800 S. Taft Ave., Loveland, CO 80537 970-613-5000 Fax 970-613-5095 www.thompsonschools.org Fall 2010

Mission Statement: Empower to learn — Challenge to achieve — Inspire to excel

INDEX2 Letter from superintendent3 Seeds of Hope4 Ar tSteps5 Big Thompson science lab7 Distr ict’s 50th anniversary8 Robotics at TSD9 PBiS video

10 Early Childhood paras11 Ponderosa Elementary12 iLead13 Berthoud BASH14 Exchange students15 Student sparks compassion

One of the Loveland Habitat houses in Boise Village.

Habitat for LearningHabitat builds

relationship with district,Geometry in Construction

Hundreds of families and communitymembers attended the ribbon-cuttingceremony at Ponderosa ElementarySchool on Aug. 31. Susan Harding ledstudent choirs in rousing songs thatcelebrated the new school while toursand refreshments awaited visitors insidethe building. Principal Lamb Caro,Superintendent Ron Cabrera and Boardof Education member Lola Johnsonwere among the speakers at the event.

Po n d e ro s aElementary opens!

Avalon Engtrom eyes the cake servedat the open house for her new school.

See more photos on Page 11

“This is no place for hate. Pass it on.”Students and staff at several secondary

schools in the Thompson School District areembracing the concepts behind “No Placefor Hate” in attempts to make their schoolcultures more accepting of all students.

The national program, which puts “anti”in front of actions that translate to “hate,”attempts to bring better understanding ofstudents who might be considered “differ -ent,” whatever that difference may be.

No Place for Hate begins with an intensebut interactive training for about 20-30students and staff who self-select or areapproached and agree to initially participate.From that step, the circle of involvementexpands. The concepts of No Place for Hatealign with the districtwide Positive Behaviorand intervention Support (PBiS) initiative.

Schools send anti-hatemessage, actions

Students work on making their imageof a person they would later describe inpositive ways.

Innovation success: Is it useful?Is it awesome? Does it matter?

� See I N N OVAT I O N /Page 3 � See H AT E /Page 6

Habitat for Humanity is joiningthe Geometry in Constructionf a m i l y.

One of last year’s two houses builtthrough the high school programs atLoveland and Mountain View highschools will be purchased by Habitatfor HumanityFort Collins,and the Lovelandoffice is planningan extendedrelationship withthe class and theschool district.

“We are soexcited about theopportunity towork with not onlythe classes but with the district tobroaden our program and perhapsassist families within the district,” saidGwen Stephenson, executive director

of the Loveland Habitat for Humanity.“This partnership will expand theLoveland Habitat’s capacity to buildcost-effective houses,” she said.

The Habitat house this year is beingpurchased from the LHS program andInterfaith Hospitality Network/AngelHouse is purchasing the other.Stephenson said her organizationworks closely with Angel House, whichplaced its first house purchasedthrough Geometry in Construction in

a Habitat neighborhood. “So that istwo more families who will be able tobenefit,” Stephenson said. “E v e n t u a l l y,we would like the families who benefitfrom the Thompson houses to be fromthe Thompson district.” Some of herideas for the future are to work withTitle 1 families, to help a staff memberwithin the district, and to have teach-ers build a house. She also is excitedabout working with students from the

Gwen Stephenson

� See H A B I TAT /Page 6

Aimee Malloy, left, and Maddie Burbachconjugate verbs.

Sign language, thehomeless issue andhow it affects Love-land, human traffick-ing, music produc-tion, music perfor-mance, Hebrew,Chinese, Spanish, sus-tainable agriculture inUganda – these are afew of their favoriteclasses at the Innova-tion School, a pilotopen-source learningapproach involvingsome 50 studentswithin the district andmeeting at ThompsonValley High School.

Monika Hardy, thefacilitator, calls it anadjacent school – onethat complementsregular school. “Weare something along-side and within theschool system, experi-menting with ideas toimprove learning,”Hardy said. It supportsthe school to providelearning for those whoeither aren’t findingwhat they want tostudy or don’t neces-sarily fit in the regularclassroom setting.

“Right now, we’regiving kids an oppor-tunity to create theirown courses,” saidDiane Lauer, directorof Curriculum andInstruction for thedistrict. “It focusesaround concepts andthe knowledge theywant to acquire thatmight not be a pieceof any current courseofferings.” Lauer saidthat the InnovationSchool offers anoutlet and support forstudents to maximizetheir learning time.

“It’s about options,not only what theywant to learn, but

what may not havebeen traditionallyoffered,” she said.“The InnovationSchool is creating asite where there is alevel of studentempowerment andengagement in learn-ing for themselves.”

Hardy explainedthat students designwhat they want tolearn, gaining knowl-edge from expertsthey connect withlocally and fromaround the world. Atthis point, the Innova-tion School allows

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Dear Friends,It is fascinating to observe the

education of a child. If you think it isonly a replication of what you and Iwent through when we werein school back in the “goodole days,” then you are wild-ly mistaken. I remind myselfthat I am fortunate to havebeen in public education forover 30 years, even teachinguniversity level classes. Yetduring all that time, I don’tthink I have seen the arrayof changes to the approach-es, topics and assessmentsfor learning that I have seenduring the past five years.Let me introduce you to afew things that energize me when I seechildren learning in our schools.

When you think of the 21st century,you think of computers, the Internetand every variation of technologicalcommunication you can imagine. Mostschool districts have a hard time har-nessing these types of communicationand learning tools because they werenot established with those tools inmind. However, I am proud to say thatthe Thompson School District hasmoved into the 21st century. All of ourschools utilize a variety of technology:technological “smart” boards, iPods,computers (of all types), and the Inter-net. Likely our most cutting edge ven-ture is the “Innovation School” which

is housed at Thompson Valley HighSchool. Truly, the “Innovation School”is a school without walls, open for stu-dents in grades 6-12, using the Inter-

net as a means to pursuelearning resources, arrangevirtual meetings with teach-ers and professors across theworld, and design a learningexperience that is personal-ized to each participatingstudent. Of course, such anexperience is not for everystudent as it requires a cer-tain amount of personal dis-cipline; however, it is a greatway to connect with anindividual learning passion.

Success in the 21st centu-ry requires many types of skills, includ-ing that of understanding and toler-ance. It is a big-picture approach thatwill allow our students to engage effec-tively with every type of person theyencounter either in our local commu-nity or across the ocean. To that end, Iam pleased to report that someschools have initiated a “No Placefor Hate” program. In fact, WaltClark Middle School was the firstThompson School District secondaryschool to take on this anti-bullying,anti-hate program. While it mightcome across as a safety program —and it does make the school climatecalmer and safer — “No Place forHate” is really about understanding,

respect, and tolerance. There are nobetter skills to help a person besuccessful.

Growing up, I recall seeing cartoonsabout the future — they seemed so“space-aged” at the time. Many ofthem had robot characters doing allsorts of tasks. Little did I realize that Iwould live in a time where our stu-dents, from elementary to high school,are designing and building robots. TheThompson School District offers an ex-tensive robotics program that studentscan participate in. This November thedistrict will again sponsor its dis-trictwide robotics exposition. Studentswill be demonstrating various robotdesigns and maneuvers and participat-ing in robotic competitions where therobots are manipulated through de-tailed routines. I invite you to comeand see the creativity, innovation, andenthusiasm in action.

Yes, this is not an old-fashion educa-tion anymore. The Thompson SchoolDistrict provides an education for to-day — the 21st century. I hope you willcome visit our schools and see our fu-ture taking shape.

S i n c e r e l y,

Ron Cabrera, Ph.D.Superintendent

Ron Cabrera

Letter from the Superintendent

Dear Readers:This fall 2010 issue of the Thomp-

son School District CommunityNews represents our mission state-ment: Empower to learn, Challengeto achieve, Inspire to excel. Thestories only reflect a small picture ofthe many collaborative learningexperiences that are taking place inour schools and out in the communi-ty. We hope you enjoy seeing just asnapshot of the great things that arehappening in the Thompson SchoolDistrict.

Melissa AdamsEditor

Empower to learn,Challenge to achieve,

Inspire to excelOur mission, our direction,

our schools

Thompson School District website:w w w. t h o m p s o n s c h o o l s . o rg

This publication is a project of the ThompsonSchool District, 800 S. Taft Ave., Loveland, CO 80537.All editorial content is provided by the ThompsonSchool District. Advertising sales and revenue aregenerated and gathered by the Loveland Reporter-Herald.

Editor and Writer: Melissa Adams, Communication& Community Resources, Thompson School District

Assistant Editor/Proofreader: Debbie Wright,Thompson School District

Photography: Melissa Adams, Thompson SchoolDistrict, and contributions by staff and parents

Page Design: Jade Cody and Jennifer Lehman,Loveland Reporter-Herald

Thompson School District is an equal opportunityeducational institution and will not discriminate onthe basis of race, color, national origin, religion, age,gender, sexual orientation, disability, marital status orveteran status in its activities, programs or employ-ment practices. The prohibition against sexual harass-

ment includes a prohibition against harassment basedon race, color, national origin, religion, age, gender,sexual orientation, disability, marital status or veteranstatus. For information regarding civil rights orgrievance procedures, contact the Department ofHuman Resources, 2890 N. Monroe Ave., Loveland,CO 80538 (mailing address) or 800 S. Taft Ave.,Loveland, CO 80537 (physical address), 970-613-5000, or the Office of Civil Rights, U.S. Departmentof Education, Region VIII, Federal Office Building,1244 N. Speer Blvd., Suite 310, Denver, CO 80204,303-844-5695.

The Fall 2010 Thompson School District Communi-ty News is published by the Loveland Reporter-Heraldon behalf of the Thompson School District. Contentsare copyrighted by the Loveland Reporter-Herald andthe Thompson School District. All rights reserved.Reproduction or use of editorial or graphic content,in part or in whole, without express written permis-sion is prohibited. Neither the Loveland Reporter-Herald nor the Thompson School District assumesany liability for errors or omissions.

This notice will serve tomeet the requirements ofthe Environmental Protec-tion Agency 40 Code ofFederal Regulations (CFR)Part 763.83c, Subpart E,Asbestos-Containing Mate-rials in Schools – Manage -ment Plans. This noticehereby informs those inter-ested parties that the As-bestos Management Plans,including reinspectionsand response action activi-ties that are planned or arein progress for ThompsonSchool District R2-J, areavailable for review be-tween the hours of 8 a.m.and 4 p.m. at the district’sFacilities Services office lo-cated at 255 South Cleve-land, Loveland, CO 80537.

Questions and/or re-quests to review plans orreceive a copy of a schoolplan can be directed toBrian Erickson, director ofFacilities Services, or TrudyTrimbath, environmentalspecialist, by calling970-613-5350. The cost ofcopies will be paid by ther e q u e s t o r.

Into

AsbestosInfor mationPublic Notice

Setting the course and directionfor the next 10 years at ThompsonSchool District continues throughthe fall with a final Vision 2020 prod-uct anticipated after the beginning of2011.

Teams composed of staff, studentsand community members have spentthe past few months breaking the pri-

mary goals into objectives, strategiesand actions with input to and fromconstituents.

“It has been a long process, but wefeel we are receiving rich feedback toprovide more depth to our final prod-uct,” said Deputy SuperintendentJudy Skupa. “We are excited aboutthe many levels of input we have hadfrom our staff, students and commu-n i t y. ”

The five goals – robust learning, eq-uity in access, responsible steward-ship, healthy constituent relation-ships, and culture of excellence – re -sulted from interviews, surveys, focus

groups and many other means of da-ta collection and interaction duringthe past year.

To help cull through the data,reports and team input, a team ofstaff, students and communitymembers known as the StrategicPlan Operating Team (SPOT) wasformed. In August, teams represent-ing the five goals and their objectivescreated strategies and then inOctober, they created actions forhow to bring the strategies tolife.

One of the difficulties in lookingahead 10 years is not knowing what

the future brings in such areas assupport, funding and new technolo-gies. However, the teams do theirbest to describe parameters that willembrace those unknown factors,Skupa said.

Those draft actions and strategieswere taken to the Thompson SchoolDistrict Board of Education for dis-cussion and initial approval inOctober. The next phase in Novem-ber is to enlist feedback and inputto finely tune those strategies andactions with stakeholders. A finalversion of the plan should beprepared by January.

the FutureVision 2020 leadsdistrict into future

“We are excited about the many levelsof input we have had from our staff,students and community.”

— Deputy Superintendent Judy Skupa

What started as a book study about nativecultures evolved into a partnership andopportunity for 215 3rd and 4th graders

to reap and sow the benefits of a communityg a rd e n .

Students from Monroe, Mary Blair and BigThompson elementary schools spent part of a dayplanting, harvesting and learning about how acommunity garden helps others in the communityand how Native Americans revere the land and itsb o u n t y.

“Every Child Plants a Seed” is a partnershipbetween the Thompson School District and theHigh Plains Environmental Center (HPEC).

Jan Lanting, elementary science coordinator forThompson School District, and Sarah Fox, direc-

tor of community outreach for HPEC, beganconversations a few years ago during a book studywith K-12 teachers and support staff. The bookwas “Last Child in the Woods” by Richard Louv,which focuses on the importance of getting kidsout in nature.

“We started with a pilot last year with twoschools where the students would harvest seedsfrom pumpkins, then plant them in the spring andharvest the pumpkins again in the fall,” L antingsaid. The pumpkins were tagged for the studentsso they could find them this year.

So this year, last year’s 3rd graders arrived as4th graders to find their grown pumpkins whilethe 3rd graders proceeded to harvest the seedsfrom one selected pumpkin for each class. Theactivity demonstrates the cycle of planting, onethat students begin learning in 3rd grade. “And in3rd grade they also begin to learn about the plainsIndians,” she said.

Seeds of HopeEvery Child Plants a Seedhelps students learn about

community gardening

Monroe students Mckenna Remas andMaddison Rozeski and teacher PaulettePhillips select a pumpkin.

I N N OVAT I O NFrom Page 1

students to replace a required course, an elec-tive within a required course, or an electivethrough their designed course.

Some students thrive in a traditional setting,some don’t – they want more or want it differ-ent, Hardy said – and a constantly changing so-ciety is forcing us to change how we do things,focusing less on a fixed content and more on aprocess of knowing what to do when you don’tknow what to do, which means students knowhow to get started in seeking the informationthat might answer their questions or help solvetheir problem. “This process will be like a detoxfor most as they wean themselves from beingfed to taking ownership of their learning. Stepswe are experimenting with are: notice, dream,connect, do. We need to continually and re-spectfully question all assumptions.”

Lauren Mickelson is taking Spanish III and IVand values the opportunity afforded herthrough the Innovation School. “I like the free-dom in the way I get to learn and to apply,” shesaid. But she acknowledged it isn’t necessarilyfor everyone or applicable for every class atschool. “You really have to be self-motivated,”she said. Kaity Holsapple, who is taking SpanishII, said she learns better this way. “I can moveat my own pace – it’s the freedom to learn whatyou want to learn your own way.”

Hardy sees buy-in to these new approachesbeing taken incrementally. “We see school as itwas when we were young and this model goesagainst our cultural traditions. It’s not wrong –we have wonderful teachers and great courses.This is about choice,” she said. “We open thewalls, we place a focus on the student’s desirefor learning, on their dreams and passions. Itmight not work for everyone,” she said. “We ’renot asking for anything to go away, we justwant a place to hatch new ideas.”

When asked how these directions meet withcollege expectations, she said, “Our kids areactually talking to college students or profes-sors who are learning and teaching this way.”Some of the people at the forefront of open-source learning are from major universities.

So how do these innovative students demon-strate their success in their self-designed class-es? Hardy said there are several ways in whichshe assesses student success: the sources theywork with, the progress they have made, pro-jects they complete, presentations, sharing ofnew information and more. She cited one ex-pert who talks about the “usefulness” of stud-ies and research, then said, “We had one stu-dent say it this way: ‘Does it matter and is itawesome?’ I think that sums it up,” she said.

Following are some interview questions askedof Monika Hardy by Melissa Adams about theInnovation School at Thompson Valley HighSchool. Some 50 students are involved in takingcourses.

MA: Explain what the Innovation School is:MH: An incubator, a hatchery, a place to experi-

ment with ways to create indispensable learn-ers/doers. A place where the learner can own thelearning and question all assumptions about howwe think we’re supposed to learn. This is the mostincredible time to be learning. With Web access,anyone can learn whatever they want withwhomever they want. We are seeking that oppor-tunity for everyone. (Virtual visit to the lab onFacebook: tsd innovation lab)

MA : What are the different ways students com-municate with experts and students around theworld?

M H: Local experts have come into the class andstudents go out into other schools. Around theworld via Skype, Twitter, Facebook (tsd innovationlab, tsd innovation global connections, etc.) andblogs.

MA : Who can participate?M H: Students showing an ongoing: 1) Passion/

desire to learn their given topic of choice; 2) Pas-sion/desire to gift back what they learn to theirc o m m u n i t y.

MA : How many are participating? Are they allfrom high school grade levels?

M H: There are about 50 in the lab now. Mostare high school – but some elementary and mid-dle school. That’s about 0.4% of our district.

MA : What type of student is attracted to thisa p p ro a c h ?

M H: 1) Some who are currently self-motivated;2) Some who want to learn a subject that isn’tcurrently offered; 3) Some who don’t fit into ourcurrent practices of school; and 4) Students thatare currently in college, teachers, parents, 60year olds...

MA : How are you meeting the needs of thestudents in the program?

M H: Facilitating connections to people andcontent needed to pursue their chosen topic,getting out of their way (Ted Talk by SugataMitra) so that they can experience ownership.

MA : Are students taking one class or all of theirclasses?

M H: Most are just doing one class, some aredoing more.

MA : How is their success measured?M H: We are logging (documenting) what the

students and mentors do as they work on theirparticipatory action research (PAR) projects. Dr.James Folkestad (Colorado State University)analyzes these logs using Activity System NetworkAnalysis (ASNA). ASNA maps "slices" of actiontaken from the stream of ongoing activity. TheseASNA maps are used to evaluate student mentalmaps for progression (evaluating Activity Systemmap structure) and for direct comparison to themaps of their expert tutors/practitioners.

We hope to learn how the ASNA method canbring understanding to contextual-based learningthat is being used within the Innovation Lab PARp ro j e c t s .

MA : How have parents responded?M H: Most want to join in. Some are as expert

tutors. As a parent, it’s scary – trying new thingsseems risky, especially when it’s your child. Webelieve the risk is in playing it safe, keeping withthe status quo. Parents who understand whatwe’re doing are loving it because in its true form,the Web is allowing personalization (to expertsand content). This is very difficult for a teacher of100-200 kids to provide.

MA : How are other teachers responding?M H: Some are very supportive, wanting a piece

of the action. The premise is that everyone can bedoing what they want to be doing, following theirpassion, that includes teachers, parents, commu-nity members and students. Some are wonderingwhat the heck we are doing. This is a tenuoustime, but that is precisely why we are doing it. Wedon’t believe that online or charter is the way togo. We think we make change happen best for ev-er yone’s benefit within the public school system –that’s where the incredible teachers already exist.We are already doing incredible things. We’reseeking some freedoms. Currently, too manyteachers’ hands are tied. Their expertise is beingcompromised by the system.

MA : How will this move forward from a pilot?M H: Our goal is to scale student

owned/led/created learning experiences.MA : To you, what is exciting about what you see

in student progress?M H: Students owning their learning, speaking

passionately about what they are doing (seevideos on Facebook: tsd innovation lab).

MA : How do you deal with Internet security?M H: It's showing kids how to live online (which

they already do) in more safe, ethical, effective,educational and meaningful ways.

� See SEEDS/Page 6

Q&A with Monika Hardy ofInnovation School at TVHS

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Neither gray, nor cold, northe drizzle of Sept. 18 kept102 students from their pleinair painting at FairgroundsPark as part of the biennialArtSteps community artsproject. The event is a collabo-rative effort by the LovelandMuseum/Gallery and theThompson School District.

Umbrellas, blankets and lay-ers of clothes kept the youngartists in grades 4-12 protect-ed as they situated themselveswith easels, palettes and otherart supplies along the banksof the Big Thompson River,along the bridge crossing theriver, or nestled in the grasses

near wildflowers or trees.Every painting reflected theyoung artist’s view in theproject called “Mini Monets.”

Jenni Dobson, youth activi-ties coordinator for the muse-um, said 110 students origi-nally registered, but a fewcouldn’t make it. The rest ofthe troopers representingmost of the schools in thedistrict spent the morning inthe cold creating their art,which they later matted andshowed during an afternoonreception, at which time thework was judged. The top 31pieces were selected to bedisplayed at the museumOct. 2-Nov. 14.

Assisting with the projectwere several local artists andeight district art teachers.This was muralist JohnMoore’s first ArtSteps project.

“Anything that helps inspirekids to paint or be involved inthe arts is great, and it is in-spiring to see how kids are sointo this,” Moore said.

Audrie Mergelman, artteacher at Mary Blair and BigThompson elementaryschools, helped students reg-ister at Mountain View HighSchool prior to the event. Theexcitement two days beforethe event was evident as stu-dents gathered in school/teacher groups. “It gives kidswho are gifted in art a chanceto work with professionalartists. We have a huge artscommunity and it is impor-tant to make that connec-tion.” She said the planningfor the biennial ArtStepscommunity event begins rightafter the previous one.

“It’s a great idea,” saidCorynne Hilbert, a watercol-orist and potter. “I amamazed at the talent and giftsthese young artists have. Theyhave an eye for seeing thingsthat I’ve lost,” she said.

“It’s exciting and fun to seeall these kids out here focus-ing on art and nature,” saidMaggie Murphy, art teacherfor Sarah Milner and Truscottelementary schools. Studentsworked intently, some onsmall chairs, some lying ontheir stomachs, some clus-tered in areas around theriver, and some spread out tocapture a flower or tree.

One student who fought therain announced that she had“sloppy copy” to Moore, whoresponded, “I like thatphrase.” The artists andteachers encouraged thestudents and complimentedtheir use of contrasts andbrilliant colors on a day whenthe gray sky can challengeshades and contrasts.

Even the teachers got intothe act. Staci Schmidt, artteacher at Coyote Ridge andB. F. Kitchen elementaryschools, sat on the cement un-der one of the large shelters atFairgrounds Park and painteda canoe that sat in the sand.

“This is a challenge for mebecause I am usually moreabstract,” she said. Studentscame up to her to ask ques-tions and she would work withthem, then return to her art.

ArtSteps annually displayswork of district students in ashow at the museum and atAims Community College inMarch in celebration ofNational Youth Art Month.ArtSteps strives to developcreativity in children, youthand young adults as well asprovide community apprecia-tion for their talents.

Teachers who were involvedwere: Lora Patrick, Centennialand Laurene Edmondson;Audrie Mergelman, MaryBlair and Big Thompson;Maggie Murphy, Sarah Milnerand Truscott; Lia Devine,Thompson Valley; Susan Hunt,Cottonwood Plains andStansberry; Staci Schmidt,Coyote Ridge and B. F.Kitchen; Tanya Miller,Conrad Ball; and AnnieMcNeil, Garfield.

Namaqua Elementary student Makenzi Gupton showsher painting.

Ar tStepsMini Monets

paint plein air atFairgrounds Park

Thirty-one of the studentart pieces created be-came the exhibit “Mini

Monets: Inspiring a New Gener-ation of Plein Air Artists” at theLoveland Museum/Gallery Oct.2-Nov. 14. The exhibit featured:

ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

Brooklyn Guinto, 5th grade,Wi n o n a

Ern Bunphila, 5th grade,B. F. Kitchen

Aleksya Pelissier, 5th grade,Mary Blair

Phillip DiPentino, 4th grade,Big Thompson

Devan Smith, 4th grade,Centennial

Emma Lawrence, 5th grade,Ivy Stockwell

Haley Bradley, 5th grade,Laurene Edmondson

Sarah Baker, 5th grade,Sarah Milner

Jake Ramos-Wilson, 5thgrade, Winona

Abby Franke, 4th grade,Berthoud

Jack Walters, 5th grade,Cottonwood Plains,

Jordan Hanson, 4th grade,Namaqua

Samira Abraham, 5th grade,Van Buren

Kelsey Porter, 4th grade,Wi n o n a

Jackie Smith, 4th grade,Big Thompson

Angellina Inman, 5th grade,Mary Blair

Heather Mills, 4th grade,Big Thompson

MIDDLE SCHOOL

Daisy White, 8th grade,New Vision Charter

Kenyon Perkins, 6th grade,Colorado Virtual Academy

Angela Rosson, 8th grade,Tu r n e r

Veronica Mizer, 8th grade,New Vision Charter

Tessa Youmans, 7th grade,New Vision Charter

Courtney Ragatz, 6th grade,Walt Clark

Emma Fouts, 7th grade,Bill Reed

Sydney Buchheister, 7thgrade, Lucile Erwin

HIGH SCHOOL

Natalie Patrick, 10th grade,L oveland

Dyrani Clark, 10th grade,Mountain View

Darcey Kinchen, 9th grade,L oveland

Erin Flood, 11th grade,Mountain View

Casey Vanderheyden, 9thgrade, Thompson Valley

Alexis Trujillo, 10th grade,L oveland

MENTORING ARTISTS

Angela Canada Hopkins,L oveland

Diane Roeder, LovelandRobin Dodge, LovelandCorynne Hilbert, Fort CollinsAnn Delzell, LongmontJeannie DeMarinis,

JamestownAlicia Davies, Fort CollinsJenifer Cline, Loveland

Mini Monet Exhibitors

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Grant makes science lab possible

Each elementary school haskits delivered to them eachyear for their science curricu-

lum, but Big Thompson ElementarySchool has a REALLY BIG kit in itsscience lab, thanks to a CreativityGrant from the Thompson Educa-tion Foundation.

The science lab, proposed andcreated by teacher ButterscotchCulhane, is now up and running withaccess to all students at Big T. WhenCulhane proposed the explorationenvironment, she taught 5th gradeand geared her proposal to 5thgraders, but the lab is equipped witha little something for all grades, in-cluding her 1st graders this year.

“Creativity Grants are awesome,”Culhane said. “They seek innovationand energize education. I had agreat idea and they helped me get itstarted.”

The lab is set up in a classroomright off the main hallway at Big Tand it is accessible for any class. Hergoals are three-fold: to provide some

scientific tools or instruments; to fo-cus on one of 12 science standardsweekly and display scientific inquiry;and to provide daily science talks toimprove oral vocabulary usage. Sofar, half of the Big T students haveexperienced the lab. Her timeline ondirection is to cover materials, ques-tions and hypothesis first, then dataand graphs, then conclusions, rele-vance and application. “I includedthings that are studied at differentlevels because if the kids see some-thing work, it makes so much moresense,” she said. “Being able to seeand do really lends itself to scientificinquir y.”

“It will give some kids who haven’thad much science or are new to theschool some new things aboutscience,” said 2nd grader KordellCulhane, who helped his mom set upthe lab during the summer andknows every station. He walks overto a small-scale skeleton that standsnext to a model of the upper part ofa body. “This is Mr. Cadaver and this

is Skeleton Guy – one’s the musclesand one’s the bones,” he said as hemoved the skeleton parts.

“It’s a pretty cool place,” said hisolder brother Conner, a 4th grader.“It took a while to set up, but it willbe a lot of fun.”

Anthony Pierro, a 4th grader, saidhe is anxious for the arrival ofanoles, an American chameleon.

There are weight measures, tuningforks, a stream table to show howerosion occurs, plants, a screenedcontainer for butterflies and cater-pillars, solar cars, rocks and sub-stances, weather and solar systemequipment and more. “I can’t say ev-eryone will use it, but I fully expectevery grade level to visit,” she said.

Creativity Grants are provided an-nually through an application pro-cess from the Thompson EducationFoundation. Culhane said the$1,000 provided the funds to get thescience lab started; it can be builtonto at the school, which has anature and science focus.

From the back, ButterscotchCulhane, Anthony Pierro, KordellCulhane and Connor Culhane set upthe stream table experiment.

ALoveland HighSchool teacher and a2010 graduate trav-

eled to Uganda during thesummer as a result of LHSwinning a book drive com-petition last spring.

Lizz Roth, who graduatedlast spring, spent two weekstraveling Uganda with agroup called Invisible Chil-dren. Over the past threeyears, Roth has been in-volved in the Invisible Chil-dren Club at LHS. TeacherAllison Lanter, who alsowent and taught there, saidRoth participated in manyfundraisers benefiting aschool in Northern Uganda.

“This previous year (2009-2010), we participated inthe nationwide book drive.After several months of hardwork, we won, giving bothLizz and I the opportunityto spend some time workingwith the schools we’veraised money for,” L antersaid. Roth spent her twoweeks traveling NorthernUganda and stopping ateach of the 11 schools sup-ported by the program.

While there, Roth spent aday working with a mentor(a Ugandan adult that workswith students in a scholar-

ship program). She spentanother day touring the In-visible Children company,and she spent one day work-ing one-on-one with aUgandan student. “This washer favorite day,” L antersaid about Roth. “She got toattend classes with thestudents and basically livethe life.” Lanter said Rothreally seemed to enjoy hertime. “When she attendedthe school I was teaching at,she really seemed to have as-similated with the Ugandanstudents. They were just asinterested in her as she wasin them.”

Lizz Roth

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order to receive a home, people must qualify, providesweat-equity (at least 250 hours) to build their home andothers, and pay a mortgage based on the cost of the home(labor is volunteer work).

• Since 1987, Loveland Habitat for Humanity has helpedover 90 Loveland families afford safe and decent homes.

• Habitat for Humanity was founded in 1976 by MillardFuller, along with his wife Linda. To date, Habitat Interna-tional has provided more than 1.75 million people in 3,000communities with safe, decent, affordable shelter.

district who will assist Habitat with the partnership. “Iwould love to see more students become involved withHabitat in our projects and fundraisers,” she said. “Thisopportunity can leverage a lot of what we do.”

As an organization, Habitat has already latched on tosome similar school construction projects in the state thatalso grew out of the LHS Geometry in Construction class.

Scott Burke, Geometry in Construction teacher at LHS,is excited about the prospect coming to fruition. TomMoore, who started the program with him, is retired butstill active in the Geometry in Construction program. Thetwo have talked about working with Habitat for severalyears. “It makes what we do become even more meaning-ful in our community,” he said.

“We are always looking for ways to benefit the communi-ty beyond our traditional model,” Stephenson said.

H A B I TATFrom Page 1

Training started the firstweek of classes at Walt ClarkMiddle School, supported byPrincipal Martha Gustafson,who is in her second year asprincipal of WCMS. “We initi-ated it at the last school I wasat and of all the efforts I havetried to make an impact onbullying, this is the most effec-tive because it empowers thewhole school,” she said. “Andit goes hand in hand withPBiS.” She said the programoffers students access pointsfor involvement. “Once thekids get involved, then it fits –the kids need the buy-in,” shesaid.

Pam Duran, former equitydirector at Boulder ValleySchool District, and MichelleSaab from Denver PublicSchools provided the training.About 30 Walt Clark studentsself-selected or were recruitedto participate, including onewho had actually been bulliedthe first few days of school,Gustafson said. When studentsbroke into groups to work onprojects, there was no signthat they didn’t feel comfort-able together. Six staffmembers were also initiallytrained, Gustafson said.

Questions asked by thefacilitators during their train-ing were: Do you want to be aleader? Do you want to be partof the solution? Their trainingsinvolved role playing differentbehaviors and learning how torespond to them. The studentgroups also created skits anddrew posters around the figureof a student, named them,then wrote positive descriptorsof that cardboard form to

represent all the things thatdifferent people have to offer.

Gustafson noted that thegroup that participated wasincredibly diverse in back-grounds and interests. “Ever y-body was listening, everybodywas engaged and everyone wassupportive and worked togeth-er – there were no put-downs,”she said.

One student, Joel, an 8thgrader, said he was learningand having fun. “Bullying isn’tthe right thing to do,” he said,admitting that he had bulliedsome in his day. “We need totake responsibility for it anddo the right thing when we seeit happen – you don’t justwatch.”

Another student, Ann, a 7thgrader new to Walt Clark, said,“This is a great inspiration.”

Cheryl O’Shell, who isinvolved with the district’srestorative justice program aswell as PBiS, said she thoughtthe training was great. “Thekids are very engaged and Ican see they are thinking ofthings differently. I amimpressed.”

Saab, who represented theAnti-Defamation League,which is one of the sponsors ofthe program, said she was alsoimpressed with the attentionand respect the students dis-played.

Once they wrapped up theirfirst training, the studentsreturned to their classes anddelivered the messages of whatthey learned to the schoolpopulation. “They create acommon dialogue andlanguage that this is no placefor hate,” Gustafson said. Nowthe group meets weekly andsupports one another.

Shortly after, Lucile ErwinMiddle School and BerthoudHigh School also conductedNo Place for Hate trainings.

H AT EFrom Page 1

Schools were selected based on their in-terest, their school population and theirwillingness to work with HPEC. Mary Blairand Monroe participated last year and thisyear. Big Thompson found the projectaligned perfectly with their nature andscience focus.

In addition to harvesting some pump-kins, the students picked tomatoes,potatoes and other vegetables, which weretaken to the House of Neighborly Serviceand the Larimer County Food Bank.Amber Lamb from HPEC told the studentsthat more than 13,000 pounds of freshproduce have been harvested.

“The community garden exists for thecommunity and you are part of the com-m u n i t y, ” she said. “What we do is donatethis food to people who are having a hardtime.” She told the students that volun-teers help in every aspect of the gardenfrom preparing the soil to planting,watering and harvesting. When she askedfor questions, students asked more aboutthe Food Bank and about why there are somany bees. She threw the question aboutbees back at the kids who responded “topollinate the flowers!”

“Watching these students in nature istruly amazing,” Fox said. “There is a magicthat happens. Students see how seedsgrow, they cut open the pumpkins to pullout the seeds and they see the culturalconnection to the Native Americans – allin this natural area – it’s so organic.”

The students had three stops on theirtour of the 36,000-acre agricultural areabetween Houts and Equalizer lakes nearCenterra, which deeded the land to HPEC.One was to select a pumpkin and see howtheirs were doing; one was to harvest; andone was to visit with a Native Americanfamily from Fort Collins. Jan Iron, who isNavajo, told the students how her familyrepresents many tribes including theCrow, Sioux, Arapaho and more. She

showed the students many products madeby Native Americans and told them howeverything that comes from the earth isalive. In introducing the Iron family, JimTolstrup, director of HPEC, told thestudents that Native Americans developedmost of the plants that grow in NorthAmerica – corn, pumpkins, squash,tomatoes and more.

When Iron introduced her husband Boband sons Mark and Duane, who sat in frontof a large drum, she explained that thedrum was made from nature – from woodand animal hides. “When you hear music,the land wakes up,” she said as the familyproceeded to chant to the sounds of thethree men playing the drum.

Lanting said the trip provides richinformation to the students, whichcomplements both their science and socialstudies curriculum. The cost of the tripwas funded by individual donations lastyear and through HPEC this year. CanDoColorado, which focuses on healthylifestyle through nutrition and exercise,provided the garden coordinator and somesupplies. “Sarah’s hope is that we will beable to do this for all schools, so we areworking on some grants to try to makethat happen,” Lanting said. Realistically,Fox hopes to add a few schools each year.

“It’s such a simple lesson about wherefood comes from in a natural setting, and Ithink it helps students become morefamiliar with the outdoors and whatnature has to offer,” she said. “I hope that10 years down the road, we can say thatevery student at Thompson has touched aseed and planted one,” Fox said.

The area of trails and nature surround-ing the community garden is open to thepublic during daylight hours and Foxencourages students and their families tovolunteer at the garden, take a hike ortake part in the summer camps. HPEC’sgarden is located on a dirt road (look forthe signs) east off County Road 9 acrossfrom the south end of Boyd Lake. Formore information about HPEC, call970-622-9676.

SEEDSFrom Page 3

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KAT E BROW N EPLANNING SPECIALIST

It has been 50 years since anelection in April 1960 thatapproved the reorganiza-

tion of 30 smaller schooldistricts into three districts:Poudre R1, Thompson R2-J,

and Park R3. Fifty years islonger than any employee hasworked for the district. Fiftyyears is longer than the majori-ty of people have been alive.

That reorganization gave thenew Thompson School Districtthe responsibility of educating3,675 students. The number ofstudents has grown by 316percent to 15,300 in October2010. In 1960, there were fiveelementary schools (gradesK-6): Big Thompson, Garfield,Lincoln, Washington andSummit with only Big Thomp-son and Garfield still existingas schools and serving districtstudents today. In 1960,Truscott served as the juniorhigh school (grades 7-9) forLoveland; Bill Reed was thehigh school for Loveland(grades 10-12); and Berthoudhad a single combined schoolserving grades K-12.

The 1960s saw many newschools added, starting withBerthoud Elementary in 1962.By the end of that decade, thestudent population had almost

doubled to 6,290 students. The1970s saw similar growth withthe student population reach-ing 10,150 students and moreschools built. By the end of thenext decade, the student popu-lation was 11,774 and mostelementary schools wereserving grades K-5. In the1990s the district continued togrow and switched to middleschools with grades 6-8 andhigh schools with grades 9-12.Ten years ago, the studentenrollment was 14,020 and thedistrict had 18 elementaryschools, 5 middle schools, and5 high schools.

In the Aug. 24, 1960, issue ofthe Loveland Reporter-Herald,Superintendent Retelsdorf wasquoted as saying “…elemen -tary students who ride the busmay be assigned to any build-ing in the city in order tobalance enrollment.” In 2010,the district is still trying to findways to best match availableclassroom spaces with wherestudents live. The 1960 reorga-nization was aimed at coordi-nating curriculum, equalizingtaxes and gaining general man-agement efficiencies. In 2010,these are still critical issues forthe citizens of Larimer County.

Left, an advertisement from the Loveland DailyReporter-Herald in 1960 about the merger of 30school districts into three.

It’s been50 years

for R2-J!

MECHELLE MA RT Z -MAY F I E L DTHOMPSON ED U C AT I O N FO U N D AT I O N

Arts education is so much more than painting apicture, creating a piece of pottery, or performing apiece of music. Arts education helps students learn asense of identity, critical thinking skills, self-worth andconfidence that will help them throughout school andtheir future goals. In arts education, technology contin-ues to have a profound impact on teaching and learning.Arts educators are continually confronted with thechallenge of integrating new information and technologyinto their curriculums.

The Thompson Education Foundation (TEF) hasdetermined that their upcoming fundraising focus willbe on technology for arts programs throughout theThompson School District. This area is continuously inneed of funding and is often the first area where cuts inbudget are considered. It is TEF’s goal to raise funds topurchase needed technology for the arts within theschool district including, but not limited to: drawing,painting, pottery, theater, music, band, choir, photogra-phy, video production, journalism, and design.

The long-term goal in the coming years is for thefoundation to create an endowment that will help tocontinuously fund upgrades and replacement technologyfor arts instruction in the future. Technology in the artsprovides the skills and knowledge students need todevelop the creativity and innovation necessary forsuccess in today’s global information age. The use ofmodern technology challenges students to use creativethinking skills to develop new ideas and be able to maketheir ideas flourish. The foundation wants to plugstudents into a work-ready technology experience thatwill make them competitive in future markets, whatevertheir plans may be. For information, call 970-613-5067.

TEF plugs into the arts

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� Reading MA—Loveland

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2009-2010 RESULTS

Loveland High School placed 3rd in the 2010 RegionalFIRST Robotics Competition at the University of Denver.Berthoud High School, with a STEM focus program, wonthe 2010 VEX Colorado State Championship. For thesecond year, the district has had a team earn a place atthe VEX Worlds Competition: BHS placed fifth in theirdivision. More than 400 teams from 14 countriescompeted at the 2010 VEX Worlds in Dallas.

When Liz Rayment firststarted coordinating roboticsactivities in the district, therewere four or five classesinvolved. Now, all the highschools, all of the middleschools and most of theelementary schools haverobotics teams with morethan 350 students participat-ing in competitive teams,after-school clubs andsummer camps.

Loveland High School andThompson Valley High Schoolhave had robotics programsfor several years; they buildthe larger remote-controlledrobots. The elementary andmiddle schools start with theLEGO robotics kits to createsmaller robots.

Rayment, with her husbandKen, runs the nonprofitAction Works, which supportsthe students in their quests tobuild robots for the regionaland state FIRST Roboticscompetitions.

Action Works delivered 20robotics kits and 16 competi-tion tables that are loanedout to schools. “It is thanks toWoodward Governor and Intelthat we have loaner roboticskits and some laptops, thenthanks to GE Energy that wehave the robotics tables,”Rayment said. The tables wereoriginally built when GEEnergy donated materials andvolunteers to help build them.“Keep us in mind if yourcompany is upgrading laptopsand would like to make atax-deductible donation, evenif the equipment is in need ofr e p a i r, ” Rayment said. “Oneof the problems at the schoolsis there is no space for thesetables, so the kids have to set

them up every time theymeet,” she said.

She and her sons Chaseand Clay delivered a table toBill Reed Middle Schoolwhere science teacherKara Quinlan will coach fourteams. Quinlan, who came tothe district from Poudre HighSchool, said she had coachedrobotics there and was excit-ed to have teams at BRMS.Hers will be an after-schoolclub. “This offers students theopportunity to grow in sci-ence and math and be part ofcutting-edge technology,” shesaid. “Robotics is everywhere– space, medicine, the auto-motive industry – it is an in-credible field where kids canhave some excellent chancesfor their college futures.”

In August, 40 students fromThompson School Districtwere among 200 studentsfrom around the state toattend the UnmannedSystems North American2010 Convention in Denver.

They participated in theRoboTour event, whichallowed the students toexperience the commercialside of the robotics industry.

The Association for Un-manned Vehicle SystemsInternational (AUVSI)Fo u n d a t i o n ’s Youth EducationProgram is designed to intro-duce future generations ofscientists and engineers tothe world of unmanned sys-tems. Students heard a briefpresentation followed by aguided tour to various pointsin the exhibit hall where theyhad the opportunity to seeactual unmanned vehiclesystems and componenttechnologies up close. The

tour ended at the studentcompetition pavilion whereuniversity students displayedunmanned systems theydesigned for AUVSI’s studentcompetitions.

“These students are ex-tremely fortunate to have thisexperience,” said Rayment.“RoboTour for the studentscan be one of those life-changing events wherestudents may see somethingthat captures their imagina-tion and drives them to acareer. We are fortunate thatour school district sees thevalue of STEM (Science,Technology, Engineering andMathematics) offerings andhas capitalized on this oppor-tunity. In addition to thestudent day, I was invited toattend the first ever AUVSIRobotic Education Forum. Iwas thrilled to be a part ofthis outstanding event.”

The Rayments reportedthat at the end of the day,when Kristal Domenico, coor-dinator of the STEM programat Berthoud High School,asked what the studentsthought of the tour, she gotwows and thank-yous from theback of the bus.

Thompson robotics volun-teers amassed enough hourslast year through coachingand volunteering at therobotics events to earn thePresidential Service Award forthe school district. The awardwas presented to Superinten-dent Ron Cabrera at theThompson Robotics Expo.This award is a presidentialhonor that recognizes thevaluable contributions ofvolunteers nationwide toserve others through current

volunteer activities or lifetimeservice. As a CertifyingOrganization, Action Worksidentifies eligible recipients,verifies their service hours,and distributes the award tooutstanding volunteers.

Robotics has something forstudents from grade 4 up. Forstudents in grades 4-8, FIRSTLEGO League (FLL) publish-es challenges with real-lifeapplications that teams ofstudents work cooperativelyto solve using robots theybuild and program. Theseteams also have the opportu-nity to do relevant researchon technology that can beused to impact and improvethe world around them.

VEX is a different roboticsplatform for middle and high

school students. It is the nextstep up in difficulty from FLLas the software is based onC programming language.The playing/competition fieldis actually built by studentteams. The constructionpiece is much more involvedwith a variety of constructionmaterials required. The VEXproblems are solved on a 12-by-12-foot field. The problemsrequire both an autonomousperiod and a remote controlperiod. Check out www.vexro b o t i c s . c o m / c o m p e t i t i o n /for more information.

Contact your child’sschool for team availability.For other questions, contactLiz Rayment, district roboticscoordinator, at Liz.Rayment@a c t i o n - w o r k s . o rg .

Liz Rayment and Bill Reed Middle School teacherKara Quinlan discuss robotics.

Students get involved with robotics clubs, competitions

Will Lorenzen, Evan Read and Alex Heppcompare notes.

Team Awesome talks strategy, from left:Conner Worrell, Kayden Roth, Tommy Lee andMason Schmidt. David Kerhoff has his back tothe camera.

LEGO

Students at Turner Middle School are trying tocontinue a legacy started when they attendedBerthoud or Ivy Stockwell elementary school.

Or should that be a LEGOcy?By the time this story appears, Turner should

know if either of their LEGO Robotics teams isheading to the state FIRST LEGO League (FLL)

Robotics Competition. In early September, twoTurner teams, the Spartans and Team Awesome,began to formulate their plans for advancement.Their journeys, however, began when students fromBerthoud’s two elementary schools fared well intournaments last year by moving from regionalcompetitions to state. All but two of this year’steam members are 6th graders.

The LEGO Robotics teams are an after-schoolgroup coached by Jeff Lorenzen and Kurt Worrell,who both have sons on the teams.

Team leaders were elected by the group and thenteam selections were made. Tommy Lee, whoheads up Team Awesome, said he is very organized.“I just won an award for my organization,” he said.“But I chose very smart people who are out of con-t ro l , ” he jokes. “I make a rule list and keep themb u s y. ” He also said he has a meeting during theweek at his house to plan for their school work ses-sions, which is where the robots and materials are.This is Lee’s first year, but most of his membershave participated before.

Brogan Sontag, team leader of the Spartans,seemed very directed as well and was busy trying toget his team together as they unpacked an extrarobot provided by Lorenzen.

Lorenzen explained that each “ro b o t ” starts as akit, which includes electronics, drive wheels, mo-tors, building parts, sensors and LEGOs. Therobots that kids in this competition group buildare not remote controlled but are operated bylight, sound and touch sensors. “The kids have toconstruct the robot to do an autonomous mis-sion,” Lorenzen said. The mission is played out ona “field,” which is a table about half the size of aping-pong table. “There are rules about how theydo some things and they receive points for thingsdone correctly. They can’t download additional pro-grams – they can start and stop but have to run off

of one program,” he said. “They have 2½ minutesto do as much as they can do,” he said.

For the competition, the students must also do aProject Presentation where the kids have to do apresentation in front of judges addressing prob-lems related to the theme of the challenge. Thisyear, that theme is biomedical engineering. Inpreparation, they must talk to engineers and otherexperts, develop their problem and learn whatskills best suit each team member to solve theirproblem. Similar to Odyssey of the Mind, coachescannot help in constructing the robot or solvingp ro b l e m s .

Lorenzen, who has coached for six years, has twostudents who have both had an interest in robotics.Asia is a sophomore at Berthoud High School andWill is a 7th grader. “It’s interesting to watch thesekids come in as 6th graders and get better andbetter over the years,” he said.

RoboticsTurner teams competein LEGO robotics event

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Parent spearheadsvideo project

Will Mosley watches asSasha Mosley finishes aproject.

District videographer Brian Lindecker records a lunchroom scene at TruscottElementary School.

Video tohelp sharePBiS ideas

at home

When Michelle Stoutagreed to be on acommittee about

something called PBiS, shehad no idea that she wouldtake the lead on spreadingthe word to parents aroundthe district.

She doesn’t do thingshalfway. Now she is coordi-nating a video to help parentsbetter understand the con-cepts of Positive Behavior andintervention Support (PBiS),including tips and ideas ofhow this approach can alsobe used at home.

PBiS is a framework for in-dividual school communitiesto create a system of behav-ioral expectations includingstudents, staff and parents.Every district school is usingPBiS.

Stout had become a parentmember of the CottonwoodPlains PBiS team when herson was still attending schoolthere. “Two years ago theystarted looking at ways to rollout a parent piece. There wasno model for how to energizeparents to support PBiS, andthey are an important part ofmaking it effective,” she said.So that year, she and a teamof parents organized a “PBiSat Home” night. “We are justtrying to hit home the princi-ples of PBiS K-12 in a waythat is relevant to families’day-to-day lives.”

Barb Long, PBiS coordina-tor for the district, said themeeting expectation was nothigh at the time. “You getsmall crowds because parentswould rather spend time withtheir families. Michelle andthe team of parents designedan evening that included thefamilies and it had a lot ofhands-on interactive activitywith stations to visit. Then,350 people showed up.” “Itwas a crazy response,” Stoutsaid. This year was the thirdsuch night and it has becomea school community expecta-tion. “That response fueledthe discussion into how couldwe help give parents ideas forhome without showing themone more PowerPoint,” shesaid.

Long said having parentparticipation at this level ismajor. “She’s doing a greatjob. She and another parent,Aviva Pflock, have really beenawesome to work with. It’samazing how much timeparents put in – it’s a greatexample of the district’spartnership with families andparents,” Long said.

Stout, a small businessowner and marketing profes-sional, then thought of doing

a video about PBiS at Cotton-wood Plains. Discussions ledto the district PBiS team withLong and it became a districtproject through ThompsonSchools Television. “The timeand effort that goes intomaking a video made moresense to include all schools,”Stout said. Even when herson moved into middleschool, Stout continued towork with Cottonwood Plainsas well as the district team tobegin preproduction duringthe summer, scheduling visitsto different schools todemonstrate how the PBiSsystem works and how it canbe applied in the home.

The recent parent night atCottonwood Plains exempli-fied some of the interactiveprojects that schools havedone involving both studentsand parents. “We ’re not try-ing to lecture parents or tellthem what to do – we are justshowing them how we do thisat school. Maybe it can helpthem at home, too. We try toshow the belief and action atschool and how it might alsolook at home,” Stout said.

The five stations (thatrelate to the school’s PRIDEtheme) are manned by teach-ers. Students whose familiesvisited every station receiveda “homework pass” and achance to win some gifts.Families happily joined in,sitting on tiny chairs andworking with their childrenon mini-projects that can beused at home that promotedteamwork, belonging, respect

and more.Stout said the interaction

opens some great lines ofcommunication becausesome things seen at schoolaren’t seen at home and viceversa. “This way we come upwith ideas together, commit-ment together, and rewardt o g e t h e r, ” she said.

Each school can individual-ize some of its actions and ex-pectations to achieve resultsthat the school communityhas identified, so it is alwaysinteresting to see how differ-ent schools embrace certainexpectations, Stout said. Thatis why the video will showpieces from different schools.“We are hoping to show howit works at Mountain Viewsince they were the first highschool to be involved,” shesaid. “It’s really about identi-fying expectations, teachingexpectations, modelingexpectations and positivelyacknowledging children’sefforts.”

An example at TruscottElementary demonstratedrespectful lunchroom behav-ior, which can be translatedto home as well. “We justwant to offer some ideas andhope people think about it,”Stout said.

Her experience workingwith the Cottonwood Plainsstaff as well as with thedistrict team has been a goodone, she said. “I feel comfort-able and I feel like they listen.We (as parents) do have avoice,” she said.

Bridget Dusza and Jayde Minnis work on a projecttogether at the Cottonwood Plains PBiS Parent Night.

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GO BACK TO SCHOOL IN STYLE!

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Paraprofessionals in the EarlyChildhood (EC) program atThompson School District are

benefitting from a joint effort be-tween the district, the Early Child-hood Council of Larimer County(ECCLC) and Front Range Commu-nity College (FRCC).

The three have made Group Lead-er/Early Childhood Teacher certifi-cation classes available to parapro-fessionals at the district as well as atFRCC at times convenient to mostof the students.

Trish Stanczyk, education coordi-nator for the Thompson EC pro-gram, said the ECCLC had a grantfrom the Erion Foundation and theThompson EC program asked if itsparas could take advantage of thefunds.

Lorna Greene from ECCLC saidthe grant, the district’s willingnessto provide the time for the paras,and FRCC made it all work. “It cre-ated a wonderful relationship be-tween all these partners,” Greenesaid. “It has been tremendously suc-cessful.”

Stanczyk said that FRCC allowedclasses to be held in the district onFridays with just the TSD staff, whichmade the class more accessible tothe paras.

“This has been such a cool collab-oration,” said Richard Wagner, pro-gram director for the ECCLC andFRCC instructor. “Theresa Clements(Thompson’s EC administrator)came to us several years ago andasked about having the class at thedistrict, and Front Range said if youcan get at least 10 students, yes.”He said that the classes started onFriday afternoons at the district sothe paras could still work in themornings. “We have had some top-notch students,” he said. He alsocommended the district for workingwith all of the parties to make thiswork for the paras.

Stanczyk said that the EC parasare working for group leader certifi-cation, which is actually a bit abovethe state requirements. Most of theteachers within the Thompson ECprogram have a master’s degree orare working on it, while the parasare working to improve their status.“They are getting their educationthat helps them be highly qualifiedand it is paid for them,” Stanczyksaid.

“Some paras hate to commit tothe class because they are so dedi-cated to their teams that they don’twant to give up their time,”Stanczyk said. “But once they takethe step into the class, they lovespending that time together withtheir cohorts.” She said that threeparas have taken advantage of allfive classes that have been offeredand will be able to graduate withtheir group leader certification.

Greene said the timing and coop-eration in making this effort cometogether in recent years has beenamazing. “What makes it such a suc-cess is that aside from the opportu-nity to have this professional devel-opment, it is an opportunity to haveit paid for. Many of these paras prob-ably never thought they would re-turn to school – it’s daunting. Butopportunity knocked and the dooropened.”

Several people who started asparas, or even as volunteers, havetaken the next step to be certified,and much of the encouragementand support is because of the part-nership that makes it easier for thestaff members, Stanczyk said. “It hasbeen an amazing thing to have thisrelationship with the EC Counciland Front Range Community Col-lege and see how everyone is willingto work together to help our parasand our staff to be better educatorsfor the good of our preschool chil-dren in our community,” she said.

Classroom Support

Nancy Cole began in the district some14 years ago working in Nutrition Ser-vices, then moved over to the Early

Childhood Program’s Family Services area,then became what is known as a paraprofes-sional in the classroom. Now she is a master’slevel teacher in charge of her own class, en-couraging her paras to pursue higher educa-tion.

Her master’s in early childhood special ed-ucation kept her just where she wanted to be– with children.

“When I was young, I always thought I’d bea teacher,” she said. Though she had a bache-lor’s in home economics, she ended up work-ing for HP where she remained because “themoney was good.” Then she transitioned tothe district and ended up in the classroom. “Iknew that’s where I wanted to be. No matterhow bad your day is, this job always makesme smile,” she said.

Much of her contentment is from the too-cute and innocent 3-5 year olds who comethrough her door. And the Early Childhoodstaff makes it much easier. “We have such asupport system from the classroom on up,”she said.

What does she like about teaching? Thekids, the peers, and the support from all lev-els of her program. “Some days can be frus-trating, but there is always someone who

loves you and makes you smile. Plus, we bringchocolate. If we are having a particularly badday, we have chocolate early,” she said with alaugh.

Her quest for a master’s evolved when shewas talking to a student teacher from one ofthe Early Childhood classes. “We went tolunch one day and she asked if I wanted topursue a master’s with her and I thought,sure!”

Initially, when Cole started school whileworking as a para, she tapped into the classi-fied staff education assistance fund, then shewas assigned as a teacher. “The support I gotfrom people around me was phenomenal,”she said. “They were all there to help answerquestions – they had all been in the same

EC program benefits from grant

Early Childhood paras areon a quest for education

Nancy Cole watches as a student swingsin class.

Election

One Stansberry ElementarySchool Student Councilcandidate promised air

conditioning at the school. In thehot days of August, it seemedreasonable. While that promisemay not be possible this year,students from grades 3-5 learnedsome lessons in leadership andelections. They even got to voteinside an official voting booth tofeel the sense of a real election.

“The kids who ran learned somehuge leadership skills,” said JulieLindsay, whose son Shane is a 5thgrader and ran for president.“They had to stand in front of aclass and give a speech as to whypeople should vote for them – thattakes some confidence,” she said.Lindsay and mom Danae Kembelboth helped teachers Pam McGeeand Kim Angilletta on voting day.

Student Council at Stansberry isa serious group that raises moneyand plans projects, McGee said,noting they conducted a food drivefor the Philo Club, purchasedmore paperback books for thelibrary, bought playgroundequipment, and collected about$1,300 last year from box tops.“I work with a family that receivesfood baskets, so I know it comesfull circle,” Lindsay said. Sheworks in the district’s EarlyChildhood program.

In another project some of thekids did, 40 pocket flags werepurchased for families withservicemen and women who areoverseas. “The flags thanked themfor service to our country,” McGeesaid. “About nine of the kids camein and folded flags – it was great towatch them work together,” shesaid. She said when the studentsmeet, they bring up many of theirideas such as raising funds forvictims of the Haiti earthquake.

On election day in early Septem-ber, every 3rd-5th grade classvoted for one representative fromeach class as well as a presidentfrom 5th grade, vice presidentfrom 4th grade and secretary/treasurer from 3rd grade. Studentsstood in line to vote and marked

their ballots at the ballotboxes lent to them fromthe Larimer CountyClerk’s Office. Then theyturned their ballots in toKembel, who was there tohelp if they neededanything. The officers are:Shane Lindsay and LeiahBurgess, co-presidents;Mireya Guedea, vicepresident; Devon Boling,vice president; MalachiFellure, treasurer; andAspyn Krings, secretary.

EducationStansberr y’s

future leaders learnabout campaigns

Devon Evert receives some help fromStansberry mom Danae Kembel.

ABOUT THE EARLY CHILDHOOD PROGRAM

• The Thompson Early Childhood Program has 508preschool students in attendance.• Early Childhood classrooms follow state child carelicensing rules and regulations when it comes toadult-to-child ratios, which means two adults need to bein every classroom that has 15 or 16 children enrolled.• The program serves children that qualify for HeadStart, the Colorado Preschool Program, and specialeducation. This year there are also piloted tuition-payingservices at three sites. Head Start, which is federallyfunded, serves families that meet poverty guidelines. TheColorado Preschool Program (CPP) is state funded andserves children who are considered at risk for schoolfailure based on a variety of risk factors, including familyincome. Special education services are provided in almostall integrated classrooms for all children, ranging frommild needs to children who will eventually attendIntensive Learning Centers at the elementary level.• Each classroom serves 6-7 children with special needsand 8-9 children who are funded through Head Start,CPP, or tuition. Due to the variety of needs in theseclassrooms, some of the Early Childhood classrooms haveextra paraprofessional support to meet the needs of thechildren.• Early Childhood program services are provided in atrans-disciplinary manner. Speech therapists and occupa-tional therapists are considered integral parts of theclassroom team and spend one full day a week in eachclassroom. The team plans the week together, keeping inmind the Individual Education Plan (IEP) goals of thestudents in each class as well as any needs of the otherstudents. This model of service delivery is consideredbest practice in the world of early childhood as itconsistently meets the needs of the whole childhoodas the preschooler grows and develops.

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Introducing Ponderosa Elementary

Making a SplashLHS pool on

target for spring2011 completion

Alexa Rodgers checks out the large thank yousign in the main hallway of Ponderosa duringthe open house and ribbon-cutting celebration.

Music teacher Susan Harding led the choir in songs to celebrate the opening of the newschool.

Board of Educa-tion members andSuperintendentRon Cabrera cutthe ribbon toofficially openPo n d e r o s aElementary Schoolat 4550 FlorenceDrive in northwestL oveland.

The 2005 Bond projects wrap upwith the completion of the LovelandHigh School pool in the spring of2011. The replacement of theoriginal pool is being funded througha community partnership betweenthe district, City of Loveland and acommunity group that includesseveral foundations and individuals,managed by the Thompson Educa-tion Foundation. Project ManagerMike Martens said in mid-Octoberthat the project was about 25 percentcomplete. The construction includes

renovation of the locker rooms; anextension to the south that willinclude the mechanical room, whichformerly was in the basement; and asouth entrance vestibule.

Though contractors may befinished by mid-winter, Martens saidthat commissioning the pool will takesome time with filling it and testingall of the operating units. Openingshould be in early spring, he said.DLR Architects and Golden TriangleConstruction designed and arebuilding the pool and area around it.

The $89 million bond financed theconstruction of Coyote Ridge andPonderosa elementary schools; majoradditions at Berthoud and MountainView high schools; an auditorium atMVHS; an Education Center at

Van Buren Elementary School; anEarly Childhood Center at MonroeElementary School; a transportationcenter; a classroom addition at LucileErwin Middle School; the LHS pool

interior area; technology infrastruc-ture districtwide; many major main-tenance projects and more. Look fora wrap-up in the Spring CommunityNews in April.

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School and district ad-ministrators are learn-ing to better understand

the digital world that most oftheir students thrive in.

About 30 are taking a classon their own time callediLead, facilitated by ScottElias, interim principal atConrad Ball Middle School.

Learning the world of blogs,podcasts, tweeting and wikiare not the environments inwhich most administratorsgrew up, Elias said. Butstudents and parents areincreasingly communicatingthrough social networks. “Theidea of this is to providepeople with the time andsupport to increase their levelof comfort with digital tools

and to explain how they canbe used within their organiza-tional unit,” Elias said.

The class kicked off inmid-July and the group meetsmonthly after work to askquestions, compare notes andfocus on specific topics. “Wehelp each other, share andlearn,” he said. They maycover different tasks at eachmeeting such as creating apersonal blog for reflection,he said. “But what they do isbuild the capacity of skills.This is where our kids andcommunity are and we have toadjust our instruction to un-derstand that. Our goal is notto be experts, but to beconversant,” Elias said.

Diane Lauer, director of

Curriculum and Instructionfor the district, supported theeffort as professional develop-ment for administrators. “It’sreally the first technologytraining of its kind that we’veprovided to people with theadministrative lens,” L auersaid. “Building skills so theycan collaborate as leaders isso important.”

Some of the school adminis-trators admitted they weretentative, thinking social

networking was about sillymessages or sharing personalinformation with friends orpeople you don’t know.However, many have realizedthey can broaden their base ofknowledge by connecting withdata and information as wellas with other educators locallyand from all over the world. “Iam so over my initial thoughtsabout social networking,” saidKim Young, assistant principalat Thompson Valley High

School. “My learning curve isso huge!” “Drop Box is mynew best friend,” she added.It’s an application with virtualmemory where things can bestored, Lauer explained.“Technology is changing somuch and instruction is allgoing to become seamless.”

The initial group startedwith about a dozen people anda few of the principalsreceived iPads to see how itmight be used as a tool forteaching and for professionaldevelopment. “The iPad is atool that helps us understandthe power of mobile, personal-ized, interactive, and tactilet e c h n o l o g y, ” Lauer said.“Internet Web tools canenhance productivity.”

Elias said that from his first“technology boot camp,” theinterest level grew to some 40administrators (principals,assistant principals, athleticdirectors, deans and centraloffice). “The thing that ex-cites me is how many areinterested in the different dig-ital technologies,” he said. Henoted that many are findingcost- and time-saving ways toreceive and share information.

iLead

B. F. Kitchen Principal Kandi Smith and Trish Malik, in-structional coaches coordinator, discuss and comparenotes.

School administrators, otherslearn the value of socialnetworking through iLead

TSD honors& awards

AYERS RECEIVES STATE PE HONOR

Kris Ayers, Thompson Valley High Schoolphysical education teacher, was named ColoradoHigh School Physical Education Teacher of theYear 2010 by the Colorado Association for Health,Physical Education, Recreation and Dance. Thisaward signifies the recognition of the high qualityof teaching and leadership Ayers demonstrateseach day. The award was presented to Ayers at theCOAHPERD State Convention held at theEmbassy Suites in October.

BURKE NAMED CTE TEACHER OF YEAR

Scott Burke, Geometry in Construction teacherat Loveland High School, was named ColoradoCareer and Technical Education Teacher of theYear. He will now be considered for a regional titleand award.

LHS WIND SYMPHONY TO PERFORM AT CMEA

The Loveland High School Wind Symphony isone of three high school concert groups in thestate invited to perform at the Colorado MusicEducators Association annual conference inColorado Springs in January. The wind symphony,under the direction of Matthew Arau and AaronVogel, will perform for 45 minutes during a con-cert at the CMEA conference, which is Jan. 26-29.The other two high schools selected are CheyenneMountain and the Denver School of the Arts.

TWO NATIONAL MERIT SEMIFINALISTS

Two district seniors have been named NationalMerit semifinalists: Calvin Deutschbein fromLoveland High School and Conrad I. Shockfrom Mountain View High School. They areamong some 16,000 semifinalists up for 8,400scholarships that will be offered in the spring.

2010 GRADS RECEIVE BYRD SCHOLARSHIPS

Nine graduates from three high schoolsreceived Robert C. Byrd Scholarships through theColorado Department of Education. The studentsare: Bree Gardner, Megan Kellums and JordanPackham from Loveland High School; EmilyHessle, Emma Howard, Calandria Puntenney andKevyn Young from Thompson Valley High School;and Sarah Kemp and Lizzy Rivera from BerthoudHigh School. The Byrd Scholarship is a federallyfunded program that promotes student excellenceand achievement and recognizes exceptionallyable students who show promise of continuedacademic excellence.

Wildcat Wednesdays at LEMSStudents, faculty and staff are sweating and

smiling to "Wildcat Wednesdays" at Lucile ErwinMiddle School. The purpose of "Wildcat Wednes-days" is to show students many functional trainingoptions, fitness activities, and ways to feel more fitand healthy and to burn those calories!

Exercise directly affects mood and motivation,helps students be better learners as it increasesoxygen to the brain, strengthens, makes peoplefeel better ... and the list goes on! Wildcat Physicaland Health Education teachers Nick Bakovich,Kelly Anderson and Jo Dixon have incorporatedcardio-kickboxing, yoga, strength training,circuits, and cross-fit (exercises that target manydifferent muscles). Different workouts are plannedeach week so students get to experience a varietyof things.

The hope is to give them the confidence to beable to train themselves and maybe one day trainothers. “We want our students at Erwin to be ableto go into a fitness center or do this at home and

feel like they know what to do to maintain orimprove their fitness,” said Dixon. “We try toincorporate all areas of fitness (cardiovascular,muscular strength, muscular endurance andflexibility)." The physical educators have alsoopened the doors of the gym to the faculty andstaff in the building to join the workout. “It is nodoubt inspiring seeing your counselor, yourprincipal, your assistant principal, your office staff,or your teacher right there next to you being arole model and working out with you,” said Dixon.“What a great example.”

“The ‘new P.E.’ is needed,” Dixon said. “Theobesity epidemic that is sweeping our nationproves that we need new and innovative ways inour schools to get kids up and moving. At Erwin,students are not only taught how to be fit throughteam and individual activities, but also through avariety of things you might see in a fitness center.The students have not only embraced this, theylook forward to it!”

boat, so they were willing toshare.”

While she was still takingclasses, she was diagnosed withcancer and had to take a monthoff. “The staff support wasincredible – people broughtmeals, called me to see if Ineeded anything – the wholeteam – speech therapists,occupational therapists –everyone. When I came backthe second year, I felt like a newteacher with a new team but,once again, everyone was sosupportive. I can’t say enoughabout how well we all workt o g e t h e r. ”

As a lead teacher, Cole neverforgets the important role of thepara. “They are so crucial in ourclassroom. They do about 95percent of what we do, exceptfor the paperwork. We support

them when they want to moveup.”

And several have. Her currentpara, Karin Schroder, iscurrently attending classes atFront Range CommunityCollege to obtain her associatedegree. Cole teases her that sheought to just go for hermaster’s. “I was 50 and I hadn’tbeen in the classroom as astudent for years!” S c h ro d e roriginally hired on as extra helpand floated to different centers,then she came on full-time inCole’s center where she receivesfull support of taking her classesat FRCC. “I probably wouldn’thave done it if Nancy hadn’tencouraged me,” she said. “Buteveryone has been so support-ive! The professors who teach itare very flexible and theyprovide the classes on Friday

when we don’t have kids.”Paras who work in Early Child-

hood must have a certificate inearly childhood development tobe group leader qualified, andnow the hope is for all paras tobe child development associatesso they can work hand in handwith the teacher.

Cole said the great thingabout paras moving up theladder is that they bringwith them consistency andcontinuity. “They know theexpectation, the principles, andthe management, so there isn’ta huge learning curve and thathelps all of us!”

Of the 19 teachers in theEarly Childhood program, 15have their master's; three areworking on their master's; andone has a bachelor's degree inearly childhood education.

Cole said there are usually10-16 paras taking the class atFRCC, but this year there are10 because grant funds werelimited.

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Agroup in Berthoud has found a successful way todraw in its community to support its schools, wherecontributors can actually see what is purchased and

how it benefits all of the Thompson schools in Berthoud.The third annual Berthoud BASH is scheduled for April

9 at the Embassy Suites. The one-time-a-year idea issimple, said Scott Cavey, president of the BerthoudSchools Fund, which was organized to support thefundraiser and Berthoud’s four schools.

Dinner, a live and silent auction and some form ofentertainment at one event is common among manyprivate and parochial schools, but Cavey saw it work in asmall public school district where his family lived nearAims, Iowa. “When you live in a small community, it iseasy to support all of the schools because they feed intothe same middle and high school – so people know theyare supporting their schools,” he said. “When you have acommunity of schools and the parents are heavily involvedlike in Berthoud, people have a way to make a meaningfulcontribution, so this approach can work very well,” hesaid. The event raised over $50,000 the first year and over$70,000 the second year. “It has been successful so far,”he said. The cost for the dinner, at $35 last year, coversthe meal itself. The sale of the auction items is what raisesthe money, he noted.

“The neat thing is that people can see what the moneyis spent on – at all of our schools,” said Stu Boyd, retiredBerthoud teacher and member of the Berthoud SchoolsFund Board of Directors as well as president of theThompson Education Foundation, which serves as thenonprofit umbrella for the Berthoud group.

Boyd said the first year, the Berthoud High School ShowChoir performed and last year, former Denver Bronco KarlMecklenburg spoke. “We haven’t determined this year’stalent yet,” he said.

Cavey said that the first year, the group purchasedPromethean/Smart boards for all of the schools. “And weactually got a two-for-one deal, so we were able to get$60,000 worth of boards for the $30,000 we had left afteralready purchasing technology,” he said. The focus forthe first two years was to provide technology support withthe Promethean/Smart boards, 20 document cameras,netbooks, laptops and more.

Cavey said there are three ways to support theBerthoud Schools Fund: visit the website and see thelist of needed auction items; make a financial contribu-tion; and/or attend the Berthoud BASH. For moreinformation, see www.berthoudschoolsfund.org or e-mailb e r t h o u d b a s h @ b e r t h o u d s c h o o l s f u n d . o rg .

Promethean AB2F 87" 8 $27,992Promethean AB2A 78" 6 $22,282Activotes 2 $3,598ActivExpressions 4 $10,796Board Installation 17 $6,450Promethean AB2F 78" 2 $5,630Promethean AB3 87” Mobile 1 $5,080Actiview 322 Document Camera 20 $11,980Smart Board 1 $2,000HP Netbooks 24 $7,588HP Laptops 5 $3,900Flip Cameras 8 $1,272

Purchases made fromBerthoud BASH proceeds

Item Quantity Va l u e

Desserts were a hit at the 2010 Berthoud Bash.

BASH raises fundsfor Berthoud schools

The Exceptional Student Servicesdepartment at Thompson School District isevolving with its new title, a new director andcontinuously improvingservice delivery.

Dennis Rastatter isthe new director of Stu-dent Support Services,which includes EnglishLanguage Acquisition,homeless studentservices, Gifted andTalented, psychologistsand counselors andthe former Special Edu-cation department nowknown as ExceptionalStudent Services.

Rastatter, who has years of experience inspecial education as well as student supportservices, said the new department follows ayear of “reimagining.” “This is a continuousand evolutionary process,” Rastatter said.“We have been reviewing it from a systemsviewpoint, putting things in place that allowstudents to be educated in the least restric-tive environment. We want to make sure thatESS is a service, not a place,” he said. Heemphasized that he doesn’t want ESSstudents or the department to be isolatedfrom other district departments.

The reimagining process examined alloperations of the department and includedparent input at every level, Rastatter said.“For instance, we are looking at whetherreading intervention should go to what weformerly called a resource room or would itbe better to have the class co-taught?” Hesaid the intent is for ESS teachers andclassroom teachers to work more closely.“We need to pool our resources to reachlarger groups of kids, rather than separatingthem,” he said. “We are putting a neededservice in front of the identified need.”

Rastatter said it is his department’s goal towork side by side with the rest of Learning

Services at the district and in the schools.“We need to break down barriers – these areall of our kids and we need to work togetherto meet the needs of all of our kids.”

He said the department is addressing thedesign of what were called resource rooms –now called learning centers. “L earningCenters could become centers for allstudents struggling with anything, not justfor children with special needs.”

Rastatter knows it will take time tointegrate classrooms along this pathway.“We have to work more closely with ourstaff – this is a two-way street (in workingbetween the classroom teacher and resourceteacher),” he said. “It’s hard to argue thingsthat make sense, and we are trying to bringwhat fits together and see where we havesimilarities and differences.”

By coordinating services, he hopes toeliminate redundancy and increase commu-nication and cooperation. “We can’t dothat without support, and I feel I have thatwith other departments within LearningSer vices,” Rastatter said. Within the frame-work of his large department, Rastatter hasestablished a liaison system for staff indifferent areas to meet to share information.For example, lead counselors at the elemen-tary and secondary levels, ESS coordinatorsat the elementary and secondary levels, aparent liaison, and more. These liaisons willmeet regularly among themselves as well aswith others from the entire Learning Servicesdepartment so they are aware of what isgoing on in different areas.

Rastatter has vowed to keep communica-tion channels open with parents. TheExceptional Student Services AdvisoryCouncil has been instrumental in effectingchange and will continue to assist in design-ing better communication systems. Moreinformation will also be posted on the districtwebsite at www.thompsonschools.org andmass e-mails to parents and notificationnetworks are part of the plan.

Exceptional Student Servicesreimagines Special Education

Dennis Rastatter

Inclusive practices instead of inclusion, mainstreaming or full inclusionLearning center instead of resource roomAffective Needs Center instead of Emotionally Disabled (ED) ProgramIntensive Learning Center instead of GAIN ProgramStudent with disabilities instead of handicapped or disabled“He has autism” instead of “he’s autistic”“He has an emotional disability” instead of “he’s emotionally disturbed”Accessible parking instead of handicapped parking

For more information, see Exceptional Student Services on the district website atwww.thompson.k12.co.us/Divisions/Learning_Ser vices/ESS/ESS.html.

Exceptional Student Services language vs. Special Education

HKS supplies studentswith a bright year ahead

The Help Kids Succeed Committeeprovided over 1,200 brand newbackpacks filled with necessary schoolsupplies that were delivered to theschools in time for this year’s earlyregistration dates. The Help KidsSucceed program had a student onthe committee this year and over 72student volunteers that helped packbackpacks. Student volunteers provid-ed close to 300 hours of work to helptheir fellow students and local families.

Help Kids Succeed communitypartners grow each year with individual

and organizational support. “Wi t h o u tthe assistance of our communitybusinesses and individual donors, itwould not be possible for the Help KidsSucceed Committee to fulfill theincreasing requests from schools andfamilies,” said Mechelle Martz-Mayfieldfrom the Help Kids Succeed Commit-tee and the Thompson EducationFoundation, which manages theprogram. “A special thank you goesout to the individuals who served onthe organizing committee and ourbusiness partners this year,” she said.

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One exchange student likes fast food, the othermisses her mid-afternoon meals. One can’t wait toget on the black diamond slopes in the Rockies,the other recalls becoming a human snowball asshe tumbled down the slopes.

Each exchange student who comes to theLoveland-Berthoud communities has a story totell, a different culture to share, and a distinctpersonality that enriches the lives of those theymeet during their time in the U.S.

This year, Johann Zacharias from Germany andLuiza Grossi Fernandes from Brazil are Rotaryexchange students hosted by the Loveland RotaryClub. Rotarians become the support system forhost families, who do not have to be Rotarians.Marge King, whose family is hosting Zacharias, saidthis is the sixth time she and her husband, Russ,have hosted an exchange student. And Rotarymixes it up a little by having different families hostduring a student’s stay, which gives the studentsdifferent perspectives and also relieves a familyfrom a full-year responsibility.

Plus, it is expected that other Rotarians willshare in the fun and introduce the students todifferent activities.

“With Rotary, the host family is not expected to

entertain, but to provide a home,meals and make sure they get toschool,” King said. “Our fellowRotarians are expected to invite themfor dinners, take them places, and thestudents also make their own friends.”She said that the Rotary Club providesa monthly stipend for the student andthey need to live within that budgetplus whatever they bring with them.

At one of the weekly Rotarymeetings, Zacharias, who arrived inAugust, mingled with adults he hasmet. Already, he has friends – he wentto a concert, has been to a Broncosgame, which was “cool,” and enjoysfast food. “I know it’s not good for youbut it is good,” he said.

Fernandes, who presented aprogram about her home country tothe Rotary in September, arrived inFebruary. She has enjoyed herLoveland High School experience aswell as meeting people in the area. Her most mem-orable experience was skiing, where she learnedhow to fall. “I ended up on a blue slope and I wasgoing backward and I ended up rolling down thehill,” she laughed. One thing she has noticed is thedifference in meal times. In Brazil, the main mealis midday. “They don’t eat a real meal here – butthis is,” she said, speaking of the chicken dinnerserved at Rotary. “We eat a lot of meat,” she added.

Nanci Garnand, a Rotarian who has hosted sevenstudents, said her club is interested in having morefamilies host. “The value is learning about thestudent’s country and sharing our country,” shesaid. “We learn about their language, customs andtraditions. The three-month aspect is unique andworks well.” She said not only does it give differentfamilies an opportunity, but it spreads the numberof connections for the student.

The Kings, whose sons Justin and Tyler aregrown, say they enjoy still having some kidsaround. “I love kids so it is a great experience,”Marge King said. “For some kids it is hard to movebecause they make friends with kids in the family,but it really is good for them to see differentpeoples’ lifestyles and have new experiences.” Shenoted that it is important for host families to setground rules and expectations for the exchangestudents when they arrive so they understand aparticular family’s dynamics in a different culture.The Rotary exchange program also sets someground rules, which students are informed ofbefore and after they arrive. They are also teamedseveral times during their stay with other exchange

students in district Rotary-sponsored activities,including in June following the Rotary DistrictConference, which covers clubs in northern Col-orado, Wyoming, Nebraska and a portion of Idaho.

Both Rotary students attend LHS, whichcurrently has six students through differentexchange programs. Rotary sponsors both inboundand outbound students. Exchange students usuallycome in as a junior even if they have graduatedfrom high school. They select three countries theywould like to visit. Zacharias’ first choice wasCanada and second was the U.S. “It’s good,” hesaid, noting that his brother was also an exchangestudent who enjoyed his year so he wanted to tryit. His family has also hosted four students. Hehopes to study medicine at college. “Almosteveryone in my family is in medicine, so that’swhat I am looking at,” he said, though he alsothought about architecture for a while.

Fernandes said she is going to study publicityand communications in college. Having been herenearly a year, she is comfortable and not at all shywith adults. At the Rotary meeting, beforeGarnand introduced Fernandes, she joked, “Howmuch will you pay me to say something nice?”Fernandes laughed. “I will give you a big hug,” towhich Garnand responded, “I think I can takethat.”

For more information about Rotary Internationaland the Rotary exchange program, visitwww.rotary.org. For local information, contactMoofie Miller at 970-635-5935 or Nanci Garnandat 970-622-1810.

Luiza Grossi Fernandes and Loveland Rotary Club mem-ber Nanci Garnand.

Exchanges

Johann Zacharias and his host family, Margeand Russ King from the Loveland Rotary Club.

We l c o m eFamilies sought to hostRotary exchange students

School & District BriefsEditor’s note: The briefs in thispublication were submitted bydistrict schools and departments.

LOVELAND HIGH SCHOOL

Senior in musicals — LHS seniorLeo Batlle spentthe summer as acast member atthe CandlelightDinner Theatre.He starred in“Joseph and theAmazing Techni-color Dream-coat” and he al-so will be star-ring in “O l i v e r. ”

FERGUSON HIGH SCHOOL

Peace in the Park — Fe rg u s o nstudents participated in Peace in thePark in September, which involvedtheir Student Council, Positive Im-pact Crew, Mixed Choir, and Fergusonmusicians of all ages — includingteachers. Art teacher Nicole Keenerand StuCo members Bailei Bennett,Denise Frakes, Sandie Labadie andBrent McCann created more than100 “Ferguson for Peace” tie-dyedand screen-printed bandanas thatwere distributed to community

members at the event.StuCo created a giant Ferguson

Family Tree collage representingthe school’s thoughts on peace.Positive Impact Crew member AprilMcClellan initiated an autism aware-ness campaign, distributing puzzle-piece (the autism symbol) necklacescreated by Ferguson artists alongwith information sheets she created.Face painting and choir and guitarperformances on the Lily Pad round-ed out a wonderful day in the park.

No Place for Hate — Fe rg u s o n ’sNo Place for Hate campaign kick-offwas Aug. 27 with the Cross-the-Lineinclusion, and students were theninvited to sign the No Place for Hatecommitment. No Place for Hatechallenges participants to speak upon behalf of others who are being per-secuted or wronged. Approximately20 students have formed Ferguson’sPositive Impact Crew, which is dedi-cated to the school’s ongoing missionof inclusion and acceptance for all.They hope to earn their No Place forHate banner by early March 2011.

Mixed Choir debuts – Music teach-er Shannon Player Timmons’ MixedChoir debuted their first music videofor the student body on Sept. 17.

Fu n d r a i s e r — Fe rg u s o n ’s StuCo

and FCCLA sold coupons for theSept. 25 Applebee’s all-you-can-eatpancake breakfast fundraiser tosupport field trips, communityactivities and graduation celebrationsfor the school year.

Poetry readings — In September,Ferguson students, with teacher WillSherman, read poetry live on KRFC88.9 FM. This is a regular traditionfor FHS – this was their ninth year.

Student Achiever award — Fergu -son’s first Rotary Student Achiever of2010-2011 was senior and soon-to-be-graduate Nick Hebert, who receivedthe award from teachers based on hisphoto, video production and Webmastering technical skills. He wasfurther recognized for his quiet lead-ership, being a true gentleman, al-ways looking for ways to help out, andhis ability to juggle multiple roles ofstudent, part-time employee, andkind, patient father to baby Janae, allwhile maintaining his unique sense ofhumor! Nick received his award atFountains of Loveland during a Ro-tary luncheon on Sept. 28.

BERTHOUD HIGH SCHOOL

Fall Musical — The Berthoud HighSchool fall musical "Cinderella" willbe presented on Nov. 18, 19, and 20at 7:30 p.m. in the BHS auditorium.In addition, there will be a 2 p.m.matinee on Saturday, Nov. 20. Tickets

are available in the BHS main officeand are $8.00 in advance or $10.00at the door. The cast features 45talented young people from BHS andTurner Middle School.

NAMAQUA ELEMENTARY

PBiS — Namaqua Elementarycontinues to enforce the PBiS(Positive Behavior intervention andSupport) program and the positiveenvironment it creates at the school.They have a ROAR Store wherestudents who have earned “PAW S ” forgood behavior can buy “COOL” andexciting items.

Namaqua Night — On Sept. 23,Namaqua hosted their 2nd AnnualNamaqua Night. This was a greatopportunity for parents to get a true“hands on” of what is at the heart ofthe school, i.e., literacy, PBiS, mathand technology.

Memory garden — The school isworking on creating a “memor yg a rd e n ” to honor the passing of Na-maqua students Tess Bennett, ChadCampion and Kaylynn Tremelling.Lisa Rutherfurd, school psychologist,is in charge of this project. It will be agarden with engraved stones to honoreach student who has passed and willbe full of flowers, chimes and benchesto stop and reflect on the memory ofthose we have lost.

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Student sparks school-widecompassion for fire victims

SPELLING BEE

P-R-E-P-A-R-E! Elementary andmiddle school students havebegun preparations to competein their school-level spellingbees. Each school is eligible tosend their top spelling studentsto compete in the districtspelling bee that will be held Jan.29, 2011, at Walt Clark MiddleSchool. Please contact yourchild’s school for information ontheir school spelling bee.

The district bee will featuretwo separate bees – one forelementary students and one formiddle school students. Winnersof each bee will be recognized atan awards ceremony followingthe bee. The top six finishers inthe middle school bee areeligible to compete at theDenver Newspaper Agency StateSpelling Bee held in Denver inM a rc h .

Contact Royce Lowe, districtspelling bee coordinator, atlower@thompson.k12.co.us formore information on the districtspelling bee.

ROBOTICS

See the stories about roboticson Page 8.

CHESS

Do you love games of strategy?Like playing games where themeans can be just as satisfying asthe end? Chess is your game!Many district schools have chessteams or clubs where studentshave opportunities to learn andplay. Two chess competitions aresponsored by the district eachyear for students in kindergartenthrough 12th grade. A pre-statescholastic tournament will beheld Feb. 5, 2011, at ConradBall Middle School ($10 entry fee– a limited number ofhalf-price, need-based scholar-ships are available). The topfinisher in each age categorywill win their entry fee intothe state scholastic tournamentin Denver. Registration informa-tion will be posted soon onw w w. t h o m p s o n s c h o o l s . o rg(Academics > Programs >Gifted and Talented > Enrich-ment Opportunities).

The second tournament willbe held on April 30, 2011, atConrad Ball Middle School.This end-of-year tournament isfree to Thompson School District

students in K-12. Check thewebsite at www.thompsonschools.org a little later forregistration information.

Colorado State Universityhosts a tournament in conjunc-tion with Poudre School District.Thompson School District stu-dents are invited to attend. Itwill be on Nov. 20 at the LoryStudent Center, CSU campus.Registration information isavailable on the website atwww.thompsonschools.org (seeabove for the path). Contact yourchild's school for information onchess teams/clubs or Danel Linsat linsd@thompson.k12.co.us.

M AT H C O U N T S

How many exterior faces doesa polyhedron with a triangularbase have? What is the product ofthe first five prime numbers?Middle school “math-letes” cantest their skills with questionslike these in MathCounts, anational math competitionfor middle school students.MathCounts involves studentsin team and/or individualcompetitions.

The district MathCounts com-petition is held in late January.The regional competition will beheld at Colorado State Universityin February, and the state compe-tition will be held at the Universi-ty of Denver in March. The topfive competitors at the statecompetition receive half-tuitionscholarships to the University ofDenver or the Colorado School ofMines!

Contact your child’s schoolfor information on MathCountsor Cheryl Gillpatrick, districtMathCounts coordinator, atcgillpat@msn.com.

ODYSSEY OF THE MIND

What’s your problem? Is it“Money Maker” or “Full Circle”?“Unhinged Structure,” “Le TourGuide” or “Extreme Mouse Mo-biles”? Maybe it’s “As Good asGold…b e rg ”! Students acrossThompson School District, andin fact across the state and eventhe world, are tackling theseproblems in Odyssey of the Mind(OM) this year.

Students from kindergartenthrough high school will beworking in teams of up to sevenmembers each throughout theyear to come up with creativesolutions to these challenges. In

March they will get the firstopportunity to demonstrate theirsolutions – in no more than eightminutes – to panels of volunteerjudges. Top teams will advance tostate and even to World Finals,scheduled for late May in Mary-land.

If you are interested involunteering at a tournamentor would like more informationabout the local OM program,contact Thompson SchoolDistrict OM CoordinatorSue Teumer at teumers@t h o m p s o n . k 1 2 . c o. u s .

SHADOWS IN THE ARTS

How are students inspired topursue a deeper level of interestand experience in the visual arts?One way is through the Thomp-son School District’s Shadows inthe Arts (SITA) program. SITA isa cooperative endeavor amongteachers, artists, and the Gifted& Talented Education office. It isdesigned for community artiststo work with small groups of stu-dents for a day at host schools tointroduce the students to theartists and their particular medi-um. Students in grades 5-12 arenominated by their art teachersand are considered for the pro-gram on the basis of their gen-uine interest in the arts, artistictalents, maturity, and eagernessto be a part of this program.

Artists are already beingsought for this year’s SITAprogram, usually held in lateApril/early May. The Loveland/Berthoud area is rich with artis-tic talent! SITA artists need to bewilling to donate a day of theirtime to help introduce and sharetheir knowledge and skills with agroup of students. If you are orknow of an artist that you believewould be an inspiration for stu-dents, e-mail Dena Kirk atdpkpaints@aol.com. The pro-gram hopes to offer studentsexperience in a wide variety ofartistic mediums from drawing,painting or sculpting to jewelry,glass or fiber art. SITA alumniartists have enjoyed participatingand seeing excitement on thefaces of the students as theylearn and try something new orgo deeper with a medium theyalready love.

For more information, contactyour child’s art teacher or DenaKirk at dpkpaints@aol.com.

Gifted & Talented projects on tap

Jordan Chavez encouraged fellowstudents to contribute funds to assistvictims of the Fourmile Canyon fire.

Food drive coming up — During the lastweek of November, Namaqua will be runninga canned food drive for Philo Food Bank and atoy drive for Santa Cops.

Winter Celebration — On Dec. 9,Namaqua will have their Winter Celebrationat the Thompson Valley High SchoolAuditorium from 6-8 p.m. It will be a nightfull of music, song and acting of a play.

DISTRICT

Show features partnerships — SteppingUp is a bimonthly half-hour programfeaturing conversations with people fromorganizations engaged in partnerships withThompson School District schools. Theprogram airs twice a day on Comcast CableChannel 14 at noon and 8 p.m. and can bestreamed on demand from the districtwebsite at www.thompsonschools.org.

Hosting the show are Mike Jones, assistantsuperintendent of Human Resources &School Support, and Wes Fothergill, directorof Communication & Community Resources.

Information on Facebook — Informationon upcoming events and photographs fromevents such as the ribbon-cutting ceremonyfor Ponderosa Elementary, parade participa-tion, Excellence awards, Classified StaffWelcome Back and more are on Facebook.If you don’t have a Facebook page, you canstill visit the district’s site through theFacebook icon on the district website atw w w. t h o m p s o n s c h o o l s . o rg .

One Thompson Valley HighSchool student was con-cerned about victims of the

Fourmile Canyon fire in Boulder andturned his thoughts into actions.

Jordan Chavez said that when heheard about the fire and how it wasimpacting people, he felt he had todo something to help them “be -cause it’s just the right thing to do.”He approached Jill Tjardes-Garcia,speech/drama teacher and StudentCouncil sponsor, about raisingfunds.

“J o rd a n ’s concern and compassion

turned into action when Jordanstepped out onto the floor of theTVHS Homecoming Pep Assembly toinvite all TVHS students and staff tojoin him in giving whatever moneythey could to help,” said his re-source teacher Diane Sullivan.

Donations were collected as stu-dents and staff left the pep assemblyand collecting continued onthroughout the day by the StudentCouncil, Sullivan said. All donationswere given to the American RedCross to help the victims of the fire.

“Having known Jordan for several

years and watching him grow bothacademically and personally, it didnot surprise me at all that he choseto step up in this way out of concernfor others,” Sullivan said. “It’s verysatisfying to see a student developand demonstrate a sense of civicleadership and connectedness to thecommunity around him as well asseeing the TVHS student body con-tribute to this cause.”

Little did anyone know that verysoon after the Fourmile Canyon fire,others even closer to home in Love-land, including TVHS students,would be similarly impacted bywildfires. The concern, caring, andaction through additional donationsfrom TVHS staff and studentscontinues for those affected by theLoveland wildfire as well.

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L O V E L A N D

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