I’m sure that every parent and grandparent wants the very best for the children they love. We want them to succeed in life no matter what they choose to pursue and we want their education to be the very best. Jeffco Schools has stood for educational excellence for more than 60 years; it’s my hope that the tradition of excellence continues for at least another 60 years. It’s been a challenge this year to find the dollars necessary to sustain the people and programs that make Jeffco great. Our funding from the state is $760 less per child than it was three years ago. Our budget reductions for the 2012-13 school year totaled $20 million with the cuts coming out of employee compensation, central administration and support, and the district’s savings account. As an organization, we came together to keep the reductions away from the classroom because it was the right thing to do for our kids. However, the outlook for 2013-14 is discouraging – we are looking at possibly cutting $43 million from the budget. Here’s what that number could mean to a typical school:
Elementary school level: •The loss of two teachers •Class sizes of 27-31 students •A half-time teacher librarian instead of full time •No fifth or sixth grade band or orchestra music teacher
Middle school level: •The loss of two teachers •No teacher librarian •The loss of a counselor •The loss of electives High school level: • The loss of seven teachers •The loss of a campus supervisor •The loss of one assistant principal •The loss of a custodian
As you can see, our budget reduction list is made up of people and programs which will impact our students. We can’t rely on the state to fix our budget situation – in Jeffco we try to determine our own future. How can you help? Please contact info@supportjeffcoschools.com or visit www.supportjeffcoschools.com Thank you for your support of Jeffco Schools, Dr. Cindy Stevenson, Superintendent
We are excited to announce our annual fundraiser Family Night at the Apex Center which will be held on Friday, April 13th. This is an exciting and enjoyable family event that you won’t want to miss! The Apex Center offers a variety of options for having fun which include swimming, ice skating, an indoor playground and more. In addition, a silent auction will be held and items to be bid on include class baskets and activities for students with their teachers. Dinner will be provided and delicious desserts are being handmade by parent volunteers. Please RSVP in advance in order to have a meal. You will be able to purchase tickets the night of, but a meal will not be provided.
The schedule for the evening will be:
5:00 p.m. Check-in; silent auction opens
5:30 – 7:30 p.m. Dinner & Desserts served
6:45 – 8:45 p.m. Ice Skating is available 7:30 p.m. Silent auction closes
8:00 p.m. Check-out; pool closes
9:00 p.m. Apex closes
DESSERTS – APEX NIGHT
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
We are seeking parent volunteers to make desserts for the Family Night at the Apex Center. If you would like to participate, please contact Shannon Vogel at smily10@sbcglobal.net. THANK YOU!
SILENT AUCTION – APEX NIGHT
We are seeking donation items for our Family Night at the Apex Center. If you have anything you would like to contribute to be auctioned off, we would greatly appreciate it. Please contact Jenna Spendlove at sspendlove@usa.net.
Once we have the auction items we will start our PRE-BIDDING. You can start early and download a pre-bid auction form and instructions
Here is a way to participate in Apex Night! We are looking for a logo to be printed on our event t-shirts and are therefore, having an art contest to create the logo. If you want to participate, please use an unlined sheet of 8.5 x 11 piece of paper and design a logo for the Family Night at the Apex Center in a portrait orientation. It’s as easy as that! Yes, you will be able to purchase a shirt! As a fun twist, the shirt has an autograph area on the back for you to collect autographs of friends and teachers.
Rules:
Only one entry per student.
Only current students of Dennison are eligible to participate.
All entries must be on 8.5 x 11 sheet of paper. Please write your name and class/teacher on the back.
The winner agrees to have their design printed on the fundraising t-shirts.
All entries must be received in theDennison office by 9:00 a.m. MONDAY, March 12th.
What does the winner receive?
A t-shirt with the winning logo.
One adult and one child entry to Apex Night.
A $10 Cold Stone ice cream gift card.
The joy of seeing other students wearing your design!
It’s the Transitional Colorado Assessment Program.
For the next couple of years it will replace the CSAP tests that have been in place in the state for 15 years.
CSAP in other words, is toast!
The TCAP tests being given this month and in March to third through 10th graders, will determine how close students are to grade level in their academic achievement and indicate how well districts are doing in teaching students.
When students sit down to take the TCAP tests in the next few days or weeks, the procedure will be the same as always, and the tests will look pretty much like the old ones. But there will be some differences, officials say.
In 2010, the Colorado Department of Education created and adopted new academic standards that are more rigorous and require students to apply what they’ve learned, explains Jo O’Brien, Colorado’s commissioner for assessments, research and evaluation.
However, instead of changing all at once, the state is taking a couple of years to transition instruction from old standards to new ones. The change is expected to be complete by 2014.
At that time, the tests will look different. CDE hasn’t come up with a name for them yet.
The big difference in the TCAP tests is that only information that is common to both the old CSAPS and the new academic standards will be tested. Information that won’t be part of the new standards will no longer be tested.
“Some types of CSAP questions won’t be on the TCAP because it will no longer be measured,” O’Brien said.
The two years of transition are vital, officials say.
“You just can’t suddenly swap them out one for the other,” O’Brien said. “The districts have adopted the standards and the job for the next two years is to decide how to teach them and put them into practice. That’s what is nice about having TCAP. It helps everybody have time to get ready.”
The job is “huge and very exciting,” O’Brien said.
The region’s largest district, Colorado Springs School District 11 – which has about 30,000 students – started preliminary planning last year. It went to a well-known expert for help – Larry Ainsworth of the Englewood-based Leadership and Learning Center, and author of “Rigorous Curriculum Design.”
The district appointed 100 teachers to work on the changes. Starting in April, they will work after school, on weekends and at other times to get the district up to speed.
Those teachers are divided into design teams in various subject areas such as math, language arts, science and social studies. The team members must learn the new requirements and then create unit guides that all district teachers will use, explained Jeanice Swift, assistant superintendent of instruction, curriculum and students services.
“There’s a lot of work, it’s not a straight shot from old to new, particularly in math. In some areas whole levels are changing, such as having algebra in eighth grade,” Swift said.
One major change built into the standards is that students must not only know information, but be able to apply it in a variety of settings and work in groups as part of the state’s emphasis on 21st century skills.
LAKEWOOD – A crowd of more than 500 filled the Lakewood High School auditorium Thursday and spilled into the hallway to watch a big-screen version of teachers and parents inside urging Jeffco school board members not to cut their jobs or favored programs.
$10.5 Million = Total budget cuts for Jeffco Public Schools for 2012-2013*
$70K = Average budget cuts per school for each of the 148 Jeffco schools*
Hutchinson Elementary teacher Corey Lynn (Right) at the front of the line of Hutchinson teachers supporting their instructional coach at Thursday's school board meeting in Lakewood.
“If this position is taken away, then our team dissolves,” pleaded a dozen or so staff members from Parmalee Elementary in Indian Hills, echoing numerous others. “Remember our voices. We are Jeffco.”
With 90 people signed up to speak and predictions of a pending blizzard, school board president Lesley Dahlkemper resorted to negotiations to keep an efficient flow to the microphones.
“Can you do five, five and five?” she said, encouraging three groups representing instructional coaches to keep their comments to five minutes each.
Instructional coaches are among the groups threatened by the $50 million to $60 million in cuts facing the state’s largest school district over the next two years.
So are school librarians, guidance counselors and elementary music teachers, along with the district’s gifted and talented program and its outdoor lab. Those and numerous others are contained in a prioritized list of suggestions for cuts created in December by a citizens’ advisory group.
Thursday was the school board’s second public comment session since the list was released and the second to draw hundreds of people to a meeting to urge board members not to follow its contents.
After an audience packed the board’s meeting in January, where the possible elimination of elementary instrumental music teachers was the focus, district leaders decided to move Thursday’s meeting to the more spacious auditorium.
Another sign of public interest in the process came Saturday, when about 600 people participated in five community budget forums at high schools across the county, said district spokeswoman Lynn Setzer.
Board members, who will make the final budget decision in May or June, have emphasized that the prioritized list is not binding. So they’ve become the targets of emotional appeals.
School librarians appeared to be the biggest group at Thursday’s meeting, with many audience members wearing stickers on their shirts that read “Support School Libraries.” The prioritized list calls for reducing all 92 elementary librarians to half-time and eliminating middle school librarians altogether.
But guidance counselors and instructional coaches, along with their supporters, also were out in large numbers.
Sandy Austin, a counselor at Green Mountain High School in Lakewood, said district counselors have handled 88 suicide risk assessments this year.
“It’s a matter of life and death,” she said. “Please save our counselors’ jobs so we can save our kids.”
The list of suggested reductions includes cutting up to 17 middle and high school counselors and as many as 20 instructional coaches.
Several schools, such as Parmalee, Powderhorn and Hutchinson elementaries and Carmody Middle School, turned out in force to give moving testimony to the power of their coaches.
Corey Lynn, a sixth-grade teacher at Hutchinson, said the school’s instructional coach, Christina Larson, helps him with a class of 34 students.
“With the class sizes so huge, these kids are like flowers competing for the sun and many of them get lost.”
– Jeffco elementary teacher
“With the class sizes so huge, these kids are like flowers competing for the sun and many of them get lost,” Lynn said. “I can’t reach every single kid without someone there to look at the data and to pinpoint the needs of the kids and to reach those kids who are overshadowed.
“I can’t do it alone. I am overwhelmed.”
Audience members quickly dwindled throughout the evening as speakers made their comments and left, eager to avoid the coming snowstorm.
Tomorrow, two school board members and two district officials will meet with representatives of employee groups for Jeffco’s second annual employee summit, where they’re expected to talk about pay and benefits for next year.
Jeffco employees, along with many others in Colorado school districts, are in year three without cost-of-living raises. This year, all employees also took a 3 percent pay cut and two furlough days.
Shortly before public comment began Thursday, board members voted 4-1 to close employee negotiations to the public. Board member Laura Boggs was the only “no” vote.
A principal explains why his school needs an instructional coach
VIDEO URL: CLICK HERE or http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VAMIE_kbd74&feature=player_embedded
Full Article: http://www.ednewscolorado.org/2012/02/03/32375-in-jeffco-pleas-to-keep-cuts-at-bay
Each year, state and federal law requires school districts to publish an annual report on how well they performed. The report is mailed to schools and public libraries and is made available on the district’s website. The document talks about student achievement, how the taxpayer’s money is spent for education and highlights of the year’s activities. The federal “No Child Left Behind” law and the Colorado Department of Education specify that certain information must be included in the annual report including Colorado Student Assessment Program (CSAP) scores, SAT and ACT scores and information about the qualification of the district’s teachers. (CLICK IMAGE FOR FULL 2010-2011 REPORT and Dennison's mention on pg 12!)
Dennison Elementary receiving second Blue Ribbon Award, 1st 2003, 2nd 2010
In addition, Jeffco Public Schools Strategic Planning and Advisory Council, an advisory group composed of board of education members, cabinet members, representatives from the district’s employee associations, parent representatives as well as citizen and parent leaders, provides details about its activities for the year. LINK TO ARTICLE: CLICK HERE or go to http://www.jeffcopublicschools.org/publications/annual_reports/2010-11/index.html?page=12
Many of you may be hearing about the suggestions for reductions that have emerged from the district’s budget workgroups over the past few weeks. We are conservatively planning for $70 million in cuts over the next two years; a huge number that will mean the loss of jobs in every part of the district. The work of developing the reduction suggestions has been difficult – there just aren’t any easy solutions when the reduction target is this large.
More than 500 district positions could be eliminated over two years – that includes administrators, support staff and teachers. When you read the list of jobs that are being suggested for elimination, I’m sure you’ll have an emotional reaction because some of them are music teachers, teacher-librarians and classroom teachers. There are also central and school-based administrators, custodians and others who support the work that happens in the classroom. Please keep in mind that the $70 million reduction amount is a conservative estimate and we won’t know the full extent of the reductions until the state budget work is completed.
Throughout this process we are committed to keeping our focus on sustaining Jeffco’s excellence while balancing a budget that has been deeply impacted by the state’s financial crisis. My thanks to all of our parents who have served on the budget workgroups and to those parents who attended the budget meetings at your school. Every time we undertake this process, we learn – I have heard many helpful ideas from our community. In early 2012, members of the Jefferson County Board of Education will hold community budget forums, but in the meantime, please visit our website if you have budget-related comments. Thank you for caring for your children and supporting your schools – I hope you have a lovely holiday break.
Dr. Cindy Stevenson, Superintendent
Article from: Jefferson County "Chalk Talk, Friday, Dec. 9, 2011
Full Article HERE: http://jeffcoweb.jeffco.k12.co.us/communications/parent_news/archive/2011/December/2011.12.09.html
On July 3rd, Jeffco stadiumhad a fourth of July celebration including a fireworks display at dusk. It was then a Dennison mother noticed how weathered and run down the outside temp buildings looked. The buildings clearly needed fresh paint, doors and siding not to mention a lot of needed improvements.
(click to enlarge)
Porches, ramp ways, and shutters all in desperate need of repair. From this day on research began. Private contractors were called, but no one took interest in donating paint. Home Depot in Lakewood was contacted and from the start they wanted to be involved. One phone call lead into months of planning and constant communication about the paint project and a possible grant.
Home depot not only took the time to looked at pictures of the buildings, they personally brought contractors out to Dennison to review what needed to be done. John Cahill (Store Manager) put the project in the hands of Duane Schissler (Project Manager) Duane truly wanted to go the extra mile for our school. Duane amazingly was able to get Glidden to donate paint and informed us of a grant available.
Dennison is also receiving a $5,000 grant that will repair doors come spring 2012. Dennison also had several other local companies donate food and drinks for this amazing event. Volunteers from the Home Depot came out to Dennison on October 22nd and did just what they said and more. These volunteers scheduled time off unpaid to help our school. In this economy one would think where do these people come from? They all had it there hearts to make our school a better work place, learning institute, and a place to be proud of. Duane, so driven, also brought a local contracting company, Roof'n The Rockiesto help better this project. These wonderful people repaired the siding, installed 3 custom benches and are coming back to replace old gutters at the school. How grateful we all are. Lets not forgot our devoted parents, staff, and students who showed up early Saturday morning to scrap, paint, and be apart of making miracles happen.
(click to enlarge)
Many parents showed up before their little ones went off to soccer, dance, football, etc... Families worked hard on re-painted old playground equipment and basketball court. It looks great! Thank you for taking time to make this possible. It truly couldn't of happen without everyone's support. Who says an hour of time doesn't count. Look at the difference, you all made. (WATCH SLIDE SHOW BELOW) Maureen Curtiss, principle at Dennison had no idea what was to come. Thank you for all the extra time with paper work and meetings. Thank you for your hard work on the 22nd. The local companies who provided food and drinks: Chipotle (Union Blvd), Jimmy Johns(Union Blvd),King Soopers, (Alameda Pkwy)Nestle Water, and Starbucks(Alameda Pkwy) our volunteers greatly appreciated the food and drinks. Home Depot we thank you for all the improvements and the opportunity to show our children that getting involved and volunteering leaves a mark to be proud of. Give an hour, you'll receive so much more.
Photos: by Michele Montoya *Click on photos to enlarge
JEFFERSON COUNTY - Tylin Stiller looks around the Mount Evans Outdoor Lab School and appreciates the experience. She doesn't want to be among the last to go through the historic program. "All of your classes are outside and it's almost like a new classroom and a new learning experience," Stiller, a sixth grader from Evergreen Middle School, said.
Two weeks ago, Jefferson County School Board President Dave Thomas announced a series of proposed cuts due to a reduction in funding from the state. The suspension of the outdoor lab schools at Mount Evans and Windy Peak is on the list aimed at saving the district approximately $900,000 each year.
Superintendent of Jeffco schools, Cindy Stevenson - Elle Brunsdale
The Jefferson County Public School System is the largest in the Colorado, with 155 schools, 12,000 employees, and 84,000 students (about 10% of all students in the state). While Superintendent Cindy Stevenson said that the Jeffco School district was already planning to cut $26 million from the 2011-2012 budget based on its 5 year budget plan, she said that after the governor’s proposal, Jeffco Schools are now facing $10 million more in reductions.
Jeffco School Board President Dave Thomas and Superintendent Cindy Stevenson at Friday's press conference.
GOLDEN – Colorado’s largest school district announced plans Friday to close two schools, cut all employees’ pay by 3 percent and trim two days from the school year in the face of nearly $40 million in cuts for 2011-12.
Jefferson County Public Schools’ budget proposal also includes charging students to ride school buses, reducing graduation requirements by a single credit and suspending a popular outdoor lab program that’s been a rite of passage for sixth-graders since 1962.
A total of 212 jobs will be cut across the district, including more than 100 teachers, but district leaders said most of that will come from normal attrition, not re-hiring temporary employees and leaving positions vacant.
“The impacts are deep,” Jeffco school board president Dave Thomas said at a morning news conference. “I am really profoundly saddened that we have to do these closures. However, we had very few choices and none of them were pleasant.”
Six Colorado schools were recently awarded the U.S. Department of Education’s prestigious Blue Ribbon Award. These schools represent outstanding academic achievement in Colorado and across the nation and share this honor with only 304 schools nationwide. These schools are symbols of high achievement and set the bar for academic progress and achievement as well, according to the U.S. Department of Education.
This year’s Blue Ribbon schools in Colorado are: Colorado Springs Christian Middle School, Colorado Springs; Dennison Elementary School, Lakewood; Douglas Elementary School, Boulder; Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Elementary School, Colorado Springs; Orchard Avenue Elementary School, Grand Junction; and Pine Grove Elementary School, Parker.
Dennison Elementary School, a charter school, is the only Colorado school that has received the Blue Ribbon Award twice, both times for sustaining high achievement over time. The last time the received the award was in 2003. Earlier this week, EdNewsParent had a chance to drop by Dennison to meet with Principal Kathleen Krieger and a couple of teachers to get an inside look at what has made this school so successful over the years. (In the interest of full disclosure, the author is a Dennison alumnus). Watch this short video.
Accepting the Blue Ribbon School award were (R-to-L) Principal Kathleen Kreiger, and student body council co-chairs, Charlie Doebbler and Bryce Lorenz. Department representative Helen Littlejohn is on the left.
Dennison uses community support and data-driven decisions to take home a second Blue Ribbon!
The windy 37-degree weather didn’t chill the spirits of 600 Dennison Elementary School Eagles yesterday as they celebrated their second Blue Ribbon School award this decade. Students, staff, parents, and community supporters of the Lakewood, Colo., school huddled in the outdoor stadium, warmed by the energy of enthusiastic applause and acknowledgements for their school’s incredible accomplishment.
“There are really three components at work here,” explained Principal Kathleen Kreiger, who has headed the school for the past nine years. “We would not have achieved this award without our amazing staff, parents, and of course our STUDENTS!”
Noting that the award is really a community accolade, Ms. Kreiger gave credit to the hard work by the entire staff – teachers, paraprofessionals and support staff. “This really belongs to all of us,” she said, before presenting certificates of thanks to each person on the staff. “I am so proud of all of you!” she said. Click here to view video of the Blue Ribbon ceremony at Dennison.
The staff at Dennison attributed their success to continually analyzing formal and informal student data to inform their instruction and keep students on target for achieving at least grade-level proficiency in all content areas. The Dennison instructional model includes:
Systemic and systematic programming in all content areas;
Self-contained classrooms with an emphasis on whole group instruction;
Open Court Reading Program emphasizing phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary development, reading fluency, and comprehension;
An emphasis on both basic skills and higher-level thinking skills;
A “specials” program that includes art, music, physical education, and computer instruction.
