News from Sheridan
School District No. 2
Contact: Mark Stevens
[email protected]
303-495-8699 (mobile) • 720-328-5488 (office)
News Release
Jan. 9, 2019
2019-2020 School Year
Will Start in Mid-August
The Board of Education this week unanimously approved a new
school-year calendar that will
bring Sheridan students back to school from the summer break
at about the same time of year
as neighboring students in Denver, Littleton, Jeffco and
others.
For many years, Sheridan students have started the school
year in the first few days of August.
Students have also enjoyed a week-long break in October and
a two-week break in late March.
The new calendar approved by the board (Tuesday, Jan. 8)
means students will start the school
year on Tuesday, Aug. 13 for the 2019-2020 school year. They
will have one-week off in March,
which is the more common length of Spring Break for school
districts in Metro Denver.
The board approved the change in school-year calendar after
being presented results from a
community-wide survey. Maegan Daigler, Director of
Assessment, Testing, and Homeless
Education, told the board that the survey captured the
thoughts of 216 respondents, including
124 parents, 56 teachers, and 29 members of the classified
staff. In all, 77 percent of parents
and 76 percent of classified staff said they preferred the
mid-August start.
The survey also showed more agreement with the idea of
shortening Spring Break instead of
keeping school open beyond Memorial Day.
Board member Sally Daigle questioned why students need a
week off in October when they
start in mid-August and also are given a full week off
around Thanksgiving in late November.
Superintendent Pat Sandos said the October break gives both
teachers and students a “time to
re-focus and re-charge.”
Sheridan High School
in the Spotlight
Sheridan High School principal Eileen Doolan and assistant
principal Shanna Ryan presented
“Perfect Attendance” certificates to five students
(Cuitlahuac Cervantes, Sarai Hernandez,
Emilze Lopez, Quoc Truong, Abigail Vallejos) and six
teachers and staff (Jill Bialecki, Jennifer
Norville, Bob Parmley, Sunshine Romero, Leslie Gomez, and
Lori Shofner).
Doolan lauded the students for being “present” and
accountable for their learning every day
and she also thanked parents for their support in “making
school a priority.”
Superintendent Sandos characterized the six staff members as
“outstanding professionals” who
are “so kid focused and so kid centered … thank you for your
commitment to kids.”
Doolan and Ryan provided an overview of the growing number
of opportunities being provided
to students through grants. Those include school counseling
support and work on individual
career plans (these start in eighth grade); opportunities to
garden through a health and
nutrition grant; legal support and advice for families of
undocumented students through a Rose
Community Foundation grant; bus passes and athletic gear
through a Lillis Foundation grant;
help with student fees and athletic gear from Dick Sporting
Goods; and cameras for digital
photography class through a grant from the Jared Polis
Foundation, among others.
Sheridan High Schools offers Venture Club (archery,
snowboarding, etc.), Art Club, National
Honor Society, and Math Club in addition to emphasis on
Career Technical Education and
opportunities for dual enrollment with Arapahoe Community
College.
Principal Doolan reviewed a series of strategies the school
is employing to boost academic
progress at the school, including weekly tracking of
students with poor grades, individual
meetings with students, credit recovery classes, improved
communication and more meetings
with parents, deployment of academic engagement specialists,
group tutoring, and working
with teachers to emphasize differentiated teaching.
Superintendent Sandos praised the school for its focus on
improved instruction and its work to
meet the needs of all students.
Jan. 22 Work Session
The Jan. 22 work session will include a complete review of
the district’s academic plan and
initiatives now underway, said Superintendent Sandos. The
district’s work is organized around
four goals: increasing academic rigor and choice; improving
safety and security; increasing
cultural competence; and developing a solid financial plan.
Sandos said district staff will provide
the board with updates and progress on each of those four
areas.
Safety Grant
Sheridan School District 2 has been awarded a $361,000
federal grant from the Colorado
Division of Homeland Security and Emergency
Management/Department of Public Safety to
support improvement of “interoperability” between the
district and law enforcement agencies,
including first responders, Chief Operations Officer Cyndi
Wright told the board. The grant
awards funding for a radio system installation at each
school, along with the necessary training.
The grant is through the School Access for Emergency Response
(SAFER) program and, due to
the grant’s requirements for quick implementation, the work
will begin right away, said Wright.
Consent Agenda
The consent agenda was approved.
About Sheridan School
District 2
Located southwest of Denver, Sheridan School District 2
seeks high-level post-secondary
options for all students through continuous improvement of
quality instruction. More:
www.ssd2.org
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