3/9/2018 Friday Wire (2-16-18) Having trouble viewing this email? Click here Hi, just a reminder that you're receiving this email because you have expressed an interest in Colorado League of Charter Schools. You may unsubscribe if you no longer wish to receive our emails. February 16, 2018 Welcome to another edition of the Friday Wire. Let us know if your school is in the news! Please send articles or announcements to Kerri Barclay. Articles and announcements are due by noon on Thursday of each week. Announcements will be featured in Charter Community Announcements, located above the Charter Community Calendar below. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Friday Five Top Five Important Takeaways This Week T he Friday Five will be back next week! Be sure to read the Charter School Announcements below. Today is the last day to register for the 2018 Colorado Charter Schools Conference. Click here! News Articles Tips to talk with children about school violence 9News - February 15, 2018 The shooting at a Florida hig h school that left 17 dead and many more injured on Wednesday may bring up emotions and questions especially among school-aged children. Five groups may present charter applications this year to open in Aurora Chalkbeat Colorado - February 14, 2018 Five groups have signaled their intent to apply to open a charter school in the Aurora school district. Colorado lawmakers say yes to anti-bullying policies but no to suicide prevention https://ui.constantcontact.com/visualeditor/visual_editor_preview.jsp?agent.uid=1130035189823&format=html&print=true 1/8 3/9/2018 Friday Wire (2-16-18) efforts Chalkb eat Colorado - February 14, 2018 It was the suicide late last year of 10-ye ar-old Ashawnty Davis that prompted state Sen. Rhonda Fields to call on state education officials to develop better anti-bullying policies. To fight poverty in U.S., Bill and Melinda Gates say they may move beyond education Chalkbeat - February 13, 2018 Bill and Melinda Gates say they are rethinking how they address poverty in the U.S. - a move that could have them expand their influential philanthropic efforts beyond education. Boulder's Summit Middle School submits application to open new charter high school The Boulder Daily Camera - February 13, 2018 Boulder's Summit Middle School recently subm itted its formal application for a new charter high school to the Boulder Valley School District, asking the district to help with a school site. 74 Interview: Sal Khan on Personalized Learning, a Global Diploma, and How He'd Spend $100 million The 74 - February 1 3, 2018 Every founder has a startup story. Sal Khan's, famously, starts in a closet. Aurora superintendent says no to charter school locating near marijuana shop Chalkbeat Colorado - February 12, 2018 Update: The State Board of Education o n Feb. 15 dismissed an appeal from Vega Collegiate Academy and told the school to go through the mediation process outlined in its contract with the district. Trump Seeks to Cut Education Budget by 5 Percent, Expand School Choice Push Education Week - February 12, 2018 President Donald Trump is seeking a roughly 5 percent cut to the U.S. Department of Education's budget for fiscal 2019 in a proposal that also mirrors his spending plan from last year by seeking to eliminate a major teacher-focused grant and to expand school choice. Another School District Considers Later Start Times CBS4 News - February 12, 2018 The days of pre-dawn wake ups for high school students across Colorado are slowly dwindling. Many school districts across the state are slowly adopting later start times for older students, in hope of creating a better educational environment. The Gap Between The Science On Kids And Reading, And How It Is Taught NPR - February 12, 2018 Mark Seidenberg is not th e first researcher to reach the stunning conclusion that only a third of the nation's schoolchildren read at grade level. A giant leap: How one Colorado community plans to double its child care spots in three years Chalk beat Colorado - February 9, 2018 It sounds a little like a car race, but it's more like a care race. Societal issues of isolation, poverty addressed in school lunchrooms The Colorado Springs Gazette - February 5, 2018 The noisy, chaotic school lunchroom may seem lik e an innocuous place. But look a little closer, and you might spot some students sitting by themselves or eating a simple peanut butter sandwich instead of a full meal. https://ui.constantcontact.com/visualeditor/visual_editor_preview.jsp?agent.uid=1130035189823&format=html&print=true 2/8 3/9/2018 Friday Wire (2-16-18) Schools Partner to Bridge the Rural-Urban STEM Divide Colorado Succeeds - January 2, 2108 We've long heard that technology will revolutionize education, dissolving barriers created by distance, inequity of opportunity, and lack of resources, and bringing the world to every student. News Articles Please Note: The following is a sampling of opinion articles about charter schools that appeared in the media over the past week. The opinions in these articles do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Colorado League of Charter Schools. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ We Must Prepare Students for the Real World - and That Includes Testing LinkedIn - February 15, 2018 We live in a world permeated by high-stakes, standardized tests. In China, a high score on a university entrance examination is the only route to admission - and students prepare for it relentlessly. THE NATIONAL ALLIANCE STATEMENT ON PRESIDENT TRUMP'S FY2019 BUDGET PROPOSAL National Al liance For Public Charter Schools - February 12, 2018 The Administration's FY 2019 budget request for $500 million in funding for the Charter Schools Program (CSP) is appreciated and is a step in the right direction. In particular, the Administration's request to reserve up to $100 million for Credit Enhancement and State Charter School Facilities Incentive Grants is an important acknowledgment of the challenges that public charter schools face in acquiring, improving and expanding their facilities. Khan: Too Many Poor, Minority Kids Attend Low-Performing Schools. That Doesn't Mean Their Parents Don't Care About Their Education The 74 - February 12, 2018 Let's try a thought experime nt. Imagine a school where most students are white and affluent, where 100 percent pass state math tests and 99 percent pass English Language Arts. Education Blogs, Forums and Resources Below are some other great education reform news, blog and discussion sites that may be of interest: A+ Colorado - Sharpening Public Education Another View Chalkbeat Colorado Charter Schools In Perspective Chartering Quality Blog (National Association for Charter School Authorizers) Colorado Succeeds Blog Democrats for Education Reform Blog EdisWatching.org (Independence Institute) Education Post National Alliance for Public Charter Schools - The Charter Blog National Charter School Resource Center Resource Area for Teaching (RAFT) Charter Community Announcements https://ui.constantcontact.com/visualeditor/visual_editor_preview.jsp?agent.uid=1130035189823&format=html&print=true 3/8 3/9/2018 Friday Wire (2-16-18) Last Chance: Register today! To view breakout sessions, click here. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The Charter Hub Needs Your Stories The Charter Hub is looking to amplify yo ur school story relating to these topics in March: Youth Art Month, Naonal Women's History Month, Music In Our Schools Month, Naonal Nutrion Month. If your school is engaging in any projects or events around these themes, please contact Kerri Barclay at [email protected] and she will connect you with the League's partner. Complete Your Teaching & Learning Co nditions Colorado (TLCC) Survey Colorado charter public school teachers - did you take the survey yet? If not, ple ase do so today! The new and improved educator survey called Teaching & Learning Conditions Colorado (TLCC) is open to all educators through Friday, February 23. This anonymous, confidential survey is for school-based staff to share their perceptions of teaching and learning conditions in their school. To access results, schools/districts must have at least 50 percent participation and at least five participants. The League is promoting this along with other key stakeholders across the state. Let's get a great participation rate from our charter public school community. Learn more here. Curriculum For Sale Aspen Ridge Preparato ry School in Erie is selling the following curriculums: math (Trailblazers), social studies (Pearson Learning - Core Knowledge), and reading (Success for All). The materials are boxed up and ready to go. BEST OFFER! Please feel free to contact Mark Ridenour at 720-539-1295 or Mridenour@ar prep.org for details, pictures, or if you would like to come take a look. Colorado Educators Eligible for $15K STEM Award Colorado Succeeds, 9NEWS, and mindSpark Learning ar e looking for schools with excellent STEM programs to apply for The Succeeds Prize for Excellence in STEM Education. This award is intended to recognize examples of what is working in STEM education and, moreover, to provide local examples that educators across the state can learn from. The winning school will receive a $15,000 cash prize and will work with Colorado Succeeds and 9NEWS to tell the story of its success to educators, policymakers, and businesses across the state. All public schools in Colorado, traditional or charter, are eligible to apply. The application consists of five short answer questions and can be found here. Applications are due March 23. For more information, please contact Matt Majeune-Fagan at [email protected]. Treatment Table For Sale Aurora Academy is selling a treatment table with storage shelves. It's a 6'x 30" table in good shape with the exception of a small tear on the side. The asking price is$100.00 or best offer. Click here for photo. Please contact Steve Snyder.