Parents, Students & Staff,
Two years ago we placed the motto “The Gateway to College” over our front door. We reasoned that seeing that message every day would be a constant reminder that the future begins now. There is plenty of research out there that supports what most of us see as common sense: a child’s level of success in elementary school is often an accurate determiner of how well they will do in their future lives. After all, our kids need to keep up and get ahead now if they’re going to be able to succeed in middle school, high school, and ultimately college.
Over the past two years the Laredo staff and our PTO have put a lot of work into looking to the future. What started out as small ideas for an emphasis in science has turned into something bigger than we originally dreamed. Here are a few of the initiatives that are presently up and running at Laredo:
- We have become a Health Sciences Pathway school. We have a partnership with the Anschutz Medical Campus on Colfax to begin giving our students the experiences they will need to prepare for future career paths in technology, science, and the medical professions.
- We have a partnership with the University of Colorado at Denver to be a training site for their teacher education program.
- We have a partnership with the Colorado School of Mines through the Bechtel Fellowship. This means we have a doctoral scientist working to support our science initiatives right here in our building.
- Thanks to the help of our parents and committed staff, 100% of our classrooms will finally be equipped with Advanced Promethean Technology before winter break.
- Beginning in March we will have a partnership with Live Well Colorado and Channel 7 to establish a healthy choices program. This will include a documentary to be developed by Channel 7 to cover the amazing things Laredo is doing.
- Through our Power of Choice approach to discipline, we still have one of the best behavior records of any school in Aurora.
Building a school that prepares students for the rigors of the 21st Century economy is a business that requires the common effort of all of us. We’re all very excited about the work that has been accomplished through the hard work of our staff and our parents. Laredo Elementary School is a great place to be, with a tremendous future ahead for all students. Our challenge is to keep raising the bar, maintain our vision and to encourage our students and families to take advantage of the truly unique opportunities we provide to prepare our kids for college. We’ve come a long way.
Onwards and upwards,
Quinn O’Keefe
Principal
