Volume 52, Issue No. 9
A Greater Park Hill Community Hill, Inc. Publication
September 2013
Smith Renaissance Soars Students improving academically by leaps and bounds at Smith Renaissance School By Principal Jason Krause As a long time resident of Park Hill and principal of Smith Renaissance School, I am thrilled to share some news about our neighborhood school at 36th and Jasmine. Our goal is that each child enters middle school performing proficiently in core academic areas, and that their elementary school experiences are some of the most positive and happiest moments of their lives. We are now seeing the data demonstrating we are quickly getting close to that goal. TCAP (Transitional Colorado Assessment Program) results are now out. Since 2011 we have almost tripled the amount of
kids at or above mathematics proficiency with 28 students reaching the advanced category. In reading and writing, the percentage of students at proficiency or above has nearly doubled since 2011. Not only are Smith’s students moving up the proficiency ladder, they are exceeding state and district growth. We were above the 50th percentile in all subjects and were ninth in the state with a math Median Growth Percentile of 85. Smith’s overall growth this year was a cumulative MGP of 201! That is above the district by 38 points in a year the district had the highest cumulative growth score of any district in the state with 163. At Smith, we house more English Lan-
guage Learners than any school in Northeast Denver. We had 160 students take the ACCESS exam which is an assessment designed to measure English Language Development. Smith’s students’ median growth percentile was 70, which was 17 points higher than the districts and more than double the growth score Smith earned in 2011. Smith attributes that growth to a supportive, focused and inviting school culture. On our student surveys, 98 percent of our students responded positively to the question, “Do my teachers care about me?” And 90 percent of parents stated that Smith creates a safe learning environment. Our early childhood program and primary teachers are establishing a strong foundation for our students. We value teamwork at Smith which includes teacher collaboration. According to 4th grade teacher Laurel Pate, the platooning model in the intermediate grades has also been a huge factor. With the platoon model in the intermediate grades, one teacher gives instruction for reading, writing and social studies, while another teacher instructs science, math and English language development. “This way we get to teach what we love and the kids can see our excitement and passion for what we love,” says Pate. The kids in turn feed off of that excitement. They also develop strong relationships with two phenomenal teachers rather than just one. We are very proud of the work we are doing. Our mission at Smith is to ensure that every child succeeds. We are excited that our data is showing that we are on the right path.
Smith Renaissance School’s Farmer’s Market
Principal Krause can be reached at jason_ krause@dpsk12.org.
By Roberta Locke Home Tour Organizer and incoming GPHC Chair
Upcoming GPH Events
Plan to spend Sunday, September 22 in beautiful Park Hill. We know you will be excited and delighted by the wonderful homes making their appearance this year on the 35th Annual Park Hill Home Tour. Tudor, Denver square, expanded bungalow, Art Deco – we have it all! We want to thank the homeowners who so graciously have agreed to open their homes for the benefit of Greater Park Hill Community, Inc. It is really quite an incredible commitment on their parts and we are so appreciative of their efforts in preparation for the home tour. The Street Fair just keeps getting bigger and better. We have expanded to include the 1700 block of Forest Parkway as well as the 1900 block. You will find more than 70 vendors, at least 10 food purveyors, kids’ activities, a wine and beer garden and live
St. Lucia White Party – See page 10-11 Home Tour & Street Fair – See pages 12-13 Colfax Community Network - See page 15 GPHC Annual Meeting – See page 2 School Board Candidate Forum – See page 5
Roots Elementary Gaining Support for Holly Square Location
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Inside This Issue
Board Elections Coming Up at GPHC’s Annual Meeting
An Explanation of Charter, Innovation and Turnaround schools By Celeste Thurman Archer Public Education is a sea of acronyms and political jargon. As we approach the new school year with the various public education choices that Park Hill parents enjoy, there is a need for clarification. This is especially true, given that the choices can be overwhelming for some parents, while politically charged for others. Park Hill resident Fran Sterling, former educator and now a senior research associate with the education nonprofit Facing History and Ourselves, said: "The politics of choice can sometimes trump the best needs of kids. As a former public school teacher, I was at first hesitant about charters and what that would mean to the public school system. Choice does not necessarily mean exclusion. All education is a backbone of society, if we live in a democratic 'plurocracy,' we need to present that in our school choices as well.” With that advice, learning about Innovation Schools, Charter Schools and Turnaround Schools becomes a part of the choice process, as well as considering Park Hill’s wide-ranging traditional public schools.
Charter Schools Some make the mistake to classify Charter Schools outside of the public school system. Charter Schools are public schools created by a group of parents, teachers and, occasionally, interested community members within a school district. The schools are semi-autonomous and allow families a diverse set of educational choices, as most continued on page 9
35th Annual Park Hill Home Tour And Street Fair
On September 5, Smith will open their farmer’s market at Zumante’s Garden on the Smith Renaissance School campus. The farmer’s market will take place every Thursday from 3:15 to 4:30pm. Students and community volunteers grow everything from corn, beans and squash to watermelon and strawberries. The farmer’s market is a great place for our families and community to buy fresh, locally grown produce at cost. All proceeds go to support the garden program.
September 2013 - Back to School
Understanding Choice
music. The Street Fair will open at 10 a.m. this year to allow ample time to shop the promenade and visit all of the homes, as well. We are always in need of more volunteers, even at this late date. A free ticket to the Home Tour awaits you if you can give us a few hours of your time on the day of the event. Please contact Larry Sondgeroth at larrysoldmyhome@aol.com, Kim Tighe at kimberlytighe@msn.com or Tannan Morris at tannandenver@aol.com. The Silent Auction committee is still receiving donations. Please contact Susan Barden at macdougaldog@msn.com, Paula Wales at pkwales@gmail.com or Lynn Maedel at lynnmaedel@cacmle.org. We have new ticket procedures this year so please see the Ticket Information box. I want to thank Emily Boyle who wrote the inviting and interesting descriptions for the showhomes, which we proudly unveil on pages 12-13 .
Scrape-Offs: Tips from the Trenches
Next GPHC Meeting
Thursday, September 5th at 6:30pm 2823 Fairfax St., Denver
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