At Collegiate, the conversation about college begins in the elementary school with our youngest students in Kindergarten through sixth grade. Our counseling team builds and expands on the conversation about academics and life beyond high school, using the Naviance tool to help students identify interests, plan their high school coursework, and prepare for the next phase of college preparation.
Our elementary school takes an approach to learning that unites the academic fundamentals and unique, Emersonian value structure of Core Knowledge to infuse a sense of self-reliance at an early age. Collegiate takes advantage of the spiraled review structure integral to Core Knowledge curriculum such as Saxon Math while adding engaging, hands-on activities which guide students in a problem-based learning model. CCC's Being a Reader and Making Meaning couples with Writing Alive to drive literacy training. The FOSS Science program makes students the scientists as they explore, experiment, and get their hands dirty while using the scientific process rather than just learning about it. Our social studies sequence is designed to complement and enhance content being discussed in the other disciplines while following the sequence of the Jeffco CAP. Collegiate Academy also recognizes the importance of handwriting both in the development of fine motor skills and also in developing students as thoughtful writers, so D'Nealian in the primary grades builds a framework for learning cursive in the intermediate grades.
Our charter allows Collegiate elementary teachers the freedom and professional creativity to integrate a blend of other curricula which promote academic success. Our philosophy recognizes that academic success, while critical, is only one part of the whole-student education we strive to provide our students. Our Collegiate Core Values are the heart of a character education program designed to assist parents in raising children that are leaders not only in academics, but also as citizens and in society as well. Our program is designed to educate well-rounded young people rather than one-dimensional thinkers.
Several specific tools differentiate Collegiate from our peers:
Ability Grouping:
Flexible ability groups for math and language arts provide a motivating and challenging learning environment, allowing students more time on task. Ability grouping allows the student to learn at different paces in different content areas, allowing education to be tailored to the student rather that a one-size-fits-all instructional model. Ability groups also narrow the spectrum of abilities in a classroom, allowing teachers to focus instruction to bring students to mastery of new skills.
Extended Day Program:
Each teacher is available after school one day per week to give students an opportunity to work in smaller groups or one-on-one. Teachers may require that students needing help meeting the academic standards participate in this program.
Before and After School Childcare:
Before and after school child care is available onsite Foothills Park and Recreation. Several local daycares also provide transportation to Collegiate, including Kindercare, Canyon Creek Learning Center (Robin's Nest) and Woodmar Learning Center.
Homework:
Because extensive research has proven the importance of homework to academic success, homework is an integral part of Collegiate Academy's curriculum and requires a commitment from each member of our student-teacher-parent (STP) team. Collegiate teachers make homework relevant, meaningful and time-appropriate. When a student fails to complete homework a variety of accountability measures take effect. Collegiate is committed to keeping parents informed of academic progress through weekly progress reports and updates to Infinite Campus. Due to the rigorous academic curriculum, students should expect ten minutes of homework per night per grade level. Ten minutes for first grade per night and 60 minutes for sixth grade per night are average expectations. We also encourage parents to read to their children as well as having their children read frequently to them.
Weekly Progress Updates:
Parents and students receive weekly communications in the "Thursday Folder." The Infinite Campus online Parent Portal offers a real time monitoring tool to assist teachers and parents in staying up to date and on the same page regarding student's academic and social development. If a student's grades drop below a C in any class, parents will receive notification via email in the Academic Progress Monitor. Using Infinite Campus Parent Portal, parents can then investigate assignment detail and scores to catch and remedy academic slippage as early as possible.