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Charter School Institute
Main Line: 303-866-3299
Fax Line: 303-866-2530
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Dear School Leaders and School Staff,
As many of you would agree, we have the privilege of living in an amazing state which is why everyone keeps moving here. We proudly wear our Colorado apparel and hang our Colorado flags, but our state’s nickname of “Colorful Colorado” is particularly fitting as we near the fall. For many of us who are living along the front range, we start planning our weekends and try to predict the best time to see the aspen leaves turning to golden yellow. Should we go to the mountains in mid or late September, where should we go, and how will the weather affect the timing? For those of you that live in the mountains, you simply go outside, go on a hike, and try to avoid all of us city dwellers descending on your towns.
September is definitely a special month for educators, too, as the new school year begins. During this wonderful month, students, parents and school staff are happy, everyone is settling into the routines, teachers and administrators can count on beautiful weather for recess, and the school community is working together in harmony. While the principal or head of school now has time to get some work done, the stress of count date (October 2
nd
this year!) is looming, which can cause a high level of anxiety. Overall though, school life is pretty joyful which is why we all need to bask in the serenity of this time.
It’s also a wonderful time to invite legislators and other stakeholders to your school. Legislators generally have the time during the fall months and it is a fantastic opportunity for you to show off your new building or playground, share some of your school’s exciting programs, and/or introduce your new school leader or board members. Currently we are working with our legislative liaison and our ed reform partners to schedule some visits to our schools. Janet Dinnen and Rachel Hitt (our top notch Communications team) are coordinating this effort, so please reach out to them if you have an upcoming event that would be a good fit for bringing some visitors. Our staff is also excited about our upcoming regional meetings since we’ll be visiting with you in your neck of the woods—see below for more details on dates and locations. Additionally, the CSI Board will be kicking off its regional meetings as well by holding its September board meeting in Grand Junction. Speaking of our board members, CSI welcomes Eric Lerum and Kristi Pollard to the CSI Board—their bios and more are below!
Please know that everyone here at CSI is wishing you a fantastic school year!
-Terry
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Upcoming Deadlines
8/29:
- Student Services Boot Camp
- UIP Basics Webinar
- 17-18 October Count Audit Webinar
8/30
:
- EOY Initial Certification due
- SPED EOY Initial Signatures due
- New SAC Webinar
8/31:
- Returning SAC Webinar
- SPED MOU Webinar
9/1:
- CCSP AFR due
- Final CCSP RFF due
9/4:
- Labor Day-CSI offices closed
9/5:
- Final 16-17 August Salaries due
9/7:
- Gifted Identification Refresher Webinar
- School Readiness Webinar
9/8:
- Induction Mentor Orientation Meeting
9/11:
- CSI Board Committee Meeting
9/15:
- Capitol Construction Expenditures Report due
- Accreditation Contracts due (if applicable)
- Organizational Submissions-Part II due
- Induction Mentor-Inductee Assignments due
9/18:
- Western Slope Fall Regional Meeting
9/19:
- CSI Board Meeting
- CCSP Grant Budget Workshop
9/21:
- Colorado Springs Fall Regional Meeting
9/22:
- Denver Fall Regional Meeting
- Assessment Policies and Calendars due
9/29:
- Finance Data Pipeline File due
- New Schools ONLY: Audit Exemption Request due
- Draft Audit due
- SPED MOU due
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Congratulations to CSI schools listed in the Top Five Foreign Language Schools in Colorado (Montessori del Mundo & Global Village Academies)
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Congratulations to Victory Preparatory Academy and Thomas MacLaren Charter School for being finalists for the Succeeds Prize of $15,000.
Read more
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Keep up to date with these highlights and more by liking
CSI's Facebook page
and sharing your highlights with us!
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2016-17 State Assessment Results
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2017 state assessment results were publicly released Thursday, August 17th. Preliminary School Performance Frameworks containing state performance ratings were released to schools on Friday, August 25th, with a plan to publicly release these ratings on Wednesday, August 30th. Please view CSI's
press release
about CSI assessment results, and be sure to like CSI on
Facebook
for posts in the coming weeks about school level results. Below are some links to access updated statewide school data:
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Optional Interim Assessment Analysis
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CSI provides optional interim assessment analyses for CSI schools. To request a Fall to Spring 2016-17 interim analysis report for your school, please contact
Aislinn Walsh
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State-Approved Reading Assessments
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As a reminder, all Kindergarten through 3rd grade students must be administered a state-approved reading assessment within the first 30 days of school. Students identified as being Significantly Reading Deficient must be given a second diagnostic assessment within 30 days of the initial assessment.
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Upcoming Assessment Webinars
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Links for each webinar can be found below and on the
CSI website calendar.
All webinars will begin at 10:00am.
If you have not designated a SAC for the 2017-18 school year, please contact
Jessica Welch
School Assessment Coordinator (SAC):
School Readiness:
School Readiness SAC's are required to participate in this webinar.
UIP Webinars:
First drafts of 2017-18 UIPs will be due on December 15th, 2017, with a final draft due January 19th.
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Welcome to the CSI Family
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CSI Portfolio Expands with Three New Schools
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Caring for Colorado Foundation
is seeking grant proposals from organizations for
one-time only
funding to support efforts to develop effective strategies for promoting adolescent behavioral health through prevention and early intervention activities. Grant deadlines are October 6, 2017 and March 2, 2018.
Learn more and
register
for an informative webinar:
Thursday, September 7 at noon.
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Lowe's Charitable and Educational Foundation (LCEF) is providing the opportunity for your ideas to become a reality through the
Lowes' Toolbox for Education program
. Projects should fall into one of the following categories: technology upgrades, tools for STEM programs, facility renovations and safety improvements.
Applications due September 29, 2017
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The Road Runners Club of America is proud to offer small grants of $500-$1,000 to youth running programs across the country via the
Kids Run the Nation Grant Fund
. Applications due October 1, 2017.
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Farmers Insurance,
Thank America's Teachers Grant,
is currently accepting applications for their last $2,500 grants cycle of the year. Nominate a teacher today!
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For further information regarding these funding opportunities, contact
Marcie Jackson
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On August 15, 2017 CSI held its monthly Board Meeting at the Daniels Fund in Denver. The CSI Board approved the contract for Monarch Classical School of the Arts in Colorado Springs and approved the location modification for Global Village Academy - Colorado Springs. The next CSI Board meeting will be held on September 19th in Grand Junction.
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Welcome, New CSI Board Members!
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Kristi Pollard is the Executive Director for the Grand Junction Economic Partnership (GJEP), a non-profit consortium of business, community and governmental leaders striving to create greater economic vitality for Mesa County. Prior to her time with GJEP, Kristi was the principal owner of P², LLC, a local consulting firm that assisted a diverse group of non-profits and small businesses with government/public relations, marketing, event planning and fund-raising. As a professional who grew up in Western Colorado, Kristi understands the importance of collaboration with her neighbor and recognizes that her word is the most valuable thing in her possession.
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Eric Lerum is currently the VP of Growth and Strategy for America Succeeds, where he leads the organization’s efforts to expand and deepen its advocacy impact. Eric has over a decade of experience in strategic planning, partnership development, and advising state and local policymakers regarding public education. Prior to joining America Succeeds, he oversaw policy at StudentsFirst and served in multiple lead roles in school reform efforts in the District of Columbia. A 2003 graduate of the Washington College of Law at American University, Eric developed his interests in public education while teaching constitutional literacy to high school students.
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Mill Levy Equalization - Share Your Stories!
As we kick off the 2017-2018 school year, CSI continues to be focused on a commitment we made to you last spring:
to ensure that CSI schools gain access to mill levy equalization funds
. We have been working hard with our board, legislative liaison, and other Ed Reform partners on developing an advocacy action plan to this end.
We also need your help. We know the best way to convey the importance of these funds is for each of you to share what mill levy equalization funding would mean for your school and students, so we are asking you to share those ideas with us.
· What additional programming could you offer students?
· What additional supports could you provide for teaching staff?
· How could you update your facility to better meet the needs of your students?
I’m sure the list goes on. We are hoping to work with schools to craft detailed descriptions of ways in which access to this funding can better support your schools and hope to include quotations and pictures to these descriptions, which we then would like to share with key decision-makers. CSI can provide an estimation of the funds that each CSI school would receive if mill levy equalization is realized. T
o request that, please contact
Amanda Karger
.
For more information, and to share how your school would benefit from these funds, contact
Janet Dinnen
.
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US Department of Education Reporting Requirements for Charter Schools
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Update: Every charter school must complete and submit a form identifying the school's CMO/EMO by August 31st.
CSI already has the necessary information on file for each of its schools so, CSI schools do NOT need to complete this form.
We have connected with Schools of Choice to ensure this annual reporting requirement is fulfilled by CSI staff so individual schools aren't having to complete this annually.
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Financial Transparency Posting Reminder
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The deadline to post your (1) District Budget Document, (2) Uniform Budget Summary, and (3) Salary Schedule or Policy to your schools Financial Transparency page is September 1st. CSI will check school websites for compliance in September and will reach out if any of the required documents are missing. CSI will also be checking to ensure that your page is in the
required template
that commenced on July 1st.
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Financial
EOY D
ates to Remember
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- Final CCSP RFF due (*applies only to approved CCSP extension recipients. Funds must have been spent by July 31st)
- CCSP Annual Financial Report due
As a reminder, all expenditures must be in alignment with your most recent CDE approved budget, and must include invoices and proof of payment for all items.
This webinar is best suited for those that compile the adopted and amended budgets that are submitted to the school's board.
Click on the dates below for specific forms and information regarding these reports.
- Data Pipeline File due
- Draft Audit Due
- Audit Exemption Request due -- *New Schools ONLY*
- Final Audit due
- Accreditation Report due
*New schools that received federal or other grants and donations but did not receive PPR must file an audit exemption for expenditures for revenues less than $750,000. If either revenues or expenditures exceed $750,000 the school needs to complete an audit. The new school must also submit the Data Pipeline file and the Assurances for Financial Accreditation report by the deadlines noted above.
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CDE's Annual Finance Seminar and CCSP Grant Budget Workshop
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Hosted by CDE Schools of Choice Office
Date:
Friday, September 8
Time:
8:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Location:
Adams 12 Conference Center, 1500 E 128th Avenue, Thornton
Cost:
No cost to attend.
Description:
Held in the fall of each year, this training is designed to give business managers, school leaders and board members an opportunity to learn about changes in policy or innovations in the field of operations and finance management (required for all CCSP grant recipients).
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Thank you for completing the 2017-18 Organizational Submissions
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CSI will be reviewing the documents and will issue a written report for each school that will include further instructions and feedback towards completion.
Please Note:
- Family Handbook: each year, a select group of handbook key policies will be evaluated solely for purposes of compliance. CSI does not review the entire family handbook for content.
- Employee Handbook: CSI does not review the employee handbook for content. Please contact Employers Council to access your free membership and to have someone review your employee handbook.
Reminder:
The second set of the 2017-18 Organizational Submissions documents are due 9/15/17. These tasks and submissions include: (1) Emergency Readiness Plan; (2) School Safety Survey; (3) Four Week Notification Letter (if receiving Title I, Part A funds); and (4) Fingerprinting and Background Checks Audit Form. Please access Totara for more information. The draft SPED MOU was recently set out, along with details for an informational webinar:
Revised due date for the signed MOU is Friday, September 29, 2017.
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Policy and Procedures Reminder
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Please remember that changes to certain material items of your contract require advanced CSI approval. More information on the Governing Document Modification process is available on the
CSI website
.
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The Mountain States Employers Council (MSEC) changed its name to 'Employers Council' this month, as part of a push for the organization to grow its membership beyond Colorado, Utah and Arizona. CSI's membership with the Empoyers Council will remain the same and your school will continue to be able to use this valuable resource. As a reminder, Employers Council can help you manage critical Human Resources and Employment Law issues and your school is able to identify 2-3 people (typically the School Leader, HR Manager, and Board Chair) to use the membership.
Contact
Allegra Matus
to update your membership contact detail with the Employers Council. Once your membership is complete, you can call MSEC at #303-839-5177 with your HR and Employment Law questions.
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The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) released a new I-9 form in July that
must be used by employers no later than 9/18/17.
This new version has a revision date of 7/17/17 and an expiration date of 8/31/2019. Employers may elect to continue using the 11/14/2016 version through 9/17/17.
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CSI has received some questions regarding the difference between Totara and Syncplicity and how each is being used.
Totara
(available through
http://training.csi.state.co.us
) is an online learning management system that is used as a tool by various CSI departments as a means to provide resources to CSI schools, collect certain documents, and provide feedback to schools through the system. These are set up as online courses with assignments where relevant CSI school staff members can serve as the point of contact. E.g.: A 2017-18 Organizational Submissions and Audits course was created as a platform to share resources for each of the required submissions and users uploaded the required documents to Totara. These documents included student and employee handbooks, the Assurance of Compliance, and other school policies. No personally identifiable information is shared through this system. The relevant contacts at each school are the individuals who have the login information for that course and receive reminders about due dates.
Syncplicity
, on the other hand, will be replacing Filezilla as CSI’s secure file sharing system for purposes of data submissions, particularly those that include personally identifiable information. The initial migration from FileZilla to Syncplicity will take place over the few. Once Syncplicity setup is finalized and tested, CSI will share out information and next steps with schools. E.g.: The CSI Data Submissions Team uses Syncplicity for the regular sharing of student and staff information for state and federal data collections, such as October Count, the HR report, etc.
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September Regional Meetings
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We hope to see all of you at our upcoming Fall Regional Meetings and Board to Board Networking & Training Events! This event's focus area will be on Student Services.
Western Slope:
Monday, September 18, 2017 (no Board to Board Event)
Mesa County Central Library
443 N. 6th St.
Grand Junction, CO 81501
Colorado Springs:
Thursday, September 21, 2017
Thomas MacLaren School
1720 N. Murray Blvd.
Colorado Springs, CO 80915
Denver:
Friday, September 22, 2017
Colorado Early Colleges-Fort Collins
4424 Innovation Dr.
Fort Collins, CO 80525
*Please see separate email for RSVP options
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Teaching Strategies GOLD: Media Permission
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As the new school year approaches, schools are reminded to obtain individual written parental/guardian consent if planning to use photos and videos in Teaching Strategies GOLD in Kindergarten.
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Over-the-Counter Medication in Schools OK with Parental Permission
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SB17-033
passed this past legislative session and added language into the Nurse Practice Act allowing school nurses to train and delegate to school staff the ability to administer over-the-counter medication to a student as long as there is parent permission and a standing medical order from a physician.
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CDE's Gifted Education Review Process (C-GER) requires CSI to collect stakeholder feedback about the CSI Gifted Education Program. CDE has developed a brief survey (available in English and Spanish) to be administered to gifted student, their parents, teachers and administrators regarding the gifted education program.
Please distribute the
survey link
and/or
flyer
to your stakeholder groups during your first few weeks of school. CSI will provide a summary report to each school in October.
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Charter School Institute
1580 Logan Street Suite 210
Denver, Colorado 80203
303-866-3299
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