Colorado Department of Education

Every school day matters! Congratulations to our Colorado school districts and BOCES that increased student attendance by 3% or more in the 2023-2024 school year: Bennett School District 29J, Calhan School District RJ-1,Centennial BOCES, Colorado Springs School District 11, Garfield County School District No. 16, Karval RE-23, and McClave RE-2. Visit www.cdeinfo.org/attendance more attendance resources and information.

CDE is hosting the Landscape of Wellbeing and Belonging Conference in Colorado Springs to help build support around creating positive school cultures, fostering relationships and developing social-emotional skills. Learn more here: https://lnkd.in/gaj8Di-v

It's Teacher Tuesday, and we're highlighting St. Vrain Valley Schools District educator and The Fulbright Program Teacher Exchanges Fellow Jayme Margolin-Sneider! Jayme teaches bioscience at the Innovation Center and recently completed her Fulbright Fellowship in Vietnam, where she collaborated with students at Bao Loc High School for the Gifted. Jayme has been a teacher for 16 years and say it is fulfilling to help her students discover the vast opportunities ahead of them—whether it’s exploring career paths, mastering challenging concepts, or building meaningful connections. She says: “The joy of teaching comes from the connections we create and the positive impact we make. Engaging with people from different backgrounds, each bringing their unique passion and expertise, keeps my workdays lively and inspiring.” Outside the classroom, Jayme loves spending time outdoors hiking, mountain biking, participating in triathlons, whitewater rafting, or enjoying time with her family.

Through funding from both federal recovery dollars and private partners, the nine rural school districts in the Southwest Colorado Education Collaborative are expanding student access to out of school time programs, college-level coursework, internships, and hands-on career exploration. Learn from the The Hechinger Report: https://lnkd.in/gbhzA6Sb

Thanks to the support of community partners, students and families got some help with getting back-to-school ready with free school supplies, haircuts, and even vaccinations at Servicios de La Raza's annual back-to-school celebration. See more on our Field Trips page: https://lnkd.in/g_gPQHuQ

Congratulations to Colorado's first International Baccalaureate school district, Aspen School District! Aspen Middle School became an IB Middle Years Programme site in the summer of 2023, and Aspen High School has offered the IB Diploma Programme since 2001. With the addition of the IB Primary Years Programme at Aspen Elementary School, the district is now Colorado's first IB school district. Aspen Elementary School Principal Ashley Bodkins told Aspen Public Radio that her students are already incorporating the program’s Learner Profile—a set of 10 core values outlined in the IB curriculum: "They have fully embraced the Learner Profile in their everyday language in the classroom, on the playground, and at home." Learn more: https://lnkd.in/gsXk7QnW

It's Family Engagement Friday and we're highlighting the Summit Elementary School's (Cherry Creek School District) community-based approach to supporting parents and families. After a parent survey showed that families needed assistance with food and clothing, the school team worked with community partners to open a food pantry and clothing closet in their Community Room. Since launching the pantry and closet, Summit has provided daily snacks for students in need and food boxes for families during every break in the school year. Students have volunteered in the community room and helped put boxes together for families. The pantry and closet are available for all students and families and donations from staff and the community have poured in. The school also brought in the program “Blessings in a Bag,” to provide non-perishable food for kids to take home over the weekend. One parent said, “Your support and caring attention will forever be appreciated.”

School is back in session - what are you having for lunch? Find everything you need to know (including school menus) on your district's website. https://lnkd.in/gD2gMnwb

This morning we released attendance data from the 2023-24 school year, and we are pleased to share we are seeing multi-year improvement in attendance and chronic absenteeism! Learn more about attendance and our Every School Day Matters campaign: https://lnkd.in/g2i9NBJK

It's What's Up Wednesday, and we're sharing how our District Improvement Strategy Office helps school and district leaders tackle challenges through shared learning and collaboration. We talked to leaders from Greeley-Evans School District 6, Morgan County, Durango School District 9-R, and Summit School District at the Colorado Association of School Executives Convention about their experience in last year's professional learning cohort on chronic absenteeism. For the 2024-2025 school year, we will have seven learning cohorts focused on topics including chronic absenteeism, rural leadership, and serving newcomers. Learn more at https://lnkd.in/eaz_huZ7.