Below you’ll find a list of frequently asked questions about our school. We’ll continue to add to, and improve upon this list because as a Southmoor community, we want to keep all our stakeholders informed.
Teachers meet with grade level teams to plan and discuss assessment outcomes. Teachers share resources and regroup students if needed for small group instruction.
School wide: All teachers meet 2 times a month to plan and review math goals. Students who need additional support or enrichment are identified, goals are set, and teachers plan when and how they will address the goal over the next 3-4 weeks. In some cases, the same children may be identified several times by their classroom teacher. The group discussions, coupled with the emphasis for support in small groups or with paraprofessionals, helps students achieve grade level goals.
Teachers are learning to apply the newly adopted “Common Core State Standards.” Deeper understanding of these standards improves our instructional practices. The CCSS was introduced this year in the areas of reading, writing, and math. The process of introducing the standards will continue through 2014. Teachers have access to support and challenge materials from DPS online and through collaboration with colleagues. To read more about the Common Core State Standards, please go to this website: http://www.corestandards.org/
Issued by DPS, there is negotiated para professional time. It is mandatory, though taken out of each school’s budget, and distributed as follows:
Grades K-3 receive 1 hr if there are 26 – 27 students in a classroom, 2 hrs if there are 28 – 30 students in a classroom and 3 hrs if there are 31 – 32 students in a classroom.
Grades 4-5 receive 1 hr if there are 28 – 29 students in a classroom, 2 hrs if there are 30 – 32 students in a classroom and 3 hrs if there are 33 – 35 students in a classroom.
Southmoor has been lucky enough to get extra para time with the support of SPIE (Southmoor Partners in Excellence). Because of this, each grade level has flooding. This is about a 45 minute block of time when paras work with small, identified, groups of students. In addition to this, the 1stand 4th grades have 1 para to work with a math group for 45 minutes – 1 hr. The 3rd grade has 1 para who works with a group on writing.
The process for placing students into the HGT program is clearly explained here.
We, the Southmoor School Community, inspire students for a future yet unseen. We teach a strong academic foundation, promote good character development, nurture the creative imagination of each student and instill a love of learning and commitment to excellence!
Schools rated Distinguished are exceeding district expectations and have very high ratings in both Academic Growth and Academic Proficiency.
Teachers and principals can earn incentive pay from school ratings. The higher the rating the more desirable the school becomes. Schools ranked lower receive financial help to improve performance and growth, but they run the risk of being closed.
The vacancy is posted on the DPS website for internal and external candidates. Job fairs are another great place to find quality teachers.
Southmoor offers a variety of enrichments, both before and after school. To see all the programs, please look at the enrichment tab on the Southmoor website. Here are a few: art programs, science classes, cub scouts, lego club, chess, club amigos, music clubs, running club, semantics, Shakespeare and SPREE camps.
Being an engaged parent makes you a successful parent at Southmoor. Here are some ways to do that.
- Be in contact with your child’s teacher
- Read the Moose Mail
- Volunteer
- Talk to your child about their day
- Communicate concerns you have
- Attend school meetings and forums
There are many ways to get involved that have varying time commitments. Here are some ideas.
- Volunteer in the classroom
- Be a room parent
- Join PTO and/or attend their meetings
- Join CSC and/or attend their meetings
- Help with class projects
- Help with the auction in the spring
- Help with Moose Is Loose in the fall
- Donate for the teacher lunches – Moose Bunch
Not everyone is able to volunteer time in the school, please feel free to contact members of the PTO, CSC, or your child’s teacher for other ways to get engaged at Southmoor Elementary.
Southmoor’s climate and culture committee has been working on this and a more specific plan is coming. Denver Public Schools has adopted a formal discipline policy that will be used to promote a safe and respectful school environment. This policy sets forth specific, expected rules of conduct and the manner by which these rules will be enforced. It can be found in detail on the district website: http://www.dpsk12.org/parent_handbook/
Caring, Cooperative, Helpful, Respectful, Responsible
Teachers reward students who exhibit positive behaviors with a “catch-ya.” Weekly winners are rewarded, and a monthly award is given by our PTO!
A great source of information is also found in our Southmoor Handbook.
