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District Call for New Schools
OSRI (Office of School Reform Initiative) began a school design cohort of administrators looking to revamp or open new schools -
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Writing the Plan
Dr. Amy Gile worked with her future assistant principal to learn and create a new school plan. Within the learning structure, she read and followed the Strategic School Design text and heard a range of speakers with an extensive knowledge in school design. Dr. Gile wrote a plan with an innovative eye as she designed an outside of the box hiring process, found a third way, and refined processes in which she used in previous school experiences. -
Plan Submission
The plan created through the OSRI course to create High Tech Elementary School was submitted to the board prior to spring break. The district came back with revisions for Dr. Gile to complete within a short time prior to facing a stakeholder question and answer session. -
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Community Outreach
Dr. Gile went door to door and held community meetings in Green Valley Ranch, Stapleton, and surrounding neighborhoods to spread the word about High Tech Elementary. At the time, she was unaware of exactly where the school would be located. -
Assistant Principal Hired
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Plan Presentation to the Board
Dr. Gile was given the opportunity to present her plan to the board with a short presentation as well as a question and answer session after the board had about 2 months to read and review the plan. This process lasted only 5 minutes. -
Community Comment
After presenting to the board, a community comment session took place where proposed teachers and supporting parents were able to share their support of Dr. Gile and the opening of High Tech Elementary School. -
High Tech Elementary School Plan Approved
The plan was approved and community meetings began with families in the Stapleton neighborhood. -
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Year Zero Planning
Dr. Gile began phase 2 of the planning process for High Tech Elementary School. Weekly meetings were held at Starbucks where parents were able to stop by and meet with Dr. Gile to learn more and become part of the next phase of planning. -
PTA Begins
Gaddy, a future HTES parent, met with Dr. Gile at Starbucks, and it was clear that she would be a great fit to be the first HTES PTA president. An open meeting was then held weeks later and the board was elected on the spot. -
Ground Breaking
Construction began for the Conservatory Green campus. Dr. Gile met with the building crew (construction and district staff) on a bi-weekly basis until the building was complete to receive updates on progress. -
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Parent Committee Planning
Parents began to take the reigns with Dr. Gile to lead the charge in school planning committees: PBIS, nutrition, hiring, and innovation. -
Office Manager Hired
Dr. Gile hired an office manager to support recruiting, hiring, purchasing and more. -
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Community Building
Parent email updates began on a weekly basis as Dr. Gile met parents at various outreach events including open houses at the Stapleton Recreation Center. She also began attending job fairs which were soon followed by the recruiting and hiring processes. -
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Facilities Hiring
Dr. Gile worked with central office staff to hire a facilities manager and a kitchen manager for the Conservatory Green campus. -
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Initial Staff Planning and Development
The first staff of High Tech Elementary came together to begin building a new school culture as the language of the mission and vision of the school were discussed. Professional development also took place to prepare for opening the school. -
Ribbon Cutting Ceremony
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Inclisive Practices Cohort
As part of the HTES mission, we focus on individual needs to ensure that all students succeed. Working with the district on a monthly basis to learn best practices for full inclusion support became beneficial for all students' success. -
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First Book Fair
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First Garden Day
Each classroom of students had the opportunity to plant a vegetable bed in the school garden. -
First Thanksgiving Dinner
Families had the opportunity to join their students for a Thanksgiving meal in the cafeteria during the lunch hour. -
First PBIS Assembly
Families invited to an assembly to recognize students that went above and beyond to exhibit core values throughout the first trimester. -
First Arts Performance
The arts were celebrated for the first of many times with families as students were able to showcase their musical talents. -
First Project Based Learning Showcase
Part of the HTES vision is that learning is grounded in a technology-enhanced, personalized, project-based approach. This was a time for 2nd grade students to showcase their learning and work from the first half of their project based learning experience in an interactive way with staff, families, and peers. -
Innovation Plan Presented to the Board
Members of the innovation committee including Dr. Gile, staff, and parents presented the innovation plan to the DPS board for approval. -
Board Vote to Approve Innovation Plan
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Personalized Learning Cohort
The school wrote a Personalized Learning grant which came to fruition in the first year. Then, staff worked to prototype and implement throughout the first and second year. -
First PJ Day
Fundraiser to support a local homeless shelter allowed students to make a donation and wear their PJ's to school for a day. -
First Talent Show
Students and staff were able to showcase their many talents for the community. -
First Field Day
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First Fall Festival
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First 5th Grade Continuation
