Before and after pictures...

Thanks to the construction crew at Rishel! Here's some before and after shots...

We actually have students!!

Today was incredible! Just to see over 140 students walk into our classrooms to open the Math and Science Leadership Academy was a dream come true. My 20 kindergarten students were adorable, and really enjoyed our classroom, and the new technology. Here's a story from 9 News, and a picture of my class! It's amazing to see what teachers can do...

Rishel is full...

We (all three staffs of MSLA, Rishel, and KIPP HS) officially reported back today, and will have our first official meeting together on Friday afternoon. There has been no "boxing"... in fact, everyone is getting along really well.

Our school is shaping up nicely, and our contractors did a great job. We have had a few glitches... like no chairs (!!), but the company and New Schools Office have been quick to remedy the situation. Our playground hasn't been installed yet, but we still have 5 days.

Good news- our classroom libraries arrived today. It's always good to have books. I even got to go to the materials closet and take what I needed including a new stapler and teacher scissors! When I used the laminator, I didn't even need permission to turn it on, and I didn't have to keep track of the quantity used. (Those non educators may not understand the typical long process to get simple things like paper, pencils, or tape. Copy paper is a whole 'nother animal in the school culture.)

Our Specialized Service Providers (nurse, social worker, OT/PT, psychologist etc.) got their assignments and reported to buildings today. It was a leadership moment... I got the question- "Where's the principal?" My response, "We don't have one," caused much confusion and concern. I sent this person to talk to our lead teachers, who took the SSP to our special ed teacher. The lead teacher said, "Here's the special ed teacher, and she's in charge!"

What a novel concept:
Teachers are professionals with advanced degrees in their content areas, and know how to do their jobs. Wow...

MSLA on 9News

Nelson Garcia from 9 News visits MSLA today to talk to me about CSAP. Our classrooms are looking better every day as we unpack boxes!! Click here.

Kicking it into high gear...

Tomorrow is our first day back. The 12 staff members of the Mathematics and Science Leadership Academy will be spending the next few weeks getting everything ready for school. The building was "released" to us today at noon, and we began moving our furniture and materials into our classrooms. Amazingly, the construction in our part of the building is complete, except for the playground, but it will be ready by the 19th. The contractors have been wonderful!
There's so much to say, I don't really know where to start. We spent 3 days in July planning out how the school will function based on the plan that the Board of Education approved. I'm in awe of my colleagues who have between 1 and 30+ years of experience. We amazingly have a balance of strengths and interests that will complement each other well as we begin our journey of running the only teacher led school. This summer, we worked on recruitment, facility planning, schedules, curriculum, ordering materials, service learning project development, shared decision making, studying effective school models, and team building.
Enrollment was a concern that we all shared, and the best news- we have a waiting list!! 145 students have registered for school beating our projection of 128 students in kinder, first and second grade. Check out today's 7 News Story here.
It still amazes me how people react to the concept of our school. Yes, teachers are "smart enough" to run a school. We will also be using Peer Review model, which is groundbreaking for Colorado. This will require a waiver from the State Board of Education since statute requires that a principal conduct evaluations. As we have seen from The New Teacher Project's report, this hasn't exactly been successful. We want to try something different, and hope that it will be replicated across DPS. The DCTA Board and DPS Board approved our request to waive statute.
Pictures will be coming soon!