T H E
E A R L Y
C O L L E G E
O F
A R V A D A ' S
THE GRIFFIN W E
C A N .
A N D
W E
W I L L
IMPORTANT DATES
MARCHÂ 9TH PARENT TEACHER CONFERENCES NO SCHOOL FOR STUDENTS
MARCH 19TH SCHOOL TOUR DAY
MARCH 20TH GRIFFIN DAY! CELEBRATION FOR REENROLLED STUDENTS
MARCH 22ND SENIOR GRADUATION FEE OF $100 IS DUE TO FRONT OFFICE
MARCH 23RD-27TH SPRING BREAK
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M A R C H
I S S U E
March Events Shop at Balefire in Old Town Aravda during the month of March to support the arts at Eca! A portion of their monthly sales will go to supporting our arts programs like The TimberGriffen Theater Company and Erocne Chorale Students will be helping out at the St. Patrick's day booth at Balefire goods on March 14th
MARCH 2
MARCH 3
MARCH 4
MARCH 5
MARCH 6
MARCH 12
MARCH 13
Guest Speakers Erika Armstrong & Justin Adams
MARCH 9 Parent-Teacher Conferences Scholastic Book Fair 11:40-1:15 & 3-7
MARCH 16
MARCH 10 Scholastic Book Fair 11:40-1:15
MARCH 17
MARCH 11 Scholastic Book Fair 11:40-1:15
MARCH 18
Scholastic Book Fair 11:40-1:15
Scholastic Book Fair 11:40-1:15
MARCH 19
MARCH 20
School Tours
Griffin Day Celebration
Student Sports Fair & Info 2-3
MARCH 23 Spring Break
MARCH 24 Spring Break
MARCH 25 Spring Break
MARCH 26
MARCH 27
Spring Break
Spring Break
PRINCIPAL
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SUCCESS IN TESTING JANICE ANDERSON JANDERSON@ECARVADA.ORG
Throughout the month of April students in the State of Colorado will be taking the Standardized Assessments: Colorado Measures of Academic Success (CMAS), PSAT and/or the SAT. Here at ECA we will have a schedule to meet the needs of their students. The data from these assessments are used by Staff to continue to provide a quality education to our Students. In addition, these assessments provide essential data points that are used to individualize instruction to each and every student. These tests also provide us with critical information which our school uses to improve our instructional practices and focus our professional development in order to maximize our resources; so that every child’s educational experience here at ECA reaches its fullest potential. Our students have worked hard throughout this school year learning the Colorado Academic Standards at their grade level standards, and demonstrating how they can apply these lessons to their everyday lives. State assessments provide students the opportunity to show all that they have learned. As parents, we should encourage our students to do their best and remind them that they already know the content and have applied it throughout the year. It is understandable that testing can bring forth some anxiety. We can all work together to encourage our students.
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PRINCIPAL
Some ideas to help talk about and ease students into doing their best are to help remind students that getting a good night’s sleep and being well rested aids in drawing all their knowledge to the forefront of their memory. Students should also make sure to have a healthy breakfast. And simply reminding them to relax and just “do your best”, goes a long way. Students will be tested in Reading/Language Arts and Math in grades 6th – 8th from April 6th thru the 24th. Grades 8th and 11th in Science. At ECA, we want to emphasize to our students that they all possess the knowledge to do well on these assessments, and that all that is expected of them is to try their best. By showing teachers what they know, staff can focus on reviewing content that students have not mastered and target lessons specifically to areas of new learning. Colorado law states that you may opt your student out of the assessments; however, you must make an appointment with Mrs. Anderson, School Principal, before March 10th to explore your options. Overall, assessments are a way of valuing what our students know in order to focus instruction on content that is relevant and pertinent to their futures. If you are planning on being out during this window, please make sure you make an appointment with Ms. Marquez and or Mrs. Anderson to have a conversation about the absence.
Thank you for helping to support and encourage our students.
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EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
RECRUITMENT & RETENTION TODD CORDREY 720-473-4403
ECA is marching into spring with extensive planning for next year. The administrative team, teacher cadre, and Board of Directors are in the midst of exciting planning. ECA’s enrollment this year was 335 students, which was just below our five-year average of 335.4 students. The local school districts, Jeffco Public Schools and Westminster Public Schools, are experiencing shrinking enrollment due to fewer teenagers in our community. Because of the demographic trend, ECA is doubling its efforts to reach full enrollment in the next few years. Our building capacity and academic program thrive with 435 students. In order to grow to our ideal size, we have enacted a series of programs and incentives for students, parents, and staff that are listed below. Ongoing Retention Activities – We give a preference given for current students, siblings of current students, and staff children. We expect to have a waiting list for many grades so please promptly re-enrolled your student by emailing Mfuentes@ECArvada.org or BMazza@ECArvada.org.
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EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Parents can re-enroll their students in any of the 4 stages: Phase 1 Parent meetings – the last one was 3.4.20 Phase 2 Sending home re-enrollment forms -ensure PowerSchool is up to date Phase 3 Conducting phone calls for students who have not re-enrolled Phase 4 Home visits as needed Student information presentations – I met with all Griffin Time classes in January and February for a presentation about the unique student experience at the Early College of Arvada. Students are now aware that they can be on track for 60+ college credits at no tuition expense for their parents. This represents a $40,000 savings for an Associate’s degree or $2,000 per class. March 19, 2020 March 19, 2020 Jeffco Public Schools, Denver Public School, Pinnacle Charter School, and many others will be closed for a teacher rally at the Capitol. ECA will make the decision about having a normal school day or being closed on March 19th after gathering more information from other schools, teachers, and parents. Please email or call me with your thoughts about staying open or being closed on that day to TCordrey@ECArvada.org or 720-473-4403. There are many factors to consider in this decision including the impacts on families and teachers. We will communicate our decision by March 11th. Either way, we have tours for prospective new students and parents at 9 a.m., 10:00 a.m., 11:00 a.m., and 12:00 p.m. All community members and potential students can save a spot on a tour by emailing Bmazza@ECArvada.org. ECA parents can receive a $15.00 VISA gift card for each new student they refer to ECA. ECA parents can receive a $15.00 VISA gift card for each new student they refer to ECA.
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EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Student Sports Fair – ECA students can play sports at their neighborhood school while attending school here. The local high school Athletic Directors from Westy, Arvada, Adams 12 SD, Pinnacle, North, and Wheat Ridge will be making presentations to ECA students. Ms. Fuentes and Ms. Mazza are the school contact persons for this process. March 20th Student afternoon Ice Cream Social and Fun for students that have completed the re-enrollment process and also turned in their demographic verification forms. This is the Friday before Spring Break.
It’s starting to feel like Spring! We only have 10 weeks left to the school year to make sure we’re on top of homework, assignments, and grades. To help with studying and test-taking, here are some useful tips and strategies.
Counselor Corner MS. GISETTI 720-473-4107
From College Board: Read each question carefully. Answer the easy questions first. Eliminate answer choices you know are wrong. Make an educated guess or skip the question. Work at an even, steady pace, and keep moving. From Education Corner: Be prepared.Arrive early and take a moment to relax. Listen attentively to any last minute instructions from the instructor. Read the directions carefully and watch for details. Plan how you will use the allotted time. Answer all the questions.Maintain a positive attitude. Rely on your first impressions. Go with your gut! Leave time for review of your answers. Study Skills from Education Corner: Don’t attempt to cram all of your studying into one session. Plan when you are going to study.Study at the same time. Each study time should have a specific goal. Never procrastinate your planned study session. Start with the most difficult subject first. Make sure you’re not distracted while studying. Use study groups effectively. Review your notes, schoolwork, and other class materials over the weekend. Page 8
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OPERATIONS MANAGER
HEALTH & SAFETY JULIE RAMSEY 720-473-4409
With the threat of the Corona
It is important to advise us if your student has
virus Disease (not in our area) we would
received a formal diagnosis from a medical
like to assure you we are taking extra
professional. We are tracking the reported
precautions to clean and disinfect all
symptoms of our ill students and reporting the
surface areas in an around our building.
information to our district registered nurse. Thank you for your cooperation and
We urge you to abide by the Colorado
understanding.
Department of Education's guidelines for keeping your student home from
It is important that if you excuse your
school. The guidelines are available in
student’s absence due to illness we
our office, on our website or on the CDC
would appreciate as much information
website at:
as you are willing to share such as: fever, vomiting, diarrhea, respiratory illness,
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1RcdCmU
etc. It is important to advise us if your
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student has received a formal diagnosis from a medical professional. We are
It is important that if you excuse your
tracking the reported symptoms of our
student’s absence due to illness we
ill students and reporting the
would appreciate as much information
information to our district registered
as you are willing to share such as: fever,
nurse.
vomiting, diarrhea, respiratory illness, etc.
Thank you for your cooperation and understanding
Rick Heroff Middle School Dean of Students/College & Career Coordinator (720) 473-4400 EXT 320 Middle School: Teachers are excited to meet with parents and students at conferences this coming Monday! We have done a lot of reachout over phone and email to connect your teachers with you over struggling grades and behavioral concerns. We are committed to helping your students succeed and holding high expectations academically and building strong character. If you have concerns about your students and you're not able to make it to conferences please reach out to myself or teachers directly so we can help your students have a strong finish this year.
APPLICATIONS: Students entering 11th grade next year will need to apply to Front Range Community College and fill out a concurrent enrollment form for next year's classes. Those of you unable to make it to our application night last week will have students working on those applications in a Griffin time in the next few weeks. Students will need their basic personal information to complete the application. If you have questions or concerns, please let me know.
COLLEGE VISITS: We were excited to take 45 students last month to visit UNC in Greeley where students took a tour and learned about the school. Students have another opportunity to go to CU Boulder on Wednesday March 11th. Plans are being made to take students on a visit to CSU in Fort Collins in the fall, and USSC in Colorado Springs in the fall as well.
TUTORING is here every week! This is here to serve the students taking Math and English courses through College and Career: Reminder that Students in Calculus 1 and Statistics Frontrange Community College. This is classes fall under Front Range policies a great opportunity to get extra help, in terms of student communication especially for students that are taking and grading. If you want access to courses from Frontrange professors, your students' grades in these classes and no ECA staff. We have Math you will need to go through their Support Tuesdays during Griffin time, logins. If you have concerns you will and Language Arts on Thursdays want to communicate with myself or during Griffin time. Ms. Gissetti. The policy of colleges dictate that all matters of academics are to be communicated with the student only, so it is truly their responsibility to self advocate. If they need help connecting with their professors outside of class please have them contact me.
Early College of Arvada | 10
Important Spring
Reminders Guadalupe Marquez
Highschool Dean of Students 720-473-4408 Feels like Spring is here already and we are so excited for it. These next couple of months are extremely important as we are preparing for our state assessments. Please make sure your students gets enough sleep and has a good breakfast before coming to school. We are on our mid-semester off campus season. Please ask your student if he/she has off campus and what they do when they leave school. In order for students to have off campus, they must have a current 3.0 (or higher) GPA, 95% or better attendance and a signed permission slip by one of the parents. I am continuing to weekly grades. If students have one or more D or F, I meet with them and we figure out a plan to improve those grades. I am also continuing to make attendance phone calls to students that have been absent more than two days. Per Colorado law, if a student is absent for 4 days in a month or 10 days in a year, they are considered truant and we will proceed legally. Please make sure your student is at school on time, as three tardies equals one absence and these accumulate fast. As always, I am here if you have any questions, suggestions or concerns regarding your student's academic success.
Early College of Arvada | 11
EARLY COLLEGE OF ARVADA
PTCO NEWS
MEETING SCHEDULE January 8 February 12 March 11 April 8 May 13 All Meetings are at 4pm
Next Meeting for Early College of Arvada Parent Teacher Community Organization Lots of exciting activities here at ECA and we could use your help to make them a success! Hope to see you March 11th at the ECA PTO at 4PM! ptco@ecarvada.org
Próxima reunión para Early College of Arvada Organización Comunitaria de Padres y Maestros 11 de Marzo de 4 a 5:30 p.m. En la habitación 245 @ ECA Muchas actividades emocionantes aquí en ECA ¡y podríamos usar su ayuda para que sean un éxito! ¡Espero verte aquí en ECA el miércoles a las 4PM! ptco@ecarvada.org
Early College of Arvada | 12
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2019-2020 Bell Schedule
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Looking to get more involved in the community? Check out local businesses & events in the Arvada Chamber of Commerce newsletter
P.s Your Favorite Early College is listed in the newsletter too!
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OPERATIONS MANAGER
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OPERATIONS MANAGER
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