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Leave a comment on the blog and I'll get you set up.
Friday, June 22, 2007
School of Science and Technology
I called over to the school today (they have a summer session and are therefore open right now) and I talked to the office manager. She told me that they are planning to open a middle school starting with 6th grade for the 2008-2009 school year. She had no other information but said that I should check back in late September.
The high school's admission process is described on their website (it is fairly involved) http://www.scienceandtech.org/ but there are open houses in Nov and Dec with applications due in January. They use a lottery system to pick their students. I assume the middle school application process might be similar.
The high school's admission process is described on their website (it is fairly involved) http://www.scienceandtech.org/ but there are open houses in Nov and Dec with applications due in January. They use a lottery system to pick their students. I assume the middle school application process might be similar.
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
Rumor has it - School of Science and Technology Middle school?
A neighbor who teaches at East High School tells me that the Science and Technology School is starting a middle school for the 2008-2009 school year.
PS1 Charter Visit - June 1, 2007
My impressions of PS1 Charter. http://ps1charterschool.org/
Facility/Safety
There seems to be one main entrance to the school that is on the corner of Delaware and 11th Ave. (very close to Speer). Parking on the side streets was relatively easy. The neighborhood is mixed, very urban feeling. Not scary busy but not quiet either. The building is full of character both inside and out. A renovated older building, it is quite striking. We visited on a day when school was in session but it was one of the last days of the term so there was a certain amount of chaos. We were greeted by a friendly secretary and toured the school with a neighbor who is a teacher at the school. This is by far the most colorful school I have visited thus far and I literally mean colorful, the walls are drenched with personality. Student projects are everywhere. There is no gym at the school nor are there specialized art/industrial ed/science classrooms. No cafeteria either. There was a computer lab. I should mention that as we left the school we were approached by a very friendly homeless man in search of spare change.
School make up
60 middle school kids with an addition 150 high schoolers – The middle school runs a traditional schedule and only has three teachers so students will work in a smaller environment. 30% of the students have IEPs. There are a limited number of electives because of the size of the school. Each student has an advisor who is actively involved in the student’s education plan. All students have an education plan that the student is very involved in writing.
Afterschool activities
There are a very limited number of afterschool activities.
General impression
This is a very different school and I’m not sure that I can do it justice on the page. I met with the principal (Liz) for some time and felt I had met the most passionate principal in DPS. Students at this school are encouraged to follow their own path and to create their own future. Many students take classes at Metro as part of their education. The school does service projects that involve trips out of the country. Students don’t just “go” on these trips, they actively plan and participate in the trips. Every step of the way I was given the impression that the students in this school would never “float” their way through school, with all the accountability they are held to it would be quite impossible. The students at this school were a bit more flamboyant than I’ve seen elsewhere. One student was so laden by chains that he quite resembled Jacob Marley. Another student moved through the school in her motorized wheelchair equipped with a computer she used for communication. Others were outrageously colorful. Students were friendly and greeted the teachers with respect mixed with a great deal of casual familiarity.
Note
This is a charter school that is up for renewal this fall. They have had trouble meeting the testing standards of DPS and could lose their charter in the fall. However, if they are extended it will be for another five years.
Follow up on Grant
I sent the following email to the principal at Grant Middle School the day of our visit. I didn't receive a response so I printed the email and sent it via snail mail. I still haven't received a response... It's June 20th today.
Dear Principal Martinez,
Sorry we missed you this morning but we did meet the Vice Principal and one of the special services teachers. They were both helpful in answering questions and showing us the school. I do have some further questions about Grant and was hoping you might be able to answer them for us when you get a chance.
What % of students from Grant go on to college prep programs that are offered at the DPS high schools? (such as honors at East, IB at GW, or the new college prep program at South)
Do you offer any foreign language classes?
What sort of electives are available for study during the day?
Is there after school programming that concentrates on keeping the students at the school until the dinner hour? How is that structured?
What is the plan for the HGT program?
It seemed that students had gym for part of the year but not all year long – is that correct? Can students elect to take gym all year?
Do the science classes do labwork?
What percentage of your students are HGT?
What percentage of your students are special ed?
It seemed that the schedule for the students required one double block of language arts while all other classes were a single block. What is the reasoning for the double block in one area?
We’ve heard good things about Grant from the Zarou family and know that many kids from McKinley Thatcher are attending or planning to attend Grant. Any help you can give me with the above questions would be great! Thanks for your time.
Thanks,
Amy
Dear Principal Martinez,
Sorry we missed you this morning but we did meet the Vice Principal and one of the special services teachers. They were both helpful in answering questions and showing us the school. I do have some further questions about Grant and was hoping you might be able to answer them for us when you get a chance.
What % of students from Grant go on to college prep programs that are offered at the DPS high schools? (such as honors at East, IB at GW, or the new college prep program at South)
Do you offer any foreign language classes?
What sort of electives are available for study during the day?
Is there after school programming that concentrates on keeping the students at the school until the dinner hour? How is that structured?
What is the plan for the HGT program?
It seemed that students had gym for part of the year but not all year long – is that correct? Can students elect to take gym all year?
Do the science classes do labwork?
What percentage of your students are HGT?
What percentage of your students are special ed?
It seemed that the schedule for the students required one double block of language arts while all other classes were a single block. What is the reasoning for the double block in one area?
We’ve heard good things about Grant from the Zarou family and know that many kids from McKinley Thatcher are attending or planning to attend Grant. Any help you can give me with the above questions would be great! Thanks for your time.
Thanks,
Amy
Grant Middle School Visit - May 3, 2007
My impressions of Grant. (no website)
Facility/Safety
There are several entrances to the school with only the one closest to the office unlocked. It is off of the front of the school, parking on the side streets is easy. The neighborhood is quiet, the street rather deserted. Not nearly has hopping as the Morey location is. This is a much more relaxing atmosphere. The school is at Mexico and Washington Streets about 8 blocks from McKinley. The building is clean and welcoming inside. We were greeted immediately by a friendly secretary. The principal was not available to meet with us and after five minutes of calling around we were greeted by the Vice Principal who is a younger woman and quite friendly. I got the impression that she was energetic and invested in the school, she introduced us to a special ed teacher who gave us a tour of the school. There isn’t a lot of color inside the school, some classwork posted outside the classrooms but all academic (nothing advertising after school clubs or demonstrating a school spirit.) The building and grounds look well maintained. They have two gyms in the basement. There aren’t extracurricular classrooms per se, I didn’t see evidence of advanced art equipment or an industrial ed shop. The library was very small but well stocked. There was a small full auditorium and a decent looking cafeteria. Classrooms were more closed off and I didn’t see any full science labs. There were at least two computer labs one with Apple equipment and the other with PC equipment. Neither were in use, although the apples in the library were in use.
School make up
360 kids - All traditional students – classes are run on a traditional schedule – 60 minutes for every subject except for language arts which is a double block of 120 minutes. I did confirm that that is a solid schedule – the only double block is language arts and that is required for all students. All students switch classes and teachers for all subjects, a student will have at least 6 different teachers with a homeroom teacher added starting next year. Gym is part of the elective wheel so 6th graders only have gym for 12 weeks of the year, 7th and 8th graders have gym for 9 weeks of the year. I got the impression that this is not negotiable. There rest of the “wheel” schedule includes art & drama. No one could answer my questions about HGT students. They have electives but I didn’t get a clear picture of how electives work or what they are. There are 3 special ed teachers assigned to the general population with 2 others assigned to closed programs within the school. (one classroom with students with emotional issues) (another classroom with special ed students who can’t be mainstreamed.)
Afterschool activities
Morey has organized sports programs in flag football, baseball, soccer, basketball, softball, cross country, and volleyball. They have after school programs that go until 4pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I need to ask more questions about afterschool programs and how they work because I didn’t get a clear impression – I don’t think they are dedicated to keeping the kids at the school until 5pm every day.
General impression
When we were waiting for our tour to start we waited in the teachers lounge. There were flip chart pages on the walls that told a lot about the revamping that is going on at the school. There was a focus on improving academic achievement along with an emphasis on discipline with a phrase about getting the “Bullying” under control. We didn’t spend much time in classrooms but the classrooms I did see were a little on the disorganized side as if teachers were still establishing what the structure was supposed to be in the classroom. I saw many students who were not engaged but rather had that “marking time” look that middle schoolers get so easily. When we walked through the library the librarian was sitting at an elevated desk quite apart from the students who were working on the computers. I saw some web surfing and some obvious playing around by students on the computers. The librarian was not actively involved with the students. Now I don't know what was supposed to be happening maybe this was "free time."
A strange incident... As we left the school and were walking back to the car, a book came flying out of a second story window. There were three other books already out on the sidewalk and in the street. My sense is that the administration has quite a haul ahead of them in turning this school around.
I still have a lot of questions that the special ed teacher couldn’t answer so I plan to email the principal with those questions. But I’m afraid that my first impression was not a very good one. I think high performing confident kids who were up for a challenge might be interested in helping this school turn around. I think struggling or a student who prefers to follow might get lost here.
Facility/Safety
There are several entrances to the school with only the one closest to the office unlocked. It is off of the front of the school, parking on the side streets is easy. The neighborhood is quiet, the street rather deserted. Not nearly has hopping as the Morey location is. This is a much more relaxing atmosphere. The school is at Mexico and Washington Streets about 8 blocks from McKinley. The building is clean and welcoming inside. We were greeted immediately by a friendly secretary. The principal was not available to meet with us and after five minutes of calling around we were greeted by the Vice Principal who is a younger woman and quite friendly. I got the impression that she was energetic and invested in the school, she introduced us to a special ed teacher who gave us a tour of the school. There isn’t a lot of color inside the school, some classwork posted outside the classrooms but all academic (nothing advertising after school clubs or demonstrating a school spirit.) The building and grounds look well maintained. They have two gyms in the basement. There aren’t extracurricular classrooms per se, I didn’t see evidence of advanced art equipment or an industrial ed shop. The library was very small but well stocked. There was a small full auditorium and a decent looking cafeteria. Classrooms were more closed off and I didn’t see any full science labs. There were at least two computer labs one with Apple equipment and the other with PC equipment. Neither were in use, although the apples in the library were in use.
School make up
360 kids - All traditional students – classes are run on a traditional schedule – 60 minutes for every subject except for language arts which is a double block of 120 minutes. I did confirm that that is a solid schedule – the only double block is language arts and that is required for all students. All students switch classes and teachers for all subjects, a student will have at least 6 different teachers with a homeroom teacher added starting next year. Gym is part of the elective wheel so 6th graders only have gym for 12 weeks of the year, 7th and 8th graders have gym for 9 weeks of the year. I got the impression that this is not negotiable. There rest of the “wheel” schedule includes art & drama. No one could answer my questions about HGT students. They have electives but I didn’t get a clear picture of how electives work or what they are. There are 3 special ed teachers assigned to the general population with 2 others assigned to closed programs within the school. (one classroom with students with emotional issues) (another classroom with special ed students who can’t be mainstreamed.)
Afterschool activities
Morey has organized sports programs in flag football, baseball, soccer, basketball, softball, cross country, and volleyball. They have after school programs that go until 4pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I need to ask more questions about afterschool programs and how they work because I didn’t get a clear impression – I don’t think they are dedicated to keeping the kids at the school until 5pm every day.
General impression
When we were waiting for our tour to start we waited in the teachers lounge. There were flip chart pages on the walls that told a lot about the revamping that is going on at the school. There was a focus on improving academic achievement along with an emphasis on discipline with a phrase about getting the “Bullying” under control. We didn’t spend much time in classrooms but the classrooms I did see were a little on the disorganized side as if teachers were still establishing what the structure was supposed to be in the classroom. I saw many students who were not engaged but rather had that “marking time” look that middle schoolers get so easily. When we walked through the library the librarian was sitting at an elevated desk quite apart from the students who were working on the computers. I saw some web surfing and some obvious playing around by students on the computers. The librarian was not actively involved with the students. Now I don't know what was supposed to be happening maybe this was "free time."
A strange incident... As we left the school and were walking back to the car, a book came flying out of a second story window. There were three other books already out on the sidewalk and in the street. My sense is that the administration has quite a haul ahead of them in turning this school around.
I still have a lot of questions that the special ed teacher couldn’t answer so I plan to email the principal with those questions. But I’m afraid that my first impression was not a very good one. I think high performing confident kids who were up for a challenge might be interested in helping this school turn around. I think struggling or a student who prefers to follow might get lost here.
Email from GT Dept about middle schools
Amy,
Morey is the only Highly Gifted Magnet Middle School in DPS; however, there are some other excellent middle schools that may suit your child. There is Denver School of the Arts (DSA), the Denver Center for International Studies (CIS), Hamilton’s IB Program and several middle schools throughout Denver offer honors and advanced programs and classed (Merrill, Hill, Henry). I would visit these schools early next year (with your son) and pick the school that best suits him. Luckily, you have a lot of great options! If you would like, I can tell you more about each school to help you with your decision.
Laurie Eaton
Gifted and Talented Dept.
Middle School Specialist
Morey is the only Highly Gifted Magnet Middle School in DPS; however, there are some other excellent middle schools that may suit your child. There is Denver School of the Arts (DSA), the Denver Center for International Studies (CIS), Hamilton’s IB Program and several middle schools throughout Denver offer honors and advanced programs and classed (Merrill, Hill, Henry). I would visit these schools early next year (with your son) and pick the school that best suits him. Luckily, you have a lot of great options! If you would like, I can tell you more about each school to help you with your decision.
Laurie Eaton
Gifted and Talented Dept.
Middle School Specialist
Morey Middle School Tour - April 24, 2007
My impressions of Morey http://morey.dpsk12.org/
Facility/Safety
There are several entrances to the school with only the one closest to the office unlocked. It is off of the parking lot which was full, parking near the school is difficult, the school is directly east of St John’s Episcopal Church. The building is clean if not a bit stark inside. There isn’t a lot of color inside the school, no posters advertising this activity or that activity but the halls are neat and the building looks well maintained. They have two gyms and a swimming pool. There is a full industrial ed shop that caught Henry’s attention. The library was nice, large, inviting, and well stocked. There was a full auditorium, decent looking cafeteria and fairly nice grounds (it was raining cats and dogs so I didn’t get a good look) Classrooms seemed open and spacious with decent equipment. There were at least two computer labs filled with Apple equipment.
School make up
750 kids – One third HGT, One third High Strides, and one third Traditional students – classes are run on a “block schedule” so instead of changing classes every 45 minutes kids change classes every 90 minutes. 6th graders have the same teacher for language arts and social studies and then another teacher that covers math and science. Gym is mandatory for 6th graders but becomes an elective after that. There is a “wheel” class that includes one quarter art, one quarter music, and two other quarters that I missed. HGT students stay with HGT for the core curriculum (science, math, language arts, social studies) and mix with the rest of the school for wheel classes, gym, and lunch. Currently, HGT kids stay with the same kids for all core curriculum classes even though the teacher changes. As the whole school goes to block scheduling the kids might mix a bit more within the core curriculum. They have Spanish and French electives along with some others but I didn’t get a clear picture of how electives work. There is a special ed teacher assigned to the HGT program for twice exceptional students and there are additional special ed teachers assigned to each grade. Most of the kids who attend Morey’s HGT program go on to East High school to attend the honors programs or they go on to the IB program at GW.
Afterschool activities
Morey has organized sports programs in football, baseball, soccer, basketball, and volleyball. They have a foreign language, drama, yearbook, stepping, Destination Imagination, film, swim, and casual sports clubs after school. I think there are more afterschool groups but that was what I caught. There is the opportunity to be at school afterschool every day until 5pm or later.
General impression
Walking into the school was a tad intimidating because this is definitely not elementary school. No cute kindergartens to smile at. The students fill the halls with their energy. The office folks were welcoming and every teacher we met was very friendly and talkative. I have to say that I was impressed by the HGT classrooms and I think Henry was also. They use the DPS curriculum but take it a step further incorporating special projects and themes that complement the basic material. We listened in on a social studies classroom that was having a discussion about climbing Mt Everest and a science classroom that was preparing for a competition on supplying clean water to a community. There were quite a few male teachers and every classroom we looked in was under control and working. The students seemed pretty engaged, dress and behavior seemed to be pretty moderate while you could still tell they were middle schoolers.
Searching for a middle school
In the past few months I've talked with a lot of people about our search for a good middle school for our family. At this point we are predominantly searching for a school for Henry who is going into 5th grade a McKinley Thatcher Elem in DPS. At the same time we would like to find a school that will work for our other two children as well since the kids time in middle school will overlap to some extent.
I wanted to put together this blog to document some of our searching and thoughts on middle schools in DPS and I'm hoping there will be other contributors to add to the information.
I wanted to put together this blog to document some of our searching and thoughts on middle schools in DPS and I'm hoping there will be other contributors to add to the information.
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