 |
|
|
 |
|
Making Learning Real for Our Kids
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
"It's no longer good enough to focus solely on the classroom to prepare our students for the world that awaits them after graduation. We need to build on their classroom learning by giving them clear connections to the career paths they choose."
|
|
Dear Team DPS:
The world that we're preparing our students for has changed so much over the last generation. There are so many new careers available to our children, and our schools need to change to adapt to make sure that students have everything they need to go down the career path they choose.
|
|
|
Supt. Tom Boasberg |
Our schools in Colorado have started to do that by adopting the Colorado Academic Standards -- new learning benchmarks that prioritize critical career skills: collaboration, communication, problem-solving and critical-thinking.
Now, we're taking that a step further by strengthening the connection that our college- and career-ready graduates have to the opportunities that await them after graduation.
On Wednesday, U.S. Labor Secretary Thomas E. Perez and Gov. John Hickenlooper joined me and leaders from Colorado's tremendous business and philanthropic community to announce a $9.5 million grant toward building career-readiness and apprenticeships through Denver Public Schools CareerConnect and CareerWise Colorado. Thanks to generous investments from JP Morgan Chase and Bloomberg Philanthropies, students in Denver and across Colorado will get direct connections to high-demand careers and postsecondary education opportunities that will open a clear path to a great future.
"This is about as exciting a moment as you can get. When you get a leadership team like this, good things happen," Gov. Hickenlooper said during the announcement. "We know that investing in education pays big dividends. We are in the process of building a true pipeline in Colorado."
Through the partnership, Denver students in their last two years of high school can participate in the CareerResidency, an apprenticeship program beginning in the fall of 2017 with a pilot class of 100 students. Across the state, CareerWise Colorado will be scaling the program to serve 250 students total. The statewide program is designed to expand dramatically and eventually reach about 10% of eligible high school students over the next decade. That's a significant investment in and impact on the future of our state and our children.
|
|
|
Watch this DPS Features video about the funding announcement and our new CareerResidency apprenticeship initiative. |
CareerResidency scholars will spend up to half of their time on-site with employers while still earning high school credits and post-secondary credentials toward a two-year degree. They'll also have an additional year of apprenticeship post-graduation to tighten the career connection. In addition, the scholars will be employees of partner businesses and paid a training wage for the time they are at work.
The partnership grew out of the success of our DPS CareerConnect, which has been a statewide and national leader in providing students with project-based learning for career exploration, coaching, internships and college coursework.
It's no longer good enough to focus solely on the classroom to prepare our students for the world that awaits them after graduation. We need to build on their classroom learning by giving them clear connections to the career paths they choose.
We will continue to be a leader in doing that for our students in Denver. And we're so grateful to Gov. Hickenlooper, our CareerWise partners, JP Morgan Chase and Bloomberg Philanthropies for believing in our kids and kids across Colorado, and for giving them the investments and opportunities they need to chase their dreams.
Pictured above: John F. Kennedy High School students who are participating in DPS CareerConnect.
|
|
DPS Taking Aggressive Approach to Lead
|
|
|
School districts across the country are taking a closer look at plumbing and water fixtures in their schools -- including here in DPS, where we recently kicked off our lead-testing program.
A DPS sampling team began collecting water on Aug. 23 from drinking fountains, kitchen food prep sinks, lounge sinks and any other fixtures that provide drinking water to students and staff. The samples are sent to Denver Water's water quality lab for analysis.
To ensure water samples are collected correctly and consistently, DPS developed its testing program in partnership with Denver Water, Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, the Environmental Protection Agency and Denver Environmental Health.
More than 3,000 samples will be collected from our schools, and Denver Water will analyze them all -- a process expected to continue through the end of 2016.
|
|
Mayor Helps DPS Celebrate Colorado Proud School Meal Day
|
|
|
|
|
|
Mayor Michael Hancock celebrates with students on Tuesday. |
Tuesday was Colorado Proud School Meal Day, when DPS celebrated healthy school lunches with the help of Sprout City Farms at Denver Green School, hosted by Mayor Michael B. Hancock and U.S. Department of Agriculture Deputy Under Secretary for Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services Katie Wilson.
Attendees enjoyed a school meal with Colorado ingredients grown at Denver Green School -- including zucchini, onions, cucumbers, peppers and tomatoes -- as well as a farm tour and a cooking demonstration by DPS Chef Adam Fisher.
DPS promotes Colorado agriculture by purchasing local produce from Colorado farmers, including from school gardens and farms. Students across Denver enjoy produce from Colorado growers, including bell peppers from DiSanti Farms in Pueblo and Schmitt Elementary farm; onions from Fagerberg Produce in Eaton; cucumbers from Star Farms in Commerce City and the McGlone Elementary farm; and milk from Meadow Gold sourced from Colorado dairy farms -- just to name a few.
|
|
FAQs: Responding to Questions about the Proposed Bond/Mill
|
|
|
We have received a number of questions about our 2016 ballot proposal for a bond issue and mill levy override, and want to ensure we're providing factual information in response. This information is housed on the
bond.dpsk12.org website, where recent additions include the following:
- How will the proposed measures, 3A and 3B, affect my school? Please visit this webpage to see letters describing proposed impacts by school. In addition, this page includes a map showing details of proposed impacts by school.
- What is DPS' history of financial management of bond dollars? Please visit this link to see an FAQ on this issue. In addition, this map shows how the 2012 bond and mill is benefiting individual schools.
- How has the legalization of medical marijuana impacted funding for DPS? Please see this animated video, also available in Spanish, about this frequently asked question.
In addition, the site includes a School Funding 101 video series describing how DPS is funded and how funding flows to schools -- hint: in DPS, dollars follow our students. Still have questions? Please email us at [email protected].
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
