Dear Cole Families,
I hope you are having a wonderful and restful summer! As we reach the middle of summer break, I wanted to share a few updates and reminders as we start looking ahead to another great year at Cole Arts & Science Academy.
First, we have so much to celebrate from last year. In reading, we increased the percentage of Kinder-5th grade students reading above grade level by 11%. In math, which was our major school-wide focus, we increased the percentage of students performing on or above grade level by 17% and reduced the percentage performing two grade behind by 25%. That is HUGE growth and a direct reflection of the hard work of our students, staff, and families.
We recently received our preliminary CMAS results for our 3rd-5th graders, and there is even more to celebrate! While we cannot share detailed results yet, our students demonstrated meaningful academic progress, including some of our strongest state assessment results in recent years. We saw exciting improvement in math, and I am incredibly proud of the hard work our students and teachers put in throughout the year. We look forward to sharing more once the full results are publicly available. You can view your child’s individual scores on the Parent Portal.
Next year, we will continue our strong focus on math, but we will be working closely with families to urgently improve student attendance. Our own data at Cole is clear: when our students are at school, they are growing. However, we are seeing significant gaps in learning for students who miss school regularly. Students cannot benefit from strong teaching and the systems we have worked so hard to build if they are not here to access them. Even a few missed days each month add up quickly and can make it much harder for students to keep pace. We want to work alongside families to understand barriers, find solutions, and make sure every student has the opportunity to benefit from the opportunities we offer at C.A.S.A.
As we prepare for the new school year, please remember that our school hours and morning routine have changed. Breakfast will no longer be served in classrooms. Students who want to eat breakfast at school should arrive at 8:10 a.m., with breakfast beginning at 8:15 a.m. Students who do not need breakfast should plan to arrive ready to start class at 8:30 a.m. We will dismiss at 3:30 p.m.
We are also excited to welcome several new staff members to Cole! Ms. Amy Hafen joins our 2nd grade team with more than 15 years of teaching experience, and Ms. Rye Schoedel joins 1st grade after more than 15 years in Denver Public Schools. Mr. Daniel Barlow and Mr. Romario Aranda will join our 5th grade team, and Ms. Gabrielle Moeller will join our Special Education team. We are also welcoming Mr. Dennis Johnson as our new school social worker and Mr. Brad Riley as our new Dean of Students. We are still hiring for a STEM teacher and are working hard to find the right person for our students and community.
Our team has spent the past year strengthening instruction and building systems to make sure our students continue to receive a high-quality educational experience. We are excited about the year ahead and cannot wait to welcome everyone back!
Keep an eye out for Back to School Night information coming in about two weeks. Until then, I hope you continue to enjoy a safe, restful, and fun summer. As always, please reach out if I can help in any way.
In partnership,
Meredith Brown, Principal
meredith_brown@dpsk12.net