We invite all D’Evelyn community members to attend an important Accountability Committee meeting on Tuesday, December 10th at 5:30 pm in the D’Evelyn Library. Our Accountability Committee has worked diligently to ensure that community members can receive important updates and provide meaningful feedback on decisions at D’Evelyn. We hope that you will be able to attend this meeting. In addition to the standard elements of the meeting, here is an overview of discussion topics for December 10th:
By Carrie Kollar
Please join us for the next Accountability Committee Meeting on Tuesday, November 12 @ 5:30 pm in the Library. We will hear updates from Mr. Griffin on the addition of 6th grade, Unified Improvement Plan (UIP) and testing data. He will also be giving a budget survey to solicit input on school budget priorities. Our sub-committees are beginning to meet. If you are interested in serving on a sub-committee please contact any A/C officer for more information. Accountability Committee meetings are a great way to become involved and learn more about what is going on at D’Evelyn. Immediately following the Accountability meeting, Steering Committee will be holding their first candidate training so please stay if you are considering running for Steering Committee in the future. If you have any questions please contact Carrie Kollar at [email protected]. Please join us for the next Accountability Committee Meeting on Tuesday, October 8 @ 5:30 PM in the Library. We will hear updates from Mr. Griffin on the addition of 6th grade, UPI and testing data. Steering Committee will also have training on textbook and curriculum issues so that parents attending may serve on one of these sub-committees in the future. These meetings are a great way to become involved and learn more about what is going on at D’Evelyn.
Immediately following the Accountability meeting, Mr. Schmeckpeper will be doing a presentation on vaping. As parents, we owe it to ourselves and our kids to be as informed as possible about the signs and dangers of vaping. You won’t want to miss the important information that he will be presenting. If you have any questions please contact Carrie Kollar at [email protected]. According to the CDC, Colorado leads the nation in youth vaping (26.2% of youth vape in Colorado vs. 13.2% nationally). Colorado high schoolers vape at almost twice the national average. The alarming rise in youth use of vape has become such a concern that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently declared it an “epidemic”. (tobaccofreeco.org). As parent, many of us are still trying to learn how to talk to our kids about vaping, recognizing the signs of vaping, is it really happening at D’Evelyn, etc.
On Tuesday, October 8th, at 6:30 pm in the Library, following the Accountability Committee meeting, Mr. Schmeckpeper will be doing a presentation on vaping. Please join us to have your questions answered, learn new information and become a better-informed parent. Important Community Presentation on Internet Safety September 12th @ 7 pm (Auditorium) On Thursday, September 12th at 7 pm (following the Accountability Committee meeting), Officer Everhart will present on Internet Safety. Officer Everhart is the School Resource Officer for D’Evelyn. He has spent countless years working to protect our children and provides valuable information on how parents can become more involved in this day of technology, apps, etc… His presentation includes critical information on keeping our kids safe. Topics covered are sexting, social media/apps, cyper-bullying, etc… This presentation is for any parent, friend, or community member who is interested in hearing the latest information on how to talk to your kids, what to watch for and how to address potential issues. Students are welcome (please be aware that there are sensitive topics discussed openly so it may not be appropriate for younger children). The Accountability Committee will be having their first meeting on Thursday, September 12th at 5:30 in the Library. At this meeting we will be covering a variety of business issues including: electing an additional A/C Officer, update on the upcoming addition of 6th grade, overview of the D’Evelyn Founding Document and other school updates. This is a great opportunity to learn more about the school and volunteer to become more involved in subcommittees. Calling all parents interested in serving the school and principal The Accountability Committee has an opening for an Officer/Recorder for all monthly meetings. If you are interested or have any questions, please email Carrie Kollar at [email protected] or Angie Volheim at [email protected] before the September 12 Accountability Meeting. Pursuant to the Founding Documents, we will be electing this officer at the September 12th meeting. We look forward to hearing from you! By Dana Miller Final Accountability Meeting to Discuss Advanced Coursework (Honors and Weighted Classes). Your Input Is Requested! Please join us for our final Accountability Committee meeting of the 2018/2019 school year, Tuesday, May 7th at 5:30 pm in the library. The Steering Committee is reviewing curricular policies for adoption in the upcoming months. As a responsibility outlined in the 2013 decision to eliminate dual track courses in English and History, the Steering Committee is in the process of reviewing that decision and considering its implications in our school for the past six years. Within that process, the Steering Committee is reviewing its Advanced Coursework policies, and considering options going forward. In the Accountability Committee meeting on May 7th, the Steering Committee will present on the current state of these discussions, as well as the historical background of earlier decisions regarding honors level and weighted classes. Most importantly, we would appreciate the opportunity to gather parent input on advanced coursework in our school. We hope you can join us Tuesday, May 7th at 5:30 pm in the library as we discuss this important topic. The Accountability Committee has enjoyed serving the D’Evelyn community and we wish you all a wonderful summer. By Gina Coco Join us at our April 9th Accountability Meeting at 5:30 pm in the library. Jerome Adams, the U.S. Surgeon General, recently released the following statement: “I, Surgeon General of the United States Public Health Service, VADM Jerome Adams, am emphasizing the importance of protecting our children from a lifetime of nicotine addiction and associated health risks by immediately addressing the epidemic of youth e-cigarette use. The recent surge in e-cigarette use among youth, which has been fueled by new types of e-cigarettes that have recently entered the market, is a cause for great concern. We must act now to protect the health of our nation’s young people. KNOW THE RISKS. TAKE ACTION. PROTECT OUR KIDS.” Alex Azar, Secretary of Health and Human Services commented: "We have never seen use of any substance by America's young people rise this rapidly." START THE CONVERSATION: LEARN HOW TO TALK TO YOUNG PEOPLE ABOUT VAPING, JUULS, AND OTHER ELECTRONIC NICOTINE PRODUCTS Studies show that youth who have candid conversations with parents, teachers, mentors, coaches, and/or other trusted adults are less likely to vape. We will be presenting a small portion of a training event that will equip trusted adults to begin a very important conversation at the April 9th Accountability Committee meeting. This glimpse of the actual training is intended to generate interest in our community in preparation for an actual training event so that, together, we can begin to mitigate this growing problem. Get Involved. Give Back to your School. Become an Accountability Officer. Feeling like you need/want to know more about the place where your child/ren spend most of their time? Want to give back to our great school? Join our accountability team for the 2019-2020 school year. We have openings we are looking to fill with eager parents. You can learn about the purpose of the Accountability Committee in the D’Evelyn Founding Document, on page 49. Time commitment is usually less than five hours a month (including one meeting/month) during the school year. If you are interested in serving, please contact any of the current accountability officers. March is the Month for Surveys In March, parents and students will be receiving a school survey. Parents will have the opportunity to complete the Principal survey and students will take a school satisfaction survey during class. These surveys are anonymous and an opportunity for you and your student to provide honest and thorough feedback regarding the school. All feedback is welcome, we love to hear when things are going well, and we also want to know when there are things that we could improve upon. Please discuss this opportunity with your student(s). Remind them that the survey is anonymous and encourage them to take their time and complete the survey to the best of their ability. Thank you so much for your attention to this. D’Evelyn is committed to achieving high standards and continually strives to improve and provide the best academic experience for its students. Get Involved. Give Back to your School. Become an Accountability Officer. Feeling like you need/want to know more about the place where your child/ren spend most of their time? Want to give back to our great school? Join our accountability team for the 2019-2020 school year. We have openings we are looking to fill with eager parents. You can learn about the purpose of the Accountability Committee in the D’Evelyn Founding Document, on page 49. Time commitment is usually less than five hours a month (including one meeting/month) during the school year. If you are interested in serving, please contact any of the current accountability officers. Upcoming Meeting Please join us March 12th at 5:30 pm for our next Accountability Committee (A/C) meeting where we will get updates from student council, Principal Josh Griffin, steering, and others. We hope to see you there! Get Involved. Serve on a Curriculum Evaluation Committee! At our December meeting, we had a training on Hiring committees. We learned that the hiring process requires a time commitment of about 4-6 hours to serve you must understand and support the school philosophy, attend a training and want to be involved and assist in the process. Hiring priorities for candidates include being a philosophical match (so candidate must believe in the D’Evelyn philosophy), working in a participatory environment, and being a highly qualified teacher. At our next meeting on February 12 at 5:30 pm in the library, Steering will present a training regarding the curriculum evaluation process. The opportunity to serve on a curriculum evaluation committee is open to parents of D’Evelyn students, but to be eligible, you must first attend this training. Immediately following the Accountability Committee meeting, Steering will host their second Steering Committee Candidate Training geared toward anyone who wants to learn more about D'Evelyn's governance model. Please also plan to attend if you intend to apply for a Steering Committee position. We hope to see you there! By Dana Miller At our November meeting, we had a training on textbook review committees. We learned that textbooks are mandatory under the Founding Document and all textbooks must provide vertical and horizontal alignment. We also learned that textbooks must be compatible with whole-group, teacher-led instruction and maintain consistent curriculum and sequential continuity. To serve on a textbook review committee expertise in that particular area is not required. At our next meeting, Steering will present a training on what is required to serve on a hiring committee. This opportunity is open to the D’Evelyn community but to be chosen to serve on a committee, you must first attend this training. Please join us on December 11th at 5:30 pm in the library when Principal Josh Griffin will present on our school data and Unified Improvement Plan and a Steering Committee member will provide a training for anyone interested in serving on a hiring committee. We hope to see you there! The October Accountability Committee (A/C) meeting was a great opportunity to meet our new D’Evelyn staff members as well as learn more about our Founding Document and the upcoming November ballot items: Amendment 73 and 5A/5B. We encourage all D’Evelyn community members to seek information on these important ballot issues. Amendment 73 and 5A/5B have the potential to impact Jefferson County schools and D’Evelyn so please take the time to educate yourself on these initiatives. At the October meeting, D’Evelyn Latin teacher, Pierre Habel provided the following presentation on these important issues. Below are links to other informational resources on these important issues we will be voting on in November. [Please note: this is not an exclusive list and the A/C is not taking any specific position on these ballot issues.]
http://www.jeffcopublicschools.org/about/superintendent/futurefunding http://www.jeffcopublicschools.org/about/superintendent/futurefunding/amendment_73 Please join us on November 13th at 5:30 pm in the library when we will discuss the budget and ask for community input as it pertains to the budget. We will also have a presentation from a Steering Committee member on textbook selection. Anyone interested in serving on future textbook and curriculum review committees needs to attend this meeting. In addition, immediately following the A/C meeting there will be a Steering Committee candidate training. Anyone interested in learning more about Steering or possibly serving on the committee should attend this training. It is a great way to learn about D’Evelyn and the Founding Document. Thank you to everyone who took time out of their busy schedule to attend the September accountability meeting. This meeting was crucial for getting feedback from the community surrounding the potential transitioning to a K-5/6-12 model. The D’Evelyn 6th grade transition subcommittee will next put together a community survey that will also include those community members who have children on the wait list at both Dennison and D’Evelyn. Please join us on October 9th at 5:30 PM in the library where we will introduce our newest D’Evelyn staff members. Steering will also give a brief program overview from the D’Evelyn Founding Document. Any updates on the 6th grade transition along with other accountability subcommittees – Student achievement and surveys – will also be shared at this meeting. We hope to see you there! By Dana Miller, Accountability Committee
As many of you know, Jefferson County schools are transitioning to a K-5/6-8/9-12 model. What many of you are probably not aware of is the impact that change will have (and is already having) on D’Evelyn Jr./Sr. High School and Dennison Elementary School. Because of this change, the first Accountability meeting on September 11th at 5:30 pm in the D’Evelyn library is being utilized to educate our community on the impact this change is having and will have for D’Evelyn. A subcommittee is currently working on solutions for this issue but we need and welcome community input. In addition to the 6th grade transition dilemma, the Accountability Committee will be seeking input on other potential topics as they relate to D’Evelyn. In the past, student awards, student rank, and other issues have been raised but we need to hear from you. At our first meeting you will have the ability to provide input on these matters and take an active role in making D’Evelyn a better place. Another area we need parent involvement is on hiring committees and curriculum/textbook reviews. To be eligible to participate on these committees, you need to attend short 20-minute trainings that will be provided during accountability meetings. Accountability meetings are on the 2nd Tuesday of every month at 5:30 pm and the more people we can get involved, the greater our school will be. So, please mark your calendars to attend the Accountability committee meetings and gain a greater knowledge of our school while giving back. |
The Accountability Committee advises both the Principal and the Steering Committee by evaluating the schools effectiveness and researching pertinent issues. Archives
October 2022
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