March 2017
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KENT DENVER SCHOOL
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Excellence in scholarship and character
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4000 East Quincy Avenue Englewood, CO 80113-4916 Si
nce 1922
303.770.7660 www.kentdenver.org
March 10, 2017 Dear Kent Denver Parents and Guardians, I’m excited to announce the start of our Middle School construction project! By this time next year, our sixth-, seventh- and eighth-grade students will be preparing to move in a new, two-floor, state-of-the-art Middle School that is approximately 1.5 times larger than our current buildings. Our new Middle School design reflects input from Kent Denver faculty, students and parents, leaders in educational architecture and colleagues at some of the nation’s leading independent schools. The new building is the appropriate setting for the innovative, exceptional teaching that defines a Kent Denver education. From flexible, larger classrooms, to a Middle School Commons, Resource Center and patio, to large windows that fill the building with natural light, Kent Denver’s new, LEED-certified Middle School will provide ample space for active learning, quiet reflection and intentional connection to the outdoors. In addition, a designated entrance and restricted access to classrooms in the new building provide enhanced security for our students and faculty throughout the day. We’ve created a special email for your use during the construction process. Please send general questions and comments to KDSconstruction@kentdenver.org for a quick response from a member of our lead construction team. If your matter is urgent, please don’t hesitate to contact me directly at jwalker@kentdenver.org or (303) 770-7660, ext. 230. I look forward to celebrating the opening of our latest campus enhancement with you next spring! Best regards, Jerry Walker Associate Head of School
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Navigating Campus During Middle School Construction We created this map to help you visualize how Middle School construction will impact our campus. A printable copy is available for download on the Kent Denver website’s new Construction & You page. You can access the page by clicking Construction & You anywhere in this document.
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Middle School Construction Q&A Will Middle School drop off and pick up locations change during construction? Parents will continue to drop off and pick up middle-schoolers in the semicircle by the Middle School flagpole. Refer to the Middle School construction site map for the location of the nearest construction-free walking path onto campus. How are you protecting students during construction? As always, student safety is our top priority—and we are taking additional precautions during construction. A fence will enclose the entire construction zone, and students will be informed that they are not to enter the construction area. Our primary contractor, CMC Group, will conduct comprehensive background checks on all workers assigned to the Kent Denver campus. Both CMC Group and Associate Head of School Jerry Walker will instruct workers to obtain and wear visitor badges if they are ever outside the fenced construction area. Our school resource officer, John-Norman Flaum, and other members of the Cherry Hills Village Police Department will increase the number of unannounced campus patrols while construction is underway. As you know, Officer Flaum has an excellent rapport with students and frequently eats lunch with our middle-schoolers. He will make it a point to ask about construction during meals and will provide regular feedback to Mr. Walker.
Officer Flaum
In addition to these steps, Mr. Walker will present an overview of the construction project and important safety behaviors to all middle-schoolers during a special assembly on Tue., March 14. Will construction impact students’ ability to learn? As with any significant building project, there will be additional noise and activity during construction. We will make every effort to schedule work most likely to distract students to periods after school, on Saturdays and during school breaks. We also hope to turn this construction project into a learning opportunity for students. Both our primary contractor, CMC Group, and our architect, Semple Brown, have offered to share insights on the design and construction process with our students.
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When does Middle School construction start and when does it end? Construction will begin next week and end in late spring 2018. The first construction trailer will arrive on campus on March 13, and we will begin to erect safety fencing on March 20. We will hold a groundbreaking ceremony on Tue., April 25. The current sixth-grade building will be demolished in early May. We anticipate welcoming middle-schoolers to their new home shortly after spring break next year. Will construction affect sports and other after-school activities? Yes. There will be some disruption to parking and potentially to our ability to host certain athletic events. Mr. Walker, Coach Yates and the athletic department will develop a plan to address these issues and will communicate details with parents well in advance of scheduled activities. Will construction affect Continuation and Commencement? We do not anticipate any impact on Continuation and Commencement ceremonies. Will construction affect traffic flow to and from campus? Construction should not impact traffic flow to and from campus. Will construction affect traffic flow on campus? We do not expect construction to impact traffic flow on campus this school year. We will advise parents and students of traffic flow changes prior to the start of the 2017-18 school year. Will construction take place at nights and during weekends? We value our home in the Cherry Hills Village community, and we will be considerate of our neighbors throughout the building process. Construction will begin no earlier than 7 a.m. and end no later than 6 p.m. on weekdays. Construction hours are 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturdays. There will be no construction on Sundays or on national holidays. Are you taking special precautions for students with asthma or other breathing issues or those highly sensitive to dust? We will water down the work site periodically during excavation and earthmoving work to minimize dust and construction-related particulates, and we will, of course, comply with all environmental and construction regulations. When will students move in—and out—of temporary classrooms? The current sixth grade (Class of 2023) will move into modular buildings in April 2017. The sixth grade entering in the fall of 2017 will be housed in modular classrooms for less than one academic year. Classrooms for the seventh- and eighth-grade students will not be affected during this time. All three middle school grades will move into the new building in late spring 2018.
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Where are bathroom facilities during construction? In addition to existing restrooms in El Pomar and in the Gates Science Center and Student Center for the Arts, we will provide new, temporary facilities during construction. Please refer to the Middle School construction site map for locations. Are you building a new Middle School so you can add more students? No. Kent Denver currently enrolls approximately 700 students, and there are no plans to grow. We evaluated this issue carefully. We believe—and our trustees agree—that our small faculty-to-student ratio preserves the close relationships that are unique to a Kent Denver education. Where can I get more information about construction? Parents and guardians will find frequent construction updates in the weekly Connection newsletter, on the Kent Denver website’s Construction & You page and via the KDS Construction blog. We will provide timely information to students during assemblies and in emails from class deans. Also, we encourage you to watch the latest edition of Conversations with the Head of School as Dr. Rand Harrington answers questions about the construction process from current sixth-graders . Whom should I contact if I have construction-related questions or concerns? We’ve created a special email address for your use during this process. Please send your inquiry or comment to KDSconstruction@kentdenver.org and a member of our construction lead team will respond as soon as possible. If your matter is urgent, please contact Associate Head of School Jerry Walker at jwalker@kentdenver.org or (303) 770-7660, ext. 230.
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