School:  TELLER ELEMENTARY

Website: http://teller.dpsk12.org/

Type: Public-DPS

Tours: Every Thursday at 11:00 am beginning in November through April.  Call to schedule to make sure there will be a tour.

Main Phone: (303) 333-4285

Principal: Jennifer Barton

Location: 1150 Garfield Street, Denver, CO 80206 – Congress Park Neighborhood

Hours: 8:45 AM – 3:45 PM

Grades: ECE-5, Full Day Kindergarten

Average Class Size: Currently, the K classes are 29 and 30 students.

*UPDATE – Choiced In: For the 2009/2010 school year, there were zero (0) Kindergarten spots available for Choice students.  There were ten (10) accepted Choice 1st grade students.

Before/After Care: Kaleidoscope Corner (before and after school)

Playground: There is one large playground with two climbing structures and a separate set of swings.  The playground is dated and could use a significant upgrade. There is a small blacktop for basketball, tetherball, etc. There is also a large grass area for playing games and organized activities. *UPDATE: Teller has received a grant for a significant playground upgrade to be completed by 2012, however, parents at the school are working on getting the project to begin and completed much sooner. Learning Landscape completed in 2010.

Special & Core Programs: Challenge Program for Gifted and Highly Gifted & Talented students (includes Destination Imagination and Shakespeare Festival), reading and literacy emphasis (Lindamood-Bell), heavy emphasis on Physical Education. There is also a Lights on After School program and for a minimal charge ($5) students can enroll in enrichment classes such as music, art and Spanish.  The program choices for Lights on After School change every 6-9 weeks.

Impressions: I made two visits to Teller Elementary in the past two years.  Once was a private tour with a parent who is very active at the school and the second time was a meeting with the Principal, Jennifer Barton.  From the parent  who gave us the tour, I got the impression that the school was a typical mixture of parents who were involved and some who were not at all and the students were a diverse mix from both inside and outside the neighborhood.

The school was very clean and orderly and didn’t have some of the clutter and disarray I found at several other schools when visiting. The students were very friendly and teachers seem to interact very well with the students in the classrooms and hallway.  I envisioned children having true mentors and fond memories after moving on to middle school.

In the past few years, there has been an increase in students who have gone through the DPS Choice process (currently about 50% of the 350 students) to join Teller but those spots are declining due to the HGT program, the High ranking CSAP test score rating as well as its general rise in popularity.  Additionally, I learned that if a child excels in a particular subject such as math or reading, the student will be placed in the class that is equal to their ability – for that subject.  So, if a First Grader is reading at a Second grade pace, teachers will identify this and advance the child in that subject.  I found this to be quite promising for parents who have children that need to be challenged beyond their grade-level for specific subjects.  Teller is becoming an increasingly sought after school because of philosophies such as these. This year, there were waiting lists to get in for almost every single grade. The High Ranking and HGT program doesn’t hurt either but the true test, in my humble opinion, is how the children learn regardless of a state-wide standardized test.

Teller has a very active PTA with the typical fundraisers you see most everywhere, as well as some that are more unique, such as Tellerpalooza.  They have very dedicated and tenured staff with an average of 16 years teaching experience.  There is also a very cool mentorship and anti-bullying program called the Peer Mediators as well as the PE Aces (selected 3rd through 5th graders) who organize and run playground programs. The PE Aces program is run by their award winning PE Teacher, Chris Baumgartner. I found that the younger students (K-2) see these upper elementary students as valuable mentors and love having older “buddies” to look up to.  It was a very heartening sight to say the least.  If you’re looking for a school that “was just like when I was a kid”, this is a good option for you.

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