Parent & Community Newsletter
Parent & Community Newsletter
Happy New Year!
In this issue:

  • Activities and Upcoming Events
  • Computer Science & STEM
  • 2018 Parenting Resolutions
  • English Learner Program Newsletter
  • Gifted Education Program Newsletter
  • State Assessment Dates
  • Construction Updates
Activities & Upcoming Events
Englewood Schools and City of Englewood Events for the Month of January:

  • Tuesday, January 9 - First day back from winter break
  • Tuesday, January 9 - Regular Board of Education Meeting, 6:30 p.m. 3800 S. Logan St.
  • Wednesday, January 10 - Kindergarten Round Up, 5:00 - 6:00 p.m. at ECE Maddox
  • Tuesday, January 23 - Board of Education Work Session, 6:00 p.m. 4101 S. Bannock St.
  • Wednesday, January 24 - Cherrelyn Design Community Meeting, 6:00 - 7:30 p.m. 4500 S. Lincoln St.
  • Friday, January 26 - Early Release Day

You can also see these events on the Englewood Schools district events calendar.

Free or Low-Cost Family Activities in January:

Computer Science & STEM
Englewood Schools is one of the only school districts in Colorado to offer STEM education via SmartLabs at each school in the district. This means all Englewood students have access to STEM classes in every grade K-12.

At the Englewood Campus, high school and middle school students are engaging in really exciting work in their STEM and computer science classes. Students are creating video games, designing bridges, building robots, creating music, and engineering solar cars.

Check out these projects from computer science students who have been creating their own video games! Keep in mind, these projects are still in development:

2018 Parenting Resolutions
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It's the new year and you may be thinking of what goals or resolutions you want to take on. Have you considered making some resolutions about parenting? Setting small goals and intentions can help set the tone for your year.

Here are some ideas:

  • Don't sweat the small stuff: Pick your battles, there will be many! Try to determine which things have to be a certain way, and then let go of the others.
  • Be present when you spend time with your kids: Try to put away distractions - the TV, your smart phone, other conversations - and put the focus on your child when you have the chance to spend time with them.
  • Slow down: Relieve some stress by giving your kids plenty of time for transitions. Try not to over-schedule so you aren't rushing from one place to another. Also, make sure you allow plenty of time to get ready to go somewhere to ensure you make it on time when your kids are taking their time putting on their shoes and getting out the door. Kids are not in a hurry, and it saves adults stress if we don't have to make them be!

Get more ideas for parenting resolutions from these articles:

English Learner Program Newsletter
Enjoy the January newsletter for families of English Language Learners!

This month's issue includes:
  • How parents can help their students learn English
  • Strategies parents of English learners should know

Gifted Education Program Newsletter
Enjoy the January newsletter for families of Gifted Learners!

This month's issue includes:
  • Tip sheets for caregivers of gifted students
  • Websites for gifted kids

Plan Ahead: State Assessments
Colorado Measures of Academic Success (CMAS) has released the testing windows for state assessments . This includes CMAS: English Language Arts, Mathematics, Science and Social Studies, the Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test (PSAT), and the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT). Englewood Schools will be administering the following assessments per federal and state law during these windows:

  • CMAS: English Language Arts and Mathematics March 19th-April 27th, 2018 (grades 3-8)
  • CMAS: Science April 9th-27th, 2018 (grades 5, 8 and 11)
  • CMAS: Social Studies April 9th-27th, 2018 (grades 4 and 7 for select schools)
  • PSAT 9 April 10th, 11th or 12th, 2018 (grade 9)
  • PSAT 10 April 10th, 11th or 12th, 2018 (grade 10)
  • SAT April 10th, 2018 (grade 11)

Each school will select dates and times within the window to administer the assessment. Your school will send you the specific dates and times that your student will be testing. We ask that, if at all possible, no travel plans are made during the testing windows.

What Are the Value and Purpose of State Assessments?

While CMAS assessments are only one measure of student learning, having all Colorado students take this set of assessments provides parents with answers to these important questions:

  • How well is my child doing on meeting state standards compared to other students?
  • Which schools and districts perform best in preparing students for success in meeting the state standards?

Additionally, state assessment results provide:

  • Information your child’s teacher needs to help improve instruction.
  • Identification of districts and schools that have struggling students, so help can be provided.
  • Recognition of high performing systems so others may learn from them.

Please see the Englewood website for more information. If you have questions or concerns, please contact Joanna Polzin at 303-806-2013 or joanna_polzin@engschools.net .
Construction Updates
Visit our  Bond Projects and Construction web pages  to find updated information on each school construction project. There, you can view weekly construction updates, aerial photos, live videos of the construction at  Clayton  and  Charles Hay project budget updates project timelines  and more!

Visit our  construction pages by clicking here , or by going to the Discover menu on our district website and selecting 2016 Bond Projects.
High Expectations ~ Accountability ~ Integrity ~ Respect ~ Community
4101 S. Bannock St.
Englewood, CO 80110
303-761-7050