The Jeffco Schools Board of Education has delayed further consideration of the Dennison/D’Evelyn 6th Grade Proposal until their April 2019 meeting. In conjunction with this delay, the Dennison/D’Evelyn 6th Grade Task Force and D’Evelyn Steering Committee are taking time to review and reflect upon the proposal, and to determine what changes should be made.
I share this with the D’Evelyn community primarily as an update, to ensure that our community members are aware of the progress towards the possibility of adding a 6th grade program to our school. Based upon the feedback we have received from D’Evelyn families, we know that it is important to those with younger students not attending Dennison to have a 6th grade option at D’Evelyn for their younger students. We also know through the feedback that we have received that there are many Dennison/D’Evelyn families that oppose removing 6th grade from Dennison and offering 6th grade only at D’Evelyn. Based upon a further review of the feedback gathered in the community survey from Fall 2018, as well as additional feedback we have received since the first presentation to the Jeffco Schools BOE in January 2019, the Task Force is reflecting on its proposal, and will be prepared to share any proposed revisions with both school communities in March 2019. Please stay tuned for further updates that will be provided to both communities in a variety of forums, including additional community meetings. Thank you for your continued support of D’Evelyn Junior/Senior High School. I know that there are many concerns and considerations associated with any changes involving sixth grade students, and I am committed to an open, transparent, and thoughtful process on route to a resolution that serves the needs of families at both Dennison and D’Evelyn for many years. Our annual 2nd semester Parent/Student/Teacher Conferences will be held on Thursday, February 21st in the D’Evelyn gymnasium. The conference session runs from 3 - 6 pm. The D’Evelyn Parent/Student/Teacher Conferences are held in an arena format. This is an important opportunity for students and their families to connect individually with teachers. We do encourage students to attend conferences to engage in conversations with teachers. The purpose of the Parent-Student-Teacher Conferences is to allow parents and students the opportunity to connect individually with their teachers. There are a variety of opportunities for conversation points presented by the conferences, including but not limited to:
There are no appointments or set schedules for meetings; rather, parents and students will have an opportunity to meet with teachers on a first-come, first-served basis throughout the evening. Please bring a copy of your child’s schedule for use during the conferences. We will not be distributing copies of schedules during conferences. Additionally, your student’s progress report for the first six weeks of the semester will be available in Parent Portal by Wednesday, February 20th; please bring a copy of those grades if you wish to use it in the conferences. To allow all families an opportunity to meet with teachers, we ask that conferences are kept to a maximum of five minutes per teacher. If you need more than five minutes of meeting time with the teacher, please set up an appointment for a future date and time. During conferences, counselors and administrators will also be available to meet with parents and students. Thank you for your continued support of your child in their educational experience at D’Evelyn. We appreciate and rely upon your support to maintain high academic and behavioral expectations for our students. Parents and families play an important role in the success of D’Evelyn students - I am grateful for your commitment to supporting your student’s success in our liberal arts program. I hope that Parent/Student/Teacher Conferences are an effective way by which you can support your student’s success. By Mr. Josh Griffin, Principal
Due to the vast generosity and wonderful giving spirit of D’Evelyn community members, the D’Evelyn Education Foundation and D’Evelyn Junior/Senior High School are fortunate to have received over $50,000 in contributions dedicated to the renovation of the Main Gym. We now have sufficient funding in place to redesign and resurface the gym floor, install new scoreboards, add new custom Jaguar pads underneath the baskets, replace the competitive game baskets, and purchase new game chairs. The D’Evelyn administration is committed to ensuring that these projects are completed prior to the start of the 2019-2020 academic year. Additionally, because of the successful 5B bond measure in the November 2018 election, Jeffco Schools has graciously offered utilize funds to support our gym renovation effort by installing new bleachers in the Main Gymnasium. The district has committed the funds necessary to complete this entire bleacher installation project. The only caveat is that the installation will take place in August 2020. Because the expense for the bleachers is likely to exceed $75,000, the D’Evelyn Education Foundation Board of Directors has agreed that it is the best course of action to accept this contribution, despite the one-year delay in installation. We have also received support for this slight change to the timeline from the varsity head coaches of the three programs that utilize the gym most - girls volleyball, boys’ basketball, and girl’s basketball. On behalf of the DEF Board of Directors, I extend my humble and sincere thanks to all community members that have contributed to this fundraising effort. The results of this campaign have been astounding, and a wonderful reflection of the dedication and support offered by the D’Evelyn community. The Board is so encouraged by the level of support received for this campaign that we will be working in collaboration with school community members to identify additional future capital projects that will support D’Evelyn students. Please stay tuned for future opportunities to support D’Evelyn students through the efforts of the DEF. The course selection process is now fully underway for D’Evelyn students in 2019-2020. This week, students in grades 7 - 11 attended a presentation by their counselor about course selection during their Social Studies classes. The deadline for submission of schedule requests for the 2019-2020 school year is February 14th. To meet this deadline, students must submit course requests through the Campus Portal and bring in a signed copy of the schedule request print-out to their 3rd period teacher. The form requires signatures from student, parent, and math teacher.
I encourage all families to work with their child(ren) to ensure a thoughtful, logical course request process. While elective offerings and elective sections are limited due to the nature and structure of the D’Evelyn program, the individual choices for those elective classes carry great significance. On a basic level, it is essential that D’Evelyn students consider the junior high and senior high course requirements needed for either continuation or graduation. However, I encourage all students in collaboration with their families to thoughtfully consider additional elements throughout the course selection process. As an important resource in this process, the 2019-2020 Course Planning Guide is available on the D’Evelyn website, and at this link. I encourage students to choose classes in their areas of interest. Given the limited opportunities for electives within the D’Evelyn program, it is particularly important for all students to pursue their passions and interests in available elective courses. Whether the elective falls in one of the traditional academic areas, foreign language, or art, music, PE, or computers, please encourage your student to pursue their interests with their electives. This is particularly important when selecting AP classes, as students tend to find more success and satisfaction in advanced level courses that align with their interests. For those students that have begun college and career planning, it is also wise to align junior/senior high school courses with those goals. I encourage students to seek balance. The D’Evelyn Program was designed to be rigorous and challenge students with high expectations. This design was established prior to the inclusion of Advanced Placement courses in the D’Evelyn curriculum. AP coursework has many benefits for students, including the opportunity to enhance their college resume and earn some credit towards college graduation. However, it is important for students to request these advanced courses thoughtfully. The workload in an AP course is notably higher than in most non-AP courses, and the expectations and intensity of the AP courses are generally heightened. Students should seek to find balance in their academic course load in a manner that allows them to thrive in all areas of their lives for the next school year. I encourage students to attend AP information meetings and seek clarification from teachers about the nature and workload of advanced classes. Each department offers information meetings for their AP classes. It is important for students considering an AP class that they attend informational meetings about the class prior to requesting enrollment. They may also benefit from touching base with the AP teacher to gather additional information. I encourage students to partner with their counselors for additional support in the selection process. The outstanding D’Evelyn counseling team is very knowledgeable about the courses offered at D’Evelyn. They offered students thoughtful, informative presentations in a whole-group setting this week but are also available to meet with students to brainstorm individually. Students that would like to discuss their course selection process can set up an appointment with their counselor to gain additional insight and support in the process. The D’Evelyn academic program is well-designed to prepare students for a successful life. With thoughtful consideration given to course selection, students can adjust their academic experience to better suit their personal needs, interests, and passions. I hope that families will have an opportunity to work with their children in the process of developing a good plan for course selection for the 2019-2020 school year. If you would like to review the presentations students received in class this week, please visit this website. |
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