Aurora Public Schools Evening Cancellations for Feb. 26

NEWS RELEASE #35
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 26, 2015

WHAT: Evening Cancellations for Feb. 26
WHEN: Feb. 26, 2015

Aurora Public Schools Evening Cancellations for Feb. 26

Due to changing  weather conditions, all elementary, P-8 and middle school athletics and activities have been canceled this evening, Feb. 26. In addition, there will be no middle or high school after-school activity buses running this evening. Please note: After-school childcare programs and facility rentals will be open as normal.

APS Board of Education Discussion

NEWS RELEASE #34
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 26, 2015

WHAT: APS Board of Education Discussion
WHEN: March 3, 2015
WHERE: 1085 Peoria Street, Aurora, CO  80011

APS Board of Education Discussion

On Tuesday, March 3, 2015, the Aurora Public Schools Board of Education, the Aurora Education Foundation and Aurora Public Schools Leadership Team will be holding a dinner conversation related to recruitment and retention. The dinner will take place from 4:30-6:15 p.m. in Conference Room C at the Educational Services Center 4, 1085 Peoria Street, Aurora, Colorado 80011.

Crawford Elementary School leader named National Distinguished Principal of the Year for Colorado

                                                                                                                                      

NEWS RELEASE #33
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 23, 2015

Crawford Elementary School leader named National Distinguished Principal of the Year for Colorado

Jennifer Passchier, Principal of Crawford Elementary School in Aurora Public Schools, has been named the 2015 National Distinguished Principal of the Year for Colorado by the Colorado Association of School Executives (CASE), and will represent Colorado in the national award program.

An educator for more than 16 years and in Aurora Public Schools for all but her first year, Passchier has served as a principal for the past seven years. Upon starting at Crawford Elementary School two years ago, Passchier made the strategic decision to focus on a standards-based teaching learning cycle and writing across all content areas. She attributes this decision as the reason why Crawford achieved the highest overall proficiency increase of all elementary schools in Aurora based on 2014 TCAP (Colorado’s state assessment) scores.

Passchier also attributes the positive, trusting and collaborative culture in the building as a factor to the school’s success. The building climate survey results improved significantly under her leadership.  Teacher turnover decreased four-fold resulting in a strong community of educator professionals committed to the vision and sustaining the work.

Superintendent of Aurora Public Schools (APS) Rico Munn said, “Principal Passchier will be humble and defer to the great work of her students and staff, but we also want to recognize her incredible work. She is an incredible asset to the families at Crawford Elementary, Aurora Public Schools and the greater community.”

Jocelyn Stephens, Passchier’s supervisor and APS P-20 Learning Community Director, states, “I count it a gift to have a leader like Ms. Passchier in our learning community; she models how the work of a principal can be relevant to the true needs of a school community in a passionate, authentic and strategic way.” 

Upon being notified of this honor, Passchier stated, “It is a great honor and a humbling experience to be recognized in this way.” She adds, as Superintendent Munn anticipated, “In addition, this honor is a reflection of the hard work that our students and teachers have taken on this past year through our work together.”

Crawford Elementary School has a diverse student population of 755 students and is heavily impacted by poverty. Twenty percent of its students are refugees. Passchier has addressed some of the challenges of meeting students’ basic needs by creating community partnerships and family supports, such as classes for families to educate them on how to support reading at home.

Passchier was selected for this honor by her peers through a rigorous and competitive process facilitated by the Colorado Association of Elementary School Principals (CAESP), a department of CASE and affiliate of the National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP). The National Distinguished Principal of the Year program is sponsored by NAESP, in corporate partnership with VALIC.

“As studies indicate, principal leadership is second only to strong instruction when it comes to impacting student achievement,” stated CASE Executive Director Bruce Caughey. “CASE is proud to honor Jenny Passchier and to recognize the leadership she has demonstrated at Crawford Elementary School and throughout her education career.”

CASE and CAESP will formally present Passchier with her award at an upcoming school event on April 2. She and other CASE award winners also will be recognized at an awards ceremony this spring, as well as at the 46th Annual CASE Education Leadership Convention this summer in Breckenridge.

About CASE
The Colorado Association of School Executives (www.co-case.org) is the preeminent professional association for public school administrators in Colorado. The organization’s mission is to empower Colorado education leaders through advocacy, professional learning and networking to deliver on the promise of public education. 

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Interested media may contact APS News Media Specialist
Patti Moon at 303-326-2755 for more information

Nephew of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. To Deliver "Season for Nonviolence" Keynote Address

                                                                                                                    

NEWS RELEASE #32
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 11, 2015

WHAT: 18th Annual Season for Nonviolence Program
WHEN: February 13, 8:30-10:30 a.m.
WHERE: Hinkley High School, 1250 Chambers Road Aurora, CO 80011

Nephew of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. To Deliver "Season for Nonviolence" Keynote Address

Rev. Dr. Derek King (nephew of the late Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.) will deliver the keynote address at Hinkley High School on Friday, February 13. The school is participating in the 18^th annual Gandhi King Season for Nonviolence, a global campaign. The event is in partnership with New Dawn Center for Spiritual Living and the Aurora Police Department.

Rev. Dr. King will be delivering an inspiring message on “Alternatives to Violence”. Students will also participate in breakout sessions which will be facilitated by Aurora Public Schools staff and the Aurora Police Department.

The Gandhi King Season for Nonviolence is an annual 64-day campaign. It was co-founded in 1998 by Dr. Arun Gandhi and The Association for Global New Thought, an educational, media and grassroots awareness campaign.

The purpose of Season for Nonviolence is to focus educational and media attention on the philosophy of attaining peace through nonviolent action as demonstrated by legendary leaders Mohandas K. Gandhi, Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., Cesar E. Chavez, and President Nelson Mandela and others.

Community leaders from 900 cities in 67 countries have participated in the campaign since it began in 1998.

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Interested media may contact APS News Media Specialist
Patti Moon at 303-326-2755 for more information

Aurora Public Schools Teacher Travels to US Capitol to Advocate for Health and Physical Education

                                                                                                                    

NEWS RELEASE #31
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 9, 2015

Aurora Public Schools Teacher Travels to US Capitol to Advocate for Health and Physical Education

Aurora Public Schools health and physical education teacher, Clayton Ellis from Mrachek Middle School, will head to the nation’s capital to advocate for school health and physical education. He will visit with lawmakers on February 10 and 11 to ask for health and physical education to be included in the federal education law known as Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), which is up for re-authorization.

Ellis and colleagues from 37 other states will be advocating as part of SHAPE America’s 7th annual SPEAK Out! Day. This year, SHAPE America is looking to secure support for designating school health and physical education as core academic subjects. The group of educators will be urging legislators to bring the only federal funding for physical education, the Carol M. White Physical Education Program (PEP), back to its original funding level of $100 million. The funding decreased for fiscal year 2015 to an all-time low of $47 million.

“As a health and physical education teacher, I see day in and day out the impact physical education has on all aspects of a student’s life, from improved academics and behavior in the classroom, to increased confidence to excelling in other endeavors, both personal and academic, as well as the obvious proven health benefits of being physically active,” said Ellis.

As a health educator, active member of SHAPE America and President of the Colorado Governor’s Council for Active and Healthy Lifestyles, Ellis' job is to promote active and healthy lifestyles.

Currently only six states require physical education in all grades K-12 and many states do not provide adequate health education instruction time as recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Past participation from SHAPE America members has been critical in securing Congressional support for elevating health and PE to core subject status. Members have also been successful in encouraging their lawmakers to keep PEP funding from being cut out of the federal budget altogether.

To follow live updates on SPEAK Out! Day, follow #SPEAKOutDay on Twitter and join the conversation on Facebook. For more event details, visit: www.shapeamerica.org. 

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Interested media may contact APS News Media Specialist
Patti Moon at 303-326-2755 for more information