Denver Public Schools



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August 12, 2003

Superintendent’s Office

All Administrators Meeting 4-5 p.m. Wednesday, August 20

Superintendent Jerry Wartgow will host a meeting for all administrators and department heads from 4-5 p.m. Wednesday, August 20 at the new Denver School of the Arts location near Montview Blvd. and Quebec Street, 7111 Montview Blvd. Topics will include a review of recent progress, where DPS is headed this year and an update on negotiations. Administrators are invited to stay for a brief 5 p.m. presentation by the bond/mill levy campaign committee.

Bond/Mill Levy

Schools may get requests from the bond/mill levy campaign committee to rent space at back-to-school nights. Please use the regular building use process to rent space to this group.

At the August 21 meeting, the Board of Education will decide precisely which projects will go on the November ballot. The board is considering a three-year, $310 million bond and a $20 million mill levy. The last two bonds for Denver Public Schools (1990 and 1998) were for five years each, and both bonds yielded new schools, additions, and other improvements.

The August 22 issue of Board News will outline those projects to be included in the November election.

Calendar Update

2003-2004 School Calendars

The final 2003-2004 school calendars are pending negotiations. The current versions posted online do not reflect possible slight changes in professional development days for teachers. We will let you know as soon as an agreement with the Denver Classroom Teachers Association is reached and the final versions of the calendars are available from the warehouse.

The current black and white and color versions of the 2003-2004 calendars for traditional and continuous year schools are accessible online at . The black and white version is family friendly, indicating the dates on which students should be in school and the dates on which students are not in school due to teacher in-service days or holidays and breaks.

DoTS

PDA Support Announcement

Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) have become valuable tools for many DPS staff members, and they likewise have potential for important classroom and student applications. On August 1, 2003, DoTS began providing basic installation and computer-to-PDA synchronization support to DPS staff for district-purchased PDAs that meet the brand name and model designations listed below.

There are many brands and varieties of PDAs on the market, but to provide adequate support and training, DoTS will only support those brands included on the supported list below. After a thorough review process, these brands were selected based on their functionality, repair histories, and the manufacturers’ support.

Supported PDA Hardware

DoTs will support these pocket PC devices (running the Windows CE operating system): Dell Axim and the Compaq iPAQ and these Palm devices (running the Palm operating system): Palm-branded PDAs and AlphaSmart DANAs. The specific models recommended for purchase will be updated and listed on the DoTS Technology Purchasing Calculator Web page at .

Supported PDA Software, Synchronization Functions, and Peripherals

There are many software applications available for PDAs, but DoTS can only support those software applications that are installed on the PDAs when purchased. Additional PDA software applications will be considered for support after a review and/or pilot process is conducted by the DoTS Technology Architecture Review Committee (TARC). Synchronization between Outlook calendars and PCs will be supported (Macintoshes, at this time, do not have a supported Outlook calendar synchronization solution). Synching Outlook email messages between a PC and a PDA is not supported, as this process has proven to be very problematic when tested in DPS. DoTS will support Palm, Compaq, and Dell Axim cradles.

DoTS has developed documentation that should provide new PDA users with all of the information they need to set up and use their PDAs in DPS. This documentation can be found at .

If you have any questions, please contact the DoTS Hotline at 303-764-3888.

Legal Services

Sex Offender School Information

Effective July 1, 2003, SB 03-072 requires public schools to provide parents at the start of each school year with information about how they can access a list of registered sex offenders in their law enforcement jurisdiction. Attached is a memo (in English and Spanish) that schools can use to communicate this information to parents.

Risk Management

As the school year starts again, please be reminded that no more than 40 percent of classroom walls and 20 percent of hallway walls can be covered with combustible paper. Please see the attached bulletin concerning this issue. Compliance with these requirements is not a site-based decision.

English Language Acquisition

Spanish for School Personnel

Session 1 starts Tuesday, September 16 and continues until Thursday, November 6 (no class October 21). The class is on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. at George Washington High School, Room 124, 655 South Monaco Parkway. In-service credit of 2 semester hours or educational credit of 30 contact hours can be obtained. This class is appropriate for SLP, NM 4 Skills, and TNLI school secretaries and for relicensure and salary increments. The $160 fee includes the book, but not an additional $25 DPS processing fee.

Register by Friday, September 12. For more information, contact Sue Gosman at susan_gosman@, 303-764-3203, mailbox 20626#, or fax to 303-394-8614.

Human Resources

Please see the attached memo and information regarding the Teacher-Intern Partnership between the University of Northern Colorado and DPS.

Principals—To prepare for anticipated teacher staffing changes based on fall student count, Human Resources will extend long-term substitute contracts to licensed teachers whose names are submitted to HR after Thursday, August 14, 2003, to fill vacancies. Teachers who have been extended offers on or prior to August 14 will receive teaching contracts. The two high-needs subject areas that are exempt are ELA-S and Special Education teachers, for which contracts will be extended after August 14.

Curriculum and Instruction

Principals and Visual Art Teachers

You are cordially invited to “Cry me a river, no Mo,” a dance, music and visual experience for everyone. This special performance and reception is for DPS visual art teachers on Friday, August 15 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. The Platte Forum Space and Gallery is located at 1610 Little Raven Street, Suite 125. Join us in welcoming the new school year. If you have any questions, please contact Judy Anderson, Platte Forum director, at 303-893-0791 or Maruca G. Salazar, DPS visual arts coordinator, at 303-764-3752.

Vote for Children

Hank Lamport, a DPS teacher, is developing a proposal to seek funding from the Sierra Club to support Vote for Children for a second year. This program, targeting our at-risk middle and high school students, offers students opportunities to hike and ski for little or no cost to your schools.

If you are interested, please contact Hank at Lamportsall@ immediately. He needs a preliminary commitment indicating your teachers’ interest level by Friday, August 15. The timeline for submitting this proposal is very short. For additional information, contact Estevan Duran, Science Coordinator, at 303-764-3395 or estevan_duran@.

Vote for Children has two parts and doesn’t require use of any bus allocation budget to participate.

Hiking—From September 15 through Thanksgiving, 45 day hikes will be offered for any class in participating schools. DPS students will hike to locations not usually accessed, including St. Mary’s Glacier, Castlewood Canyon State Park, Chief Mountain and Three Sisters Park in Evergreen.

Locations will be rotated depending on the age group involved and the weather. Curriculum is provided both by DPS staff and an outside environmental organization. There should be ample room for a full class, teacher aide, and a parent or two to accompany the excursions (parents will need a release from liability). The hiking portion of this program is provided at no cost.

Skiing—During December, participating schools will be offered highly subsidized downhill and cross-country skiing. Excursions include a lesson and equipment for less than $10 per day for downhill skiing and less than $5 for cross country.

Food and Nutrition Services

To release the eligibility status of a student, an Information Release form must be signed by the parent or guardian and returned. Attached are copies of the form (in English and Spanish) and instructions regarding completion of the form. Because the eligibility status information for a student is confidential, federal regulation requires that it cannot be released unless an Information Release is signed by the parent or guardian. We are sending you the form so you can use it as needed during the school year.

To use the form, you will need to click on the highlighted gray area and type in the program for which you are asking the parent or guardian to release the information. The exact name of the program must be typed in, per federal regulation. In addition, a parent signature is required. Without it, we are not able to release any eligibility information back to you.

Once you receive the completed forms back from parents, forward them on to Food and Nutrition Services, attention Elaine Leggett. She will contact you with the status of the students noted on the release forms. If you have any questions, feel free to call Elaine at 303-715-5624.

Public Information Office

Tuesday Telegram Issues

Bookmark this link in “favorites” on your web browser, and access it any time you need previous issues of the Tuesday Telegram. The link is always up to date with the latest issues.

Marketing Tip of the Week

Schools on the traditional calendar—have you posted your first-day-of-school yard signs in strategic, high-traffic locations? Consider making personal contact with your families to ensure attendance on the first day of school.

TUESDAY TELEGRAM ARCHIVE (click on this link)



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DENVER PUBLIC SCHOOLS

INTERDEPARTMENTAL COMMUNICATION

Department of Research, Planning, and Special Programs

TO: Principals

FROM: Wayne D. Eckerling

Robin Kane

DATE: August 8, 2003

SUBJECT: UNC Urban Teacher College Intern

Information about the program on the next page, directed by former Superintendent Irv Moskowitz, is attached. This same program has operated in the for the last few years,

but has been renamed as a teacher intern program to better reflect the goal of the program,

the character of participants, and their roles and responsibilities as employees of the district.

A job description for the interns and an overview of the UNC program are attached.

Please note the following:

1. Interns can continue to work as reading assistants or paraprofessionals, which is consistent with the attached job description. They will follow all of the policies

of paraprofessionals.

2. Interns normally work in a school four hours per day. Three of these hours are paid

by the school, and one hour is paid by the district.

3. Schools interested in hiring interns should call Irv Moskowitz at 303-365-7631 or

Twyla Norman at 303-365-7637.

4. Interns, if successful, would normally be assigned to the same school for four years.

5. Interns are not required to be “highly qualified” under NCLB, since their job requirements differ from paraprofessionals.

Please call Robin Kane at 303-764-3525 or Jan Landry at 764-3473 if you have any questions.

cc: Sally Mentor Hay

Area Superintendents

Assistant Area Superintendents

Velma Rose

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Denver Public Schools—University of Northern Colorado

Center for Urban Education

“Teacher-Intern Partnership”

August 2003

Denver Public Schools participates in an elementary school teacher apprenticeship program in collaboration with the University of Northern Colorado (UNC) Center for Urban Education.

This degree and teacher licensure program is designed to permit DPS teacher-interns the opportunity to participate in a comprehensive four-year training program with a classroom apprenticeship experience as its focal point. The intent of the program is to develop a cadre of competent, classroom-experienced teacher candidates who upon graduation will be fully prepared to meet the challenges of the urban classroom. As participants in the program, the teacher-interns perform the job functions required by the district as well as follow the UNC Center for Urban Education four-year teacher intern curriculum.

Teacher-interns are part of a four-year, four-hour per day intensive on-the-job learning experience. Afternoon university classes and seminars in instructional methodology and learning theory at UNC’s Lowry Denver campus supplement the elementary school classroom training. Supporting the interns through the classroom apprentice learning tasks are recognized retired master teachers who mentor and guide the interns through the teacher development tasks.

Students in this program participate in an interdisciplinary liberal arts major along with the comprehensive professional teacher training curriculum. It is the commitment of the university

to provide the interns with a rich academic background so as to be the professional role models the district expects them to be.

Program points:

• Interns enrolled in the program are full-time university students and part-time DPS classroom teacher-interns.

• The DPS Teacher Intern program is a comprehensive four-year experience culminating in the fourth year with student teaching and substituting in elementary school classrooms.

• Admission is open to DPS paraprofessionals and others wanting to become DPS elementary classroom teachers.

• Teacher-interns work in district elementary classrooms for three to four hours

per day.

• Teacher-interns will maintain at least a 3.0 grade-point average in academic course work.

• Teacher-interns will, on an annual basis, achieve prescribed State of Colorado teacher proficiency standards.

• Classroom teachers and UNC Center for Urban Education mentors are responsible for overseeing and accounting for the progress each intern demonstrates in the teacher development curriculum.

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ENGLISH MEMO TO PARENTS AND GUARDIANS REGARDING SEX OFFENDER LIST

August 2003

Dear Families:

The State of Colorado passed a law in the spring requiring public schools to provide parents and guardians with information about how they can access a list of registered sex offenders in their law enforcement jurisdiction.

The sex offender registry provides the public with certain information on the whereabouts of sex offenders, so members of local communities may better protect themselves and their children from these known sex offenders.

In Denver, parents and guardians can request the sex offender registry list from the records department at the Denver Police Department at 720-913-6756. There is a $5 fee per request. Registry information is released to any person 18 or older who resides or does business in a law enforcement agency’s jurisdiction. You can also check the Colorado Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Web site at , which contains a statewide list of certain high-risk registered sex offenders.

In addition, the Colorado Sex Offender Management Board publishes the School Resource Guide to Sex Offender Registration, including information about the list itself and facts about sex offenders. Access this link for a copy of the resource guide at .

If you have questions about the guide, contact the Sex Offender Management Board at

303-239-4442 or Michael Ramirez at the Colorado Department of Education at 303-866-6991.

Sincerely,

Principal

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SPANISH MEMO TO PARENTS AND GUARDIANS REGARDING SEX OFFENDER LIST

Agosto de 2003

Estimadas familias:

El Estado de Colorado pasó una ley en la primavera que requiere que las escuelas públicas provean a los padres y los tutores de información sobre cómo ellos pueden tener acceso a una lista de delincuentes sexuales registrados en su jurisdicción de ejecución de ley.

El registro de delincuentes sexuales provee al público de cierta información sobre el paradero de los delincuentes sexuales, de modo que los miembros de las comunidades locales puedan mejor protegerse a sí mismos y a sus hijos de estos conocidos delincuentes sexuales.

En Denver, los padres y los tutores pueden solicitar la lista del registro de los delincuentes sexuales del departamento de archivos de la Jefatura de Policía de Denver, teléfono 720-913-6756. Hay un recargo de $5 por solicitud. Se hace conocer la información del registro a cualquier persona de 18 o más años de edad que resida o tenga negocio en la jurisdicción de un organismo de ejecución de ley. Pueden también chequear el sitio de la red o website de la Oficina de Investigación de Colorado (Colorado Bureau of Investigation—CBI)——que tiene la lista de todo el estado de ciertos delincuentes sexuales registrados de alto riesgo.

Además, el Consejo de Administración de Delincuentes Sexuales de Colorado publica la Guía de Recursos para Escuelas del Registro de Delincuentes Sexuales, incluyendo la información sobre la lista y los datos de los delincuentes sexuales. Se puede tener acceso a este vínculo para obtener una copia de la guía de recursos—.

En caso de tener alguna pregunta sobre la guía, hay que ponerse en contacto con el Consejo de Administración de Delincuentes Sexuales al teléfono 303-239-4442 o con Michael Ramirez en el Departamento de Educación de Colorado al teléfono 303-866-6991.

Atentamente,

Director(a)

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SCC BULLETIN DPS/SCC Directive 2002-5

Date of issue: December 4, 2002 Art Work on School Walls

Subject: ATWORK AND TEACHING MATERIALS ON SCHOOL WALLS

Reference: NFPA Pamphlet 101; Denver Fire Code (UFC) Number FP - 0015

Approved: Joseph L. Gonzales, Division Chief, Fire Prevention and Investigation Division

Phil Marin, Inspections Administrator, Building Inspection Division

This policy is meant to provide basic information for the most common conditions and situations. In any given occupancy, many other Fire and Building Code requirements may be enforced. These will be addressed by the Inspector(s) during a premise inspection. Any questions can be addressed to the Building and Fire Departments Inspection Sections.

Artwork and teaching materials attached directly to the walls of school classrooms and corridors increase the combustible load in the building and can allow flame to spread quickly. Because the combustibility of the artwork is difficult to effectively control, the quality of material, in terms of the percentage of wall area covered, is regulated to avoid creating a continuous combustible surface that will spread flame across the wall.

CLASSROOM WALLS

Artwork and teaching material attached directly to the school classroom walls shall be in accordance with the following provisions:

• Classroom walls may be used to attach student artwork, other artwork and teaching materials not to exceed forty (40) percent of the total wall area. The total classroom wall area is defined as being the height from the floor to the ceiling multiplied by the length of the wall, excluding door and window openings. Each wall must be calculated on its own (i.e., the allowable area for artwork is not cumulative from one wall to another). Artwork and teaching materials shall not be attached to any wall within three (3) feet of the exit access door. Exterior windows and windows/view panels of interior exit access doors shall not be covered. The use of crepe paper that is not listed a flame-resistant is prohibited.

The above provisions do not apply to:

• Building interior finish materials (i.e. metal lockers)

• Artwork or teaching materials that are listed as non-combustible

• Artwork or teaching materials that are contained within non-combustible containers or coverings (i.e., metal and glass display cases)

EXIT CORRIDOR WALLS

Exit corridor walls may be used to attach student artwork, other artwork and teaching materials not to exceed twenty (20) percent of the total wall area. The total corridor wall area is defined as being the height from the floor to the ceiling multiplied by the length each wall, excluding door and window openings. Each wall must be calculated on its own (i.e., the allowable area for artwork is not cumulative from one wall to another). Artwork and teaching materials shall not be attached to any wall within three (3) feet of the exit access door(s). Exterior windows and windows/view panels of interior exit access doors shall not be covered. The use of crepe paper that is not listed as flame-resistant is prohibited.

CEILINGS

Artwork and teaching materials suspended from classroom and exit corridor ceilings shall be in accordance with the following provisions:

• The total area of materials suspended from ceilings shall be deducted from the forty (40) percent of wall space for classrooms and the twenty (20) percent of wall space for exit corridors.

• Wires or cords used to suspend student artwork and teaching materials from the ceiling cannot be strung from corner to corner and cannot be strung parallel to any wall more than six (6) inches from the wall.

• Display of student artwork and teaching materials on wires or cords perpendicular to exit corridor walls strung from corridor wall to corridor wall shall not form a continuous combustible curtain. There shall be a minimum clearance of seven (7) feet from the floor to the lowest portion of the display.

• Display of student artwork and teaching materials shall not impair visibility or detract attention from the exit sign.

• No material shall be attached to light fixtures, thermal or heat detectors, light fixtures, exit signs or fire sprinkler heads.

• It is the responsibility of Denver Public Schools Facility Management to ensure that the ceiling structure can support student artwork or teaching materials and that any display of student artwork or teaching materials does not compromise the fire protection and fire alarm and detection systems.

Safe exit from any school building requires a safe path of escape from the fire environment. The exits of the school are arranged for ready use in case of an emergency and should be sufficient to permit all occupants to reach a safe place. Under no circumstances shall display of artwork and teaching materials interfere with the required width of, or obstruct any portion of, any exit access component.

It shall be the duty and responsibility of principals and teachers to inspect all facilities daily to ensure the provisions of this policy are complied with. Fire or Building Department inspectors who find a school to be in violation will immediately bring the violation to the attention of the school principal. Violations may be directed to be corrected immediately and in no case more than 24 hours following discovery.

Failure to correct the violation within the directed time period may result in the school losing the privilege of displaying student artwork, other artwork and teaching materials in accordance with this policy.

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DENVER PUBLIC SCHOOLS

DEPARTMENT OF FOOD AND NUTRITION SERVICES

2003–2004 INFORMATION RELEASE

Dear Parent/Guardian:

To save you time and effort, the information you gave on your Free and Reduced Price School Meals Application may be shared with other programs for which your children may qualify. For the following programs, we must have your permission to share your information. Sending in this form will not change whether your children get free or reduced price meals.

___________________________________________________________________________________________

❑ No! I DO NOT want information from my Free and Reduced Price Meals Application shared with any of these programs.

If you checked no, stop here. Your information will not be shared.

❑ Yes! I DO want school officials to share information from my Free and Reduced Price School Meals Application with (click here and type the specific program you want the information released for).

❑ Yes! I DO want school officials to share information from my Free and Reduced Price School Meals Application with (click here and type the specific program you want the information released for).

❑ Yes! I DO want school officials to share information from my Free and Reduced Price School Meals Application with (click here and type the specific program you want the information released for).

If you checked yes to any or all of the boxes above, fill out the form below. Your information will be shared only with the programs you checked

|Student First and Last Name |Student ID # |School Student Attends |Grade |

| | | | |

| | | | |

| | | | |

| | | | |

| | | | |

Signature of Parent/Guardian:_______________________________________ Date:______________________

Printed Name:________________________________________________________________________________

Address:____________________________________________________________________________________

For more information, you may call (click here and type name and phone number of program director).

Return this form to: (address) by (date).

DO NOT WRITE BELOW THIS LINE, FOR DENVER PUBLIC SCHOOLS USE ONLY

▪ STUDENT IS APPROVED: _____ 100% FREE _____ REDUCED _____ FULL PAY

▪ STUDENT DOES NOT HAVE AN APPLICATION ON FILE _____

Signature of Authorized DPS Food Service Date___________________

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ESCUELAS PUBLICAS DE DENVER

EL DEPARTAMENTO DE SERVICIOS DE ALIMENTACIÓN

LA AUTORIZACIÓN PARA EL COMPARTIR DE INFORMACIÓN

2003-2004

Estimado Padre de familia o el encargado:

Para ahorrarle tiempo y esfuerzo, la información de su aplicación para comidas escolares gratuitas o de precio reducido se puede compartir con otros programas para los cuales podrían ser elegibles sus niños. Nosotros tenemos que obtener su autorización para compartir la información con los siguientes programas. El entregar de este formulario no cambiará el hecho de que sus niños reciban comidas gratuitas o de precio reducido.

___________________________________________________________________________________________

❑ ¡No! Yo no quiero que la información de mi aplicación para comidas escolares gratuitas o de precio reducido sea compartida con ninguno de estos programas.

Deténgase aquí si marcó no. Su información no será compartida.

❑ ¡Sí! Yo quiero que los oficiales de la escuela compartan la información en mi aplicación para comidas escolares gratuitas o de precio reducido con (click here and type the program you want the information released for).

❑ ¡Si! Yo quiero que los oficiales de la escuela compartan la información en mi aplicación para comidas escolares gratuitas o de precio reducido con (click here and type the program you want the information released for).

❑ ¡Si! Yo quiero que los oficiales de la escuela compartan la información en mi aplicación para comidas escolares gratuitas o de precio reducido con (click here and type the program you want the information released for).

Si Usted marcó sí en cualquiera o en todos los cuadros de arriba, por favor llene el formulario que aparece abajo. Su información será compartida solamente con los programas que Usted marcó.

|nombre y apellido del alumno |número de |la escuela que el alumno asiste |grado |

| |identificación | | |

| | | | |

| | | | |

| | | | |

| | | | |

| | | | |

Firma del Padre o el encargado: ______________________________________ Fecha: ___________

Nombre escrito con letras no pegadas:_____________________________________________________________

Domicilio: ___________________________________________________________________________________

Para mayor información, llame (click here and type name and phone number of program director).

Devuelve este formulario a: (address) Por(date).

No es permitido escribir debajo de la línea. El espacio abajo es solo para el uso

de las Escuelas Publicas de Denver

▪ STUDENT IS APPROVED: _____ 100% FREE _____ REDUCED _____ FULL PAY

▪ STUDENT DOES NOT HAVE AN APPLICATION ON FILE _____

Signature of Authorized DPS Food Service Date___________________

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