Appendix A: Letter of Intent This letter of intent (LOI) will provide formal notice to the Office of School Reform and Innovation in Denver Public Schools regarding an applicant’s intention to submit a new school proposal for the 2013- 2014 school year cycle. The information presented in the LOI is non-binding. Name of Proposed School: Denver Inquiry Academy Type of School: Charter Performance

Grade Configuration: ECE-5 Model or Focus: Expeditionary Learning Primary Contact Person: Mariellen Hoffman Phone: 720-424-7300 (work) Email: [email protected] Region: Northeast Proposed Leader (if known): Replication: Yes No

Contract with ESP/EMO: Yes No Maybe

Enrollment Projections: Provide additional rows and columns if necessary. GRADE 2013-14 2014-15 2015-16 2016-17 2017-18 ECE-1 112 112 112 170 228 2-3 90 90 135 180 4-5 100 150 200 Total # students 112 202 302 450 608

FRL % SPED % ELL % Proposed Demographics 60% 11% 32%

Mission of School: Denver Inquiry Academy (DIA) students will learn through an expeditionary approach embedded with rigorous student-centered instruction. Students will experience a safe and nurturing environment. DIA students will develop a strong foundation in preparation for post-secondary education. Our staff will create a community of life-long learners through: Character Education, multiple opportunities to develop life skills, equitable programming, global extensions, Immersion Lab for new students, differentiated curriculum, individualized learning plans and extended day activities. Provide a brief overview Denver Inquiry Academy will use the Expeditionary Learning model as the of the education program core of its education program. This model challenges students to think of the proposed school: critically and take active roles in their classroom and communities. The literacy block (reading) will be flooded as some students will leave the classroom and receive GT, SPED, intervention, and ESL dependent on data analysis to determine what the students’ needs are. Mathematics, Writing, Social Studies and Science will make-up the remainder of the curriculum. Expeditionary learning will be threaded into the curriculum through interdisciplinary units and aligned with the Colorado Common Core Standards. Students will be immersed in Character Education, academic vocabulary development and oral language development. Students will participate in visual arts, culinary arts, technology, library, music, physical education/dance and extracurricular expeditions to enrich their educational experience. The current DPS assessments and authentic assessments will be used to monitor progress. DIA will extend its day one hour and extend the school year for students and teachers for the extensive training that will be needed for this program. Parent engagement will be vital to our program and parents will be trained and included in book studies centered on how to help their students to think critically and to problem solve. Parents will be asked to volunteer for eight hours per year.