Refugee Story

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Website has published an article about Hodan, an orphaned teen from Somalia.

As fate would have it, Hodan is currently a student at EGOS, studying English in the CRESL program. Her story is compelling and it highlights the tragedy--and optimism--of so many displaced people.

When you consider that UNHCR deals with millions of refugees each year, it it somewhat amazing that one they chose to focus on is right here at our school!

You can access the story here: http://www.unhcr.org/4ac4b2089.html

Sharon McCreary
Volunteer Manager, CRESL In-Home tutoring
www.refugee-esl.org
720-423-4843

FALL FLORAL DESIGN WORKSHOP

Fall Floral Design Workshop

Holidays are coming, create a fall/thanksgiving wreath with Michael, instructor for the Floral Design Program.

When: Thursday November 5, 2009

Time: 1:00 p.m. (limited space)

Where: Glenarm Conference Room

Bring your tools. scissors and wire cutters. Together we will explore the strength of the focal point. Please R.S.V.P. to Jan Raymond, 34721, if you are interested in signing up for this workshop.

Michael Kessler

Website Statistics for September

Website Statistics for September!

For the month of September, 2009 we received about 865 applications which equals about 28.8 applications/day compared with 1,220 applications (40 applications/day) in August. During the month of September, of 1,079 visits to the Getting Started Checklist, 469 (43%) proceeded to the Application. This is just one of the many measures that helps us monitor our websites' effectiveness.

In comparison with other Vocational & Continuing Education sites of a similar size, September 2009 we received:

25,019 Visits/month compared with 5,056 of other sites
47.07% Bounce Rate (visits in which the person left our site from the entrance page) compared with 44.99% of other sites
3:22 min is the Average Time spent on site compared with 2:44 min on other sites
4.88 Pages/Visit compared with 3.70 pages/visit of other sites
35.18% are New Visits compared with 57.12% on other sites

September's Most Popular Program Pages by number of Pageviews:

LPN: 1,673
CNA: 1,443
Medical Assisting: 761
Pharmacy Technician: 632
Cosmetology: 598
Professional Sewing/Fashion Design: 584
Dental Assisting: 544
Culinary Arts: 508
Cake Decorating: 485
Medical Billing/Coding: 444
Computer Network Technician: 419

September’s Top Traffic Sources:

Direct source (typed in url): 47.87%
Google.com search: 33.6%
Bing.com search: 4.42%
Yahoo.com search: 3.51%
Cccs.edu (referral): 1.12%

If you have further questions about our website statistics or would like to see a complete report please contact outbind://19-000000007C22733A1672D31182A500A0C9E1CE9C070095E1DF2DA8CDD211828000A0C9E1CE9C00000061EF740000378F303B10571244ADAC6C95D16EEA9100196C22226B0000/Christine_Hill@dpsk12.org or outbind://19-000000007C22733A1672D31182A500A0C9E1CE9C070095E1DF2DA8CDD211828000A0C9E1CE9C00000061EF740000378F303B10571244ADAC6C95D16EEA9100196C22226B0000/Marla_Rodriguez@dpsk12.org.

Brown Bag Lunch

Another Exciting Brown Bag Lunch

This Wednesday, October 21 from 11:30-1:30
What do you want to talk about? Bring your question/topic and put it in the box for discussion!

Here are some ideas for topics:
Progress on signage in the building
Professional Development Day feedback
Vision – share feedback provided; discuss next steps
School Update
Student Information System Update
Questions/Issues with grades submission

Marla Rodriguez
Director of Student Services/Marketing
Emily Griffith Opportunity School
1250 Welton St., Denver, CO 80204
720-423-4755E
EmilyGriffith.edu
To be sure email reaches me, also send to: marlasari.rodriguez@gmail.com

Evaluation Form - Professional Development Day

To All Faculty and Staff

Friday, October 16 was Professional Development Day. If you did not fill out an evaluation, please click on the link below and fill out the survey on line. Thank you for taking the time to do this.

Sharron Carosella

http://www.zoomerang.com/Survey/?p=WEB229RYR35HY5

CDE Site Visits

In 2008, the state legislature authorized a state-wide site facility inventory to assess school buildings based on condition and educational suitability. On Wednesday, November 4, from 8-10 AM, a consultant will visit EGOS to conduct a site visit and tour the facility to see how well it supports student learning in the following areas: Room usage/capacity; Appropriateness of the instructional space; Technology readiness; Appropriateness of outside spaces. This visit will not include a review of instruction or curriculum.

Lou Ann Gilhooly, Director
Emily Griffith High School
1250 Welton Street
Denver, CO 80204
720-423-4738
Fax: 720-423-4850

Professional Development Day

Professional Development Day
October 16, 2009

Agenda

8:00 am Continental Breakfast Student Lounge
(Chef Tim, Chef Kristi, and Culinary Students)

8:20 am Welcome and Technology in Education Overview Student Lounge
(Katie Collins, Christine Hill, and JoAn Keeler)

8:45 am DPS Technology Classes Student Lounge
(Randy Redd)

9:00 am Breakout Sessions
The sessions are intended to provide a brief overview of the technology tools that could be implemented in the delivery of instruction. The sessions will be presented at 9 am, 9:30 am, 10 am, and 10:30 am unless otherwise indicated. After attending the overview sessions, you will have the opportunity to sign up for workshops that will be offered through the Instructional Academy. Please plan to attend four of the following:

Promethean Board Student Lounge
(Randy Redd)

Traditional teaching styles miss the mark with the tech-savvy students of today. The Promethean Board bridges the gap between how this new generation of students lives and how they learn. This innovative technology tool makes lesson planning a breeze for teachers and learning a delight for students. See a demonstration of the how the Promethan Board works and other demonstrations of hardware that EGOS has available.

Photo Story Room 115A

(Katie Collins)
Bring your digital photos to life with Photo Story 3 for Windows. This free, easy-to-use program allows you to create a photo slideshow. With a single click, you can touch-up, crop or rotate pictures. Then, add special effects, upload songs to accompany the slide show and personalize your pictures with titles and captions. The file size makes it easy to send your photo stories in an e-mail. In this session you will see an example of a slide show and a demonstration of how to get started.

Powerpoint with Video Room 404
( JoAn Keeler)
How to Put Power into your Power Point Presentation
* See sample demonstrations of effective & ineffective presentations
* See how a boring powerpoint presentation can be changed to an effective, powerful presentation

* Learn a few of the latest tips and tricks to enhance PowerPoint presentations

Outlook

(Sharron Carosella and Bob Marshall) Room 238
Microsoft Office Outlook 2007 provides an integrated solution for managing your time and information, connecting across boundaries, and remaining in control of the information that reaches you. Office Outlook 2007 delivers innovations you can use to quickly search your communications, organize your work, and better share your information with others — all from one place.


Websites and Social Media to Reach Students Room 123

9 am and 10 am
(Christine Hill)
Learn how www.EmilyGriffith.edu and social media can help you in and beyond classroom? In this class we will explore the benefits of using our website, and our Twitter, Facebook, and Flickr accounts to reach and teach students.

Video Screen Cast 9:30 am and 10:30 am Room 123
(Christine Hill)
Want to make short video lessons on your computer and post them to the Internet using only free software, a microphone, and a computer? A screencast captures what is displayed on a computer screen and can be accompanied by audio commentary. Screencasts can be used to demonstrate the use of computers and software or to record presentations using a microphone or camera and a Powerpoint presentation. We will look at many examples of how to use this free screencasting software to create the lesson that keeps on teaching.

Wikki 9 am and 10 am Room 115C
(Sharon McCreary and Slavica Park)
Wiki is a website that includes the collaboration of work from many different authors. A Wiki site allows anyone to edit, delete, or modify the content on the web. Workshop participants will learn how to design a Wiki that can be used for a class, a department or for a family’s personal use.

Blogs 9:30 am and 10:30 am Room 115C
(Sharon McCreary and Slavica Park)
Blogs are easily updated mini-Websites used for everything from news to business to personal journals. Whether you’re chronicling the birth of a business campaign or the birth of a baby, this free, nimble, easy-to-use online journal is an effective format for getting your words out and into the online world. This workshop overview will explain more about what a blog is, how and why blogs are used, and why you would want to blog about a topic of interest to you. Come and get a glimpse of the hows, whys, and ways of blogging.

Google 9 am and 10 am Room 327
(Eileen Ashford, Karen Fletcher, and Nick Sarchet)
Go beyond the Google search tool.
Learn about the powerful tools of Google Education Apps!


Technology Literacy Assessment Room 327
9:30 am and 10:30 am
(Eileen Ashford and Karen Fletcher)
Find out what computer skills the average Colorado 8th grader has.
How do our EGOS adults measure up?
How do we prepare for our future students?


Please bring your cell phones to the Continental Breakfast and general session and breakout sessions. We will have a fun activity.

11:00 am Lunch (On Your Own)

Afternoon Department Meetings and/or Work in Rooms

"In Praise of Teachers”

Teachers and Staff at Emily Griffith Opportunity School,

Please read the following and know that you make a difference, your work matters, and you follow a long legacy of powerful teachers at Emily Griffith. Thank you! Please read the following.


“My grandfather's teacher at the 24th Street Elementary School in Denver was Emily Griffith, founder of the Emily Griffith Opportunity School. After being beat up and called a dirty Jew, my grandfather decided to drop out of school in eighth grade. Emily Griffith came to his house, brought him a pail of ice cream, and convinced him to stay in school. My grandfather believed that Emily Griffith's visit that day saved his life.”



From the editorial, “In Praise of Teachers,” by David Miller, President of The Denver Foundation, in the Denver Post posted on October 8, 2009. READ ON: http://www.denverpost.com/opinion/ci_13507095

Cancellation of Flu Clinic

To All EGOS Faculty and Staff

Front Range Flu Clinic has canceled the Flu Shot clinic.

Thank you
Dorothy Seal

Trash Pickup and Recycle Items

To All Staff

The city of Denver as of 15 September started collecting our trash. The school district is still in negotiations over the collection of recycle items.

What you need to know regarding recycle pick up that will help the custodial staff:

* Please do not place recycled items around the dumpster on the ground if the
dumpster is full.

* Please do not place recyclable items on the dumpster lid if they are full.
* If the recycle collection dumpster is full you must throw trash in the normal
trash bin.
* The recycle companies refuse to collect, if recycle items exceed the dumpsters
load capacity.
* When recycle items are not properly placed within the bins, the custodial staff
has to take extra time to clean up everything left on the ground or on the
dumpster lids.
* Items that are not contained within the dumpster are also considered a fire
hazard by the Denver Fire Department.

Thank you for your assistance

Victor Quintana III and Brad Vickers

Support the Rockies

COLORADO ROCKIES PURPLE FRIDAY!

Mayor John Hickenlooper and Denver Public Schools Superintendent Tom Boasberg today encouraged Colorado Rockies fans throughout the Denver area and in classrooms large and small to wear purple on Friday in advance of the team's first home playoff game this weekend. "The Colorado Rockies will return to Coors Field on Saturday to continue their march toward a second World Series appearance in three years," said Hickenlooper, a former high school junk ball pitcher and lifelong baseball enthusiast. "We are cheering hard for the home team and look forward to watching the Rockies go deep into the playoffs." Boasberg encouraged students and teachers throughout Denver Public Schools to show support for the Rockies by wearing purple to school on Friday. "This is a really exciting time for our city and for our kids," Boasberg said. "And I'm sure we'll see tremendous Rockies' spirit at our schools on Friday."

Also today, team flags for the Colorado Rockies were hoisted onto flag poles at the City and County Building and the Webb Municipal Building. The flags will fly as long as the Rockies are in the playoffs. And the lights on the City and County Building will turn purple tonight - and on all game days - during the team's playoff run.

Upholstery Cleaning

To All EGOS Faculty & Staff

Phil Rummel will be doing upholstery cleaning this Wednesday, October 7, 2009. If you have a chair that you would like cleaned, please put your name on it and have it to Phil by Noon Wednesday, October 7. They will be ready to be picked up on Thursday, October 8.

Professional Development Day

Professional Development Day
October 16, 2009

Professional Development Day will be October 16, 2009. The day's activities will begin at 8 am with a Continental Breakfast served in the Student Lounge. At 8:30 am, the day's activities will be introduced with a short video from the Technology in Education (TIE) Conference that several colleagues had the opportunity to attend last summer. In addition, you will be introduced to the online technology training to be offered by the Denver Public Schools. Between 9-11 am, you will be able to select four out of ten breakout sessions to attend. These sessions will serve as an overview of the new technology that is available to educators. After attending these 'teaser' sessions, you will have the chance to sign up for future technology workshops to be offered through the Instructional Academy. The afternoon will be determined by the deans of each college.

Technology in Education Colorado, INC. (TIE) is a Colorado-based organization founded in 1986 by a group of teachers with a vision to host a conference focusing on the increasing role technology plays in education.
Today, TIE organizes a premier statewide conference helping teachers integrate technology tools and 21st century skills including technology and information literacy standards into all content areas. The four-day, hands-on technology focused conference that models and promotes the use of technology integration in the classroom will be held at the Convention Center next summer. The colleagues who attended last summer urge you to consider attending next year.

Request for Graduates

Request for Graduates

Date: March 9, 2010

Dear Instructor/Dean/Advisor:

Please list prospective graduates from your program on the Excel spreadsheet found on the staff intranet under “Staff Files”, “Graduation Forms”, “Request for Grads.”

You will need to include the following information:
• Student’s First Name
• Student’s Last Name
• Student ID#
• Program of Study
• Graduation Term
• Expected Date of Completion

The deadline for submission of your list is March 14, 2010. If you have student/s that begin class after March 14, 2010 and will complete their programs prior to May 7, 2010, submit this list, in the same format, as soon as possible, but not later than May 7, 2010. If you do not have graduates, please notify Charlene.

If you have questions, please contact me at 720-423-4851.


Sincerely,


Charlene Salazar
Records Office

Flu Shot Clinic

To All EGOS Faculty and Staff

A reminder the Flu Shot clinic will be held on October 12, 2009. There needs to be 25people signed up or the clinic will be canceled. The H1N1 vaccine will not be included nor will there be a clinic for that vaccine. For more information regarding the H1N1, please visit the Colorado Department of Health website,
(http://www.cdphe.state.co.us/),for more information, or the help line at 1-877-462-2911. Also, information will be on the Center for Disease Control at http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/general_info.htm.

Again a minimum of 25 and payment at time will be required. Thanks. Dorothy


Dorothy Seal, RN, BS, MEd.
Instructional Dean, Health Occupations
Emily Griffith Opportunity School
720-423-4734
fax 720-423-4762
dorothy_seal@dpsk12.org

Repair of Boilers

To All EGOS Faculty and Staff

Beginning next week, October 5, the boilers will be shut down due to repairs of steam traps. It will take approximately three weeks to complete the repairs.

During this time, please dress accordingly in layers. Work will be done as quickly as possible. Thank you for your understanding and patience.

Victor Quintana III
Facility Manager

Heating Our Old Facility

The Aches and Pains of Winter
Heating our old facility

Overview
We’re not going to start out with four letter words, however, as temperatures begin to drop and our heaters kick in at home, at some point we have to take off our rose colored glasses and get ready for the c—d and s—w!
Victor and crew are having the same thoughts about keeping us warm this fall and winter.
• It takes a week for the boilers to get hot enough to create steam to warm the building
• It takes a week for the boilers to cool down
• Once the boilers are up and running they are NOT turned off!
• Temperatures in Colorado can range from 30 degrees in the morning to 90 in the afternoon. So…Keep these things in mind:
o As the day warm, WE STILL HAVE RESIDUAL HEAT from the boilers!
o Dress in layers! Encourage your students to do the same
o Bring hats and mittens to class for the mornings
o Run fans in the afternoon.

Current work on heating system
We have a unique situation this year regarding when Victor turns on the boilers and it has a name, “Fixing the steam traps”
What does this have to do with you? Comfort!

The aged pipes that carry the hot water throughout the building have sprung leaks…32 of them in fact! As a critical maintenance issue, the district is repairing these cracks. We planned for this work to be completed in the summer, however, all bonds from the last election had not yet been purchased; money was not available until this time. THIS MEANS VICTOR CANNOT TURN ON THE BOILERS UNTIL THE PROJECT IS COMPLETED. The estimated time of completion is mid-November.

Important information
• Plugging in space heaters will over load the system and blow electrical circuits. Please do not use space heaters in any space or room.
o We realize this may be less than ideal, please honor this request
• Space heaters that you may see throughout the building have been approved.

Thanks for understanding the situation and realizing that some things are out of our control.