The Aurora Public Schools Board of Education will have three director seats open this year for the Nov. 7 election. APS will hold a special open meeting pursuant to C.R.S. 22-32-108 to provide information on the upcoming board candidate election. The session will be held:

Tuesday, July 25 • 6-7 p.m.
IN-PERSON ONLY
APS Professional Learning and Conference Center
Board Room
15771 E. 1st Avenue, Aurora, CO 80011

Citizens will have an opportunity to ask questions about the election process and learn more about the responsibilities of being a board member. Please note that this special open meeting will be IN-PERSON ONLY. Livestreaming will NOT be available for this meeting.

For additional information, please call 303-344-8060, extension 28009.

¿Está interesado en servir como Director del Consejo Directivo de Educación del Distrito de las Escuelas Públicas de Aurora?

El Consejo Directivo de Educación del Distrito de las Escuelas Públicas de Aurora tendrá tres plazas de director disponibles este año en las elecciones del 7 de noviembre. APS organizará una reunión especial de manera abierta y de conformidad con los Estatutos de Colorado C.R.S. 22-32-108 para brindar información sobre las próximas elecciones para candidatos del Consejo Directivo. La sesión tendrá lugar:

Martes, 25 de julio • 6-7 p. m.
SOLAMENTE
Centro de conferencias y aprendizaje profesional de APS
Sala del Consejo Directivo
15771 E. 1st Avenue, Aurora, CO 80011

Los ciudadanos tendrán una oportunidad de hacer preguntas sobre el proceso de elección y conocer más sobre las responsabilidades de ser un miembro del Consejo Directivo.

Para información adicional, por favor, llame al 303-344-8060, extensión 28009.

Aurora Public Schools is excited to host our 15th annual Back to School Kickoff to celebrate the beginning of the 2023-24 school year! APS students and families will enjoy free goodies, food, entertainment and more. This is an event you won’t want to miss!

Join us Saturday, Aug. 5 from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Town Center at Aurora.

Free backpacks and school supplies will be provided to APS students while supplies last. The event is also a great opportunity to meet school staff and explore the many resources we provide to students and families. If you are new to the district, you can also register your child for school.

Low- or no-cost immunizations and vaccinations will also be available. Please be sure to bring your child’s shot records.

We hope to see you there!

Aurora Public Schools Community,

This is a reminder to complete the Building Repurposing Surveys for Paris and Sable elementary schools. We recorded all of the finalists in our community presentations below for you to view at your convenience. We are asking you to please complete the surveys by Friday, April 7. 

We would first like to thank those of you who attended community presentations for the Building Repurposing Process for Paris and Sable elementary schools last week. For those of you who were unable to attend, we wanted to provide you with an opportunity to provide your input. We recorded all of the presentations for you to view at your convenience. 

Click here to watch the proposal finalist presentations for Paris Elementary School. In addition, to read more about each finalist that proposed alternative uses for Paris Elementary School, click on the proposal summary links below:

• Cohen-Esrey Development Group: Cohen-Esrey is a developer that has proposed the Aurora Hub House at the site of Paris Elementary to provide support to overcome trauma, incarceration, mental illness, poverty, and other issues inclusive of the following: affordable housing units for families experiencing homelessness, workforce housing for APS educators and staff, neighborhood-serving retail, and the potential for an early childhood center.
• • View presentation materials
  • View presentation recording
• Vanguard Classical School West/M. Fisher Collaborative Works (VCS): VCS West is a currently operating charter school under the authorization of Aurora Public Schools. VCS West proposed to operate a K-8 charter school under its charter with APS and move from its current location to the Paris site.
• • View presentation materials
  • View presentation recording
• Village Exchange Center (VEC): VEC is a non-profit organization that has proposed a non-profit community center at the site of Paris Elementary that will serve the humanitarian, cultural, and religious needs of the surrounding community including of the following: wrap-around services, collaborative rental space, educational programming, multi-faith worship spaces, multi-media opportunities and events.
• • View presentation materials
  • View presentation recording
• Young Aspiring Americans for Social and Political Activism (YAASPA): YAASPA, in partnership with Young Improvements/Driven By Our Ambitions (DBOA) and Apprentice of Peace Youth Organization (APYO) are proposing the repurposing of Paris Elementary school with the Aurora Wellness Community to create a community hub inclusive of childcare services; food access and security systems; and education and workforce pathways.
• • View presentation materials
  • View presentation recording

Click here to watch the proposal finalist presentations for Sable Elementary School. In addition, to read more about each finalist that proposed alternative uses for Sable Elementary School, click on the proposal summary links below:

• Aurora Expeditionary Learning Academy (AXL): AXL is a currently operating charter school under the authorization of Aurora Public Schools. AXL proposes to operate a PK-8 charter school under its charter with APS and move from its current location to the Sable site.
• • View presentation materials
  • View presentation recording
• Aurora Public Schools Early Childhood Education Department (APS ECE): The APS ECE Department has proposed the repurposing of Sable Elementary school as a Childhood Development Center (CDC) to meet the projected enrollment needs of Colorado Universal Preschool (UPK).
• • View presentation materials
  • View presentation recording
• Colorado UpLift: Colorado UpLift is a non-profit organization that has proposed the UpLift Community Campus featuring an operations and support center; a sports and wellness complex; an alumni and community resource center; a leadership innovation and training center; and a leadership academy.
• • View presentation materials
  • View presentation recording

After viewing the presentations and reviewing the proposal summaries, please complete our online surveys for repurposing Paris and Sable elementary schools. Please note there is a survey for each site. Community feedback from these presentations and the community-wide survey will be considered as one of many factors in development of the final recommendations. Final recommendations will be presented to the Board of Education in May.

As always, please visit our Blueprint APS website to learn more about Blueprint APS and the Repurposing Process. If you have specific questions regarding the process, please send them to repurposing@aurorak12.org. We thank you for your continued partnership and support.

- Aurora Public Schools

Aurora Public Schools Community,

As we enter the next phase in our Blueprint APS Region 1 Repurposing Process, we are inviting you to hear from those who have submitted repurposing proposals for Paris and Sable elementary schools. After hearing from the proposal finalists, we will be asking for your input.

Through the Blueprint APS Repurposing Request for Proposals (RFP), APS asked individuals and organizations who have potential repurpose uses for Paris and Sable elementary schools to submit proposals no later than February 10, 2023. These proposals were received and reviewed and Stage 1 is now complete. We will now be entering Stage 2, which involves presentations to the community and an opportunity for the community to provide feedback on those proposals that advanced to this next stage.

As a reminder, proposals are being evaluated in the following three stages: 

• Stage 1: Evaluation of the written proposals,
• Stage 2: Community presentations and feedback, and
• Stage 3: Final recommendations.

The following vendors have been selected to move forward into Stage 2 of the RFP process. Please click on the links below to read more about each vendor.

Vendors that have proposed alternative uses for Paris Elementary School that are moving forward into Stage 2 include the following, listed in alphabetical order:

• Cohen-Esrey Development Group: Cohen-Esrey is a developer that has proposed the Aurora Hub House at the site of Paris Elementary to provide support to overcome trauma, incarceration, mental illness, poverty, and other issues inclusive of the following: affordable housing units for families experiencing homelessness, workforce housing for APS educators and staff, neighborhood-serving retail, and the potential for an early childhood center.
  • View presentation materials
  • View presentation recording
• Vanguard Classical School West/M. Fisher Collaborative Works (VCS): VCS West is a currently operating charter school under the authorization of Aurora Public Schools. VCS West proposed to operate a K-8 charter school under its charter with APS and move from its current location to the Paris site.
  • View presentation materials
  • View presentation recording
• Village Exchange Center (VEC): VEC is a non-profit organization that has proposed a non-profit community center at the site of Paris Elementary that will serve the humanitarian, cultural, and religious needs of the surrounding community including of the following: wrap-around services, collaborative rental space, educational programming, multi-faith worship spaces, multi-media opportunities and events.
  • View presentation materials
  • View presentation recording
• Young Aspiring Americans for Political and Social Activism (YAASPA): YAASPA, in partnership with Young Improvements/Driven By Our Ambitions (DBOA) and Apprentice of Peace Youth Organization (APOYO) are proposing the repurposing of Paris Elementary school with the Aurora Wellness Community to create a community hub inclusive of childcare services; food access and security systems; and education and workforce pathways.
  • View presentation materials
  • View presentation recording

Vendors that have proposed alternative uses for Sable Elementary School that are moving forward into Stage 2 include the following, listed in alphabetical order:

• Aurora Expeditionary Learning Academy (AXL): AXL is a currently operating charter school under the authorization of Aurora Public Schools. AXL proposes to operate a PK-8 charter school under its charter with APS and move from its current location to the Sable site.
  • View presentation materials
  • View presentation recording
• Aurora Public Schools Early Childhood Education Department (APS ECE): The APS ECE Department has proposed the repurposing of Sable Elementary school as a Childhood Development Center (CDC) to meet the projected enrollment needs of Colorado Universal Preschool (UPK).
  • View presentation materials
  • View presentation recording
• Colorado UpLift: Colorado UpLift is a non-profit organization that has proposed the UpLift Community Campus featuring an operations and support center; a sports and wellness complex; an alumni and community resource center; a leadership innovation and training center; and a leadership academy.
  • View presentation materials
  • View presentation recording

In Stage 2, proposal teams will be asked to present during live community information presentations this week. Presentations will be open and available to the public. Proposal teams will be asked to share their proposals and answer questions from attendees. Exit surveys will be administered to attendees to complete as well as a community-wide survey made available to collect feedback. Community feedback from these presentations and the community-wide survey will be considered as one of many factors in development of the final recommendations.

Below are the dates and times for the Repurposing Proposal Presentations to the community. Each proposal team will present twice: once at a weekday evening session for the site at which they have submitted a proposal and once on a Saturday.

Upcoming Community Presentations

Blueprint APS Community Presentations for Repurposing (Paris Elementary Proposals)
Wednesday, March 22
Paris Elementary, 5:30-8 pm
1635 Paris St, Aurora, CO 80010

Blueprint APS Community Presentations for Repurposing (Sable Elementary Proposals)
Thursday, March 23
Sable Elementary, 5:30-7:30 pm
2601 Sable Blvd, Aurora, CO 80011

Blueprint APS Community Presentations for Repurposing (ALL Proposals)
Saturday, March 25
North Middle School, 10 am -3 pm
12095 E Montview Blvd, Aurora, CO 80010

Interpretation will be available at these presentations in Blueprint Region 1’s top five languages: Spanish, Burmese, Karen, Nepali and Somali. To request interpretation for additional languages at these community presentations, please contact the APS Central Language Services Office at 303-365-7805 or interpretation@aurorak12.org at least 48 hours prior to the event.

Please plan to attend one of the upcoming community presentations. If you are unable to attend, there will be video recordings of the presentations and a survey that you may complete online. We will be sending the video recordings and survey to you next week.

As always, please visit our Blueprint APS website to learn more about Blueprint APS and the Repurposing Process. If you have specific questions regarding the process, please send them to repurposing@aurorak12.org. We thank you for your continued partnership and support.

- Aurora Public Schools

Did you know that the average student experiences learning loss while out of school for summer break?

That is why Aurora Public Schools is excited to offer free, in-person summer school programming to our preschool through 8th-grade students!

The program will run June 5 to June 30, Mondays through Fridays. The morning session, focused on academics, will be held 8-11:30 a.m. The afternoon session, focused on enrichment, is a free, space-limited option that will be held 11:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.

The APS Summer School program is a voluntary opportunity for ALL students to enjoy a wide variety of academic and enrichment activities in safe and supportive learning environments. Our highly-qualified educators will engage students in rigorous curricula that align with students’ learning goals. Our partners at Rocky Mountain Kids and Boys & Girls Clubs will expose students to various hands-on activities, project-based learning opportunities and more.

Housed at centralized school sites, the program provides students from across the district a unique opportunity to make new friends from different school communities! As you can see, summer school is no longer just for students needing extra time to meet academic requirements. It is a wonderful way for students to power their potential!

Registration for both the academic and enrichment programs is open now. Enroll your child today!

In order to hear from as many students, staff, families and community members as possible, Hazard, Young, Attea, and Associates (HYA) has extended the Superintendent Search survey window for one more week. Click here to take the online survey, which will now close on Friday, Mar. 3. This feedback will be used to develop a leadership profile that will include desirable characteristics of the next superintendent.

In addition, we would like to thank those of you who attended a focus group over the past several weeks to provide your input. Your feedback is critical in the superintendent search process and we thank you for your participation.

Aurora Public Schools

The Charles Burrell Visual and Performing Arts Campus (Burrell Arts), Aurora’s only rigorous, arts-integrated educational campus for students in kindergarten through 12th grade, launched last August and has recently completed a beautiful renovation. The Burrell Arts Campus students, families and staff recently came together with the Aurora Public Schools community to mark this special occasion and celebrate the campus’ namesake, Charles Burrell.

“My dad would always say that if you're going to be good, stick to it and practice, practice, practice,” said Charles Burrell’s daughter Joyce Burrell Garcia. She delivered a heartfelt speech on behalf of her father and the Burrell family.

Mr. Burrell is commonly referred to as “the Jackie Robinson of Classical Music” for being the first Black person to be a member of a major American symphony orchestra. After performing for 50 years, Burrell retired from the orchestra in 1999. During that time, he also performed in the Colorado Opera Orchestra and the Central City Opera Orchestra.

He will turn 103 this year and was thrilled to join the celebration with the students that proudly carry on his creative legacy.

“The students and staff here at Burrell Arts are like family where we support and embrace each other’s creativity,” said Burrell Arts ninth-grade student Nilaja'nai Lloyd. “I couldn’t have asked for a better place to learn and grow as an aspiring musician.”

At Burrell Arts K-8, students will enjoy a new music room along with new digital, STEAM and art labs. The school is excited for its students to take advantage of many state-of-the-art lab and learning spaces. At nearby Aurora Central High School, which houses the Burrell Arts 9-12 Pathway, students now have a new digital music lab and a newly-renovated media center and makerspace, a collaborative and creative space for hands-on learning.

The K-8 school is housed in the former Peoria Elementary School building. Both the K-8 building and Aurora Central High School were built in the 1950s. 

Aurora Public Schools is powering student potential through Blueprint APS, the district's long-term education and facilities plan. With magnet schools or programs like the Burrell Arts Campus, we equip students with the knowledge and unique skills to follow their dreams.

Written by Makaylia Ocheskey,

Aurora Central and Rangeview high school athletes with and without intellectual disabilities recently went toe-to-toe in a Special Olympics basketball game! This game was less about the final score and more about the sense of community it provided, not only for the players, but also their fans – which included the Denver Nuggets. 

You read that right. The Denver Nuggets’ own hype team, cheerleaders, and mascot, Rocky, attended the game to cheer the players on. Nuggets cheerleaders gave an entertaining half-time performance while Rocky worked the sidelines, joined the game, and kept the crowd amped up. The Nuggets’ hype squad threw team merchandise out to the crowd and showed support for the athletes by holding up “Make Some Noise” signs. One could have mistaken the event for an official NBA game. 

“Special Olympics has really boosted all of the boys’ confidence,” said Jessica Barajas, mother of one of the Aurora Central players. “This allows them to make social connections and puts a huge smile on their faces when just making a basket.” 

Barajas shared that her son has enjoyed “inclusive sportsmanship and incredible bonding experiences” throughout his time on the unified team.

Aurora Public Schools is proud to partner with Special Olympics as it has helped strengthen our community in many ways. The Colorado Special Olympics has given those with intellectual disabilities an opportunity to excel as competitive athletes since 1969. Robert “Beau” Doherty is credited for starting the unified sports movement, bringing students with and without intellectual disabilities together to create connection, drive, and equity in the school setting. There are now more than 400 schools across the state that offer unified sports, seven of which are in APS. 

At Aurora Public Schools, we believe that every student has unique abilities that we must recognize and engage. We are excited to continue supporting unified teams and helping our students reach their full potential.

The Aurora Public Schools Board of Education has selected a search firm to support its superintendent search process. During its Jan. 10 meeting, the Board selected Hazard, Young, Attea, and Associates (HYA), which is a nationally-recognized, collaborative and experienced executive search firm.

HYA is leading various focus groups over the coming weeks and conducting an online survey to gather feedback from students, teachers, staff, families and community members. The online survey is now open and will close on February 24. Click here to take the online survey. This feedback will be used to develop a leadership profile that will include desirable characteristics of the next superintendent.

Thank your for attending the focus groups HYA has hosted so far. We ask that you attend one of the final focus groups on Thursday, Feb. 23 and complete the online survey. Below is information on the focus groups. Please note that HYA has added an additional focus group for staff members with a later dismissal time on February 23. All focus groups will now meet virtually via Zoom.

For Aurora Public Schools Staff:

• Thursday, Feb. 23 from 4-5 p.m. via Zoom
• Thursday, Feb. 23 from 5-6 p.m. via Zoom

For Aurora Public Schools Parents, Guardians and Families:

• Thursday, Feb. 23 from 8-9 a.m. via Zoom

For Aurora Public Schools Community Members:

• Thursday, Feb. 23 from 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. via Zoom

Zoom Link and password for all focus groups above: https://zoom.us/j/97057630819?pwd=cmtDK3dnb2JVcjJHUERpckcwL3d0QT09 
Meeting ID: 970 5763 0819
Passcode: 950226

Please note that HYA will also be hosting 11 additional focus groups by invitation only. These include focus groups for students (one at every high school), principals, district leadership and city and business leaders. 

Your feedback is critical in the superintendent search process and we thank you in advance for your participation.

Aurora Public Schools

The Aurora Public Schools Board of Education has selected a search firm to support its superintendent search process. During its Jan. 10 meeting, the Board selected Hazard, Young, Attea, and Associates (HYA), which is a nationally-recognized, collaborative and experienced executive search firm.

HYA is leading various focus groups over the coming weeks and conducting an online survey to gather feedback from students, teachers, staff, families and community members. The online survey is now open and will close on February 24. We will send out the link to the survey when it is live, and it will also be available on the Superintendent Search website. This feedback will be used to develop a leadership profile that will include desirable characteristics of the next superintendent.

Thank your for attending the focus groups HYA has hosted so far. We ask that you attend one of the final focus groups on Thursday, Feb. 23 and complete the online survey. Below is information on the focus groups. Please note that HYA has added an additional focus group for staff members with a later dismissal time on February 23.  All focus groups will now meet virtually via Zoom.

For Aurora Public Schools Staff:

• Thursday, Feb. 23 from 4-5 p.m. via Zoom
• Thursday, Feb. 23 from 5-6 p.m. via Zoom

For Aurora Public Schools Parents, Guardians and Families:

• Thursday, Feb. 23 from 8-9 a.m. via Zoom

For Aurora Public Schools Community Members:

• Thursday, Feb. 23 from 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. via Zoom

Zoom Link and password for all focus groups above: https://zoom.us/j/97057630819?pwd=cmtDK3dnb2JVcjJHUERpckcwL3d0QT09 
Meeting ID: 970 5763 0819
Passcode: 950226

Please note that HYA will also be hosting 11 additional focus groups by invitation only. These include focus groups for students (one at every high school), principals, district leadership and city and business leaders.