KENT DENVER SCHOOL OO
KEN T
NVER SC
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DE
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
April 6, 2017 Dear Kent Denver Parents, Guardians and Neighbors, Construction of our new Middle School is now underway, and we are on-track to complete the new building next spring. Thank your for your continued support as we prepare for this exciting next chapter in Kent Denver School’s history! The April issue of the Middle School Construction Resource Guide provides important information about changes to our parking lot assignments and outlines some of the additional safety precautions we’re taking during construction. See pages 6-7 for details. This issue also includes a reminder about the Middle School Groundbreaking Ceremony on Tue., April 25, from 3:30-4 p.m. During this event, we will first bid a fond farewell to the Andrews D. Black Building then break ground for the new home for our sixth-, seventh- and eighth-graders. After the ceremony, guests will be invited to sign a commemorative beam from the Andrews D. Black Building. The historic structure will be housed in the new Middle School when the building opens in 2018. The Middle School Groundbreaking Ceremony is free and open to all members of the Kent Denver community. Look for detailed Q&A about temporary classrooms and the steps we’re taking to minimize construction’s impact on the learning environment in the May issue of the Middle School Construction Resource Guide. In the interim, feel free to contact the construction team if you need information. 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. Best regards, Jerry Walker Associate Head of School 2
Please Join Us!
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Updated Middle School Construction Map We recently updated the contruction map to futher define the construction zone. A printable copy is available for download on the Kent Denver website’s 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 April 2017
Is the April 25 Sixth-Grade Building Farewell and New Middle School Groundbreaking Ceremony appropriate for students? Absolutely! The Andrews D. Black Building, known affectionately as the “sixth-grade building” by current students and recent alumni, has served our community well for several decades. During the Farewell portion of the event, students and alumni will have an opportunity to sign a beam from the current building. That beam will have a spot of honor in our new Middle School. The Groundbreaking portion of the event allows students to be present during an important milestone in their school’s history: the first step to creating a new campus home for all Middle School students. When will the Sixth-Grade Building Farewell and New Middle School Groundbreaking Ceremony take place, and how long will it last? The 30-minute Ceremony will take place from 3:30-4 p.m. on Tue., April 25. Guests are invited to sign the commemorative beam beginning at 4 p.m. Will the Sixth-Grade Building Farewell and New Middle School Groundbreaking Ceremony interfere with after school athletics or Middle School student pick up? The event will not interfere will regularly scheduled athletic activities, and we do not anticipate any disruption to Middle School pick up. Will there be designated parking for Sixth-Grade Building Farewell and New Middle School Groundbreaking Ceremony guests? Yes. We will post signs directing guests to the appropriate parking location. Since this event will occur after school hours, are Middle School students allowed to attend without their parents? Yes. We expect many of our Middle School students to stop by as they walk to and from after-school sports activities or as they wait for rides in the pick up zone. Kent Denver faculty and staff will be present. However, parents and guardians should not view the Ceremony as a supervised school event.
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How many construction workers will be on campus on any given day? That number will vary depending on the work scheduled, however we do not anticipate more than 40 construction workers on campus at any given time. Will construction workers’ arrival impact normal traffic flow onto campus? It should not. Construction workers and drivers of construction delivery vehicles were advised not to enter or exit Kent Denver property between 7:45 and 8:15 a.m., the period of highest traffic onto campus. The new sign at the Kent Denver entry says No Construction Entrance. Does this mean neither construction workers nor delivery trucks are allowed to enter campus at this location? Although we may authorize exceptions for certain deliveries, both construction workers and delivery truck drivers are instructed to use the back entrance to campus which is located to the west of Kent Denver’s athletic fields. Where will workers park during construction? We converted the parking spaces previously used by Kent Denver juniors into designated parking for construction workers. This area is located within the fenced construction area and is not accessible to Kent Denver students, faculty, staff and guests. Where will juniors and sophomores park during construction? Juniors and sophomores now park in the athletic event parking lots adjacent Justin DeSorrento Memorial Field and the Horn Family Field. Will the change in parking arrangements impact after-school athletic event parking? There may be some impact from time-to-time. Mr. Walker will work closely with our Athletics department prior to large events. If we anticipate a significant need for additional parking, we will post signs or have flaggers in place to direct traffic. How will Kent Denver students, visiting athletic teams and authorized guests access Yates Pavilion or the lower athletic fields? Students and authorized guests who need to access Yates Pavilion or the lower athletic fields should use the new path located to the north of the former junior parking lot or the Justin DeSorrento Memorial Field and the Horn Family Field parking lots. How will members of the Kent Denver community identify construction workers? Construction workers will generally be within the fenced construction zone while on campus. In the rare event workers are authorized to leave the fenced area for business purposes, they are instructed to wear a red visitors badge at all times. The badges are dated and highly visible, so you should be able to identify them easily.
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Are construction workers allowed in classrooms while class is in session? No. What should students do if they see workers outside of the construction area? Although there are some situations where construction workers are authorized to be outside of the fenced area during the school day, we encourage students to inform their teacher or a member of Kent Denver staff if they see workers outside of the construction zone. What should neighbors do if they see an adult they don’t recognize on campus outside of normal construction hours? Neighbors should contact the school via our designated construction email address: KDSconstruction@ kentdenver.org or contact Associate Head of School Jerry Walker at either jwalker@kentdenver.org or (303) 770-7660, ext. 230. If they feel the matter warrants immediate attention, they should contact the Cherry Hills Village Police Department. 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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Photo: Tim Ryan