ECHS at Arvada Daily Schedule

Greetings ECHS Families and Supporters!

Many of you have asked about the ECHS Schedule - so here it is!

Mondays - Thursdays, students will begin school at 8:30am, and their final class will end at 3:25pm. All classes (including lunch) will be 55 minutes long. The school doors will open at 8:10am, and breakfast will be available for purchase ($1.50) from 8:10am - 8:25am. Food will NOT be allowed in the classrooms, so if your student plans on eating breakfast at school they will need to manage their time accordingly.

Every Friday students will be released at hour early so that teachers can attend weekly meetings and professional development. The first class on Fridays will still begin at 8:30am (doors open and breakfast is available at the same times as above). Classes, including lunch, will be 40 minutes long, and students will also have their weekly advising period on Fridays. The last class of the day will end at 2:25pm.

Latest ECHS EMail Blast!

Greetings Parents, Students and Supporters of ECHS at Arvada,
We hope that you are enjoying your summer!

The following provides you with the latest information regarding ECHS at Arvada!

Information Sessions
Please mark your calendars with the following dates for future Information Sessions:
Thursday, June 26 - Regis Room at Regis University, in Carol Hall
Wednesday, July 9 - Regis Room - (Same as Above)
Tuesday, July 22 - Newland Center - Regis Field House; park in Lot #1

Free parking
Refreshments provided
Link to the map of Regis, http://www.regis.edu/regis
7:00 pm - 8:30 pm
PLEASE, please forward this information with ANY and ALL interested parents and students!
NOTE: In the event that you get lost on campus, please call Cheryl Lucero at 720.299.5268 and she will direct you to the appropriate area.

Building Renovations Update
As of Wednesday, June 11th, construction renovations began at 4905 W. 60th Ave!!! Chris and Sarah drove up and checked it out last Thursday and it’s amazing how much they have already gotten done – we are all so excited to watch our school take shape over the next few weeks!

Sylvan Diagnostic Testing
Every student enrolling in ECHS for the '08-'09 school year must take their math and reading diagnostics through Sylvan this summer. These testing results will allow us to place your student appropriately as well as setting up individualized foundational programs as necessary. For your convenience we have partnered with Sylvan to schedule the following free dates and times. Each date is limited to 25 students, and the times are not flexible. Sign up early to ensure you can schedule your first or second choice. Families who are unable to make any of the 5 testing sessions that we have scheduled, will need to schedule an individual testing time and date with Sylvan, and the charge will be $100 ($99 off their regular testing fee).
Note: If your family needs to do this please let Sarah know asap and she will have the Sylvan staff contact you!
Dates and Times
· Friday, June 27th, 9am – 12pm
· Friday July 11th, 9am – 12pm
· Saturday, July 19th, 2pm – 5pm
· Friday, July 25th, 9am – 12pm
All testing will take place at the Westminster Sylvan Learning Center, located at 8393 Church Ranch Blvd., Bldg A, Suite 100. Please arrive 5-10 minutes early for testing to get set up. Late arrivals may forfeit their testing slot and need to reschedule. Tests are timed, so if your student has an IEP requesting additional test time you must let Sarah know (and provide a copy of your student’s IEP) prior to testing.
***At Testing, All ECHS Students will Receive a Sheet that Details the Partnership Between Sylvan and ECHS – Please Ask Your Students for the Sheet and Read it Carefully***

Interested in your student’s test results? Sarah will have Sylvan test results for all ECHS students by July 28th. As she receives the results she will use them to determine if your student needs to take the Sylvan On line courses in either math or reading during the first quarter of the 08-09 school year. All families will be notified of their student’s test results via mail in August. Students who we recommend take part in the Sylvan On line courses will be notified in July and asked to come in for a meeting to review the results and recommendations in person.

Foreign Language Courses
Sarah wants to thank the families who have notified her with their preference for a foreign language course (Spanish or French) for the 08-09 school year. ECHS is contracting the UCD and CU-Succeeds to provide these courses, and thus we do have a minimum required enrollment to run the classes. Based on the numbers we have received we will be offering 1 section of Spanish and 1 section of French, each limited to 25 students. If you have not notified Sarah via phone or email with your student’s desire to take foreign language (as well as which language and how many years of experience they have to date) we cannot guarantee your student a spot. Please call or email immediately if you want to reserve your student a spot in a language course next year.

Enrollment Confirmation Packets
Enrollment confirmation packets have now been sent to all students on our enrollment list. If you have not received yours please call Sarah ASAP – it could be that your contact information was incorrect or illegible. If you have not returned your enrollment confirmation and questionnaire, please remember that your students is not officially enrolled at ECHS until we receive them!

ECHS at Arvada Clothing
If you have ordered t-shirts already we have them available for you to pick up. We will also be happy to bring them to future Information Sessions – but you need to give us 24 hours of notice if you want to pick yours up that way. If you have NOT ordered a t-shirt, we only have 2 left (all size Large). After this first batch is gone so is the promotional price! We will be ordering additional t-shirts for the fall, along with awesome dark green zip-up hoodies with an embroidered ECHS logo. T-shirts will be $7 in the Fall, Hoodies will be $26 each.

Parent Advisory Committee (PAC)
We are still seeking interested parents who would like to become actively involved in our Parent Advisory Council (PAC). Your positive feedback, suggestions and ideas will definitely help us continue to create a solid and successful learning environment for our youth! If you are interested in joining PAC, please feel free to contact Cheryl Lucero at 720.299.5268 or Sarah Brock at sbrock@echswest.org or 303-275-7140. We expect to have our first PAC get together in late July – stay tuned!

The calendar on the website www.echswest.org is up-to-date, and includes all information sessions (with locations), and all vacations and professional development days for the '08-'09 school year.

Thanks again for choosing ECHS at Arvada! Please do not hesitate to contact Cheryl, Chris, or Sarah with any questions or comments that you may have!

Have another fantastic week!

ECHS Update (6-4-08)

Greetings Parents, Students and Supporters of ECHS at Arvada,

Hopefully everyone is enjoying the start to their summer! We would like to share the following important items with you regarding ECHS at Arvada!

Information Sessions
Please mark your calendars with the following dates for future Information Sessions:

• Thursday, June 26 - Regis Room in the Carroll Hall (East of the Student Center) on the campus of Regis University located on 50th & Lowell Blvd.
• Wednesday, July 9 - Regis Room - (Same as Above)
• Tuesday, July 22 - Newland Center - At the Field House; Enter on Regis Blvd.(50th Ave.) and park in Lot #1.

All ECHS Information Sessions take place from 7:00pm - 8:30pm, with refreshmants provided. Free parking is available on the Regis Campus.

PLEASE feel free to share information with ANY and ALL interested parents and students.
Here is the link to the map of Regis, http://www.regis.edu/regis

New Contact Information for Chris & Sarah
Sarah and Chris have found office space for the summer as they wait (patiently) for the building renovations to be complete! The best way to get in touch with either of them or for general information about ECHS is:

303-275-7140 (phone)
303-275-7141 (fax – will be set up later this week)
Early College High School
355 S. Teller St.
Suite 200
Lakewood, CO 80226

Dates for Sylvan Diagnostic Testing Have Been Set!
Every student enrolling in ECHS for the '08-'09 school year must take their math and reading diagnostics through Sylvan this summer. These testing results will allow us to place your student appropriately as well as setting up individualized foundational programs as necessary.
For your convenience we have partnered with Sylvan to schedule the following free dates and times. Each date is limited to 25 students, and the times are not flexible. Families who are unable to make any of the 5 testing sessions that we have scheduled, will need to schedule an individual testing time and date with Sylvan, and the charge will be $100 ($99 off their regular testing fee).

Note: If your family needs to do this please let Sarah know asap and she will have the Sylvan staff contact you!

Dates and Times
· Friday, June 13th, 9am – 12pm
· Friday, June 27th, 9am – 12pm
· Friday July 11th, 9am – 12pm
· Saturday, July 19th, 2pm – 5pm
· Friday, July 25th, 9am – 12pm

All testing will take place at the Westminster Sylvan Learning Center, located at 8393 Church Ranch Blvd., Bldg A, Suite 100. Please arrive 5-10 minutes early for testing to get set up. Late arrivals may forfeit their testing slot and need to reschedule. Tests are timed, so if your student has an IEP requesting additional test time you must let Sarah know (and provide a copy of your student’s IEP) prior to testing.

To reserve your spot – email or call Sarah with your first and second choice. Remember, space is limited and testing is required for placement, so sign up early!

Foreign Language Courses
Thank you so much to the families who have notified me with their preference for a foreign language course for the 08-09 school year. ECHS is contracting the UCD and CU-Succeeds to provide these courses, and thus we do have a minimum required enrollment to run the classes. Based on the numbers we have received we will be offering 1 section of Spanish and 1 section of French, each limited to 25 students. If you have not notified Sarah via phone or email with your student’s desire to take foreign language (as well as which language and how many years of experience they have to date) we cannot guarantee your student a spot. I will extend the deadline to June 30th, but cannot extend it beyond due to the need to find faculty for our courses.

Enrollment Confirmation Packets
I apologize for the delay in getting these out after our May 17th Open House. As many of you know, Chris and I have just settled into our office for the summer as of last Friday. Unfortunately with all of the packing, moving, and unpacking, I haven’t gotten these out yet – they will go out this week…if you have not received yours by the 13th please call me!

ECHS at Arvada T-Shirts
There are still a limited amount of ECHS at Arvada t-shirts (high quality, white cotton) available for only $5.00. Please contact Sarah at at sbrock@echswest.org or 303-275-7140 to order yours today!

Parent Advisory Committee (PAC)
We are still seeking interested parents who would like to become actively involved in our Parent Advisory Council (PAC). Your positive feedback, suggestions and ideas will definitely help us continue to create a solid and successful learning environment for our youth! If you are interested in joining PAC, please feel free to contact Cheryl Lucero at 720.299.5268 or Sarah Brock at sbrock@echswest.org or 303-275-7140.

Website
The calendar on the website www.echswest.org is up-to-date, and includes all information sessions (with locations), and all vacations and professional development days for the '08-'09 school year.

Thanks again for choosing ECHS at Arvada! Please do not hesitate to contact Cheryl, Chris, or Sarah with any questions or comments that you may have!

Have another fantastic week!

Sarah Brock Chris Gerboth Cheryl L. Lucero Director CEO Public Relations

ECHS Open House

Hello ECHS Families and Partners!

Just a reminder - the ECHS Open House is Saturday, May 17th, from 10am - 2pm.

A fantastic parent just let us know that the date is incorrect on one of the webpages...but I promise you, it is the 17th, and I am so sorry for any confusion!

Remember, if you plan on attending please let Cheryl or myself know so that we can make sure we have enough snacks and handouts!

Take care,
Sarah

ECHS Information Session

Hello ECHS Families!

The Information Session tonight - in case you didn't receive the email blast is at Regis University in Carol Hall. There should be signs pointing you in the right direction. The Hall is just across from the Student Center. The session will be from 7pm - 8:30pm - looking forward to seeing you all there!

Take care,
Sarah

Information Session Update

Greetings Future ECHS Families!

I apologize for the delay regarding a place for our May Information Sessions. As you know, we can no longer use the Carl Park Community Center due to scheduling conflicts and we've been searching for a new locale. We were hoping to find a permanent solution that would last all summer (since we'll be having these sessions in June and July as well) but we haven't found one yet.

I should have confirmation of a place for our May 6th session before noon tomorrow - at that point I'll send an email out to all of the parents on our email list and post the information here as well.

Thank you for your patience and flexibility!
Sarah

ECHS Updates for the week of April 28th

Greetings New Parents and Students of ECHS at Arvada

First and foremost we would like to thank all of the interested parents and students who attended our free information session on Thursday, 4-24-2008 at Taza de Cafe.

We are very excited to share the following happenings with you:

ECHS at Arvada FIRST Open House

The Open House will be held at the actual facility that will be the home of Early College at Arvada! Mark your calendars now! Details below:

• Saturday, May 17, 2008
• 4905 W. 60th Ave., Arvada CO 80003
• 10am - 2pm
• Tours provided
• Refreshments will be served
• BRING FAMILY, FRIENDS, EVERYONE!!!

Please email Cheryl Lucero at cheryllucero@yahoo.com or call her at 720.299.5268 to let her know the following information, the number of people you are bringing, the names of the potential student(s) you are bringing, and about what time you think you’ll stop by. We lool forward to seeing you there!


Free Information Sessions

We will continue to host more FREE Information Sessions on the following dates:

• Tuesday, May 6, 2008
• Wednesday, May 21, 2008
• 7:00 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.
• Location SOON to be announced. We will inform you know as soon as we have a location confirmed.
• Refreshments Provided

Please feel free to share this information with a parent(s) who is seeking a "quality" education for 9th grade students in the Fall 2008!

Notes from the Director of ECHS at Arvada, Sarah Brock

The ECHS testing calendar has been updated. All incoming ECHS students will be required to take Initial Diagnostis Assessments through Sylvan in both reading and math. These results will inform course placement as well as allow us to create individual foundational programs as needed. Accuplacer testing will not occur until later in the school year – most likely in December/January.

By now you have heard about our plan to create an ECHS Parent Advisory Council (PAC). The PAC will be made up of parents, legal guardians, aunts and uncles…anyone who has an interest in helping ECHS students succeed!

As Director of Early College High School at Arvada, I will acting as an advisor to the PAC as well as the current school liasion. The ECHS PAC will be a standing committee of the ECHS Board of Directors, and the PAC Committee Chair will serve as a regular voting member of the ECHS Board of Directors. The ECHS Board of Directors will work with the PAC Committee Chair to determine and guide the responsibilities of the group. Unless otherwise determined by the ECHS Board of Directors, the PAC shall be responsible for providing regular feedback on school academic life, school culture, management effectiveness, allocations of resources, and communication with parents and other stakeholders. In addition, the Council may advise the Board on recruitment of board members, as requested by the Board of Directors, as well as assist in fundraising and other school events and activities.

Anyone interested in learning more about or becoming a part of the ECHS PAC, please contact Sarah Brock at sbrock@echswest.org. Thank you in advance for your involvement with and dedication to Early College High School at Arvada!

La Raza Youth Conference/Education Fair

We are very pleased to announce that we shared our information (flyers) with over 1,500 students during the Education Fair at the La Raza Youth Conference held at Metro State College on Saturday, 4-26-2008. We look forward to being a part of this exciting conference again next year!

Community Update

Those of you living in the ECHS at Arvada community are probably aware of the decisions being made about Ranum and Westminster high schools. We are concerned about the plan for Ranum's current 9th graders to attend three schools over their four years of high school. We have been following this issue closely and have made an important decision to address the community needs!

We have decided to open ECHS at Arvada to a small class of 10th grade students in the Fall of 2008.

If you currently have a 9th grader or know of someone who does, please share this opportunity with them!

Once again we would like to say "THANK-YOU for your decision to select ECHS at Arvada as your "school of choice!" We are looking forward to getting to know all of you over the next four years!

The Staff of ECHS at Arvada

Location Change

Thank you to all of the parents and students who came to tonight's Information Session at Taza Coffeehouse! To any who did not find us tonight I apologize - we had to do a venue change due to a prior commitment at the Community Center. Luckily Cheryl, our PR Director, was able to get ahold of Rosemarie, the fantastic owner of Taza, and she kept the shop open late just for us!

Tonight was another great session with lots of good questions - keep 'em coming! We hope to see all of you (and your friends) at our upcoming Open House on May 17th.

Please watch the email blasts and this blog for the venues of our future Information Sessions - we will be having two each month through July, but they will not be held at the Community Center...as soon as we confirm a place you'll be the first to know!

Take care all, and have a great weekend!

Sarah

This Week's ECHS Updates

Greetings New Parents/Guardians and Students of ECHS at Arvada

We hope that you are enjoying the warm weather!

This weekly e-mail blast is designed to fill you in on all of the latest and greatest happenings at Early College High School at Arvada!

ECHS at Arvada is hosting a Information Session, Thursday, April 24th, 2008, at Carl Park Recreation Center located at 5401 Meade St. (North Denver) from 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm

PLEASE feel free to bring any interested parents, students and community members!

Also, please mark your calendars for the following dates for future Information Sessions:
· Tuesday, May 6, 2008
· Wednesday, May 21, 2008
· 7:00 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.
· Carl Park Recreation Center, 5401 Meade St. (North Denver)
· Refreshments Provided
· Please feel free to share this information with a parent(s) who is seeking a quality education for their 9th and 10th grade students in the Fall 2008.

We would also like to extend an invitation for you and your family and friends to attend the first ever ECHS at Arvada Open House. This Open House will be held at the actual facility that will become the Early College High School at Arvada. Details below:
· Saturday, May 17th
· 4905 W. 60th Ave.
· Arvada, CO 80003
· 10am – 2pm
· Tours will be provided
· Refreshments will be served
· BRING FAMILY, FRIENDS, EVERYONE

ECHS at Arvada is also very excited to announce that we will have a table at the Education Fair at the 18th Annual La Raza Youth Conference – please stop by and say hello if you and your family are planning to attend. The conference is on Saturday, April 26, 2008 at Metropolitan State College. From 7:30am – 9am we will be distributing information and answering questions about ECHS at Arvada to over 1,500 students from all over Colorado!
A few other quick notes:
· In May and June additional mailings about ECHS will go out to the community we will be serving. Look for one early this summer about our partnership with Sylvan Learning Center!
· Sarah and Chris met with the Pastor at Simpson United Methodist Church (next to the ECHS facility) and are working on a partnership agreement that would allow us to use their beautiful full-size gymnasium!

Announcing a great way to become an active part of the ECHS at Arvada family! You’ve probably heard us talk about the Motivated Mom’s Club – now renamed the ECHS Parent Advisory Council. Our plan is to work with our students’ families to create a group that will actively assist us in supporting our students and truly have a voice at our school. Once established, the ECHS PAC will meet monthly to share ideas and concerns, and will have a representative on our Board of Directors to bring this information directly to the ECHS governing body. In next week’s email blast there will be a “mission description” for the ECHS PAC – after reading it over, if you are interested in learning more please contact Cheryl at 720.299.5268 or Sarah Brock.

COMMUNITY UPDATE: Those of you living in the ECHS at Arvada community are probably aware of the decisions being made about Ranum and Westminster High Schools. We have been following this issue closely and have made an important decision. We are concerned about the plan for Ranum’s current 9th graders to attend three schools over their four years of high school. To address this community need we have decided to open ECHS at Arvada to a small class of students who will be entering 10th grade in the Fall. If you have a current 9th grader or know someone who does, please let them know about this opportunity. Because this class will be extremely small, we anticipate that it will fill quickly.

Finally, some of you have received calls or emails from Sarah Brock, the ECHS at Arvada Director, asking for additional information such as your student’s date of birth, your current address, an additional phone number, or their current school’s name. Please be sure to get back to her asap!

Thank you again for your decision to select ECHS at Arvada as your school of choice – we are looking forward to getting to know your families over the next four years!

Information session, April 8

There will be an information session on Tuesday, April 8 for students and parents interested in attending Early College High School. We encourage all parents and students to attend, even if you attended a previous session, as there will be important updates on facilities, staffing, and curriculum development.

The information session will be held at Carl Park Recreation Center at 5401 Meade Street from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Refreshments will be provided.

We look forward to seeing you there!

ECHS Receives Start-Up Grant

ECHS has received a three year start-up grant from the Colorado Department of Education (CDE) to fund purchasing of school materials, equipment, and furniture. The grant provides $215,000 in funding prior to the beginning of the school year, plus two additional years of funding for years 1 and 2. The grant is part of a federal public charter shool grant block grant, administered through CDE.

Grants are scored by CDE staff and external reviewers. ECHS's grant receive 68 out of a possible 86 points. A score of 48 points was required for approval.

While the year 1 appropriation is $215,000, the three-year grant total will exceed $500,000.

Information sessions for March, April

Join us to learn more about Early College High School on March 4, March 12, and April 8 for student and parent information sessions. We will be discussing enrollment, curriculum, and how the early college program works for students who want to begin earning college credit while still in high school.

All information sessions will be held at the Carl Park Recreation Center (5401 Meade St.). You can call 303-935-5473 ext. 310 for more information.

CSI closes year with only three approvals

The Colorado Charter School Institute closed out 2007 with only three approvals for new charter schools. Early College High School was the only school approved to open in the Adams 50 school district. The contract for ECHS was approved in early January.

ECHS will open with 130 ninth-grade students in August 2008. It will become only the third fully-functional early college high school in Colorado.