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Let's continue to celebrate CSI charter public schools!
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Happy Back-to-School Season! 🍂 | Welcome to the 2024-25 school year, CSI Schools! We're excited to welcome two new transfer schools, Colorado SKIES and Academy of Advanced Learning, along with two new schools, Wildflower Grand Valley and University Prep! | |
Golden View Classical Academy | |
AXIS International Academy | |
Academy of Arts and Knowledge | | |
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Ricardo Flores Magón Academy | |
Ross Montessori Charter School | |
Mountain Song Community Receives $10,000 Sprouts Healthy Communities Foundation Grant | |
Mountain Song Community School is the recipient of a $10,000 grant from the Sprouts Healthy Communities Foundation!
This grant will help the school make exciting improvements to their school garden.
"A huge thank you to Mr. Adam for his dedication and hard work in making this possible for our school, and of course to the Sprouts Healthy Communities Foundation who truly understand what we’re doing with our Agricultural Arts program. Together, we’re helping kids grow healthy through nutrition education and hands-on gardening programs that bring learning to life!"
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New Legacy Charter School featured by National Charter Schools Institute | |
Check out this video featuring New Legacy's students and staff!
"Our school works well for so many students because we can be flexible...I'm really passionate about education that fits the needs of each individual student." -Steven Bartholomew, Executive Director of New Legacy Charter School
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Wildflower Montessori Cactus Bloom Hosts Ribbon Cutting | "Cactus Bloom, the first micro-school in the region for the Wildflower Montessori Public Schools of Colorado network, opened its doors to students and families Aug. 13. The current enrollment is 45 students, but the school is aiming to have a maximum of about 70 students within the coming years." Read the full article | |
CEC Receives $32,000 USDA Grant for Farm to School Program | |
Colorado Early Colleges Fort Collins has received a $32,000 USDA Farm to School Grant with the help of the Colorado Charter Schools School Food Authority. Over the next two years, this grant will fund the Growing Gardens: Growing Lives program, focusing on classrooms, kitchens, and communities. This program offers students hands-on opportunities in gardening, cooking, healthy eating, and understanding local food systems.
CEC hosts school gardens at Fort Collins Middle School and Fort Collins High School where students help design, plant, and maintain the gardens. They participate in weekly harvests, cooking classes, and taste tests to experience the value of local food. Summer produce is sold at the Fort Collins Farmer’s Market, with proceeds supporting the program. Food Systems classes will explore the culture of food represented by the student body by sharing and re-creating traditional food recipes from Latino and BIPOC communities.
CEC partners with five local farmers and ranchers to source organic produce and grass-fed beef for school lunches. The Patrick Leahy Edible Gardens project will enhance the program by improving garden and kitchen infrastructure, thereby increasing the program's sustainability.
The mission is to empower students to positively impact their communities through local food relationships while cultivating life skills and a deeper understanding of personal health and wellbeing.
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Ross Montessori School Opens New Preschool | |
After 11 months of strategic planning, prioritizing, and getting their licensure, Ross Montessori School is excited to announce the opening of a preschool for 10 students!
Director Monica Wright has been at Ross since 2014 and is an AMS-credentialed Montessori teacher. She is also a large-center preschool licensed in Colorado.
Head of School/CEO Dr. Sonya Hemmen commends
Monica's dedication to opening this preschool: "Monica is always focused on children and what they need. She is going to do great things with this Montessori preschool."
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Congratulations to the Local Food Program Grantees | |
The Local Food Program is a state-funded grant that supports Colorado's producers while increasing meal quality and access to local products for students across the state. A total of $500,000 was awarded to 32 sponsors for the purchase of Colorado-grown, raised, processed, and value-added products.
Congratulations to The Academy of Charter Schools, Pinnacle Charter School, Community Leadership Academy, and Colorado Early Colleges.
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CEC Douglas County North's National Honor Society Students packed 1,512 meals for a local service organization | |
CEC Fort Collins Receives Mini-Grant | |
Congratulations to Colorado Early Colleges Fort Collins for being awarded The Attainment Network’s mini-grant! 🎉 🎉
These grants are designed to elevate the voices of learners and earners in shaping education-to-workforce systems, ensuring that programs not only meet the needs of students but also support local workforce demands!
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CDE highlights Kwiyagat Community Academy in recent Standards & Instruction newsletter | |
"Nuchiu Strong: A Kindergarten - First Grade Resource Guide
In September 2021, the Kwiyagat Community Academy opened its doors to 28 smiling faces, ready to begin either their kindergarten or first-grade school year. Each student became a part of history, as the Kwiyagat Community Academy is Colorado’s first public charter school on Tribal land. “Kwiyagat” [KWEE-yah-gut] means bear, appropriately named considering the strength, courage, and actions the Ute Mountain Ute People have taken to preserve their language and culture in an ever-changing world.
The Nuchiu Strong resource guide was developed in collaboration with K-12 Colorado educators and members of the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe. Each lesson is aligned to the most current Colorado Academic Standards to provide teachers with a description of what students need to know, understand, and be able to do. The most recent social studies standards (2022) now include knowledge of the Southern Ute Indian Tribe and the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe, the two federally recognized Tribes with jurisdiction in Colorado. The lessons have one central theme, the Circle of Life, by which the Ute people live."
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Crown Pointe Academy Students Volunteer to Serve Community | |
Crown Pointe Academy students partnered with the Fire Department and the City of Federal Heights to serve breakfast to the community as part of their efforts to fulfill their community service hours. | |
Colorado SKIES Academy Students Gain History Experience | |
"CSA learners experienced an extraordinary odyssey through history, delving into the captivating stories of the C-47 'That's All Brother' and B-25 'Yellow Rose', and discovering the profound impact of these iconic aircraft. The C-47 “That’s All, Brother” led the invasion on D-Day in 1944, and the vintage B-25J Mitchell “Yellow Rose” is a WWII bomber. The presence of the Vietnam Helicopter War Museum added even more depth to the experience, highlighting the significant contributions of helicopter pilots during the Vietnam War." | |
Mural by Leo Tanguma Unveiled at Ricardo Flores Magon Academy | |
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"Measuring 20 feet long and 12 feet high, the new mural depicts (some of) what it means to be Latino at northwest Denver’s Ricardo Flores Magón Academy (RFMA).
Tanguma has spent the past year developing his latest creation with the help of elementary schoolers, college students and other young adult helpers." Read the full article
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Animas High School Alum Competes at Olympics | |
AHS alum, Riley Amos, makes history for USA with seventh in Olympic men's cross-country mountain bike.
"Amos may not have earned a medal at the men’s cross-country mountain bike event at the Paris Olympic Games, but his effort among legends of the sport became a legendary game-changer all the same for the 22-year-old. A seventh-place finish was the best-ever finish for a male US rider in the 28-year history of XCO in the Olympic Games.
“To do that at 22, and have my absolute legends of the sport, Todd Wells, Chris [Blevins], be my mentors for the past couple years and learn from them and move forward, is a huge step for US mountain biking. So thrilled,” Amos said as he choked back tears of joy."
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CEC Alum Receives Prestigious Scholarship | |
Colorado Early Colleges Alum receives $50,000 Obama-Chesky Voyager Scholarship. The scholarship is awarded to 100 college juniors who intend to pursue a career in public service.
The son of immigrants who didn’t speak English well, Moreno saw his mother nearly die from an untreated thyroid condition because of language and financial barriers.
“I realized that equity in health care was not just important; it is extremely urgent,” said Moreno, who was born and raised in Colorado Springs.
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CSI Students Awarded the National Recognition Program | |
Congratulations to CSI School Students from the following schools who received the National Recognition Program!
- Caprock Academy
- Animas High School (3)
- Golden View Classical Academy (2)
- Colorado Springs Early Colleges
- Colorado Early Colleges Douglas County North
- Victory Preparatory Academy (5)
- Pinnacle Charter High School
- Ascent Classical Academy
- The Academy of Charter Schools
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CSI School Leaders Lead Panel on Mental Health | |
On September 18, Zak Dominello from Ricardo Flores Magon Academy, Wendy Renee from Montessori del Mundo, Robert Newman from New America School Aurora, Meghan Hampe & Meghan Ellis from Pinnacle Charter School, and Melissa Faye from Colorado Early Colleges Windsor presented a panel on innovative “Whole School Mental Health Practices in Real Life” at the Fall CDE Conference, “The Landscape of Wellbeing.”
To a full audience, the panel expertly discussed their novel practices on Welcoming All Students, Providing Special Supports for Unique Populations, Innovations in SEL Curriculum Delivery, and Strategies to Navigate Discipline Practices for Students Experiencing Mental Health Symptoms. The panel was extremely well-received and the group duplicated their efforts at the first ever CSI Mental Health Summit on September 20. Congratulations to these amazing panelists for the work they are doing in their schools as well as their work to share their innovations statewide!
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RFMA's Zak Dominello shares insights on National Alliance for Public Charter Schools podcast | |
In a recent episode of "Get Schooled on Public Education", Zak Dominello, Executive Director at Ricardo Flores Magón Academy, shares his insights on leadership, community engagement, and the practices that have fostered a thriving school culture. Alongside Dr. Reneta C. Johnson from Legacy Prep, Zak discusses the challenges and successes of improving student outcomes in public education.
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High Point Academy Teacher Writes Essay for EdSurge | |
Gene Fashaw, middle school math teacher at High Point Academy in Aurora, Colorado, wrote an article for EdSurge titled, "When Students Don’t Feel Confident About Math, a Growth Mindset Matters."
"This essay is a call to action, a reflection of my journey and an invitation to all who believe in the transformative power of math education. Let us forge a path where mathematical thinking is celebrated, where every student can say with conviction, "I can, and I will."
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