Dora Moore K-8

The middle school is very small – about the same as McKinley Thatcher in that there is one 6^th grade, one 7^th and one 8^th grade. There are about 28 students in the current 6^th grade. The middle school is geographically segregated from the elementary school but they share facilities like the library, gym, lunch room, and computer lab. The size of the school and the middle school portion of the school made me quite comfortable that any child could handle the environment – changing classes, lockers and so on without being overwhelmed. The school felt very welcoming to parents (this may be because it is a K8.)

They run a blue/white schedule so they have longer blocks for each class and the student will only see 5 teachers in any given day. 2 core subjects in the morning, 1 core subject in the afternoon, and 2 electives. There are 4 core subjects and the electives are PE, band, and other offerings like drama, Spanish, forensic science, and math.

There are only 4 middle school teachers at this time, one for each of the core subjects, 2 of whom have been at the school for over 10 years. The special ed teacher for middle school is also the Soc. Studies teacher. She is one of the teachers that has been at the school for over 10 years. The middle school has about 8 students with IEPs and probably about the same number of kids who are on the gifted slant. So we would see an academic diversity at this school. The principal has been there for 3 years coming from Hill Middle school.

The school was very much under control and orderly. The facility has been updated and is in good shape – it is a very attractive school that seems to be very connected to the surrounding neighborhood.

Bell time is 8:10

They have an afterschool program that is 5 days a week that runs until 5pm (approx) and provides homework help, snack time, outdoor time and so on. It is available for all grades, including 6^th, 7^th, & 8th. The afterschool program is coordinated with the summer scholar, lights on afterschool, and the parks and rec dept.

About 60% of the 6^th graders are returning 5^th graders with the rest being students new to the school. Many of the new students were girls – I think I saw a heavier girl population at this school although I didn’t ask what the split was. The middle school is designated as a “choice” school, it is not a home school for anyone in the city but rather, all students are there by choice. The only application process at this time is the choice process.

Denver School for Science and Technology

They now have information and applications for the 6th grade that is starting next fall. Here is a link to their website and the application.

http://www.scienceandtech.org/

Just a preview on the application. It is NOT based on merit, enrollment is completely lottery based which surprised me.

I find a few things interesting about this school and it's situation. One is that there will only be a 6th grade for this year so there will be no 7th or 8th graders leading the way, this could be good or bad depending on your viewpoint. The middle school years can be dicey so with only high school students as examples it could pull the 6th graders up to a higher level of behavior and expectations. Or the 6th graders could feel a bit lost and isolated.

Another thing to consider is all new teachers establishing a new middle school. I expect there may be some growing pains.

On the flip side it is very hard to argue with this schools track record.

Thoughts anyone?

Amy