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SCHOOLS
Bennett’s mixed feelings on ‘No Child,’ standardized tests
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The Denver Herald Dispatch caught up with Former U.S. Secretary of Education William Bennett just prior to his speech addressing members of the South Metro Denver Chamber on Sept. 25 at the Lone Tree Arts Center.
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LOCAL
Community connects homeless people to critical services
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More than 1,400 homeless people and those facing homelessness gathered at the Colorado Convention Center to access free services offered by nearly 100 organizations at Project Homeless Connect 13.
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POLITICS
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Depot sale dominates Englewood candidates forum
The Englewood Depot was more than an elephant in the room at a recent forum for Englewood City Council candidates. The recent sale of the historic building was both a recurring theme and a subject that colored a range of other issues.
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50¢ Vol. 92 No. 41
October 3, 2013
Denver Public Library announces
The new Denver Public Library West Denver branch will be located at Irving and West Colfax Avenue. The library is scheduled to open in fall 2014.
New library located at Irving and West Colfax Avenue Metro-area residents joined Mayor Michael B. Hancock, City Librarian Shirley Amore, Councilwoman Susan Shepherd, Councilwoman Judy Montero, Councilman Paul López, Library Commissioner Gloria Rubio-Cortés, city officials and community
new branch in West Denver partners as they officially broke ground on the new Better Denver Bond funded Denver Public Library branch in west Denver. The 28,000 square-foot library will be located at the intersection of Irving and West Colfax Avenue. The new facility will provide much-needed library services to west Denver and surrounding neighborhoods, which have lacked a nearby Denver Public Library branch. In early 2011,
the community was invited to several public meetings to share their ideas on the location of the library, the building character, its interior environment, sustainability and technology. Community input was incorporated into many aspects of the library’s final design. The state-of-the-art, two story building will embrace its urban surroundings and integrate a sense of community with flexible
spaces that facilitate interactive and educational opportunities. The main level will showcase multi functional Community Learning Plaza for classes, meetings, presentations, and community gatherings for up to 100 people. The children’s area will feature space for arts and crafts, kid’s technology and a story time tower that hosts artist Ethan Jacksons work. The second level will feature
a technology space with 50 computer stations, an adult reading alcove, interactive and individual teen spaces, study rooms, and a second meeting room for 20 people. All of this is centered around an outdoor reading room, providing a respite from the city and a three story plenum Wall that behaves like a light and air filter for the building and its occupants. The branch will See also offer the latest Page
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Hancock launches Countdown to Kindergarten
Mayor Michael B. Hancock, City Councilman Paul Lopez, Denver Public Schools, Metropolitan State University of Denver, and The Denver Education Compact launched Countdown to Kindergarten, a program designed to create an effective and seamless transition from preschool to kindergarten for children in southwest Denver, Sept. 24. The mayor addressed teachers, parents and families of preschoolers from across southwest Denver at Pascual Le Doux Academy and explained how the program will help create effective transitions for some of Denver’s youngest residents as they move between preschool and kindergarten. “It has always been my goal to create a community where every child from every neighborhood in Denver has the opportunity to
succeed,” Mayor Hancock said. “Countdown to Kindergarten will prepare our youngest students for the critical transition between preschool and kindergarten so that they can start school off ready to learn and ready to read. This will give them the best opportunity for academic success in kindergarten and down the road.” An initiative of The Denver Education Compact, Countdown to Kindergarten will support nine DPS elementary schools, the Pascual Le Doux Academy (DPS’s new center for early childhood education) and three community preschools. A calendar of activities includes workshops that assist parents with choosing the right school
for their children as well as activities to help prevent summer learning loss. School principals, community preschool directors, and preschool and kindergarten teachers will come together for joint workshops to improve communication across preschool and elementary school systems, align expectations about what it means to be “kindergarten ready,” and develop concrete activities for teachers to use in their classrooms to ensure effective transitions. Teachers will also participate in classroom exchanges. Along with Mayor Hancock, speakers at today’s event included Councilman Lopez, Dr. Stephen Jordan, President of Metropolitan State University of Denver, and Antonio Esquibel, Director of the West Denver Network Schools within DPS. Terry Bower, Director
of The Denver Education Compact, will introduce the program. By improving the transition into kindergarten, targeted students will be better positioned for academic success and more likely to become proficient readers by third grade. Research has shown that students who are proficient in reading by third grade maintain greater academic achievement and are four times more likely to graduate from high school than their peers who have already fallen behind. “Study after study has shown that the more prepared students are for kindergarten, academically, emotionally and behaviorally, the better they will perform in school,” Bower said. “Preschool to kindergarten is a big transition and it is our responsibility to ensure that it is an effective one.” For more information go to www.DenverGov.Org/C2K.