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March 20, 2014

50 cents Adams County and Jefferson County, Colorado | Volume 69, Issue 19 A publication of

westminsterwindow.com

D50 first to meet on status with state board By Ashley Reimers

areimers@coloradocommunitymedia. com

Max Watson, 10, has a rare disease called Cobalamin X, which is a gene mutation that affects his ability to properly process the vitamin B12. To help with medical expenses, his school Cotton Creek Elementary, hosted a pancake fundraiser on Feb. 22. Courtesy photo

School raises money for classmate with rare disease By Ashley Reimers

areimers@coloradocommunitymedia. com Max Watson loves Batman, classical music and the Beatles. The 10-year-old also loves the color yellow and being outside. He is also the first known case of Cobalamin X, a rare disease that inhibits Max from processing vitamin B12 in foods. Just last year Max received his diagnosis, but since he was four months old, he’s dealt with health challenges including unexplained movements and profound lethargy and was diagnosed with an intractable seizure disorder. In 2004 he was diagnosed with a rare metabolic disorder that prevented him from normally processing proteins, before his recent Cobalamin X diagnosis. Max, who lives in Westminster, is just one of 14 boys with Cobalamin X, and because it is so new, information is still being developed and written by doctors, and one source of information comes directly from Max’s parents, Deana and Steve, who share the experiences they have with Max with doctors. “The doctors are really right now, writing the text book on this disease, because it’s brand new,” Deana said. “We’ve only met

‘Some of his classmates live in our neighborhood, and sometimes they’ll stop over to see Max or to see if he can play. And that’s great. He’s always being included, which means a lot.’ Deana Watson one other boy who has Cobalamin X, who is from Missouri, so we also talk with his parents about their son and their experiences.” Because of Max’s health condition, he requires constant attention, several different medications and other expenses to help him continue to thrive. To help with some of the expenses, Max’s school, Cotton Creek Elementary hosted a pancake breakfast fundraiser at Applebee’s in Broomfield. The school raised over $2,000 through ticket sales and donations to contribute to a larger campaign called Give Max a Lift, an effort to raise money to purchase an in-home lifting station for Max.

Deana was somewhat surprised by the school’s effort, but completely appreciative. She said although Max is homebound, he still does his school work every day and keeps in touch with his teachers and fellow classmates via online video chat. Max is treated like any other student, which means a lot to Deana and Steve. “Some of his classmates live in our neighborhood and sometimes they’ll stop over to see Max or to see if he can play,” Deana said. “And that’s great. He’s always being included, which means a lot.” To learn more about Max’s story, or to donate to his medical expenses, visit www. maxwatson.org.

Project recommended to city council By Ashley Reimers

areimers@coloradocommunitymedia. com A plan to develop a portion of the Legacy Ridge subdivision was unanimously recommended by the Westminster Planning Commission during a March 11 public hearing. During the hearing, planning commission members discussed and considered a comprehensive plan amendment and official development plan for the residential

project located at the northeast corner of Sheridan Boulevard and 107th Drive. Ryland Homes, the developer of the project, is proposing a change and reconfiguration to the existing zoning designations in the area from R-18, R-8 and R-3.5 to R-8 and R-3.5, and removing the R-18 designation. Mac Cummins, city planning manager, said community members expressed concerns about traffic during the meeting, but were all generally supportive. “Some people had questions and concerns about specific areas, like traffic, but

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not for the basic concept development on the parcel,” he said. The project is proposing a mix of 89 single-family detached units and 64 patio villa paired units. Cummins said the project is the last large parcel in the Legacy Ridge west subdivision. He said the east area has already been developed and the west area has been developing over the last eight to 10 years. “The Legacy Ridge plan originally called for higher density than what is currently being proposed,” Cummins said. “The plan being proposed now is much more compatible to what you see to the south in terms of the housing layout.” Cummins said the Legacy Ridge neighborhood is one of the nicer subdivisions in the city and with the housing market picking up, the new units could be desirable to home buyers. Westminster City Council will be reviewing the project during the March 24 meeting. The public is invited to voice any concerns or questions regarding the proposal.

Ever since being designated a Turnaround district in 2010, Adams County School District 50 has been dedicated to improving achievement and education for students. Over the past couple years the hard work has resulted in strides made by the district by becoming a Priority Improvement district in 2012. Recently district representatives, including superintendent Pam Swanson and board members Ruben Pacheco, Ryan McCoy and Dino Valente, presented an overview to the Colorado State Board of Education on the successes, challenges, improvement strategies and their future vision on how to get off the accountability status. District 50 met with board during the March 12 board meeting and was the first of the eleven accountability districts to discuss their status. The other districts will present at upcoming board meetings. District 50 is entering year four on the accountability clock. As part of their quest to move out of priority improvement and into improvement status, the district implemented a Competency Based System, CBS, educational program. According to Swanson, CBS is a district-wide, all inclusive approach to learning that seeks to ensure that all children learn their full potential and become competent at whatever they are studying. CBS was a major topic of discussion during the meeting. Many Colorado board members commented on the devotion and hard work the district has taken to implement the new program. “Thank you and congratulations on how far you’ve come,” said Jane Goff, who represents the 7th Congressional District, including District 50. “I’m very proud to be part of representing you and cheering you all along.” Touching on improvement, Pacheco said the district is focusing on four themes: deepening the CBS practices, restructuring to support a pre-kindergarten to age 20 education, involve stakeholders differently and focusing on systemic leadership. Swanson said in terms of deepening the CBS practices that means focusing on what is happening in the classroom. “We support our teachers in becoming better at their craft by using walkthroughs, instructional rounds, learning walks and DATA walls,” she said. “Many of these practices are also embedded in the state teacher evaluation tool we have chosen to implement.” Swanson also educated the board on the district’s challenges and hopes, which she says often overlap. The first challenge mentioned was transitioning from a “seat time” model to a CBS system as well as integrating student information and the learning management system. “In a CBS system, we need to be able to seamlessly track a student’s educational progress from kindergarten to graduation. When a student changes a school or a teacher, that body of information needs to go with them,” she said. “At the start of the school year, a student needs to pick up where they left off in May. We are fortunate enough to be working with an innovative company that is very responsive to our request to customize a system for us that meets student, parent and teacher needs. It’s a major undertaking.” District continues on Page 18


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