Cool Video

OK- I love to tour our classrooms in the morning and see all the wonderful activities our teachers planned... everything from mask building in science, to searching for the best trade routes in history. Learning is all around us here at Quest. We have quality teachers here... so today I was amazed by a video I saw in Ms. Meyer's class. In this video students were articulating their understandings of our guiding principles. So if you have a second please view this link... Guiding principles.

I hope you get goosebumps like I did... I always wondered why they are called goosebumps- does anyone know? Why not Moosebumps?

APS Addresses Bullying

Yesterday I attended a Safe Schools training for new staff in APS. I learned so much! APS believes discipline is another aspect of our function as a school- to facilitate learning.

So here are some quotes I thought you should know from page 4:

"Bullying means any written, verbal, or pictorial expression, physical act or gesture, or a pattern thereof by a student that is intended to cause distress upon one or more students and is sufficiently severe..."

"All administrators, teachers, classified staff, and students share the responsibility that bullying does not occur at any school."

"All students who believe they have been victims of bullying or who witness bullying shall immediately report it to an administrator or teacher."

The district is focused on this issue this year especially, there are trainings coming up for all school leaders.

At Quest, Mrs. Garcia, Mr. Cornelius and the entire Quest faculty believe that every child should have a positive, magnetic feeling about our school.

Denver Post Addresses Gifted Education Woes

Did you read the article titled, "Smartest Students are Stranded at the Top." If not, here is the link: http://www.denverpost.com/opinion/ci_15762619.

This article supports our mission, our purpose, and our existence. Aurora Quest is here so that the needs of gifted children get the attention they require.

Your Parent Accountability Committee met to discuss how we can meet the needs of our parents. Specifically this group is interested in sharing ideas on how to support our children in ways that motivate and encourage them to reach their potential. They will be sharing some opportunities to learn and share successful ideas so stay tuned!

Kindergarten Arrives!!!

This week we met our new Kindergarteners. They were lined up outside and were so excited. One teacher asked, "Are you kids ready to come into your classroom?" I looked down and saw a boy jumping up and down saying, "Yes, Yes, Yes, I am ready!"

The PTA set up a tea for parents to mingle after this significant family event (What a great idea PTA!).

Later in the week we had a fire drill and Mr. Powell was leading those little students out when one exclaimed, "Why are the walls screaming at me!?" Now how about that... the little students have been in school for two days and are already using personification!

A Cupcake, A Story, and a Cello

I was able to visit Mrs. Reeder's class the other day and it was a great experience. She was asking her 1st graders to think about learning and to describe what it looks like and sounds like. The students came up with great answers- then they were excited to celebrate Caden's b-day (they let me have a cupcake too). After we all had brightly colored lips from the frosting we cleaned up and sat down to hear one of Mrs. Readers favorite stories, "Wodney the Wat." We learned about the power of our words and how teasing is such a hurtful thing then we were interrupted by a great Quest Tradition... a strings troupe walked in. They played Happy Birthday for Caden. This is just a snapshot of what happens at Quest everyday...

My First Day

I was so excited to come in today and meet the students. I wrote up a little question and answer session for my visit to the 1st graders. It was really wonderful to see their responses to the question, "What are some ways in which you can be strong?"
Students answered:
You can carry a bowling ball
You can push a heavy weight
If you are IDEA strong you can come up with a way to move more weight
Being strong means walking away from someone when they are making you angry
You can be strong in writing
You can be a strong reader
You can be strong by speaking in front of people
Being strong means getting control of yourself when you react too strongly
and on and on...
I also witnessed the synergy on campus when Mr. Powell worked on a campus scheduling issue with lots of staff members- and Ms. Franceski also worked hard to make these operations smooth in our school.
So much happened today and now I am going home to tell my wife all about it.

Lessons Learned from Day 1 at the Global Summit

Today I watched as a group of 10 students from A.B. Combs Elementary School spoke to a crowd of 1,000 school leaders. These students spoke about the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People and how they have changed because of this. It was powerful to hear a 6&1/2 year old talk about beginning with the end in mind. I asked them for any advice they could give an assistant principal. They told me to learn the student's names. they said to be in the classrooms. they told me to "pre-forgive" and be nice. They told me to teach the 7 Habits to the students. They were so smart!

Open House Reflections

My first open house for Aurora Quest had quite an impact on me. I looked out across a packed gym and thought about all the stories that filled the room. All the bright eyed kinder students eager to meet their teachers and see their classrooms.

As I toured as many classrooms as I could fit in I was welcomed and greeted by many parents. Thank you for the warm welcome! My favorite reply was from a 7th grader- who helped me feel better about the daunting task of learning over 1,000 names (teachers, parents, and students) when she said... "Don't worry, after 2 years you will know them all."

Teacher after teacher shared their vision for their classrooms. They shared a little about themselves, they shared about their expectations, and they shared about how this school is a special place. It is like a family here- and open house felt like a big family reunion...