Neighborhood Middle Schools NOW: Message to School Board

Last night the School Board met to discuss middle school options in DPS. Karin Ahern on the NOW leadership team sent a letter advocating for more attention and resources for neighborhood middle schools so we can continue building Skinner into the "go-to" school in Northwest Denver...and so that other neighborhoods around the city have the opportunity to do do the same. Mike Kiley, a fellow NOW-er, attended the meeting and read the letter aloud to the Board members and audience:

Dear Superintendent Boasberg and Members of the Board,

Today well over 100 new 6^th grade children walked or rode their bikes to Skinner their neighborhood middle school . As parents of these students we are excited that this option exists and that our children will remain in their community instead of taking buses across town to niche magnet or charter schools to access strong basic education programs. It was a privilege to see the 6th graders at Skinner who will benefit from the efforts of Skinner, NOW, DPS and now the diversity that will enrich the culture, learning and rising scores of this wonderful neighborhood school.

Our parent led group Northwest Neighborhood Middle Schools NOW – also known as NOW – has worked closely with you and the Skinner school staff to promote this option because it is what the community is asking for. Two years ago many of us sat on the stage at North High School advocating for an academically strong, diverse well rounded middle school without an application process or lottery. A groundswell of supporters from many NW schools emerged giving us the foundation of support we needed to create NOW. Since then, we have attended countless community meetings, surveyed our neighborhood and have had thousands of conversations with parents informally and with the Northwest coalition effort.

The wants are always the same. – strong neighborhood middle schools! Like most DPS families, what we really want are local schools with rigorous academics, rich visual and performing arts, diverse athletics and deep enrichment programs. While our kids have special talents and interests, we believe neighborhood schools are the best place for them to pursue them, provided the DPS administration, board, parents, students and community puts the effort and resources into making them great schools.

I write to you today because it still seems like there has continued to be a mismatch between what parents want and are asking for and what the Board and Administration hears and is set on churning out. NOW leaders recently attended a city-wide Middle School meeting this August hearing the same message. It is frustrating to work so hard towards growing a community middle school that is great for all kids knowing that the Board and Administration continues to prioritize and support niche programs and charters.

We are all at a crossroads where the needs and desires of all parents must be acknowledged and rebalanced with the DPS approach to school reform. We ask that you take steps tonight to illustrate that you hear all parents and to be specific about how DPS and the Board of Education will support neighborhood middle and high schools.

Sincerely,

Karin Ahern (on behalf of NOW! and the myriad parents in our neighborhood)

NWNMSNOW member and parent (Sknner 6^th, Edison 2^nd)

New Student Discovers 6th Grade Academy Is Fun

My name is Mia Leff. This year I am attending 6th grade at Skinner. I attended Edison Elementary until last year. I am very excited to move on to middle school and very happy Skinner is helping me ease into this HUGE step.    

When I first entered 6th Grade Academy I was nervous and scared. I scanned the premises looking for familiar faces. I saw a lot of faces that I recognized from Edison. Most were people that I had never really talked to.  I took a seat next to a friend of mine in the front row.   

We sat in the auditorium so we could learn about the basics that everybody needed to know. Then we broke into groups. In those groups, we toured the school and learned about other things such as the agenda. The agenda is a planner for school where you write homework assignments.  

After a little while we went outside and played team-oriented games to learn about each other. One game we played was Human Pretzel. In that game we learned to feel comfortable with other students by holding hands. (Holding hands is not something a lot of middle schoolers like to do.)  

Skinner 6th Grade Academy was a very fun experience and a great way to get us used to the new school. I really enjoyed the overall involvement and the ability to learn new things about a school I would be attending in a week.

Skinner CSAP Scores Soar!

The Skinner CSAP scores are in – and student scores soared this year! Northwest Neighborhood Middle Schools is so proud of the students, teachers and staff who are transforming this school into an academically rich environment for 6th, 7th and 8th grade students in our neighborhood.

Allow us to share the great news:

Skinner made double-digit gains in median growth percentile for reading and math!

• 14% increase in reading
• 12% increase in writing

• 7^th grade median growth percentile for math was 66%, a 26% increase

  from 2010

• 6^th, 7^th, and 8^th

  grade median growth percentile for reading beat the District

• 8^th

  grade median growth percentile for reading was 73%

• 6^th grade median growth percentile for writing beat the district

Skinner made double-digit gains for overall proficiency change from 2009-2011

• 6^th grade overall proficiency increased 19%
• 6^th grade increased reading proficiency by 14%
• 6^th grade increased writing proficiency by 26%
• 6^th grade increased math proficiency by 16%
• 7^th grade increased math proficiency by 13%

Other impressive results include:

• 8^th grade Science met the middle school proficiency growth target
• Students in Special Education increased reading proficiency for the second year in a row
• English Language Learners, including students who are exited from the program, increased reading proficiency for the fourth year in a row

The hard work and commitment of students and staff alike is paying off, and Skinner is becoming that "go-to school" we've always wanted in our neighborhood – it has arts, sports, enrichment and now more rigorous academics.

Join us in being the change – now (and August 2012, August 2013 and beyond) is the time to send your kids to Skinner Middle School.

Top 10 Ways to Show Your Support for Skinner

10. Read and distribute the Denver Post OpEd summarizing the NOW effort and how support for neighborhood school reform is growing: http://www.denverpost.com/search/ci_18571912

9. Ask a friend or neighbor to sign up to receive the NOW blog to get regular news, stories and updates about Skinner Middle School: www.nwmiddleschoolsnow.org

8. Attend an upcoming event such as NOW's wine and cheese open house in September or Skinner's Fall Festival.

7. Slap a Skinner MS: Be the Change bumper sticker on your car – email ksahern@gmail.com to get your very own.

6. Save your child and/or you 96 hours of driving across town to middle school and buy them a bike instead.

5. Attend a Skinner sporting event or play.

4. Attend an Open House for prospective student – next one is in October.

3. Take a tour of the school.

2. Volunteer to judge or support the school's December science fair.

1. Invest in your community school!