that include academic growth, academic proficiency (status), student engagement, re-enrollment rates and parent satisfaction. Based on these criteria, all schools in the district are ranked on a 100-point scale and classified in five categories.  School-specific SPF ratings can be found in the SchoolChoice Guide.
• Research schools: Research schools by reviewing the SchoolChoice Guide, conduct online research at http://schoolchoice.dpsk12.org, and/or attend any of the upcoming events:

Far Northeast Denver Regional School Expo – December 3^rd; 10:00 AM – noon; Evie Dennis Campus

Southeast Denver Regional School Expo – December 3^rd; 10:00 AM – noon; Merrill Middle School

Southwest Denver Regional School Expo – December 3^rd; 9:00 – 11:00 AM; Lincoln High School

Near Northeast Denver Regional School Expo – December 6^th; 6:00 – 8:00 PM; Bruce Randolph Middle/High School

Northwest Denver Regional School Expo – December 10^th; 9:00 – 11:00 AM; North High School

• Visit schools that interest you: If possible, we strongly recommend that you visit the schools that interest you and your child. You may contact the school directly to meet the principal, take a tour, find out about an open house, or set up a classroom visit.

Step 2:  Prioritize

• After you’ve researched schools, resources and programs, prioritize your child’s top five schools in your order of preference.

Step 3:  Complete

• After identifying your child’s top five school preferences, determine if any of those schools require additional enrollment steps. Contact a school directly to learn what, if any, additional enrollment steps are required.  Information on which schools have additional enrollment steps can be found in the SchoolChoice Guide.
• List your child’s school preferences in order on the SchoolChoice form. It is important to list a total of five schools in the exact order of preference. Every effort will be made to assign your child into his/her highest preference school.  Please note that only listing one choice will not increase your chances of getting assigned to that school, and that your child is guaranteed a seat at his/her boundary school.
• Be sure to complete all the fields on the SchoolChoice form, fill in all five of your child’s top choices, and sign and date the form. SchoolChoice forms will be available on or before December 1, 2011 at any DPS school or online at http://schoolchoice.dpsk12.org.

Step 4:  Submit

• Submit your SchoolChoice form at any DPS school or bring your form to 900 Grant Street no later than 5:00 PM on January 31, 2012. Make sure to ask the school staff person who receives your form to make a time-stamped copy for you.  All SchoolChoice forms received by this date will be given full consideration for school assignments in the 2012/13 school year.  There is no benefit to submitting the SchoolChoice form earlier rather than later.

During the month of February, the DPS Office of Choice and Enrollment Services will work to collect and process all SchoolChoice forms in an attempt to get each student into his/her most highly preferred school.  SchoolChoice applicants will be notified in writing of their 2012/13 school assignment on or around March 1, 2012.

DPS Office of Choice and Enrollment Services 

(720) 423-3493 

schoolchoice@dpsk12.org

Packages:

NEW!!  “Get the Scoop” Consult

This one on one (video or in person) consult is designed for parents of Denver Public School elementary students who seek clarity on the new Denver Public School enrollment program. This package with Kerri Barclay, ScoopToo blog expert, includes advising families in learning more about their educational options within DPS (traditional, magnet, charter and innovation schools) and assisting families in navigating the school choice process while providing tips and advice on how to choose and rank their top 5 schools that suit their child’s needs and reflect their family values. (75 min. consult)

Education Planning 101:

This consult is for families with children in pre-school and elementary school that need assistance in choosing the best school for their child. This package includes working with Kerri Barclay to create a strategic plan for your child’s education by indentifying family values and what school philosophies align with those values. Kerri will cater to the individual needs of a family addressing topics such as highly gifted, specific educational philosophies, special needs, and admission procedures. This consult is designed for both public and private schools. (2 hours)

If interested in either of these packages, please email Kerri at: kbarclay@e-merging.org to learn more.

Last spring, I had the opportunity to tour a charter school in Aurora. Annette Sloan, The Director of Communications, led the tour. After speaking with Annette regarding the role she has at the school, I couldn’t help but wonder how great it would be if every school could have a communications person on site. Communication is a vital part of how well a school runs and as a parent, we feel more connected and invested in our child’s education when we know what is happening within the school and the classrooms.

Recently, I sent Annette some questions regarding school communication and here’s what she had to say.

Q. Tell us about your role as the Director of Communications at High Point Academy?

A. As Director of Communications, I take care of marketing, communications, and grant-writing. The marketing aspect involves tasks like writing content for our annual report and brochures, advertising in local
  newspapers, representing HPA at neighborhood events, and just generally 
getting our name out there as much as we can. Communications involves
  staying in touch with our families and the greater HPA community -
writing the weekly and monthly school newsletter, sending out e-blasts, 
and maintaining the website, for example. The grant-writing is pretty 
self-explanatory. As with any job, I tend to wear many hats, and a lot 
of what I do goes into the ‘miscellaneous’ category.

Q. Why is communication so important within a school?

A. Without good communication, people tend to feel out of the loop, and as
 a result, they become less invested in the school’s success. This is 
true for staff, parents, students, and community partners. When people
 know what is going on and what is expected or requested of them, and the 
‘whys’ behind that, they’re much more likely to get involved.

Q. What are the most effective means of communication a school can provide to their community?

A. I’m not sure if I can speak to one most effective means of
 communication. At HPA, we serve a very ethnically and socioeconomically
 diverse population, and no one method reaches everyone. We rely heavily
 on electronic communication – e-blasts and the website – but this isn’t
a perfect method. We send home flyers and notices with our students, and 
we announce events on the marquee in front of our school. We also use a
 program that lets us send text and voice messages directly to parents,
 which is handy for things like snow days and reminders of important
school events. But none of it is perfect. Perhaps the best way is the
 most old-fashioned – to get students really excited about something -
because then the message will almost certainly get back to their
 parents!

Q. How can teachers better communicate to parents?

A. This is not my area of expertise, but it seems like parents really
 appreciate teachers that communicate openly and often, and with a positive attitude.

Q. You are paid to do what you do. What advice would you give a school where office members or a parent group is in charge of communication?

A. I would advise them to make sure that they are constantly in touch with
 the principal or whoever is behind the scenes on the messages that are
 going out. I would say that it is best to have one designated person be
 in charge of communication, to ensure that the messages going out are
 consistent.

Obviously, many schools can’t afford to hire a Director of Communications. However, if communication is not highly regarded at your school, perhaps you can make a difference by starting a conversation with the school leader or forming a parent group who is committed to helping communication become one of your school’s priorities.

For all of you choicing in to a school in January 2012, please read the below information to learn where and when the upcoming DPS regional expos will take place.  These expos provide an opportunity for parents to meet representatives from individual schools (elementary and secondary schools) within the varying Denver neighborhoods to gain a better understanding of the schools and the programs they offer. It’s a good way to do some comparison shopping for a school(s) of interest. The new SchoolChoice guides will be available to parents at the expo.

Click here to see which schools will be represented at each expo.

Far Northeast Denver Regional School Expo – December 3^rd; 10:00 AM – noon; Evie Dennis Campus

Southeast Denver Regional School Expo – December 3^rd; 10:00 AM – noon; Merrill Middle School

Southwest Denver Regional School Expo – December 3^rd; 9:00 – 11:00 AM; Lincoln High School

Near Northeast Denver Regional School Expo – December 6^th; 6:00 – 8:00 PM; Bruce Randolph Middle/High School

Northwest Denver Regional School Expo – December 10^th; 9:00 – 11:00 AM; North High School

DPS Office of Choice and Enrollment Services 

(720) 423-3493 

schoolchoice@dpsk12.org

Update–Read the press release for more information regarding the regional expos.

                                                                Contact:

                                                                                                               Amy Asper

                                                                                            amy_asper@dpsk12.org

October 14, 2011

Denver Public Schools Rolling Out New SchoolChoice Enrollment Process

DPS to Host a Series of Regional Events to Help Families Explore School Options, and Learn How to Enroll in a New School 

Denver — Denver Public Schools is in the process of vastly simplifying the way families enroll their children in school by moving to a single application system. To acquaint families with the new process – called SchoolChoice – the district will be hosting a series of informative regional events in December.

During the five scheduled regional expos, families will have the opportunity to learn more about SchoolChoice and how to enroll their children in a new school. The events will also offer families the opportunity to learn about public schools in their neighborhood, with principals, teachers and students from each region on hand to answer questions.

Starting with the 2012-13 school year, any student transitioning to or entering a new DPS school, including those entering ECE, elementary, middle or high school for the first time, will complete a SchoolChoice form. The SchoolChoice form will be the only application that will need to be completed for all DPS traditional boundary schools, as well as most magnet and charter schools.

Under the current system, there are more than 60 different enrollment processes for DPS schools, with different forms and due dates depending on whether the school is a charter, selective-enrollment or regular choice school. The new system will not only reduce the number of processes and deadlines to one but will maintain an emphasis on choice, with allowance for selection of up to five different schools.

“We need to do a better job of making the process of selecting a school simple and user-friendly,” says DPS Superintendent Tom Boasberg. “SchoolChoice will boil the process down to one piece of paper and one timeline for families to follow.”

The expo events, divided up by geographic regions, are scheduled as follows:

All elementary schools from the region will be in attendance. Participation is optional for middle and high schools and charter schools. For a list of schools by region, please visit http://schoolchoice.dpsk12.org.

The SchoolChoice form, as well as SchoolChoice Guides, will be available at each expo to families with children who will be transitioning to a new school for the 2012-13 school year, which includes current ECE students and 5^th and 8^th graders.  SchoolChoice forms will also be distributed to families in early December. They will also be available at each school and at http://schoolchoice.dpsk12.org.

In February, the DPS Office of Choice and Enrollment Services will collect and process all SchoolChoice forms, making every effort to get students enrolled in their most highly-preferred school. Applicants will be notified in writing of their 2012-13 school assignment on or around March 1, 2012.

Families may contact the DPS Office of Choice and Enrollment Services with questions about SchoolChoice at (720) 423-3493 or schoolchoice@dpsk12.org.

Interview Series-No. 9

Parent-This parent transitioned her child from a high achieving DPS school to a faith-based school.

Q. Describe your transitional experience or scenario. 

A. We were very concerned about the impact of moving our child into a new environment after spending two years at our old school. We weighed the “pros” and “cons” several times before making the final decision. The good news is that much of our concern was unwarranted. Within the first two weeks our daughter was thriving.

Q. What circumstances led to this decision?

A. Just because a school has a great reputation it doesn’t necessarily mean that the specific needs of your child are going to be met. There is so much more to a school than test scores. I would encourage anyone unsure about the “fit” of the school to spend time there volunteering in your child’s classroom. You’re helping out the school, and you get a really great sense of what the environment is on a day-to-day basis for your child. No school is going to be perfect and meet every single need and desire you have for your kiddo. Prioritize your list. Think about what your child really needs in order to flourish. If you have a persistent sense that you can do better for your child, visit some other schools and get an idea of other options out there.

Q. What type of school did your child previously attend and what type of school do they attend now?

A. Previously our child attended a high achieving DPS school. She now attends a faith-based school.

Q. How do the educational experiences differ?

A. Both programs were academically rigorous. There is quite a bit less emphasis on testing at our current school so the curriculum is a bit more creative because the teachers have the time to go down these paths. Class size is also smaller so teachers get to spend more one-on-one time with each student. The character education piece is also addressed more at our current school (again, because they have the time), and the result is a really tight-knit group of students. Weekly chapel includes time for friendship teams (which consist of 8 students of different grades from kindergarten through eighth grade). Many parents also attend chapel. The result is that you see a lot of parents in the hallways chatting with teachers and each other, and this builds a strong sense of community.

Q. What advice can you give that will help others when going through a similar experience?

A. Denver has so many options. It’s easy to get locked into the mindset that there are only three, good, public schools in Denver, and you have to stay and make it work. That’s really not true. There are lots of options with charter schools, faith-based schools and private schools. These options might not be convenient or free, but they’re out there. We moved our daughter in second grade and were immediately welcomed and made to feel like we were part of the school family. Our daughter is thriving, and my only regret is worrying so much about the transition.