2019_FSJ_Summer_Eng

Summer 2019 Vol. 18 | No. 4
www.adams12.org
COVER:
STEM
LAUNCH
TOURS
AMAZON
FACILITY
PAGE 12
Coronado Hills
Green Team Makes
a Difference
PAGE 8
Seniors Graduate
with Honors
PAGE 16
Summer Bond
Projects Set To Begin
PAGE 19
Photo credit: Amazon
POINTS OF PRIDE | PAGE 24

News Journal
Vol. 18 | No. 4 | Summer 2019
Connecting you
to your Five Star Schools
News Journal
Official Sponsor of
the Five Star Journal
Communications Services
1500 E. 128th Ave.
Thornton, CO 80241
(720) 972-4156
www.adams12.org
Board of Education
Kathy Plomer
Laura Mitchell
Norm Jennings
Brian Batz
Jamey Lockley
Adams 12 Five Star Schools is a caring, inclusive and
engaging district which exists so the students it serves
can attain the knowledge and skills necessary to
pursue the future of their choosing and are equipped
to navigate and thrive in our rapidly changing world.

IN THIS ISSUE
4 Superintendent Message
8 Student Spotlight
12 Community Partnership
14 Five Star Snapshots
16 Grad Honors
19 2016 Bond Update: Pardon our Dust
23 District Calendar
24 Points of Pride
26 In the News

SUPERINTENDENT MESSAGE
2019-2020
Budget
Budget proposal prioritizes competitive compensation,
class size relief and school programs
Thanks to the support of state legislators who provided additional funding for
education (projected to be almost $12 million annually for our district), and local
voters who passed a $27 million mill levy override (Ballot Issue 5C) in November
2018, Adams 12 Five Star Schools will make the most significant investment in our
schools in more than a decade.
My proposed budget for the 2019-2020 school year boosts compensation
for our teachers and support staff to remain competitive with our peer school
districts; provides class size relief and increases high school course options; and
supports the diverse learning needs of our students. All of these investments
align with what thousands in our community told us they valued during our process
to develop the district’s new strategic plan – ELEVATE.
COMPETITIVE COMPENSATION
In early May we reached tentative agreement with our teachers’ association on all
elements of a compensation package that positions the Five Star District to remain
competitive in recruiting and retaining the very best teachers. The most significant
area where we currently lag our peers is for our early career educators. Our new
compensation package moves the starting salary for teachers to $44,000, while
also increasing compensation across all experience levels.
5C INVESTMENTS
As part of my proposed 2019-2020 budget, we will hire more than 150 employees
in support of investments our community prioritized through ELEVATE and the
passage of 5C. One of the most significant areas of investment is in class size relief
and the expansion of course options at the secondary level. We are hiring more
4

By Chris Gdowski, Superintendent
Follow on twitter
@SuptGdowski
than 50 teachers for next school year to address class sizes that are above target levels
in elementary schools and to provide class size relief and/or more course options
aligned to specific school needs at the middle and high school levels.
In support of the diverse learning needs of our students, we are adding academic
interventionists at our elementary and K-8 schools. These interventionists will work
directly with students in accelerating their learning in literacy and math. We are
also hiring a district academic intervention coordinator to support consistent and
ongoing professional learning for all school-based academic interventionists.
Another focus area of ELEVATE is social-emotional learning. Beginning next year,
we will add social-emotional learning specialists in all of our elementary, middle
and K-8 schools. This is a new position that will support student growth in socialemotional
competencies. In addition to working with school staff on the planning
and delivery of our social-emotional curriculum, these specialists will work with
students individually, in small groups and across all classrooms. At the high school
level, we will provide additional counselors to better support the individual needs
of our students.
ADDITIONAL PRIORITY INVESTMENTS
Beyond the investments outlined in 5C, my proposed budget calls for additional
staffing to support our students in special education and our emerging bilinguals.
Additionally, during the past decade as we went through the Great Recession and
made significant budget cuts, some of the hardest hit areas were in the support
services that our district departments provide schools. We are adding additional
dollars to our information technology and facility operations budgets so we can
appropriately maintain the investments we’re making through 5C and the 2016 Bond.
The Adams 12 Five Star Schools Board of Education is scheduled to adopt the
budget at its regular meeting on June 19, 2019.
Thank you for your partnership in fostering student success in the Five Star District.
We would not be in a position of celebrating gains in academic achievement and
growth without the support of our parents and community.
Enjoy your summer! •
Five Star Journal, Summer 2019 | 5

2019-2020
BACK TO SCHOOL
Saturday | August 10, 2019
8:30-11:30 a.m.
FIVE STAR STADIUM, 9351 WASHINGTON ST, THORNTON, CO 80229
RESOURCES AVAILABLE FOR STUDENTS AND FAMILIES:
• Sign up for Free and
Reduced Lunch
• Transportation info
• Online Check-In for all
enrolled students
• Check / update contact info
• Access to community
resources
• Giveaways and more!
www.adams12.org/back2school
6 | Elementary School Feature

FREE
SUMMER MEALS
FOR YOUTH AGES 1-18
Adults can purchase breakfast for $2.70 and lunch for $3.85.
2019 summer meal programs are available at the following schools:
SCHOOLS BREAKFAST LUNCH DAYS DATES OPEN
Arapahoe Ridge Elementary 9:00-9:30 am 10:45 am-12:30 pm M-F June 3 - July 12
13095 Pecos Street, Westminster, CO 80234
Coronado Hills Elementary 8:30-9:00 am 10:45 am-12:30 pm M-Th June 3 - July 11
8300 Downing Drive, Denver, CO 80229
North Star Elementary
8740 North Star Drive, Thornton, CO 80260
Riverdale Elementary
10724 Elm Drive, Thornton, CO 80233
Westview Elementary
1300 Roseanna Drive, Northglenn, CO 80234
8:30-9:00 am 10:45 am-12:30 pm M-Th June 3 - July 11
9:00-9:30 am 10:45 am-12:30 pm M-Th June 3 - July 11
9:00-9:30 am 10:45 am-12:30 pm M-Th June 3 - July 11
All locations will be closed on July 4 in observance of Independence Day.
For more information and summer menu,
visit www.adams12.org/SummerMeals
Questions? Contact Nutrition Services at (720) 972-4123.
This institution is an equal opportunity provider.
kidsfoodfinder.org

Green Team (not in order): Christian Brock, Essence Romero, Jaylene Gallegos, Morgan Hein, McKenleigh Hein, Tristan Brock, Zuly de
Santos, and Avah Bryant. Not pictured: Skylar Hein, Edwin Murguia, Adamariz Jaime Batalla, and Kayla Binsol.
Student Spotlight
Coronado Hills wins “Resource Central’s
Renew Our Schools Program”
Coronado Hills Elementary won the “Resource Central’s Renew
Our Schools Program”, founded by the Innovo Foundation.
Renew Our Schools is a K-12 energy conservation program that
is available to schools across the nation. Students and staff at
Coronado Hills worked together to reduce energy usage and
completed energy saving projects to earn additional points.
As the winning school, Coronado Hills will receive $2,500 to
be put toward an energy project at the school.
Student presents to
Princpial Beuke.
We sat down with members of the school’s Green Team to hear about the challenge and
what it meant to them to be named the challenge winners.
Q. What were some of the steps you took to get everyone in the school involved?
A. We did multiple things to give everyone in the school a chance to get involved:
• Our Green Team sent emails to teachers with reminders and tips on how to save energy
in the classroom, and we made posters to remind the students to turn off the computers
and lights when they weren’t using them.
• We had a classroom contest. The classes could earn points by having the lights off when
no one was in the classroom, having the computers in sleep mode when they weren’t
8

eing used, having the flex space lights
off or dimmed when no one was using the
space, and doing lessons on recycling and
saving energy in their class.
• Our principal, Mr. Beuke, made announcements
twice a week to remind everyone
to save energy.
• We talked to our afterschool programs —
PEAK and BASE — to help us with saving
energy while they were using the school
for their programs.
• One of our school custodians, Ms. Donalee
Ortega, helped check areas of the school
that we don’t normally go to and helped
us figure out a schedule for when the main
school lights could go off at night and on
in the morning while still being safe for
everyone who was in the building.
Q. What things did you do to help reduce
energy for the challenge?
A.
• We used a light meter to check the light
levels in every room of the school. This
told us which areas had too much light
and didn’t need all of the lights on.
• We turned off computers and lights that
weren’t being used.
• We checked extra things, like the coffee
maker and the Pepsi machine, to see how
much energy they were using.
• While we were recycling, we stopped and
turned off lights around the school that
weren’t needing to be used and talked to
teachers to remind them.
• We used an air thermometer to see which
classes were too hot. Then we saw if there
was something we could do to reduce the
heat from the sun so the air conditioner
did not have to run as much.
• Our custodians started turning the main
lights off (safety lights were still on) at
6 p.m. if there were no night time events
and turned them on at 6:30 a.m.
• Our cafeteria turned some of the lights off
when it was a bright day so that we could
use natural light.
• We also did a school energy audit with our
contest mentor, Mr. Adam Tischner, and
he gave us tips on things we could do like
asking teachers to turn off their document
cameras when they weren’t using them.
Q. What did you most enjoy about the
challenge?
A. We liked learning about ways to save
energy. We liked telling everyone about
the challenge and telling them that we can
win if we save energy. We enjoyed using
the light meter, the thermometer, and the
energy meter to do the school audit. We
got to do some fun stuff but also help save
the planet.
Q. How did you feel when you found out
that the school won?
A. We were happy and excited! We were
shocked because we thought we were
going to be in second place.
Q. What are the Green Team’s next steps
now that the contest is over?
A. We want to be ready to do it again next
year. We want to keep saving energy at the
school. As the Green Team, we also do the
recycling for our school so we will keep
doing that. Additionally, we are looking at
how we want to spend the money that we
won for the school to help us save more
energy. •
Five Star Journal, Summer 2019 | 9

GRADUATING CLASS
of 2021 and Beyond
The new graduation requirements for the Class of 2021 and beyond focus on two areas:
Credits and Coursework and College and Career Readiness Demonstrations.
1 CREDITS AND COURSEWORK 2
High school students will complete 23 credits in the
following coursework to graduate:
4 English
3 Mathematics
3 Social Studies
(1.0 United States History, 0.5 Government)
3 Science
(2 lab-based credits)
1 Physical Education*
(0.5 Health)
NO Physical Education Waiver available
2 Fine & Practical Arts
(Music, Art, Theater, Career & Technical Education,
World Language)
7 Electives*
COLLEGE AND CAREER READINESS
DEMONSTRATIONS
High school students must demonstrate college
and career readiness in English and mathematics by
achieving a minimum score or grade in at least ONE
of the following assessment demonstrations*:
• Accuplacer
• ACT
• ACT Work Keys
• Advanced Placement (AP)
• ASVAB
• Concurrent Enrollment
• Collaboratively Developed Assessment
• District Capstone
• Industry Certificate
• International Baccalaureate (IB)
• SAT
*New requirement beginning with the Class of 2021
*Students are not required to achieve a minimum score for English
and mathematics in the same assessment demonstration
WHAT ARE COLLEGE AND CAREER READINESS DEMONSTRATIONS?
College and Career Readiness Demonstrations are assessments, assignments or classes in which students
can demonstrate proficiency in both English and mathematics. By achieving a minimum score or grade in
AT LEAST ONE of the demonstrations AND completing the coursework listed above, students will become
eligible to graduate beginning with the Class of 2021 and beyond.
Details and ongoing updates available at
www.adams12.org/graduation-requirements
Five Star Journal, Summer 2019 | 11

Community Partnerships
Amazon delivers funding, mentoring
to STEM Launch students
When STEM Launch students toured the new
Amazon fulfillment center in Thornton they
expected to see how robots, and the humans
programming them, deliver goods. What they
didn’t expect was for one of those robots to
deliver a $25,000 check to support their access
to technology.
The students, along with family members and STEM Launch faculty, were touring the
800,000 square-foot fulfillment center in April as part of Robotics Week, and presenting the
robotics and coding projects they’d been working on through the school’s Family Maker-
Space to the Amazon team.
“It was a huge surprise, the magnitude of the donation,” said Principal Marty McCarthy. “It’s a
game changer for the MakerSpace.”
The funds from Amazon will allow the school to purchase more hardware that students can
check out to take home, like Raspberry Pis, and expand their offerings at the MakerSpace. The
Family MakerSpace has allowed students, and their families, to take on STEM-focused projects
12

“It is wonderful when
you have a business
recognize the need for
improving students’
access and just offer
to help out.”
- Deb Harding
STEM Launch Computer Science Educator
after school or at home since it was launched
in Fall 2017. The goal of the space is to “allow
families to have access and be inventive, be
creative,” said STEM Launch Computer Science
Educator Deb Harding. “I want these kids to
be able to play, because when they’re playing,
they’re learning.”
“A lot of the people in our community don’t
have access to technology,” Harding said.
“About 30 percent of our students in middle
school do not have computers at home … so
we wanted to be able to have a space where
they can come in and learn and their families
can come with them – and that they can
‘borrow items to take home’.”
Amazon staff found out about the school –
focused on science, technology, engineering
and math for kindergarten to eighth-grade
students – after doing some research and
seeing how they both are working to support
access to technology and 21st century skills.
“Amazon is always looking for ways to give
back to our communities where our employees
live and work,” said Amazon spokesperson
Lisa Guinn.
Partnerships like this with higher education
institutions and businesses are critical to
their success, McCarthy said: “Enhancing the
quality and reach of our Family MakerSpace
fulfills our mission of preparing students
with the tools to create the jobs of the
future. This can only happen through
authentic partnerships with our community
and local industries such as Amazon, and we
are thankful for the opportunity.”
Harding agrees that the partnership is
impactful.
“It is wonderful when you have a business
recognize the need for improving students’
access and just offer to help out,” Harding
said. “We need more businesses like Amazon
who are like ‘what can we do to support the
growth of students, and especially those who
don’t have access’.”
For Amazon, it’s about inspiring future
innovators.
“For us it was great to see what they’re doing
in the Family MakerSpace,” Guinn said, “and
really knowing that it’s passion, and energy of
students and families coming together.”
It’s allowing an entire community to build
new skills that will be important as the pace
of technology continues to accelerate.
“We are focused on having students learn
to collaborate, think critically, problem-solve
and become digitally literate,” Adams 12 Five
Star Schools Superintendent Chris Gdowski
said in a statement. “Amazon’s generous
gift and partnership will enhance the STEM
Launch Family MakerSpace, and provide
students and their families an invaluable
experience with the real-world technology
used by Amazon.” •
Five Star Journal, Summer 2019 | 13

1
A collection of photos from events
happening around the district.
2
3
4 4
4
4
Tag us in your images on social media using #FiveStarProud.

5
7
5
7
6 7
Left page: (1) All high schools received the Council of Excellence Recognition for their respective student governments
(2) First district all-employee BBQ (3) Thornton High School senior Nicole recognized as a Latinas First Foundation
Scholar at luncheon (4) Five Star 5K > see more photos online at www.adams12.org/fivestar5k
Right page: (5) Leroy Elementary transformed Library into Earth Day Learning Expo (6) Century Middle Schools
2019 Civil War Reenactment (7) Hispanic Advisory Council’s award ceremony
Five Star Journal, Summer 2019 | 15

GRAD HONORS
As we near the end of another school year, we
are reminded that getting to graduation is a
true testament of not only the student’s hard
work, but that of the families, teachers and
community members who helped them gain
the knowledge and skills necessary to pursue
a future of their choosing.
This educational teamwork, yet again,
proved a success with graduates from each of
the district’s traditional high schools earning
prestigious scholarships and military appointments.
The Class of 2019 collectively earned
more than $20.3 million in scholarships. Below
represents only a few of those honors from
the Class of 2019 – congratulations to each
and every graduate for their accomplishments
during their time at Five Star Schools.
Four students selected as 2019 Boettcher
Scholarship recipients
Congratulations to the 2019 Boettcher
Scholarship recipients:
• Sunderland Baker, Northglenn High School
• Sydnei Lewis, Northglenn High School
• Preston Nash, Legacy High School
• Mikyala Postma, Horizon High School
The Boettcher Foundation recognizes
Colorado’s top students by providing them
with the funds to attain an excellent in-state
education and access to additional opportunities
to enrich their time in college and
beyond. The selection process is competitive
and rigorous. The Five Star students are four
of only 42 students named recipients out of
nearly 1,500 applications. For more information
on the Boettcher Scholarship, visit
BoettcherFoundation.org.
Mountain Range student named 2019
Daniels Scholar
Congratulations to Tanner D. Arthur from
Mountain Range for being named a 2019
Daniels Scholar. Tanner was selected from
the four-state region of Colorado, New Mexico,
Utah and Wyoming for demonstrating
exceptional character, leadership and
commitment to serving his community. The
Daniels Scholarship Program offers resources,
encouragement and inspiration far beyond
the financial assistance needed to earn a
college degree. For more information on the
Daniels Scholarship, visit DanielsFund.org.
Three students earn appointments to the
nation’s military academies
Congratulations to the following students
on their prestigious military appointments:
United States Military Academy West Point
- Jaden Wingfield, Legacy High School
- Adam Wilk, Prospect Ridge Academy
Virginia Military Institute
- Nicholas McCarthy, Legacy High School
Aim for the Stars Scholarship awarded to
21 students across seven high schools
Aim for the Stars Scholarship is a multiyear
scholarship in collaboration with Adams
16

County and Adams 12 Five Star Schools. Each
student who earned the scholarship will
receive more than $21,000 over four years,
which is more than $5,000 per school year.
Congratulations to this year’s Aim for the
Stars Scholarship recipients:
HORIZON
• Sharon Lau
• Trinity O’Malley
• Autumn Sorrentino
• Tabor Thoms
• Grace Wright-Redard
LEGACY
• Brianna Hintz
• Adrian Kelly
• Madeline Owen
MOUNTAIN RANGE
• Madilynn Haines
• Christa Thammavong
NORTHGLENN HIGH
• Hattie Rice
• Gavin Unrue
• Julianne Verde
THORNTON HIGH
• Thy Luong
• Jason Mushabe
• Kiana Rodriguez
• Lindsey Salazar Soto
• Timothy Sanders
• Mitzy Torres
PATHWAYS
• Ashley Garcia
NEW AMERICA
• Trinity Vigil
Hispanic Advisory Council scholarship
awarded to 17 Five Star students
The Adams 12 Five Star Schools Hispanic
Advisory Council (HAC) supports the superintendent
and the district in creating pathways
of success for all students. The Hispanic
Advisory Council Scholarship Breakfast
awards scholarships, sponsored by HAC
members and the community, to current
Five Star School graduates. Congratulations
to the 2019 HAC Scholarship award recipients:
HORIZON
• Sophie Castillo
LEGACY
• Xavier Ramos
• Gabriel Torres
MOUNTAIN RANGE
• Daniel Avila
• Nataly Diaz Ortega
• Brayan Fernandez
NORTHGLENN
• Leslie Campos
• Diego Cardona
• Jescely Castillo
• Yajaira Labrador
• Aislinn Martinez
• Claudia Martinez
• Matthew Pando
• Nora Quiroz
• Haydee Ramirez
• Jorge Renteria
THORNTON
• Nicole Fernanda Peinado Maldonado
Five Star Journal, Summer 2019 | 17

is more than four walls and a roof.
Find out what homeownership means with a
First Mortgage from Horizons North Credit Union.
Get pre-qualified for your First Mortgage.
Contact a local, on-site representative at 303-450-2760
to start our fast, easy, and free pre-approval process!
HNCU.org
All loans require a completed loan application. Subject to credit qualifications.
Homeowners insurance is required. NMLS #619227
18

Continuation of School Connectivity Project to build district-owned fiber-optic network.
Pardon our Dust
Community investment leads to large summer of bond work
Nearly three years ago, the Five Star community approved a $350 million investment in the
construction of new district schools and upgrades to existing schools and facilities.
That investment has led to a steady stream of bond projects over the past 2.5 years including
the construction and completion of a new P-8 school and a number of school renovation and
improvement projects.
That steady stream is poised to transform into a torrent of construction work across the entire
district in Summer 2019 with more than 30 bond projects planned to get underway or be completed.
“The sheer amount of work scheduled to take place this summer requires an incredible
amount of coordination between our construction project teams, our Learning Services staff
and our building leaders,” said Five Star Schools Chief Operations Officer Pat Hamilton. “By the
end of this summer, nearly every school and facility in our district should have been touched
by at least some element of bond improvement work.”
Five Star Journal, Summer 2019 | 19

Rendering of new Career and Technical Education campus.
NEW CONSTRUCTION
New Career and Technical Education campus
Construction is expected to start this summer on a second district Career and Technical
Education (CTE) campus, tentatively scheduled to open in Fall 2020. The 45,000-square foot
campus will be built in the Washington Square Business Park near 126th Avenue and Washington
Street in Thornton and offer a combination of new and existing CTE programming.
STEM Lab
The two-year renovation and reconstruction of STEM Lab in Northglenn remains on schedule
for an August 2019 completion. The expanded and renovated school will offer additional
STEM-learning opportunities for students across the district.
SCHOOL AND FACILITY RENOVATIONS AND IMPROVEMENTS
Interior and exterior renovation projects will take place at schools and facilities across the
district. Examples of improvements will include:
• Upgrades to building systems such as heating and air conditioning, and plumbing
• Building structure improvements such as crawlspace repairs, door and window replacements,
and replacement of classroom operable partition walls with permanent walls
• Security upgrades such as new secured main entrance vestibules, new digital security
cameras and expanded electronic building access
• Exterior improvements including new artificial turf practice and play fields, new and improved
playground areas, and concrete replacement work to improve safety and ADA accessibility
20

• Improvements to school specials and arts program
These upgrades – prioritized with the assistance of
school arts and physical education teachers – will
include items such as new sinks and storage space
for art classrooms, new sound systems for music
classrooms and performance areas, and new
basketball backboards for gyms.
• Building renovations
These renovations were determined through the
work of a Design Advisory Group that included the
project design team, school administration and staff.
Some of the improvements generated through this
collaborative process will include modifications
to existing classrooms and commons space, new
carpet and interior paint, and exterior landscaping
improvements.
INSTRUCTIONAL UPGRADES
Many schools prioritized the use of Instructional
Upgrades bond money provided to their school to install
new technology in their classrooms and library media
centers. This new technology can include interactive and
non-interactive projectors, new whiteboards, classroom
audio systems, document cameras and new teacher
devices. Schools have also used their Instructional
Upgrade money to make other technology and nontechnology
purchases such as student chromebooks
and classroom furniture.
SCHOOL CONNECTIVITY PROJECT
Construction of a new district fiber optic network
began in Summer 2018 and will continue into 2020. The
new self-managed network will free the district of costly
long-term fiber leases with digital service providers and
provide the district the network capacity it needs now
and expansion opportunities for the future.
Learn more about the overall 2016 Bond Program and
individual bond projects at www.adams12.org/bond. •
Five Star Journal, Summer 2019 | 21
30+
summer
projects
More than 30 school renovation projects
are planned for Summer 2019, including
critical building repairs, playground upgrades
and improvements to schools' arts, music
and physical education programs.
Centennial Elementary
Century Middle School
Cherry Drive Elementary
Coyote Ridge Elementary
Eagleview Elementary
Early Childhood Education Center
Federal Heights Elementary
Glacier Peak Elementary
Hunters Glen Elementary
Hillcrest Elementary
Horizon High School
Hulstrom K-8
International School at
Thornton Middle
Legacy High School
Leroy Elementary
Malley Drive Elementary
McElwain Elementary
Northglenn High School
Rocky Mountain Elementary
Shadow Ridge Middle School
Skyview Elementary
STEM Launch
Student Family Resource Center
Tarver Elementary
The Studio School
Thornton Elementary
Thornton High School
Westlake Middle School
Vantage Point High School

Be the f irst to know.
Receive priority alerts on your cell phone.
Text “YES” to 67587
With this free service, you will receive text messages notifying you of safety alerts
or other important information impacting the Adams 12 Five Star Schools system.
You can opt-out from alerts at any time. Reply with HELP if you need assistance.
Message and/or data rates may apply. Your privacy is important. Your information
will not be sold or provided to third parties. Your cell phone number must be
up-to-date in your Infinite Campus profile.

DISTRICT CALENDAR
2019-2020 School Year
Printable versions of the 2019-2020 Year-at-a-Glance are available in both English and Spanish.
*Dates may not apply to district charter schools; please check each school’s calendar for school-specific information.
Adams 12 Five Star Schools
1500 East 128 th Avenue
Thornton, CO 80241
SCHOOL CALENDAR – 2019 – 2020*
JULY 2019 F First Day of School for Students
S M T W T F S S M T W T F S
1 2 3 4 5 6 1 2 3 4
FS-August 14, 2019 6 th morning; 7 th -8 th afternoon; 9 th ONLY
FE-August 14, 2019 ALL Elementary K-5 and K-8 Report
FS-August 15, 2019 ALL Students K-12 Report
JANUARY 2020
7 8 9 10 11 12 13 5 B 7 8 9 10 11
L Last Day of School for All Students
May 21, 2020
A Elementary Assessment Days
September 3, 2019; January 17, 2020
May 1, 2020
14 15 16 17 18 19 20 12 13 14 15 16 A 18
21 22 23 24 25 26 27 19 20 21 22 23 24 25
28 29 30 31 26 27 28 29 30 31
S M T W T F S S M T W T F S
AUGUST 2019 FEBRUARY 2020
1 2 3 1
W Elementary School Work Days (No School for K-5 Students)
October 9, 2019
4 5 6 D I D 10 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
11 I D FS/FE FS 16 17 9 10 11 W B I 15
18 19 20 21 22 23 24 16 17 18 19 20 21 22
February 12, 2020; May 8, 2020* potential snow day make up
25 26 27 28 29 30 31 23 24 25 26 27 28 29
D Teacher Duty Days (No School for All Students)
August 7, 9, and 13, 2019
December 20, 2019
May 22, 2020
SEPTEMBER 2019 MARCH 2020
C Teacher Comp Day – All Schools (No School for All Students)
October 11, 2019
S M T W T F S S M T W T F S
I District In-service Days – All Schools (No School for All Students)
August 8, and 12, 2019; February 14, 2020
1 2 A 4 5 6 7 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
8 9 10 11 12 13 14 8 9 10 11 12 Q 14
15 16 17 18 19 20 21 15 16 17 18 19 20 21
22 23 24 25 26 27 28 22 23 24 25 26 27 28
B In-Common Release Days – K-8 (No School for K-8 Students)
October 10, 2019
January 6, 2020; February 13, 2020; March 30, 2020
Q Quarters Days
Oct. 10, 2019 41 days
Dec. 19, 2019 43 days
29 30 29 B 31
S M T W T F S S M T W T F S
Mar. 13, 2020 47 days
May 21, 2020 44 days
OCTOBER 2019 APRIL 2020
1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4
6 7 8 W B/Q C 12 5 6 7 8 9 10 11
13 14 15 16 17 18 19 12 13 14 15 16 17 18
20 21 22 23 24 25 26 19 20 21 22 23 24 25
27 28 29 30 31 26 27 28 29 30
Pupil Count Window ............................ September 25 – October 9, 2019
Calendar Information
Registration of New Students .............. Please Contact Your Local School
School Year Starts, K-9 .................................................... August 14, 2019
School Year Starts, All Students Report .......................... August 15, 2019
Labor Day .................................................................. September 2, 2019
S M T W T F S S M T W T F S
NOVEMBER 2019 MAY 2020
Veterans’ Day .......................................................... November 11 , 2019
Fall Break/Teacher Comp Day-No School ..................... October 11, 2019
Thanksgiving Break .............................................. November 25-29, 2019
1 2 A 2
3 4 5 6 7 8 9 3 4 5 6 7 W* 9
Teacher Duty Day-No School-All Students ................ December 20, 2019
End of First Semester ............................................... December 19, 2019
10 11 12 13 14 15 16 10 11 12 13 14 15 16
17 18 19 20 21 22 23 17 18 19 20 Q/L D 23
24 25 26 27 28 29 30 24 25 26 27 28 29 30
Winter Break .................................. December 23, 2019-January 3, 2020
High School In-Common Release Day ..............................January 6, 2020
All Students Return..........................................................January 7, 2020
Martin Luther King Day..................................................January 20, 2020
DECEMBER 2019 JUNE 2020
Presidents’ Day ............................................................February 17, 2020
Spring Break .............................................................. March 23-27, 2020
Last Day for Students.......................................................... May 21, 2020
Teacher Duty Day ............................................................... May 22, 2020
31
S M T W T F S S M T W T F S
Memorial Day ..................................................................... May 25, 2020
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 2 3 4 5 6
8 9 10 11 12 13 14 7 8 9 10 11 12 13
15 16 17 18 Q D 21 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
22 23 24 25 26 27 28 21 22 23 24 25 26 27
29 30 31 28 29 30
BASE CLOSED ............................................................ August 5-9, 2019
SUMMER BASE OPEN ...................................... May 30–August 2, 2019
FALL BASE OPEN .............................. August 12-13, 2019 Full Day Care
**BASE Locations undergoing Bond construction will open on the
first day of school. See school website for more information.
*Subject to Revision
Approved January 11, 2019
Five Star Journal, Summer 2019 | 23

POINTS OF PRIDE
ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS
Arapahoe Ridge
Reached the goal of a 1:1 ratio of Chromebooks
to students thanks to the fundraising efforts of
their community.
Centennial
Created a Literacy Night where over 200
families attended. During the event, all students
received books and parents learned strategies
on how to support their students when reading
at home.
Cherry Drive
Recognized as an Apple Distinguished School
six years in a row.
Coronado Hills
Awarded the Centers of Excellence Award
for exhibiting the highest sustained rates of
student longitudinal growth.
Cotton Creek
The third-grade Cub Choir and Chorale
performed the National Anthem at the
Colorado Rockies Game for the 15th year
in a row!
Coyote Ridge
Saw one of the highest rates of parent
participation in the 2018-19 Family-School
Relationships Survey and improved scores
within every category.
Glacier Peak
After reading A Long Walk to Water and
meeting Arok Garang, from the organization
Seeds of South Sudan, fifth-graders sponsored
a fundraiser to benefit Seeds of South Sudan.
A total of $1500 was raised to support a child’s
education for one year in Sudan.
Hillcrest
Reduced landfill waste by recycling milk
cartons. This effort was started by fourth-grade
students making them the first school in the
Five Star District to recycle milk cartons.
Leroy
Awarded WalMart/Sam’s Club Community
Grant which provided funding for student
snacks during CMAS testing.
Malley Drive
Several staff members and administrators
testified at the State Capitol and witnessed
Senate Bill 19-102 for Community Schools
being signed by Governor Polis. This bill will
allow Community Schools to be considered as
an option for innovation status.
Meridian
Awarded the 2019 Innovative Learning Grant
for their Gifted and Talented program.
Mountain View
First-graders partnered with Rocky Mountain
PBS to create five educational radio spots
regarding civics.
Prairie Hills
The Gifted and Talented program was awarded
the 2019 Innovative Learning Grant for their
Makers and Builders Club.
Skyview
Awarded the Governor’s Distinguished
Improvement Award.
Stellar
Over 500 people attended the school’s first
Cultural Night. The evening was filled with
country reports, US History, regions of the
world, dance, music, food and celebration!
24

Tarver
Continued to develop social-emotional learning
pathways by delivering the Healthy Learning
Path’s curriculum to second- and third-grades
while fourth-grade students participated in the
‘Teach One to Lead One’ program.
Westview
Westview celebrated its 50 Year Anniversary
alongside the City of Northglenn during an
Arbor Day celebration.
K-8 SCHOOLS
Hulstrom K-8
Hulstrom students from third- to eighth-grade
are worked in collaboration with local artist
Tony Ortega and Think360 to create an original
work of art.
STEM Lab
Took 42 seventh- and eighth-graders on
a service learning trip to Peru — the first
international excursion for middle school
students in the Five Star District since district
policy changed in August 2017 allowing
middle schools to engage in international
educational travel.
STEM Launch
71 English Language Learner (ELL) students
demonstrated proficiency on ACCESS testing
and will be redesignated as fully Englishproficient,
including 65 percent of ELLs in
fourth- and fifth-grade.
MIDDLE SCHOOLS
Century
Under the direction of Dr. Jared Crump-Bertram
the Century Middle School Jazz Band was
the only middle school jazz band selected to
perform at the 2019 Colorado Music Educators
Association conference in January.
Rocky Top
Earned the ‘Schools to Watch’ national
designation for creating an exceptional middle
level learning environment that results in
incredible academic success.
Silver Hills
Multiple students and staff members
recognized by the Hispanic Advisory Council
including the Outstanding Student of the Year,
Kirsiana Rodrigues-Pacheco.
HIGH SCHOOLS
Mountain Range
Faith Bochert and Talia Rotella named Colorado
State Distributive Education Clubs of America
(DECA) champions, and went on to the
International competition where they placed
third in the category of Travel and Tourism.
CHARTER SCHOOLS
Westgate Community School
Highlighted on National Public Radio (NPR)
and 9News for the Peer Mentoring program’s
ingenuity and impact; this program grew out of
a Colorado Department of Education Bullying
Prevention and Education three-year grant
awarded in 2016 in which Westgate was part of
the first cohort of grantees.
Read the full list of
school points of pride.
List is compiled by schools that submit Points of Pride
before publication date. •
Five Star Journal, Summer 2019 | 25

IN THE NEWS
Online Check-in process open from June 10 to August 11
The online check-in process is the district’s check-in process for all families with returning K-12
students enrolled in any district school (non-charter). The check-in process is open this summer
from June 10 through August 11. In order to receive class schedules and teacher assignments
before school starts, all parents/guardians of returning students must complete the online
process. Schedules will be available in the parent portal starting on August 2 for those who
have completed the process. Onsite online check-in assistance will be available throughout the
summer. Locations, dates and times will be announced in early June. For more information >
www.adams12.org/OnlineCheckin.
STEM Launch earns $15,000 gift for books
STEM Launch K-8 received a $15,000 book credit from OMG Books. The funding will provide
thousands of popular new fiction and non-fiction books aligned to science standards both
in classroom libraries and the school’s “Family Literacy Room” which will house the books.
Students and families will be able to select books at various times throughout the year and are
encouraged to trade books with other families.
Seven high school educators receive statewide recognition
On April 2, 2019, The Boettcher Foundation announced a group of standout Colorado teachers
from across the state for their impact and dedication to students. Adams 12 Five Star Schools
is proud to be home to seven of this year’s Teacher Recognition Award recipients. The seven
recognized educators come from five of the district’s high schools. This year’s teacher honorees
were selected by finalists for the Boettcher Scholarship. Each educator will receive a plaque,
a personalized tribute from the student who selected them and a $500 grant to be used for a
project or activity to benefit students at their school. Read More >
Free full-day kindergarten for all students begins August 2019
Beginning in Fall 2019, all incoming kindergarten families will have the opportunity to experience
a free full-day kindergarten option at no cost to them. This was made possible thanks
to the passage of House Bill 19-1262: State Funding For Full-day Kindergarten. All elementary
and K-8 schools in the Five Star District will offer free full-day kindergarten sessions exclusively;
parents are encouraged to speak with their school principal if they have any questions or
concerns regarding kindergarten at their neighborhood school. Read More >
26

FutureForward is coming to a school near you
After a year-long engagement process, the new district-wide brand for Career and Technical
Education (CTE) programming is taking shape. In April, nearly 2,000 people participated in a
survey to name CTE programming in the Five Star District. The votes have been tallied and
FutureForward was the most preferred name across all stakeholder groups - students, staff
and parents. The district will begin unveiling the new name and brand over the 2019-2020
school year, with full roll-out expected in Fall 2020 with the opening of the new CTE center. At
that time, the district will have two CTE centers - FutureForward at Bollman (currently Bollman
Technical Education Center) and FutureForward at Washington Square (site of the new CTE
center scheduled to break ground Summer 2019). Read More >
Colorado Legislature boosts education funding, including additional
dollars for special education
As school districts across Colorado continue to recover from state funding shortfalls due to
the Great Recession of the late 2000s, the Colorado Legislature pledged additional dollars to
education to lessen that burden. Aside from funding for full-day kindergarten, Adams 12 Five
Star Schools will receive almost $12 million more in state revenue through the Legislature’s
passage of the School Finance Act. In addition to this, the Legislature invested an additional
$22 million in special education funding across the state, which will mean $1.1 million more
for special education in the Five Star District. Read More >
These are excerpts of stories — visit www.adams12.org to read these stories in
their entirety and others highlighting student, school and community success.
SHARE YOUR NEWS
Help Adams 12 Five Star Schools spread the word about the great things
happening across the district. With more than 39,000 students across
five cities in 54 schools, we need your help in sharing the exciting events,
initiatives and success stories happening at your child’s school. Submit
your good news story: www.adams12.org/share-your-news.
Five Star Journal, Summer 2019 | 27

1500 E. 128th Ave., Thornton, CO 80241 | (720) 972-4000
www.adams12.org
28