New Jeffco Schools Superintendent Tracy Dorland will officially begin work this Monday, April 19. The Jeffco School Board approved her contract on April 14, after naming Dorland the sole finalist for the superintendent position on March 25. Dorland has long been a part of the Denver metro community, growing in up in the area and…
The Jeffco School Board members will get a first look at what later school start times might look like at the Feb. 5 board study session. Members of the Start Time Task Force will present their proposals for later start times, standard length of day, and a minimum 30-minute lunch. Their presentation will be joined…
Plans to implement later school start times for middle and high schools continue to move forward. This fall, consulting company School Bus Logistics is drawing up models of what those changes could look like for Jeffco Schools. Jeffco hired the company in August to assess the financial and logistical hurdles involved in changing start times….
Wednesday’s school closure and the 20th anniversary of the Columbine tragedy have made for a very challenging week for our community. Anniversaries are always difficult, as is finding a way to sensitively talk about school violence with children. There are resources that can help. “Seeking out mental health counseling is not a sign of weakness,…
In an effort to continue highlighting the wide variety of choices available to Jeffco students, Jeffco PEN is covering the neighborhood high schools in each of Jeffco’s 17 articulation areas. To learn more about Jefferson Junior/Senior High School (JHS) and the Jefferson Articulation Area, we talked to JHS Principal Michael James. With more than two decades in…
Additional mental health support for Jeffco students is in the works due to funding from 5A, the mill levy override approved in November. The district will use some of that funding to expand mental health support by adding a half-time Social Emotional Learning Specialist (SELS) to every elementary school. The goal of adding SELS is…
Jeffco Schools will premiere a two-hour delayed start pilot in March as a potential option to a full-closure or regular school schedule for hazardous weather days, Superintendent Jason Glass told board members at their Feb. 7 regular meeting. “The question frequently comes up, ‘Why doesn’t Jeffco have a delay?’” Glass said. Several metro-area school districts…
Jeffco Schools furthers its investment in innovative ideas with a new round of funded projects through the Jeffco Innovation Acceleration Fund. This round, known as 2.0, grouped ideas by cost. Two “big ideas” won funding, along with three “medium ideas” and 14 ideas receiving minimal funding. Big Idea Winners (> $50K) Chatfield High School hopes…
Evaluating teachers, managing discipline issues, and ensuring a safe, welcoming and warm environment are just some of the roles that principals are responsible for in schools today, according to Karen Quanbeck, Jeffco chief of schools – elementary, and the number of roles a school principal is responsible for has expanded considerably in recent years. “We’ve added…
In an effort to continue highlighting the wide variety of choices available to Jeffco students, Jeffco PEN is highlighting the neighborhood high schools in each of Jeffco’s 17 articulation areas. To learn more about Golden High School (GHS) and the Golden Articulation Area, we talked to Assistant Principal Gretchen Carter, 2018 Jeffco Schools Assistant Principal of…
