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SEPTEMBER 2014 RMPARENT.COM

Sustainable LIVING FAIR

Balancing FALL ACTIVITIES

Spectator SPORTS

Skin RASHES

Safe Routes TO SCHOOL

PLUS

LOCAL FOOD AND FARM GUIDE

SPECIAL SECTION:

2 | RMPARENT

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Departments

PERSPECTIVE . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6Sustainably yours...it matters to me

FIRST YEARS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8A rash of rashes!most will disappear on their own in babies and toddlers

FAMILY ACTIVITIES . . . . . . . 10Hooray for young athletescatch a local game this fall and support local students

HEALTHY LIVING . . . . . . . . . 12A day at the Sustainable Living Fairfind healthy solutions and support for your family

GIVE ME A BREAK . . . . . . . . 14 Back to daily routinestime to reorganize and create some structure

COMMUNITY NEWS . . . . . 16Support for parents, teens needed for marijuana prevention coalition, emergency help arrives faster, take precautions against tularemia

CALENDAR . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34Events and activities for parents, kids and families

TIME OUT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 Courage among cockroachestwenty-seven roll models teach Pura Vida

Features

School District News

SEPT

EMBE

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18 FINDING BALANCEWith the start of school, kids suddenly find their days overstuffed. While all this activity is exciting, it can also be stressful. After the hype wears down and life finds a rhythm, take time to gauge your kids stress levels. Support them in finding a healthy balance and learning ways to cope during stressful times.

20 WALK AND ROLLParents make decisions every day intended to positively impact the health and well being of their children, but they dont always consider transportation choices among them. Perhaps they should, because theres a proven link between how children get to school and their health and academic success.

ABOUT THE COVER: Benicio, 7, is a green belt in karate, loves the weather and wants to be a storm chaser. Photo by Cheri Schonfeld, schonfeldphotography.com.

Special Section

Thompson School District. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24News and notes from the summer and coming year, choir performs at convention, teachers connect at summer institute, Moonlighting Teachers returns to the Rialto Theater, Whole foods supports school garden

Poudre School District. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28Calendar of events, PSD 2013 Annual Sustainability Report available, PSD students continue to top peers statewide on TCAP tests

Greeley-Evans District 6. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30Thousands attend School Kickoff Community Celebration, District 6 TCAP math scores show marked improvement, Wayne Eads named sole finalist for interim superintendent

Lunchbox . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34School menus for Poudre, Thompson, Greeley-Evans and Windsor

AFTER THE BELLExplore the possibilities for this fall and see what programs these providers have for your families

BOUNTYLocal Food and Farm GuideDiscover the bounty that awaits you in our area in this extensive local resource guide

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I have a copy of Saint Exuperys timeless clas-sic The Little Prince in the bookshelves next to my desk. When I saw the story about the coming Sustainable Living Fair, and then I read the Poudre School District Sustainability Report notice, I thought of one of my favorite little quotes: Its a question of discipline, the little prince told me later on. When youve fin-ished washing and dressing each morning, you must tend your planet. He was talking about pulling up baobab trees when they were young

so that they wouldnt take over his little planet, but Im sure theres a met-aphor and a message in there too.

We fill our recycle trash bin every time, it seems, and we compost when its not freezing out. We try to repurpose things from our house...an old chair becomes a structure for peas to grow on...and on and on like you do. I remember seeing Yvon Chouinard, founder of Patagonia, speak at the Sustainable Living Fair several years ago. As I remember it (and thats a big heads up to take this with a grain of salt), he detailed all the things Patagonia was doing with its product line to reduce its footprint on the Earth, such as making clothing out of recycled plastic bottles and using only organic cotton, which at that time was hard to source. He also described causes they were involved in, such as fighting dam construction on wild rivers in southern Chile. He was interesting because he wasnt puffing up about doing these things. He was just describing. And then he ended with the blunt assessment that all their actions probably didnt matter in the bigger scheme of things, anyway.

I had to think about that for a bit...he was adamant that they were doing the right thing and he was equally realistic that their actions, though thoughtful and noble, were just that proverbial drop in the bucket. But oddly, his message was not one of despair...

So now, when I drop that can in recycle, when I ride my bike instead of driving, when I sweep my drive instead of hosing it down, I accept that it doesnt really matter in the grand scheme of things, but its important to me because Im feeling that Im showing respect for this little planet that we live on and Im doing my small bit to pull up baobabs. Whether it really matters or not, Im building a sense of gratitude for the opportunity to be here for my short time on our little blue-green planet.

Thanks,Scott

perspectiveSustainably yoursIt matters to me...

SEPTEMBER 2014 Volume 19, Issue 4PUBLISHER

Scott Titterington, (970)221-9210scott.rmpublishing@gmail.com

EDITORKristin Titterington, (970)221-9210

kristin.rmpublishing@gmail.comCALENDAR EDITOR

Kim Sharpecalendar@rockymountainpub.com

CREATIVE DIRECTOREmily Zaynard

emily.rmpublishing@gmail.comADVERTISING SALES DIRECTOR

Greg Hoffman, (970)689-6832greg.rmpublishing@gmail.com

DISTRIBUTIONWendee Brungardt

Sharon Klahn, Kyle Moyer COVER PHOTO

Cheri Shonfeld, schonfeldphotography.comCONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Lea Hanson, Richard Keller, Kim Lipker, Lynn Nichols, Kim Sharpe

ROCKY MOUNTAIN PUBLISHING825 Laporte Avenue, Fort Collins, CO

80521Voice 221-9210Fax 221-8556

editor@rockymountainpub.comwww.RMParent.com

Rocky Mountain Parent magazine is published monthly by Rocky Mountain Publishing, Inc.

Publication of this paper does not consitute an en-dorsement of the products or services advertised.

RMP reserves the right to refuse any advertise-ment for any reason. The opinions expressed by contributors or writers do not necessarily reflect

the opinions of Rocky Mountain Publishing. 2014 Rocky Mountain Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction without express written

permission is prohibited.

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8 | RMPARENT

first years

Young kids get weird rashes. If you havent lived through newborn rash, diaper rash, ring worm or molloscum, count yourself lucky. Babies, toddlers and preschoolers get more rashes than adults because their immune systems are more susceptible to viruses, and behind many a rash lives a virus. Luckily most rashes are temporary and go away with simple treatments.

NEWBORN RASHLets start with the very youngest. Did you know half of all newborns come with a splotchy rash? Its technically called erythema toxicum and shows up in two to five days after birth. It looks like a red area with small white or yellow bumps. It can be anywhere, but doesnt show on hands or feet. No one knows what the source is, and there is no treatment. It will go away usually within a few weeks or a month.

AN ADD-ON TO THE COMMON COLD Sometimes, babies and toddlers get a rash with a cold virus. Viral rashes come in different shapes and sizes, but often they are red, blotchy spots that are sometimes itchy. They can come on quickly, but tend to only last a few days. Theyre not usually serious even though they can look it.

BABY ECZEMABabies can get eczema, a skin condi-tion that strikes any age but is more common in children. Its described as an itch that rashes and often shows up on babies cheeks as red or yellow crusty patches. Toddlers are also prone to it and classically get it in the folds of the elbows, knees and neck. Eczema is prevalent in our dry climate. Pedi-atricians advise patients to use mois-turizer and to cleanse with just water,

not soap. For treatment, try over-the-counter hydrocortisone cream. A two-week treatment of 0.5-1.0 percent cream once each day is safe for infants. Avoid other non-steroid creams for children under 2.

DIAPER RASHWhat parent hasnt seen diaper rash? Diaper rash is caused by a rubbing dia-per, chemicals in the diaper absorbent, bacteria, or wet urine or stool against the skin. Especially watch for a rash caused by a yeast infection after a round of an-tibiotics. It will be an extra bright, beefy red with some pustules. Since yeast is a fungus, youll need to treat it with an antifungal; over-the-counter varieties are effective, but check with your doctor first. For simple diaper rash, zinc oxide creams work well. Use one with a high concentrationsuch as 40 percentto create a barrier and help the chafed, raw skin heal.

RING WORMThe dreaded ringworm: raised, red, scaly and with a distinct circular edge. Ringworm is common in childhood and is caused by a fungus, not a worm.

Its contagious and can be passed from people and animals. The trick with ringworm is catching it early and treating it with an over-the-counter anti-fungal cream, like miconazole or clotrimazole. Be diligent and it should go away in two to four weeks.

MOLLOSCUMHeres one many parents have never heard ofmolloscumanother un-friendly rash. Molluscum contagiosum is caused by a virus. It is often a grouping of painless, white, firm, small growths that appear on the face, body, buttocks and genitalia. They look similar to white heads. Again, it is common in child-hoodmore with boysand is conta-gious. It can be hard to get rid of, so be diligent. Try tea tree oil for mild cases, or simply wait it out. It often goes away on its own. More invasive treatments involve scraping the lesions or cryother-apy (freezing with liquid nitrogen) in a doctors office.

With all rashes, see a doctor if it doesnt go away on its own within a few weeks, or if it worsens. While rashes can look terrible, most pass without in-office treatment or lasting concerns.

A rash of rashes!Most will disappear on their own in babies and toddlers

L Y N N U . N I C H O L S

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10 | RMPARENT

family activities

Fall is football season. The state of Colorado buzzes with news of the Broncos, college football and ri-valries like the CSU Rams vs. CU Buffs.

But did you know, in our own back yards, kids of all ages are digging in their cleats and getting on the ball? This means a host of opportunities to see sports in action for free or a nominal fee.

A high school football game can be just as fun as a professional football game and cost a lot less. The northern Colorado athletic fever is far reaching and the kids love having cheering fans at their games. Rivalries are just as fierce as the college level, and in some cases, even more en-grained in the local culture.

Attending a middle school or high school athletic event also helps maintain an atmosphere where student athletes can de-velop positive habits and fundamental skills. These include personal values for a healthy life-long learning experience through par-ticipation in athletics and academics. All involved spectators serve as role models and representatives of the community.

POUDRE SCHOOL DISTRICTMiddle school sports for students in 6th, 7th and 8th grade are offered at their respective PSD schools. Athletics for 6th graders are offered through the City of Fort Collins Recreation De-partment. Athletic programs for 7th and 8th grades are offered through the PSD Athletic Department and each middle school.

For more information about the City of Fort Collins Recreation Department 6th-grade Middle School Fall and Winter/Spring Sports visit www.fcgov.com/sports/pdf/middleschoolsportsflyer.pdf. Descrip-tions and information about each sport offered as well as the season length, practice schedule and location; registration start dates and cost can be found here.

For 7th and 8th grades fall sports in-

clude football for the boys and softball for the girls. Winter sports include basketball and wrestling for boys and basketball for girls. These games are a lot of fun and are open to public admission. Information about schedules and game times can be found on individual school websites. Start at www.psdschools.org/athletics/middle-school-sports for more information.

Poudre School District offers a variety of athletic opportunities for students in high school. Every high school in PSD has a full-time Athletic Director who is charged with over-seeing the athletic programs. Contact each high school for specific details regarding their athletic programs, schedules and opportunities.

FALL SPORTS Boyscross-country, football, golf, soccer and tennis Girlscross-country, gymnastics, softball, field hockey and volleyball

WINTER SPORTS Boysbasketball and wrestling Girlsbasketball and swimming Visit Fort Collins High School

Athletics at https://fch.psdschools.org/athletics

Visit Fossil Ridge High School Athletics at https://frh.psdschools.org/athletics

Visit Poudre High School Athletics

at https://phs.psdschools.org/node/2524Visit Rocky Mountain High School

Athletics at https://rmh.psdschools.org/athletics

THOMPSON VALLEY SCHOOL DISTRICTFor information on Thompson Valley School District Middle School Ath-letics see http://thompson.k12.co.us/Domain/46

Visit Berthoud High School Ath-letics at http://www.bhspartans.org/

Visit Loveland High School Ath-letics at http://thompson.k12.co.us/Page/3035

Visit Mountain View High School Athletics at http://www.mvhsathletics.org/

Visit Thompson Valley High School Athletics at http://www.tvhseagles.org/

WELD COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT 6 - GREELEYFor information on Middle School Athletics in the district see http://www.greeleyschools.org/Page/14518

Visit Greeley West High School Athletics at http://www.greeleyschools.org/domain/4343

Visit Greeley Central High School Athletics at http://www.northern conferenceco.org/g5-bin/client.cgi?G5genie=467&school_id=3

Visit Northridge High School Athletics at http://www.greeleyschools.org/Domain/4562

WELD RE-4 SCHOOL DISTRICT WINDSORVisit Windsor Middle School Athlet-ics at http://wms.weldre4.k12.co.us/wms_info/athletics

Visit Windsor High School Athlet-ics at http://windsorwizards.org/

For information about the Colo-rado High School Athletic Association visit http://www2.chsaa.org/

Hooray for young athletesCatch a local game this fall and support local students

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give me a break

Change is in the air. No really. Can you feel it? The morn-ings are a bit crisper, the evenings arent quite as long and the atmosphere seems charged. Im totally psyched because the change thats coming is summer changing to fall, and fall is my favorite time of year!

I look forward to switching from wearing shorts and sandals to slipping back into jeans and snuggly sweatersprefer-ably ones that I knit, but elaborating on that subject would lead me into a different genre of magazine, so I wont go there.

Riding my bike through crunchy leaves is at the top of my all-time-most-fun activities ever. I commute year round on a two-wheeled, ped-al-powered steed, and September and October offer the best weather for riding, in my humble opinion.

Im a bit Type A or OCD, at least thats what some people say. I prefer to refer to myself as having OCO, which is my made-up acronym for Obsessive-Compulsive ORDER. I like things just so, and fallwhich corre-sponds to school getting back in ses-sionseems like a great time to wake from our summer slumber of slacking off and get back into routines.

GETTING BACK TO THE ROUTINEThese can include re-establishing bed-times and wake-up times, preparing lunches or rounding up lunch money each evening for the next day and set-ting out clothes and shoes appropriate for the following 24 hours based on weather reports. Of course, if youve lived in Colorado for any length of time you know that our weather can change in an instant, so its best to dress in layers and be prepared for a wide variety of conditions all year long.

Its also a great time of year to purge the house of built-up clutter and set aside space for the inevitable deluge of information and papers that follows kids home from school. Given my OCO-ness, I like trying to create an even better way to keep schoolwork organized than Ive had in previous years. And dont even get me started on the latest and great-est daily planner system. Actually, smart phones and Google calendars have kind of taken the fun out of the

great planner search, but theres still room for dry-erase wall schedules that all family members can grasp at a glance.

DAILY READINGAnother routine to get back into if youve slipped out of it is daily read-ing. Research says children need to read or be read to at least 15 minutes every day. I recently learned about a free website (www.uniteforliteracy.com) that helps make this routine easy and fun. Check out Unite for Literacys digital library of picture books for beginning readers. They are narrated in 18 languages common to the United States, so even adults can benefit and brush up on vocab-ulary in Spanish, Japanese and even Swahili.

Finally, no daily routine would be complete without a dose of physi-cal activity. Fall s the perfect time to take a break outdoors and just play. I hope you do.

Back to daily routinesTime to reorganize and create some structure

K I M S H A R P E

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14 | RMPARENT

community newsSupport for parents NoCo health professionals provide help and education

K I M S H A R P E

Northern Colorado health profession-als are working hard to help keep us informed and safe. From education and support groups for parents and youth to improved emergency re-sponse times to disease outbreak news, they have our backs.

EMPOWERED, SUPPORTED PARENTSTeam Fort Collins, a substance abuse prevention organization, is partnering with Touchstone Health Partners and Leadership Fort Collins to bring a new program called Empowered Parents to northern Colorado. This 12-week program will help parents gain an in-creased understanding of teenage mental health challenges such as substance abuse, depression, eating disorders and other concerns. Parents will learn how to identify risk factors, how to intervene and develop action plans, and where to find resources.

The Empowered Parents curriculum includes nationally recognized materials. Youth Mental Health First Aid USA is a training module and Drugs and Alcohol: True Stories are videos, hosted by Actor Matt Damon, featuring teens sharing their personal stories.

Empowered Parents will meet on Tuesday evenings, September 9 through November 25, 5:30-7pm, at 125 W. Crestridge Drive, Fort Collins. For more information or to register, contact Lau-rel Carter at 970-224-9931 or laurel@teamfortcollins.org.

SUPPORT GROUP FOR PARENTS AND GRANDPARENTS RAISING TEENAGERSThe Center for Family Outreach (The Center) is offering a free, interactive sup-port group in both English and Spanish for parents and grandparents who are raising teenagers. Group discussion topics include normal adolescent behavior, drug and alcohol use, communication

skills, the effect of the media on adoles-cents, single parenting and more. Group members will become familiar with helpful techniques for working through challenging situations and collaborate to brainstorm feasible strategies. The group meets every Monday, 5:30-6:30pm, with the exception of Labor Day.

The Center also is hosting a new lunch information series entitled A Meal and a Spiel where expert guest speakers present on a wide variety of special-interest topics concerning the care of teens. Topics include adolescent legal rights, mental health issues, and substance abuse and suicide prevention. Beginning on September 9, the lunch sessions will take place every Tuesday, 12noon-1pm at The Center, 1100 Pou-dre River Drive, Suite B, Fort Collins.

For more information about either the support group or the lunch series, contact Brooke Jostad at 970-495-0084 or brookej@tcffo.org.

TEENS NEEDED FOR MARIJUANA PREVENTION COALITION Marijuana use among Colorado teens is higher than the national average, with 39.5 percent of Colorado youth in grades 9-12 having experimented with the substance. Marijuana use among teens has been shown to negatively im-pact learning, memory, impulsiveness and critical thinking. Teen marijuana users are more likely to become addicted than adult users. Because teens are at risk of suffering negative effects from marijuana use, the Larimer County Department of Health & Environment (LCDHE) recently secured funding for youth marijuana use prevention efforts.

With that funding the depart-ment is establishing a youth coalition to design a marijuana use prevention campaign, and provide education and

information from reputable sources about health and safety issues related to marijuana use. The department is seek-ing youth to serve on the coalition.

Youth coalition members will be trained to be the experts for their peers. They will become part of a speakers bu-reau to educate others on the true facts of marijuana. They will help identify norms regarding marijuana use, ideas for preventing youth initiation of marijuana use, and challenges and strategies related to youth access. They also will help de-velop prevention materials and resources that could be made available to the community at large.

A meeting about the coalition will be held on Wednesday, September 17, at 6:30pm, at the Harmony Library, 4616 S. Shields St. in Fort Collins. For more information, contact Lisa Laake at 970-498-6735 or llaake@larimer.org.

EMERGENCY HELP ARRIVES FASTERPoudre Valley Hospital Emergency Med-ical Services (PVH EMS) has become the second response team in the nation to be designated as a CoOperator by the United States Forest Service and Colo-rado Office of Emergency Management. A recently signed agreement makes PVH EMS the medical responder of choice for disasters in Larimer County and surrounding areas.

Prior to the agreement when disas-ters struck, PVH EMS crews immediate-ly were dispatched to areas of need, but if the incidents grew to a large scale and federal agencies took over management duties, private ambulance services were sometimes brought in to provide medi-cal care for citizens in the disaster area. However, outside ambulance services, unfamiliar with the local geography and hospital structures are unable to provide service as efficiently as local emergency responders, who are not only employees

RMPARENT | 15

of our local community hospitals who understand each hospitals specialties and where to transport each patient for appropriate care, but they also are our neighbors, family and friends.

This is about our district and our peo-ple, says Steve Main, PVH EMS director. Its about our citizens knowing that the paramedics and EMTs who live and work in our area on a daily basis will be the ones who show up when help is needed.

Braden Applegate, PVH EMS Spe-cial Operations Resource Teams (SORT) chief adds, With this CoOperatorship in place, FEMA and state emergency agencies now have one stop shopping. As a disaster develops, the crews already in place from the onset will automatically continue to provide care.

In 2013, PVH EMS SORT and Tactical EMS teams were deployed on 140 missions.

TAKE PRECAUTIONS AGAINST TULAREMIAA Larimer County resident was hospi-talized for tularemia in August, accord-ing to local health officials. The man may have been exposed while mowing a property in Weld County outside Windsor where rabbits are plentiful, but have recently declined in number. An environmental investigation of the property by Weld Countys health de-partment found no rabbit carcasses or conclusive evidence of tularemia; how-ever, the mowed property is the most likely site of exposure.

The patient developed symptoms of fever, sore throat and swollen glands several days after mowing the field. He was treated for more common causes of such symptoms, but after two courses of treatment with different antibiotics and no improvement, he was hospitalized in Fort Collins where a tularemia infection was confirmed. He was released after several days of treatment with appropri-ate antibiotics and is expected to make a full recovery.

Health officials from both the Lar-imer County and Weld County health departments remind residents to take pre-cautions against tularemia by avoiding sick or dead animals and preventing pets from coming in contact with wild animals.

Tularemia is a bacterial infection most frequently transmitted to people who have handled infected animals, especially rabbits, hares, beavers and muskrats, although many kinds of ani-mals can become infected. The bacteria also are shed in animal urine and feces, and can persist in the environment for a month or more. Additionally, infection can be transmitted by the bite of infect-ed insects, most commonly ticks and deer flies. Tularemia is not considered contagious from person to person.

Typical signs of infection in humans can vary tremendously based on the site of infection, but generally include fever, chills and swollen glands. If tularemia is caused by the bite of an infected insect or from bacteria entering a cut or scratch, it usually causes a skin ulcer at the site of entry and swelling of nearby glands. Eating food or drinking water containing the bacteria may produce a throat infection, stomach pain, diarrhea and vomiting. If inhaled through aerosols created by mowing, the bacteria can enter the lungs and cause coughing, chest pain and pneumonia. Tu-laremia may be life threatening but, can be effectively treated with antibiotics; medical attention should be sought immediately if someone suspects exposure.

Steps to prevent human tularemia infection include avoiding areas where wild rabbits or rodents are present; not handling sick or dead animals (including birds); wearing insect repellent effective against ticks, biting flies and mosqui-

toes; wearing shoes rather than going barefoot in areas where rabbits have died; and wearing a dust mask when mowing or blowing vegetation in areas where rabbit die-offs have occurred.

If you need to remove a dead an-imal or bird, apply an insect repellent against fleas and ticks prior to proceed-ing with the removal; use a shovel and place the body in a plastic bag and dis-pose of it in an outdoor trash receptacle; and thoroughly wash your hands with warm water and soap after the removal is complete.

With winter coming, the threat of contracting tularemia decreases, but still exists. People are less likely to come in contact with rabbit nests in the winter because they are not out mowing fields and they are less likely to get bit by a flea or tick in the win-ter, but there will still be a threat as long as there are mammals like wild rabbits running around, says Eric Aako, Weld County Department of Public Health and Environment com-munication director.

For more information, contact the Larimer County Department of Health and Environment at 970-498-6775 (on weekends or holidays, call the Larimer County Animal Control at 970- 226-3647) or the Weld County Department of Public Health and Environment at 970-304-6404, ext. 2270. For general information about tularemia, visit www.cdc.gov/Tularemia.

PVH EMS crews respond to natural disasters.

16 | RMPARENT

Composting, recycling and reus-ing, water conservation, and gar-dening are all examples of living more healthilyand more sustainably. Luckily, in northern Colorado the avail-able resources and support are bountiful and easy to access. One way to check out numerous options at once is to attend the Sustainable Living Fair. Learn more online at http://sustainableliving association.org/sustainable-living-fair/.

Hosted by the Sustainable Living Association, the 15th Annual Sustainable Living Fair will be held September 20 and 21 at Legacy Park in Fort Collins. The fair offers a weekend filled with solution-based, family-oriented events designed to educate each member of your family. Your admission ticket gives you

access to acclaimed speakers, 75 work-shops, and more than 250 exhibitors that will spark ideas as well as offer support and solutions for implementing them.

This years speakers are announced as they confirm and to date include:

GREG MICHAUD Michaud and his wife, Patty, run the Old Feed Store and instruct the Sustainable Living Associa-tions Backyard Chicken series and Biointensive Gardening Course. Greg is a long-time holistic gar-dener turned sustainable ecofarmer/

health-foodie with training in or-ganic certification inspection. He speaks Saturday at 12:30pm.

MELANIE WARNER Warner is a nationally-renown food industry writer. She is the au-thor of Pandoras Lunchbox: How Processed Food Took Over the American Meal and has worked as a reporter for the New York Times, a senior writer at Fortune magazine, and a blogger for CBSNews.com. She speaks Saturday at 2pm.

LARRY KORN An educator, consultant, editor and author in the fields of permaculture, natural farming, sustainable land-scaping and local food production, Korn spent several years working

on the Japanese island of Skikoku as a student of Masanobu Fukuoka, farmer, philosopher, and a leader in the worldwide sustainable agricul-ture movement. He speaks Saturday at noon.

KIM JORDAN Jordan is the CEO and Co- Founder of New Belgium Brewing Company. Ms. Jordan and New Belgium have been widely recog-nized as business role models; she received the EPAs highest regional award for Environmental Excel-

lence and in 2012 was Entrepreneur Magazines CEO of the Year and CEO of the year by Colorado Biz Magazine. New Belgium was voted in the top ten best places to work by Outside Magazine, Mens Journal, and The Wall Street Journal.

WORKSHOPSThis years 75 workshops feature educa-tion and training in the areas of green living, yoga, renewable energy, eating and growing locally, natural parenting, and green building. Workshops are generally 50 minutes and offer both beginners and advanced an opportunity to learn and grow their knowledge. Review the web-site (http://sustainablelivingassociation.org/sustainable-living-fair/workshops/) for more details including times offered; some require pre-registration and paying a participation fee although most are free.

Taste local cuisine by visiting choice exhibitors and plan to have lunch at the Real Food Market and Beer Garden to feast on fare from a number of locally owned eateries from northern Colorado.

Volunteers are welcomed and need-ed and this years team still has space for those looking to be involved in the event and are willing and able to work three- to four-hour shifts Thursday through Mon-day. Review and submit the online regis-tration form at http://sustainable livingassociation.org/sustainable- living-fair/volunteer/ if you are interested. Volunteers are deeply appreciated and well compensated with free admission, an official fair T-shirt, and shift beverages.

Tickets are $10 for a one-day pass and $15 for both days and can be pur-chased at the fairs entrance; students can purchase tickets for $5 per day and kids under 12 are free. The fair is open 10am to 7pm, Saturday and Sunday. Exhibits close at 6pm on Saturday and 5pm on Sunday.

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With the start of school, kids suddenly find their days over-stuffed with not only school but everything that goes with itclub meetings, sport practices, music lessons, and so on. While all this activity is exciting, it can also be stressful. After the hype wears down and life finds a rhythm, take time to gauge your kids stress levels. Are they do-ing too much? Too little? Support them in finding a healthy balance and learning ways to cope during stressful times.

KNOW YOUR CHILDS RHYTHMEvery childs comfort level with activity is different. Some prefer to run from one event to the next. Others feel over-whelmed with just making it to school

and a practice a few times a week. One way is not better than the other. Whats imperative is matching your childs ac-tivity level with their nature.

Its important to know and honor your kids preferences for down time. When picking activities, take cues from your kids on how much they can handle. There may be vast differences even in your own family, says Dr. Kathy Sigda, a clinical psychologist with UCHealths Mountain Crest Behav-ioral Health Center in Fort Collins who often works with adolescents.

KNOW WHEN TO PUSH AND WHEN TO BACK OFFAs parents, we have expectations of our kids. Maybe we want them to love hik-

ing and mountain biking like we do. Or we really want them to get involved in volunteer or church functions. Maybe we expect straight As and their names on the Honor Role. We could want them to get a job and help with family responsibilities. Once in a while, we have to step back and take a hard look at our own expectations.

Kids, whether they let it be known or not, often feel a whole lot of pressure to not disappoint mom or dad. This can cause a lot of stress, says Sigda, who be-lieves strongly in give and take between parents and kids.

We have expectations of our kids to do certain things, like going out for the school band or playing football in

Finding balanceJust enough activity is the right amount for your kidsLynn U. Nichols

RMPARENT | 19

high school, but if they say, I dont like doing that anymore we have to be open to hearing that. We have to say, Okay, lets talk about other options, and be willing to let them decide what else might work, she adds.

Sigda believes that learning to fail is just as important a lesson as learning to succeed: Failure happens. Its a part of life. As parents we have to step back a little and allow our kids to learn what it feels like to fail, and to figure out how to pick themselves up. Learning how to cope with fail-ing rather than quitting or running away is a valuable life skill. If you dont make the varsity team it doesnt mean you have to give up, it might mean changing your course or taking a different path, or maybe embracing the idea that its okay to be an average soccer player.

ENCOURAGE KIDS TO SAMPLE DIFFERENT ACTIVITIESInstead of getting locked into one sport or interest, encourage your kids to try different ones, especially in ele-mentary and middle school. The more they try, the broader their base of life experiences will be.

Ideally, when kids want to try out a new activity, its best to do it in a way that they dont have to make a major commitment right off the bat. Recre-ational sports and day camps are a good way to try something new. Its important for kids to follow through and stick things out, and trying something in a more casual setting helps this happen. Let them decide when they feel serious about an activity. If they do decide to go out for the track team, encourage them to finish the season before deciding again.

REQUIRE SOME ACTIVITY AND INVOLVEMENT BEYOND SCHOOLStructure is a good thing. Having gen-eral life routineseating meals together and going to bed at generally the same time each dayhas great value in help-ing kids feel secure. It also helps kids stay healthy and reduces stress.

Requiring some structure and ask-ing kids to get involved in something other than school is important. Some

parents make a rule that their kids have to, say, join one sport or club each se-mester at a minimum. Others insist they join the youth group at church. This all helps kids find balance in their lives.

When making such requirements, be open to non-traditional approaches. If your child is not the sporty type, may-be shed rather take a yoga class or walk with friends around the neighborhood after school every day. If your son finds band boring, maybe hell play in a jazz club in the community instead. Most middle and high schools have several different clubs kids can join.

Studies show that kids who are involved in school-related activities have a higher chance of staying in school and finishing school, Sigda states.

Remember, if we expect our kids to take on an activity outside of school or adopt healthy lifestyle habits like limit-ing junk food, we have to be willing to do the same.

It works best when parents practice what they preach. Kids notice really quick-ly when parents have expectations that they themselves dont follow, she adds.

PLAN AHEAD FOR LESS STRESSWhen your son has a final test on Friday and a wrestling tournament on Thursday night, its likely going to feel hectic. Help-ing kids plan ahead for known stressful times can reduce their stress level.

Kids need to be taught how to plan ahead. Its okay to coach them, by saying, So you have a tournament and a test next week, when can you find time to study? Dont be afraid to pull out the calendar. Sleep is also an important way to reduce stress. If he knows he will be home late from the tournament, encourage him to get good sleep the few nights leading up to it. Poor sleep really takes its toll, especially on teenagers, Sigda says.

RECOGNIZE WHEN STRESS IS OUT OF CONTROL The tricky thing about stress and anx-iety is that people can hide it well. Sometimes, they are not even aware of the level of stress they are carrying themselves. Thats why its good to keep an eye out for telltale signs of stress ad-

vancing toward anxiety or depression.The main sign is a change. If your

child is doing things that are not typical for hersay shes more grumpy than usual, shes getting frequent headaches, she says she doesnt want to go to schoolthese are signs that stress may be overwhelming her, Sigda says.

Other signs of advanced stress are aches and pains that come out of no-where, stomach aches, headaches, irri-tability, looking exhausted and down in the dumps. It might also be grades slip-ping or a new habit of skipping school. If your child is showing these signs, start asking open-ended questions to explore whats going on.

Every one of us feels stress and anxi-ety at some level, but when it starts getting in the way of other things, thats when it is a problem. If your child is stressed but seems to be managing it, then its probably okay. But when things changehe doesnt see his friends anymore or hes worried all the timethat can mean stress has gotten out of control, she says.

Sigda urges parents not to wait if they see a week or two of worrisome behavior. Dealing with it earlywith a session or two with a therapistcan mean easier solutions than more in-depth ones.

In the beginning, just a few ses-sions with a professional to learn tech-niques to handle stress can help, even if you dont think its a huge problem. And hearing these suggestions from an out-side person can have more impact with kids, Sigda concludes.

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20 | RMPARENT

How do you roll? Or do you walk to get to where you want to go? In many countries, like Denmark, active transportation (walking or bicycling) is a common mode of transportation and people choose to walk or bike over driving a motor vehicle. According to Den-marks official website, no matter the weather and no matter where they are goingIn Copenhagen 50 per-cent of all citizens commute by bike every day and there are more bikes than inhabitantsIn fact 25 percent of all families with two kids in Co-penhagen have a cargo bike.

In the United States, most people choose to drive a car and people with low incomes walk or bike for trans-portation the most. Commuters with children are much less likely to walk or bike. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, only 1.8 percent of households with children walk and 0.4 percent bike for transportation.

TRANSPORTATION CHOICES AFFECT SCHOOL SUCCESSParents make decisions every day in-tended to positively impact the health and well being of their children, but they dont always consider transporta-tion choices among them. Perhaps they should, because theres a proven link between how children get to school and their health and academic success.

Results from the Mass Experi-ment 2012, a study of 20,000 Danish children ages 5-19, show that Children who walk or cycle to school rather than being driven by their parents have an in-creased power of concentration and the effect of this exercise lasts all morning.

In fact, Niels Egelund, of Aarhus University, who is responsible for the studys research design, says, The exercise you get from transporting yourself to school reflects on your ability to concen-trate for about four hours into the school day. As a 3rd-grade pupil, if you exercise and bike to school, your ability to concen-

trate increases to the equivalent of some-one half a year further in their studies.

He also says that the effect of ex-ercise trumped that of diet. The results showed that having breakfast and lunch has an impact, but not very much com-pared to having exercised.

WALKING, BIKING PROMOTED IN NOCOActive transportation and wellness ad-vocates in northern Colorado are using research like this to encourage more families to walk and bike to school. Some NoCo communities leverage Safe Routes to School funding to support pe-destrian and bicycling safety education; others havent done so yet, but plan to.

Fort Collins and Loveland both have funded, robust Safe Routes to School programs that are collaborations between each city and many community partners, including the school districts. They focus on the Five Es: Education, Encouragement, Engineering, Enforce-ment and Evaluation.

Walk and rollActive transportation improves health and learning

Kim Sharpe

RMPARENT | 21

Educational programming teaches pedestrians, bicyclists and motorists about the rules of the road and how they can share safely. Encouragement includes increasing enthusiasm for walk-ing and biking. Engineering involves street and sidewalk designs that increase safety for pedestrians and bicyclists. En-forcement gives local police departments a role to play in deterring unsafe behav-iors of all road and sidewalk users. Fi-nally, the Evaluation piece ensures local data is collected and used to inform the other four Es.

The Fort Collins Safe Routes to School program features bike and pe-destrian safety training in P.E. classes (with instructors from Bike Fort Collins and Poudre Valley Hospital Emergency Medical Services), bike helmet safety instruction using Safe Kids Larimer Countys Strap & Snap curriculum, walking school buses and bike trains, bike field trips, and informational pre-sentations to parent/teacher groups and school wellness committees.

The 2014-15 program will con-tinue these activities and increasingly support parent- and teacher-led activ-ities like after-school bike clubs. For example, Fort Collins Safe Routes program purchased 20 bikes for Lin-coln Middle Schools club. A pedaling school bus that was specially built with money donated to Safe Routes from the estate of a former Fort Col-lins resident is available to all schools.

The Fort Collins Safe Routes edu-cation program reaches approximately half or 14,000 Poudre School District students each year. Its funded with mon-ies from the Keep Fort Collins Great tax initiative, Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT), Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway Foundation, Poudre School District and other sources.

Our program is evolving from being confined to school grounds to taking children out on streets and trails for real-life skills training, thanks to the growing number of teachers, parents and community partners who are get-ting involved, says Nancy Nichols, City of Fort Collins Safe Routes to School Coordinator. With more people tak-ing responsibility for teaching school

children how to walk and bicycle safely, Im hopeful that well reach our goal of having at least 50 percent of students choosing to walk or bike to school. About 20 to 25 percent do so now.

City of Loveland and Thompson School District staff, Loveland fire and police officers, and members of Love-lands PEDAL Club run that Citys Safe Routes program. It includes: Tires n Tennies Tuesdays, which encourages all kindergarten through 5th graders to walk or ride their bikes to school every Tuesday; Safe Kids Strap & Snap helmet training; bike rodeos, which teach chil-dren bike safety skills; and safety assem-blies led by local fire and police officials.

This year, coordinators are adding a series of workshops to the program, which are designed to engage school principals, teachers, school wellness team members, volunteer crossing guards, and especially parents and care-givers. The primary goal of the work-shops is to improve travel safety and conditions for students and families, and increase the number of families that choose active transportation.

Kathy Schlepp, TSDs wellness coor-dinator, says that when she observes stu-dents being dropped off or picked up from school, its frightening. We have to find a way to decrease car traffic around schools.

Jay Earl, Thompson School Dis-tricts (TSD) operational services liaison, adds, We want parents who drive their children to school to realize they may be contributing to potentially unsafe school environments by adding to traffic con-gestion around schools.

By engaging parents, Lovelands Safe Routes leaders hope to improve drop-off and pick-up conditions. Through these workshops, we want to build a corps of volunteers who help spread the message that there are safe, alternate ways for chil-dren to get to and from school, explains Michelle Aschenbrenner, an engineering technician with the City of Loveland Public Works/Project Engineering De-partment and Safe Routes to School program coordinator. We also want to include drivers perspectives. Theres a role for everyone to play.

The newly formed Estes Park Cycling Coalition (EPCC) is working

hard to make Estes a bicycle friendly community. Its efforts include Safe Routes to School-like training, as well as bicycling education programs for students and families, but to date, the community hasnt received state grant funding for its work. Rather its spreading safety messaging through bike- and walk-to-school events, and an Estes Park Police Department- hosted Safety Fair, which includes distribution of free bike helmets. Ad-ditionally, the EPCC has formed a committee to address Safe Routes to School and community education.

We are pushing hard for better bike infrastructure through town so kids can ride safely, says Greg Samp-son, EPCC president. Being a new organization, we are learning how to work with the Town, county and state governments on our agenda items. We have a lot of support from the Town of Estes Park, and we are always open to assistance and ideas.

Greeley is making great strides in improving its infrastructure to be more bicycle and pedestrian friendly, but un-fortunately, were not doing anything with the schools yet, explains City of Greeley Traffic Engineer Eric Bracke.

The City received a grant from Kai-ser Permanente to further implement its bike plan and Bracke says putting Safe Routes to School education in place is definitely an idea that will rise to the top of the programmatic side of the plan.

BENEFITS ABOUNDCity and school leaders understand commuting with kids can be complicat-ed, but they believe choosing walking and biking can ultimately benefit fami-lies and the community.

Our biggest concern is that kids and families have safe, convenient, non-threatening routes to school so they can choose to bike or walk when they want, Nichols says. Shifting to active transportation helps kids perform better in school, reduces car trips and the emissions that add to air pollution, and helps families save money because theyre not buying fuel or paying for other motor vehicle expenses. Its a win-win for everyone.

22 | RMPARENT

thompson school district newsThe new school year has arrived

New teachers to the Thompson School District gathered on August 11 at Mountain View High School to meet fellow staff members and get acquainted with the district.

Meanwhile, the entire group of over 1,300 TSD teachers and other licensed staff members began their day on Au-gust 18 at a district welcome event, be-fore continuing on to a full day of pro-fessional development and preparation for the beginning of classes.

CHOIR SELECTED TO PERFORM AT CONVENTIONThe Mountain View High School Advanced Womens Choir and their director, Phil Forman, have been selected to perform at the Colorado Music Education Association Con-vention in January 2015. This is one of the highest honors possible for a musical group and their director.

TEACHERS CONNECT AT SUMMER INSTITUTETeachers from around Thompson School District participated in a summer institute hosted by Lincoln

Elementary School principal Michelle Malvey. This is the third year that Ms. Malvey has presented the program. Teachers completed an independent study based on needs of their grade, school or department that were iden-tified in June and then they shared their work last month, allowing them

to connect with each other, share ideas and products and support each other as they also continue to learn.

MOONLIGHTING TEACHERSHilarity will be on the menu this month when Moonlighting Teach-ers returns to the Rialto Theater, with two shows to benefit the Thompson Education Foundation on Friday, September 12 and Saturday, September 13 at 7:30pm. Tickets are $20 each or $18 for groups of 10 or more and can be purchased at www.rialtotheatercenter.org.

WHOLE FOODS SUPPORTS SCHOOL GARDENThe PTA organization at Cotton-wood Plains Elementary School wrote a grant and received $2000 from Whole Foods to create a garden at the school. In addition to great leadership from CSU architects who have donated their expertise, several businesses donated materials and many volunteers spent hours digging trenches and pounding rebar. Con-struction wrapped-up last month.

RMPARENT | 23

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poudre school district newsPSD 2013 Annual Sustainability Report available

Did you know in 2013 the Building Maintenance Department recycled 1,240 lockers, 7,600 pounds of porcelain fixtures and 50 pounds of cardboard?

Did you know that to reduce the amount of packaging for laptop orders, the Information Technology and Pur-chasing and Materials Management Departments requested coffin packag-ing, which allows for 15 devices per box instead of individual packaging, result-ing in an 80-percent reduction in waste?

Did you know that Webber Mid-dle School and Rocky Mountain High School both started composting pro-grams in 2013?

You can read about these out-standing accomplishments and other highlights in the 2013 PSD Annual Sustainability Report. Information in

this report was collected through inter-views with staff and students to identify accomplishments and future goals. The report reaffirms the districts com-mitment to sustainability in resource conservation, greenhouse gas emissions, sustainable education, transportation, health and wellness.

For more information about PSD and sustainability, visit the sustain-ability web page.

PSD STUDENTS CONTINUE TO TOP PEERS STATEWIDE ON TCAP TESTSPoudre School District students con-tinue to perform higher than students statewide in all 24 areas tested on the spring 2014 Transitional Colorado As-sessment Program (TCAP) tests.

As it has in the 15-year history of

standardized tests, PSDs district-wide av-erages for students scoring proficient and advanced remain well ahead of state aver-ages, ranging from 7- to 14-percent higher across all subjects, at all grade levels.

PSD also increased the percentage of students scoring proficient or ad-vanced relative to 2013 in each of the three tested subject areas: reading, writ-ing, and math.

PSD students continue to perform well which is a testament to the hard work of staff and students, says Dr. Sandra Smyser, superintendent. We will continue with our plans to improve instruction in every classroom through professional development and our teach-ing and learning framework.

Student scores on TCAP are placed in four categories: unsatisfactory, par-tially proficient, proficient and advanced. Students rated proficient or advanced are considered to have mastered the standards for their grade level in the sub-ject area being tested. Those who placed in unsatisfactory and partially proficient have not mastered the standards in the particular subject area in question.

STUDENT ACHIEVEMENTLONGITUDINAL SCORESPSD showed significant gains on the 2014 test in each subject area. When comparing a specific grade level from year to year, results reflect different cohorts of student performance on the same assessment, which can be charac-terized as an analysis of instruction at that grade level over time.

Reading: Highest percentage of stu-dents who scored proficient or advanced in last 5 years in grades 4with 80 per-cent, and grade 10 with 78 percent. Tied highest percentage in 5th and 7th grade.

Writing: tied highest percentage in 7th grade.

Mathematics: Highest percentage of students who scored proficient or ad-vanced in last 5 years in grades 4, and 10. Tied highest percentage in 5th grade.

Kruse Elementary students are all smiles during a fun activity on the first day of school.

RMPARENT | 25

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STUDENT ACHIEVEMENTCOHORT DATATo look at student performance in terms of achievement, PSD considers the cohort data. This is how a specific set of students perform from year to year as they progress through the system.

Reading:Fifth graders in-creased their scores 3 percentage points from when they were in fourth grade, increasing from 79 percent proficient and advanced in 2013 to 82 percent in 2014. This is the second year that students in 5th grade accomplished this!

Writing: Fifth graders increased their writing scores by 2 percentage points in 2014 climbing to 68 percent proficient and advanced. Seventh grad-ers increased their percentage by 8 per-centage points. This is also the second year that students moving into 5th, and 7th grades increased the percentage of proficient or advanced in writing.

Parents will receive their students individual TCAP results from their school this fall.These reports detail each students progress toward meeting standards and provide an explanation

of the performance categories.In ad-dition to the traditional TCAP reports, parents will receive individual student Growth and Achievement Reports. These reports provide a longitudinal history of each students performance and growth on TCAP.

COLORADO GROWTH MODELThe Colorado Department of Ed-ucation (CDE) also released aca-demic growth data for districts. The Academic Growth Model is the cornerstone of the states account-ability system.The growth model measures individual student growth relative to other students statewide in the same grade and who began the school year at a similar academ-ic starting point (as determined by prior CSAP scores.)

PSD students continue to make great annual growth with elemen-tary students surpassing the state norm in reading (MGP=55), writ-ing (MGP=54) and mathematics (MGP=58). In fact, PSD is ranked number 1 in the state in elementary

math growth rates in 2014.

ACADEMIC GROWTH MEASURES STUDENTS PROGRESSWhen using the Colorado Growth Model, the district typically looks at the district-wide median growth percen-tiles. The median growth percentiles are a means of comparing academic growth for schools and districts that serve different populations of students. Any median that exceeds the state norm of 50 is considered evidence that Poudre School District students obtained levels of academic growth that exceeded their academic peers statewide.

PSD Calendar of EventsSept. 1 ....... Labor Day No School Sept. 9 ....... 6:30pm, Board of Education

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greeley-evans district 6 newsSchool Kickoff a huge successThe first-ever School Kickoff Commu-nity Celebration took place at Greeley Central High School Saturday, Aug. 9, and approximately 3,000 to 4,000 people attended the event.

The Kickoff was funded with do-nations from various businesses and organizations throughout Greeley and Evans. Event sponsors included: Agfini-ty, District 6 Nutrition Services, Banner Health/NCMC, JBS, Ehrlich Toyota 47th Avenue, U.S. Foods, Anadarko Petroleum Corp., Kaiser Permanente, Flood and Peterson, Sams Club, StarT-ek, Weld Prevention Partners, North Range Behavioral Health, The Tribune, 1310 KFKA, Alphagraphics, FAST-SIGNS and 15 other businesses and organizations from Greeley and Evans who donated money for school supplies and gift certificates for the event.

Donations were used to purchase 775 backpacks and fill them with school supplies. As well, a free lunch was served to 1,200 attendees. NextCare was also at the event, providing on-site sports phys-icals to District 6 students for $10. The company said they completed 85 physi-cals during the three-hour event.

In addition, 46 community booths were filled with agencies, businesses and organizations, from the city of Gree-ley, to High Plains Library District to health-care providers. Parents could sign up their children for free- and-reduced lunch, get information on District 6 schools and educational services and visit with officials from the transpor-tation department. There were also activities such as face painting, student entertainment from a variety of District 6 groups and students, and carnival games provided by the Latino Chamber of Commerce.

More than 100 volunteers helped stuff backpacks prior to the event and helped work the day of the celebration. In addition, dozens of principals, admin-istrators and District 6 staff participated in the event.

The Department of Communica-tions is hoping to make this an annual event, and is already looking into larger venues for next year.

DISTRICT 6 TCAP MATH SCORES SHOW MARKED IMPROVEMENTIn a year when state scores decreased overall, the percentage of Greeley-Evans School District 6 students scoring profi-cient or advanced on math in the 2013-14 state assessments reached the highest level in a decade, and improved by a full percentage point over last years scores.

Overall, District 6 scores on the Transitional Colorado Assessment Program tests improved or maintained in 13 out of 24 content areas in grade levels across the district. All-time high scores were achieved in third-grade math, seventh-grade math, eighth-grade math and ninth-grade math. In fact, District 6 was one of a few school districts to see a marked increase in math scores this year.

Scores district-wide in reading went down by .5 of a percentage point. Writ-ing scores went down by nearly one per-centage point. District 6 students did not take TCAPs in science or social studies in 2013-14 because the district was part of a pilot program for the new Colorado Measures of Academic Success, assess-ments that will be implemented next year statewide and will replace the TCAP tests. Results for the pilot tests have not yet be released by the state.

Interim Superintendent Wayne Eads says scores over the past few years have gone up and down, but generally the district is on a positive trajectory to close the gap with statewide scores.

This helps us reaffirm that many of the curriculum and instructional chang-es weve made are helping our students reach proficiency in core subject areas, Eads says. It also gives us information about where we still need to do work and shore up our practices. Our goal remains to ensure a great education and success

for every, single student in District 6.Other positive highlights include:

16 schools had doubled-digit increases in reading scores.

13 schools saw double-digit increases in writing scores.

18 schools saw double-digit increases in math scores.

10 schools saw double-digit decreases in unsatisfactory scores for math.

The number of 3rd, 4th and 5th graders scoring advanced on the math TCAP reached an all-time high.

WAYNE EADS NAMED SOLE FINALIST FOR INTERIM SUPERINTENDENTThe Greeley-Evans School District 6 Board of Education named District 6 Chief Operations Officer Wayne Eads as the sole finalist for Interim Superin-tendent. Mr. Eads will fill the position vacated by Superintendent Ranelle Lang, who resigned effective June 30.

Eads has been with District 6 for 22 years. As Chief Operations Officer, he oversees the districts budget, busi-ness operations and support services. It is anticipated he will serve as in-terim superintendent until the Board names a permanent superintendent sometime next year.

The Board of Education has inter-viewed two search firms the Colorado Association of School Boards and HYA Executive Search as possible candidates to conduct a superintendents search for District 6. The board was scheduled to select a firm Aug. 11, but voted to delay that action so board members could do further research on the two firms.

Eads, who grew up in the Ozarks of southern Missouri and graduated from Harvard College with a bache-lors degree in American history, has been an active member of the Greeley community. He served as treasurer for two years on the Greeley Stampede Committee and is an active member of the Greeley Rotary Club.

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Loveland Recreation Department

Chilson Recreation

CenterAmazing Athletes

Kids Zumba and Dance

Gymnastics

Preschool Science and Art

Art & Pottery Classes for All ages

Martial Arts

LEGO Engineering Camps

Wide range of Youth Sports

H Large Group/Circle Time

H Small Group/Lesson Time

H Child-Directed Center Time

H Art/Cooking Enrichments

H Gymnastics/Gym Time

H Small, healthy snacks served daily

Enroll NOW for preschool and Pre-K classes. AM and PM options available

H H H SPACE IS LIMITED. Call NOW to enroll for Fall! H H H Visit us online to view our other exciting programs for Tots & Preschoolers

A high-quality, state-licensed program that focuses on critical thinking, Kindergarten readiness, discovery and social-emotional-physical development.

970-962-2458 700 E 4th Street Loveland www.cityof loveland.org

Something for all ages

Visit us on Facebook, Twitter and Youtube

FOCO SPARTAN BABES!NOW RECRUITING ALL GIRLS,

AGES 7-11 and 12-17 VOLUNTEERS AND REFEREES NEEDED!

PLAY PLAY JUNIOR ROLLER DERBY WITH THE

AT ROLLERLAND SKATE CENTER 324 SOUTH LINK LANEFOR MORE INFO, EMAIL: URRKN@YAHOO.COM

OR CALL (970)231-8007

30 | RMPARENT

Program&ActivityYOUTH

JANUARY 2012www.RMPAReNT.cOM guide

Program Directory

BY cATegORY 20

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APRIL 2012www.RMPARenT.cOM

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2012-2013 WWW.RMPARENT.COM

Local resources for parents in northern Colorado

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SPECIAL DISTRIBUTION

Fort Collins, Greeley Loveland and

Windsor SchoolsWindsor Schools YOUTHProgram&Activity SERIES

GET IN ON A FIVE ISSUE SERIES!

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The RMParent Youth Program and Activity Series, is the regions most complete guide to before and after school activities. To promote your business or service to active northern Colorado families in Fort Collins, Greeley, Loveland, Windsor and beyond, contact us today!

In Fort Collins: Greg Hoffman, 970-689-6832 or greg.rmpublishing@gmail.com

For all other areas: Scott Titterington, 970-980-9183 or scott.rmpublishing@gmail.com

RMPARENT | 31

We found that we got great responses from our advertising last year and have

noticed a nice increase in our Little Brushes Kids Camps this summer.

TO ADVERTISE, CONTACT: Greg Hoffman

970-689-6832 greg.rmpublishing@gmail.com

Scott Titterington970-980-9183 scott.rmpublishing@gmail.com

Advertising WORKS!

Tony Curtis & Kim FainOwners Pinots Palette

159 W. MOUNTAIN AVE. FORT COLLINS

32 | RMPARENT

ELEMENTARY SCHOOL2 Rotini w/meatballs3 Taco4 Chicken tenders5 Stuffed crust cheese/

pepperoni pizza8 Fiesta mac & cheese9 Salisbury steak10 Grillled cheese sandwich11 Chicken Alfredo

12 Cheese/pepperoni pizza15 Mac & cheese16 Chicken drumstick17 French toast sticks18 Taco19 Big daddys cheese pizza22 No school!23 Hamburger24 Teriyaki chicken25 Ravioli

26 Breadstick cheese stuffed w/sauce

29 Chicken patty30 Turkey Lo MeinSECONDARY SCHOOL2 Rotini w/meatballs3 Taco4 Chicken tenders5 Steak & cheese sub8 Fiesta mac & cheese

9 Salisbury steak10 Bean & cheese burrito11 Chicken Alfredo12 Meatball sub15 Mac & cheese16 Sloppy Joes17 French toast sticks18 Taco19 Chicken patty22 No school!

23 Cheeseburger24 Teriyaki chicken25 Ravioli26 Pepperoni calzone29 Chicken patty30 Turkey Lo Mein

lunchboxPOUDRE SCHOOL DISTRICT Elementary student lunches are $2.35, secondary student lunches are $2.60 and reduced lunches are $0.40. Entrees offered daily: Elementarya variety of fruits and vegetables, milk and juices; Secondary--hot and cold sandwiches, fruits and vegetables, deli salad and pizza.

ELEMENTARY SCHOOL2 Cheese raviolis; spaghetti w/meat sauce3 Orange chicken w/rice & veggies;

chicken patty sandwich4 Beef & bean burrito; chicken nuggets5 Pepperoni/veggie pizza8 Baked potato bar w/chili or broccoli

& cheese; chicken patty sandwich9 Veggie lasagna; Ranch chicken

bites & home-style biscuit10 Sweet & sour meatballs over fried

rice; hamburger/cheeseburger11 Beef tacos; turkey & cheese wrap12 BBQ chicken/cheese pizza15 Toasted cheese sandwich & tomato

soup; chicken nuggets

16 Chicken Alfredo penne pasta; ham & cheese sub

17 Asian Teriyaki bowl; chicken drum-stick & home-style biscuit

18 Beef enchilada bake; pig in a blanket19 Pepperoni/cheese pizza22 Taco burger; mac & cheese23 Chicken cordon bleu casserole;

turkey gravy & roll 24 Asian noodles w/chicken & veggies;

trout treasures25 Chicken fajita bowl; chicken patty

sandwich26 Chicken/Hawaiian pizza29 Hamburger/cheeseburger; pulled

pork sandwich

30 Chicken raviolis; spaghetti & meat sauceMIDDLE SCHOOLS2 Chicken Alfredo; penne w/meatsauce3 Sweet & sourchicken; meatballs

over fried rice4 Fajita rice bowl; black bean medly5 Burrito w/shredded pork or bean &

cheese8 Pulled pork sandwich; BBQ chicken

sandwich9 Cheese raviolis; spaghetti & meatballs10 Asian Teriyaki bowl; chicken nuggets11 Taco bar12 Trout melt sandwich; mac & cheese15 Taco burger; Southwest chicken

sandwich

16 Veggie lasagna; chicken nuggets17 Orange chicken; beef w/rice18 Burrito bar19 Turkey pot pie; baked chicken &

biscuit22 Pancake & sausage wrap; Ranch

chicken bites23 Chicken cordon bleu casserole;

meatball sub24 Asian noodles w/chicken or beef

and veggies25 Taco bar26 Baked chicken & dinner roll; chili

cheese dog29 Philly cheesesteak w/chicken or beef30 Chicken Alfredo; penne & meatsauce

THOMPSON R2J SCHOOL DISTRICT Elementary lunches are $2.75. Secondary school lunches are $3. Reduced lunches are $0.40. Offered daily: PBJs & fruit.

ELEMENTARY SCHOOL 2 Pizza stick w/marinara sauce;

chicken tender salad3 Hamburger; chef salad4 Nachos; taco salad5 Turkey w/gravy; garden entre salad8 Mac & cheese; Caesar salad9 Pizza; chicken tender salad10 Chicken breast strips; chef salad11-12 No school!15 Grilled chicken sandwich; Caesar salad16 Pesto pasta w/chicken; chicken

tender salad

17 BBQ pork sliders; chef salad18 Orange chicken; garden entre salad19 No school!22 Chicken breast nuggets; Caesar salad23 French bread boat; chicken tender salad24 BBQ chicken breast; chef salad25 Chicken fajita taco; taco salad26 Veggies lasagna rolls; garden entre

salad29 Pancake w/sausage; Caesar salad30 Pizza stick w/marinara sauce;

chicken tender salad

SECONDARY SCHOOL2 Tuscan pasta salad; chicken patty

sandwich3 Burger bar; baked beans4 Nachos; lasagna w/meat5 Turkey w/gravy8 Mac & cheese; chicken quesadilla9 Pizza; chicken fajita wrap10 Fiesta bar11 Chicken burrito bowl; meatball sandwich12 Chicken Caesar wrap; French bread boat15 Grilled chicken sandwich; nachos16 Pesto pasta w/chicken; hamburger

17 Pizza bar18 Orange chicken; pretzel w/cheese sauce19 No school!22 Chicken breast nuggets; sloppy Joe23 French bread boat; hot ham & cheese

sandwich24 Salad & sandwich25 Chicken fajita taco; meatball sandwich26 Veggie lasagna rolls; chicken breast strips29 Waffles w/maple chicken breast

strips; pulled pork sandwich30 Tuscan pasta salad; chicken patty

sandwich

GREELEY DISTRICT 6 To obtain a complete meal, student gets an entre and can select 1-3 sides. Elementary lunches are $2.50, and middle school lunches are $2.75, reduced-price lunches are $.40. Offered daily: PBJ.

ELEMENTARY SCHOOL2 BBQ pork sandwich; Club hoagie3 Chicken soft taco; PBJ4 Turkey pot pie; ham & cheese hoagie5 Hawaiian/cheese pizza; PBJ8 Mac & cheese; chicken salad

sandwich9 Bean & cheese burrito w/rice;

turkey & cheese wrap10 BBQ chicken; PBJ11 Herb chicken w/roll; Italian hoagie12 BBQ chicken/cheese pizza; PBJ15 Sloppy Joe; chicken fajita wrap16 Teriyaki chicken w/brown rice;

Club hoagie17 Toasted cheese sandwich; PBJ18 Pot roast w/egg noodles; ham &

cheese hoagie22 Hamburger/cheeseburger; chicken

salad sandwich23 Chicken Cordon Bleu sandwich;

turkey & cheese wrap24 Pasta w/meat sauce; PBJ25 Roasted turkey w/roll; Italian hoagie26 Cheese/taco pizza; PBJ29 BBQ pork sandwich; chicken fajita

wrap30 Lasagna w/breadstick; Club hoagie

MIDDLE SCHOOL2 BBQ pork sandwich; Club hoagie3 Chicken soft taco; PBJ4 Turkey pot pie; ham & cheese hoagie5 Hawaiian/cheese pizza; PBJ8 Mac & cheese; chicken salad

sandwich9 Bean & cheese burrito w/rice;

pastabilities bar10 BBQ chicken; PBJ11 Herb chicken w/roll; Italian hoagie12 BBQ chicken/cheese pizza; PBJ15 Sloppy Joe; chicken fajita wrap16 Teriyaki chicken w/brown rice;

Club hoagie17 Toasted cheese sandwich; PBJ18 Pot roast w/egg noodles; ham &

cheese hoagie22 Hamburger/cheeseburger; chicken

salad sandwich23 Chicken Cordon Bleu sandwich;

turkey & cheese wrap24 Pasta w/meat sauce; PBJ25 Roasted turkey w/roll; Italian hoagie26 Cheese/taco pizza; PBJ29 BBQ pork sandwich; chicken fajita wrap30 Lasagna w/breadstick; Club hoagie

WINDSOR SCHOOL DISTRICT Price for elementary lunch is $2.35, for middle school students, $2.55. Reduced lunches are $0.40. Salad bar is served daily with entrees. Offered daily: PBJ and yogurt.

RMPARENT | 33

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SEPTEMBER 6-OCTOBER 4 Journey to the West Fantasy and humor underscore a brazenly imaginative, soaring adventure, which follows the journey of a Buddhist monk and his boisterous band of heavenly exiles. Ticket prices and show times vary. Lincoln Center Magnolia Theatre, 417 W. Magnolia St., FC. 970-221-6730 or www.fcgov.com/lctix.

SEPTEMBER 4-NOVEMBER 2 Seven Brides for Seven Brothers Goin courting has never been as much fun as in this rip-roaring stage version of the popular MGM movie musical. Ticket prices and show times vary. Candlelight Dinner Playhouse, 4747 Market Place Drive, Johnstown. 970-744-3747 or www.coloradocandlelight.com.

SEPTEMBER 5-6 Holes Based on the young adults novel written by Louis Sachar and performed by the Stampede Troupe. Ticket prices and show times vary. Union Colony Civic Center, 701 10th St., GR. 970-356-5000 or www.ucstars.com.

SEPTEMBER 12-13 Moonlighting TeachersBack on the Stage with Old Favorites and New Fun Enjoy an evening of laughter and song as the Moonlighting Teachers troupe pokes fun at the world of education. With original songs, skits, music and dance, the group provides a fast-moving, fun-filled show that appeals to anyone who has ever attended schoolor worked in one. Ticket prices vary; proceeds benefit the Thompson Education Foundation. The Rialto Theater Center, 228 E. 4th St., LV. 7:30pm. 970-962-2120 or www.cityofloveland.org.

SEPTEMBER 20-21 Sustainable Living Fair Renowned speakers, 250 exhibitors, family activities, yoga, beer garden, food, live music and more. Ticket prices vary. Legacy Park, 300 Woodlawn Drive, FC. 10am-7pm. 970-224-3247 or www.sustainablelivingassociation.org.

Blue Man Group Blue Man Group is best known for their wildly popular theatrical shows and concerts which combine comedy, music, and technology to produce a totally unique form of entertainment. Ticket prices and show times vary. Union Colony Civic Center, 701 10th St., GR. 970-356-5000 or www.ucstars.com.

SEPTEMBER 27 AND 28 Family Storytime with UNC Talk, sing, read, write and play together in a format appropriate for young children. Share books, stories, rhymes, music and movement. No registration required. For children of all ages and their parent or caregiver. Presented by UNC Student Council for Exceptional Children. Centennial Park Library, 2227 23rd Ave., GR. 3:30pm. 888-861-7323 or www.MyLibrary.us.

SEPTEMBER 29-OCTOBER 1 Rocky Mountain Rock N Roll Sing-Along Festival 2014 Sha Na Na, the Grammy nominated music legends who co-starred as Johnny Casino and the Gamblers in the blockbuster film Grease will rock the Candlelight Dinner Playhouse. Ticket prices and show times vary. Candlelight Dinner Playhouse, 4747 Market Place Drive, Johnstown. 970-744-3747 or www.coloradocandlelight.com.

TUESDAYS, THROUGH OCTOBER Loveland Farmers Market Hobby Lobby Parking Lot, N. Garfield & Orchards, LV. 11am-3pm. 970-495-4889 or www.fortcollinsfm.com.

WEDNESDAYS, THROUGH SEPTEMBER 24 Summer Enchanted Evening Series Part history, part natural history and part show & tell. Topics will range from archeology to hummingbirds. The Baldpate Inn, 4900 S. Hwy.7, EP. 7pm. 970-586-6151 or www.baldpateinn.com.

WEDNESDAYS, THROUGH OCTOBER 1 The Power of Foods for Kids Youth ages 6-12 will learn about the four food groups in the Power Plate. Pre-registration is required and scholarships are available. $60 for six-class series or $10 for a single day. Gardens on Spring Creek, 2145 Centre Ave., FC. 4-6pm. 970-416-2468 or www.fcgov.com/gardens.

THURSDAYS, THROUGH SEPTEMBER 25 Estes Valley Farmers Market Bond Park, MacGregor Ave., EP. 8am-12:30pm. 303-775-9058 or www.visitestespark.com.

FRIDAYS Friday Morning Sing Alongs Sing, dance and shake up a storm. Clothes Pony & Dandelion Toys, 111 North College Ave., FC. 11am-12noon. www.downtownfortcollins.com.

THROUGH SEPTEMBER 19 Friday Fest Enjoy live music under the stars. 9th Street Plaza, GR. 5-10pm. 970-356-6775 or www.greeleydowntown.com.

S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 4

ONGOING

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SATURDAYS Drake Road Farmers Market 802 W. Drake Rd., FC. 10am-1pm. 970-218-5521 or www.drakeroadfarmersmarket.com.

Greeley Farmers Market Union Pacific Depot, 902 7th Ave., GR. 970-350-9783 or www.greeleygov.com/CommunityDevelopment/FarmersMarket.aspx.

Open Board Game Night Bring your favorite board game or play one of 160 from our Open Game Library. The Haunted Game Caf, 3307 S. College Ave., Ste.107, FC. 6-10pm. 970-402-2466 or www.hauntedgamecafe.com.

SUNDAYS Fort Collins Farmers Market 215 E. Foothills Pkwy., FC. 11am-3pm. 970-495-4889 or www.fortcollinsfm.com.

CAMC Farmers Market Ace Hardware Parking Lot, 1001 E. Harmony Road, FC. 11am-3pm. camcfarmersmarketseo@gmail.com.

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 3 iLearn Technology: Microsoft Word 101 Microsoft Word 2010 is the most popular wordprocessing software on the market today. Free. Loveland Public Library, 300 N. Adams St., LV. 9:30-11:30am. 970-962-2599 or www.lovelandpubliclibrary.org.

iLearn Technology: Microsoft Excel This class will introduce the basic functions and features of Microsoft Excel. Free. Loveland Public Library, 300 N. Adams St., LV. 12:30-2pm. 970-962-2599 or www.lovelandpubliclibrary.org.

Google Drive This class will survey what programs Google Drive offers and what they can be used for. Bring your own laptop or device, or one will be provided for you. (Participants need to have an existing Gmail account and good basic keyboard and mouse skills.) Registration required. Farr Regional Library, 1939 61st Ave., GR. 6:30pm. 888-861-7323 or www.MyLibrary.us.

Visit with Author Margaret Coel The best-selling author of the Wind River Mystery series is coming to Fort Collins. Her latest novel is Night of the White Buffalo, the 18th book in her series. Shell speak and sign books. Free. Old Town Library, 201 Peterson St., FC. 7-8:30pm. 970-221-6740 or www.poudrelibraries.org.

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 5 First Friday Gallery Walk Stroll Fort Collins city streets and experience the citys art galleries which feature paintings, sculptures, exhibits, photos and more. Many of the gallery owners will be on hand to share their expertise (and sometimes, a snack!). Free. Old Town Fort Collins. 6-9pm. www.downtownfortcollins.com.

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 6 Chimney Hollow Open Space Tour A field trip that will include an easy, round-trip walk of 0.5 mile. Free, but pre-registration required. Chimney Hollow Open Space within the Blue Mountain Conservation Area, approximately five miles southwest of LV. 9am-12noon. 970-619-4489 or www.larimer.org/NRregistration.

Annual Emergency Preparedness and Family Safety Expo This family friendly, informational and activity-filled event is designed to help local families and businesses learn how to be prepared for emergencies, and protect themselves from accidents before they happen. Free. The Ranch, First National Bank North Exhibition Hall, 5280 Arena Circle, LV. 10am-2pm. 970-498-7149 or www.cityofloveland.org.

Sensory Storytime for Children with Special Needs Sensory storytime is designed specifically for children who have a hard time in large groups, are on the autism spectrum or are sensitive to s