Issue 12

After dropping her children Ramsey and Beckett off at SMIS, Julie Dunn met several friends at a “back to school, parents-only party” before heading up to the Berkshire for an all-day drinkathon. Parents danced and sang “Summer’s out” in a mix-up parity of the famous 70’s hit “School’s out” by Alice Cooper (whatever happened to his bar in LoDo?). “This is the greatest day ever,” announced a highly intoxicated Cael Sanderson, who is part of a massive number of parents that take the first day of school off from work and go drinking. “I love my kids, but I was so f***ing sick of them!” Other parents traded beads, flashing fake boobs, and kissing strangers. The first day of school has become Stapleton’s very own Mardi Gras. See our poll and vote for the holiday you think is the easiest to get lucky. “We finally don’t have to worry about driving them to camps, packing lunches for camps, worrying if they will enjoy it, etc.,” said resident Jolene Westwick. “Now, we just drop them off at the bus stop, and no fuss, no muss.” The day also is a way for parents from other schools to get together and agree that although they may disagree on what school is the best, they agree that getting back to school is fantastic. Westerly Creek Parent Chris Sword is glad parents from all three schools can share some camaraderie. “During the year, it’s a big pissing contest about what school is the best.  But the day school starts is just all about partying.” The Berkshire plans to open their doors by 9:30 next year, and will be providing a live band for entertainment, along with roping off a large portion of 29th ave. School is back, baby!]]>

When Brett Price accepted the teaching position at Bill Roberts Elementary in Stapleton, he was very excited, but also understood the challenges that come with teaching at a public school.  “Teaching at a public school in a major metropolitan area is always going to have its challenges,” says Mr. Price.  “What I didn’t predict was the outpour of support we would get from the community.  Mom’s from kids in my classes, and even moms of kids not in my classes have offered to help and be paras in the classroom.  In fact, I actually have a wait list for paras right now. It’s great.” The former college lacrosse player who has also done some modeling for sports equipment companies believes that this type of parent support will definitely produce strong results in the classroom. “Some parents have even offered to come over in the evenings to go over the next day’s lesson plans. I never expected this.” [Read more…] about New Teacher Getting Plenty of Help

When the new school began construction, there was some controversy immediately due to its location. Many EaWe (former Eastbridge) residents had purchased their homes with the belief that the school would be built off of Iola in the east part of EaWe. When that did not occur, many residents were disappointed. Residents eventually got over it, and moved on to another topic to complain about. [Read more…] about SMIS Starts off on Wrong Foot with Different ZIP Code

A recent study conducted at Stanford University shows that kids schooled at home by their parents are significantly less weird now than they were 25 years ago. The study, which has been going on for more than two decades, followed 1,200 home-schooled kids each year from 1985 through 2010. Results clearly show a decline in weirdness from that time until now. “Right now, there is only speculation as to why home-schooled kids aren’t nearly as different as they used to be,” says lead doctor on the project Dr. Greg Artz. “There is still so much work to be done.” Some speculation is that large class sizes and lack of personal attention to students is not nearly as beneficial now as it was 25 years ago. “Technology may be affecting the way kids in public schools socialize now,” says Dr. Artz. “Because of the homogenization public schools are creating, along with the ‘everyone wins’ attitude, what we consider normal now may not be so normal.” [Read more…] about Study: Home-Schooled Kids Not as Weird as They Used to Be

The first week of school did not go very smoothly for parents whose children ride the bus. The summer went by so fast, that drivers and administrators did not have time to appropriately plan the routes, pick-ups, and school drops before the first day of school. The drivers and administrators met over beers at Hooters the Wednesday evening before the first day of school to decide how things would be done. [Read more…] about Bus Driver “Just Wing It” Strategy Unsuccessful

In what has become a parent necessity, parents line their kids up in front of the house and snap a quick photo of the kids before shuttling them off to school. The problem is, these pictures are looking more and more alike. When it was the first born heading off on their first day, it was a big deal, and you can clearly tell by the picture when it was taken. Ten years and two kids later, each year’s picture is becoming more challenging to identify. “We have to do it,” says Stapleton mom Andrea LeHew. “Even though we are not near as excited about it, it is just one of those things you have to do as a parent.” [Read more…] about This Year’s Back to School Picture Not Much Different than Last Years

Brian Meeter, 7 years old, was excited to start at his new school and meet some new friends.  He had been going to a private school, and now was going to start attending a public school where friends from Stapleton were attending.  That excitement quickly turned to horror when new classmate Todd Rewalt noticed his Star Wars backpack appeared to be a little too worn. “It’s all in the stitching,” said Todd.  “It was a pack that you could get at Target today, but you could tell, if you looked closely, that the stitching was a little worn, and the stormtroopers were in the sun a little too long.”  The word spread quickly due to Todd’s and his friends’ diligence. “We can’t have a new kid up in here, trying to act like he’s one of us immediately and have an old backpack. Just not cool.” [Read more…] about Kids Know New Kid’s Back Pack was His Last Year’s Back Pack