Durango district schools to host open houses
Durango School District 9-R schools will host these open houses:
From 5 to 6:30 p.m. today at Fort Lewis Mesa Elementary.
From 5 to 7 p.m. today at Big Picture High School.
From 5 to 6:30 p.m. Monday at Animas Valley Elementary.
From 5 to 7:30 p.m. Sept. 17 at Escalante Middle School.
From 5 to 7 p.m. Sept. 17 at Miller Middle School.
From 5 to 6:30 p.m. Sept. 18 at Needham Elementary.
From to 5 to 6:30 p.m. Sept. 18 at Riverview Elementary.
Writing workshop to be held at FLC
Fort Lewis College Continuing Education will offer a “Make Good Writing Great!” workshop from 6 to 8:30 p.m. Tuesdays from Sept. 23 to Nov. 11.
Participants will analyze the qualities that separate great writing from adequate writing, and they will develop the skills to take their own writing to a higher level.
Instructor Lynn Kuntz is an award-winning writer whose credits include magazine and newspaper articles and essays for a variety of publications, along with five books for children, five films for children and a feature family film. Enrollment is limited to eight students on a first-come, first-served basis.
To sign up by Tuesday, call 247-7385.
Science center announces events
The Powerhouse Science Center, 1333 Camino del Rio, announces these events:
Durango Community Cinema featuring “Women In Space” will take place Oct. 1 in the Powerhouse Science Center. This documentary film highlights women’s contributions and accomplishments to the field of space and the wider STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) fields. A panel discussion with space professionals will follow. Doors will open at 6 p.m.
Robot Rumpus will take place at 6 p.m. Oct. 4 at the Powerhouse Science Center. This will be a robotic-themed cocktail party featuring interactive robotic stunts and demonstrations, live music, specialty drinks and more. Tickets are $35 per person ages 21 and older. For more information, visit www.PowSci.org.
The UV Color Splash 5K will be held Oct. 10 at Three Springs Plaza. Packet pickup will begin at 5 p.m., and the Color Splash will start at 7 p.m. The cost is $40 per person, but there will be team and family discounts available. To register or for more information, visit www.uvsplashcolordash.com.
Home child care provider licensing available
The Early Childhood Council of La Plata County in collaboration with Southwest Colorado Child Care Resource & Referral will offer classes for people interested in becoming licensed home child care providers in Colorado.
Pre-licensing will be held from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sept. 27 and Oct. 4 at The Early Childhood Council of La Plata County, 130 Rockpoint Drive, Suite C. The cost for the two-day class is $50.
For more information, call Shannon Bassett at 247-0760, ext. 2, or email shannonb@ecclaplata.org. To register, visit http://ecclaplata.org.
Digital academy offers enrollment locally
Rocky Mountain Digital Academy is a new statewide blended-learning high school that combines online and off-line learning. The academy is enrolling students in Southwest Colorado until Oct. 1.
The academy offers a college-preparatory education. This is a free public school program. The academy provides students a free computer, online curriculum and an academic coach who monitors student performance and maintains regular communication with parents/guardians.
All students are expected to enroll in college classes by their junior year. In addition, career-development classes are required to ensure that students have a well-planned Individual Career and Academic Plan. All students are required to complete a college-preparatory curriculum aligned to Colorado’s higher education entrance requirements.
The academy pays for community college courses that will count for high school and college credit, providing students earn a final grade of C or better in their college classes.
For more information, call Martin Timmons at (719) 334-0374 or visit www.rmdac.org.
Students can register at online Goal Academy
Goal Academy, a public online charter high school, began its 2014-15 school year Aug. 4, but it is not too late to register.
Open enrollment for students ages 14 -21 will continue until Oct. 1. Applications are available at www.goalac.org. Students needing assistance with an application can call (970) 576-8076.
Goal Academy is a free public school opportunity for students throughout Colorado to earn an accredited Colorado Department of Education high school diploma. Goal combines online learning with experiential learning, on-site classes, self-designed electives and concurrent enrollment opportunities for students who excel and want to earn college credit while in high school.
Academic coaches and support staff members can provide face-to-face assistance. Course assistance provided by qualified content specialists is available online from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday to Thursday and from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Fridays. Students can work independently seven days a week, 24 hours per day.
For more information, call (970) 576-8076.
Pyramid Plus Training available for professionals
The Early Childhood Council of La Plata County announces an upcoming Pyramid Plus Training.
Pyramid Plus curriculum embeds evidence-based practices into the Pyramid Model framework for promoting social-emotional competence and addressing challenging behavior in children from birth to 8 years old.
This 10-session training will begin Oct. 14 and end April 7. All classes will be held from 12:30 to 5 p.m. Tuesdays. Attendance is mandatory at every class to qualify for a certificate of completion.
Early childhood administrators, coaches, trainers, teachers, child care providers, mental health consultants, early-intervention providers and other health professionals are encouraged to register. Center directors are encouraged to attend with classroom teachers.
The registration deadline is Sept. 30. To register, email Heather Hawk at heatherh@ecclaplata.org, call 247-0760 or visit www.ecclaplata.org.
Durango School District to serve food grown locally
Durango School District 9-R schools will celebrate Colorado Proud School Lunch Day today.
The schools will serve a harvest stew with carrots from Animas Valley farms, beef from Sunnyside Meats and potato, onion, rutabaga and turnip from Mountain Roots Produce. The lunch menu also will feature peaches and pears from Cunningham Orchard.
Local Girl Scout recognized in Denver for cookies sales
Seven-year-old Olivia Gomez-Cruz of Durango was a guest of honor at an invitation-only celebration dinner in Denver on July 12 for being a top seller of Girl Scout Cookies.
Gomez-Cruz was seventh among the top 14 sellers in Colorado. She sold 2,590 boxes of cookies last spring. In 2013, she sold 2,050 boxes.
Herald Staff
