FRIDAY FOLDER 9/10/11: A roundup of education news
Harrison board hosts meeting
The Harrison School District 2 board is hosting two community meetings Monday to discuss what’s planned for this school year and answer questions parents might have about programs.
The first session is 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., and the second is 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Both will be at the Deerfield Hills Community Center, 4290 Deerfield Hills Rd.
Peyton bond discussion set
There will be a community meeting 7 p.m., Tuesday to discuss the two bond issues on the November ballot in Peyton School District 23-JT. The bonds, totaling about $3.3 million will be used to finance construction of a middle school addition on the high school, and to create an industrial arts center.
The meeting will be at Peyton High School, 13885 Bradshaw Rd., Peyton.
D-20 tweets all about it
Academy School District 20 is tweeting. The district officially started using the social media tool Twitter on Tuesday, with Superintendent Mark Hatchell and district public information officer Nanette Anderson sending out tweets.
The district’s Twiiter name is d20tweet and anyone can view the tweets or follow the district by visiting twitter.com/d20tweet. The district also has a link on its website.
The 140-character limit means that many messages will direct traffic to the district’s website for additional details.
“It’s a chance to break new ground and try new things and have fun while doing it,” D-20 school board President Doug Lundberg said at the regular board meeting Sept. 2.
The district isn’t the only one using social media. Harrison School District 2 has been using Twitter (HarrisonSDtwo) and Facebook for more than a year. Some schools, including Discovery Canyon Campus in Academy 20, also tweet.
CIVA hosts parent seminar
CIVA Charter High School will host a learning and communications seminar for parents at 7 p.m. Thursday at the school, 4635 Northpark Drive.
The free event features John Parks LeTellier from Quantum Learning Network. LeTellier is an international trainer and educational consultant.
The seminar will cover many topics, including strengthening family bonds, building a positive parent-child relationship, joint problem solving, identifying a child’s strengths and celebrating successes, creating homework guidelines, being an effective role model and building rapport with teachers.
Adults sought for Rotary exchange
International exchange programs aren’t just for students. The Rotary Clubs of Southern Colorado are looking for four professionals between the ages of 25 and 40 who are interested in the Group Study Exchange program with counterparts from the Alsace region of France.
The program focuses on learning more about one’s profession by interacting with others in his or her own field of work. The Rotary Clubs cover most travel and living expenses.
Application information is available at www.rotary5470.org (scroll down to Group Study Exchange in the left-hand column), or by calling 1-719-357-8765. Applications must be received by Sept. 12. Interviews will be conducted in Salida on Oct. 23.
Successful applicants will visit France for four weeks departing in late March.
Manitou art teacher honored
Manitou Springs High School art teacher Debra Brewster was recently named the Colorado High School Art Educator of the Year by the Colorado Arts Education Association.
Brewster has taught at the high school since 2001, and in Manitou Springs School District 14 for 18 years. She teaches digital photography, drawing, painting and beginning art.
She also exhibits at the Bridge Gallery in Colorado Springs and participates in Creative Art Journeys.
Library awards announced
The Colorado State Library has received three awards from the Colorado Association of Libraries, and Nicolle Steffen, Colorado Department of Education’s director of the state’s Library Research Service, received the association’s President’s Award.
The Colorado Association of Libraries Awards Committee selects winners each year based on nominations submitted by librarians and others in the library community.
The Colorado State Library has received the Library Community Partnership Award, the Jean Maio Award for Excellence in Adult Literacy and the Library Advocate Award from the Colorado Association of Libraries.
Grant boosts D-49's Santa's Toy Express
Falcon School District 49 Transportation Department’s Santa’s Toy Express fundraising effort got a $1,000 boost Wednesday when it received a donation from Walmart. It’s the seventh year that the Falcon store has donated to the event.
If you would like to donate, send checks made out to “Santa’s Toy Express” to the Falcon School District 49 Transportation Department, 10850 E. Woodmen Road, Peyton, CO 80831.
This year, Santa’s Toy Express on Dec. 4 will help 60 District 49 students and their families, the largest number ever for the event. Principals and teachers chose elementary school students with special circumstances who would otherwise not have resources for gifts or a Christmas celebration with their families.
Volunteers and donations make it possible for the kids to enjoy a pancake breakfast and a trip to Walmart to do Christmas shopping for their family members. Students visit Santa, who will give each child his or her own present, along with a new winter coat, backpack, hat and gloves and a food gift card to purchase a complete Christmas dinner for the family.
