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:

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

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!

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

Thursday night’s DPS Early Education Scoop pulled in about 150 parents who wanted answers to the mystifying process of applying to ECE programs and elementary schools in Denver.  Several representatives from DPS were on hand to answer the most pressing questions.  A common thread was the confusing choice process and priority of getting in to a non-neighborhood school.  Unfortunately, several questions could not be answered because decisions have not yet been made as to which schools would house what programs (ECE-3, ECE-4, Advanced K, HGT, Center for Early Education schools, etc.).  Decisions have to be made on a year-by-year basis which can be frustrating for parents that are new to the process.  And, theoretically, every year brings a new set of parents who need answers.

After the audience Q&A session, participants visited the various tables which included representatives from Kaleidoscope Corner, Valdez Elementary, HGT and Advanced K programs, and Montessori programs. We had a big crowd stop by the ScoopToo.com table and it seems like most questions asked could be answered. It validated the reason why we started this blog in the first place.  Parents want to make the right decisions for their children and the myriad of options in Denver can be confusing.

We hope that ScoopToo.com can provide some hand-holding during this process and can be used as a supplemental resource for everyone out there who needs some additional clarity and a non-data-driven viewpoint.

If you or anyone you know missed the event last night, please be sure to register for one of the next two events.

Register
Early Education
School List

2010 DPS EARLY ED. SCOOP EVENTS!

For new parents, enrolling in preschool and kindergarten in Denver Public Schools can be confusing. At the Early Education Scoop, Enrollment Experts – including the moms behind ScoopToo – will be on hand to answer your questions! The event starts with a helpful overview from DPS Director of Early Education. Parents can then visit with Enrollment Experts who are well-versed in hot topics like tuition, transportation, the School of Choice process, special-needs programming, Advanced Kindergarten, English Language Acquisition and dual-language programming, Montessori programs and before- and after-school care.

December 8, 6:00-8:00 p.m.
Palmer Elementary
995 Grape St.

January 6, 6:00-8:00 p.m.
Valdez Elementary
2525 W. 29th Ave.

Be sure to register for next week’s Early Education Scoop. Read details below.

Gloria Neal from CBS 4 News in Denver interviewed Kerri last night on the 6:00 news.  The segment aired at about 6:50 PM.

Gloria Neal: Solutions for a Dysfunctional School System

The piece was done as a follow up to Davis Guggenheim’s visit to Denver yesterday where he spoke about his Documentary film, Waiting for “Superman”.  ScoopToo was at a special screening yesterday for the film and Guggenheim came to speak to the crowd of politicians, educators and press regarding the state of education in America and on a local level here in Colorado.  Davis Guggenheim believes that one of the single most important steps America is taking in the face of failing education is right here in Colorado – Senate Bill 191 – that puts the issue of tenure back on the table and focuses more on effective and performance-based teaching.  The premise is that tenure is a privilege and not a right.

Click on the link below to see the follow up blog article from Gloria Neal:

http://cbs4denver.com/news/waiting.for.superman.2.1961494.html