1

What's Happening in the School for the Deaf

#FFFFFF

March 2024

March is the month of Kindness, and in the School for the Deaf, Kindergarten through Middle School students who had art this quarter participated in the Hexagon Art Project. Each student thought about how to bring more kindness to people, animals, and the Earth and drew two representations on a hexagon template.

3rd to 5th-grade students learned about blending different soft oil pastel colors and created an animated shamrock!

Finally, K-2nd grade students created watercolor shamrocks and windsocks.

Also, middle school students took on the challenge of assembling and creating Celtic Knot artwork in honor of St Patrick's Day celebration! This was an intricate and complex assignment and they did well with it finalizing the front of it with the first letter of their names!
[Thank you to Rachella Ortiz, Art Teacher, for the stories and photos.]

Upper left, drawings cut into hexagon shapes; upper right, ten Celtic Knots hanging for display; Lower, six watercolor shamrocks hanging on the wall.
#FFFFFF

March 2024

Learning About Presidents and America

Written by Heather Beume, Teacher of the Deaf, Elementary

Over the past few weeks, the School for the Deaf Elementary has been focusing on learning all about America and some of our famous Presidents! We have read about President’s Day; famous President speeches and the laws. We read one especially fun book called “Laws for Kids” where we read and discussed laws kids had to follow and how they were important. We also discussed voting and how to vote on laws and take polls. Students were able to create their own “voters’ registration” cards. We then took a practice poll in class where students voted on their favorite animals.

Next, our class began working on our “America” projects, where students created their mini-display boards to highlight all of their newfound knowledge. Students wrote about and discussed various things such as: what continent is America on, what the flag looks like, what habitats can be found within the country, what are some cultural elements, facts about America and their favorite fact that they have learned. Students then also took their knowledge of laws and applied it to their own creative thinking by designing their own law.

Once the projects/writing were completed, we gathered the rest of Elementary, as well as some fellow staff members, for our class to do a fun presentation! Students were encouraged to share their display boards with everyone, then present facts about America and the Presidents about which they had learned. I prompted a few questions and students were eager to share the various facts they had learned. Students then also shared what law they would create if they were to become President. Once these presentations were done, we returned to our classroom where students used their “voters registration cards” to vote on which of their peers’ presentations were the best, the winner being nominated “Class President”! 

Top: group cheering, hands raised; Lower, child presents in front of others
#FFFFFF

March 2024

Congratulations on having your topic selected and great job representing CSDB!!

Rachella Ortiz and Ashley Wood, Teachers in the School for the Deaf, recently presented at the Rocky Mountain Early Childhood Conference. 70 people attended to learn about Outreach programs and ASL Community Classes that CSDB offers. Also, they explained the history of ASL, language acquisition, language deprivation, and the importance of a Deaf child becoming fluent in ASL, along with the benefits for hearing preschool children to learn sign language.
 

wo ladies stand in front of a large screen containing text "The Benefits of Sign Language for Early Childhood Education."
#FFFFFF

March 2024
 
Elementary Awards-Happy faces and impromptu dancing!
 
[This 60-second video has audio description and background music.]
#FFFFFF

February 2024

This year, School for the Deaf Social Studies/Civics classes have been following the presidential race. They watched the debates and got to know the candidates. https://csdb.colorado.gov/studying-the-primaries
[Image: Lists of state names, their primary and caucus dates with US maps nearby.]

Left, "Presidential Election November 5, 2024" with debate dates; Right, lists of state with their primaries/caucuses
#FFFFFF

February 2024

Remember last week when students, in the School for the Deaf, entered the Romero Britto art competition? Congratulations to Dania for winning the Valentine's art competition, using his prints and adding her own design.
[Image: Dania holding her prize handbag, with ASL shapes "WINNER" and "Dania" around her picture. Lower section shows her artwork full of hearts, a 1st Place ribbon and text saying, "Dania is an awesome art student!"

Dania holding her prize handbag, with ASL shapes "WINNER" and "Dania" around her picture. Lower section shows her artwork full of hearts, a 1st Place ribbon and text saying, "Dania is an awesome art student!"
#FFFFFF

February 2024

In the School for the Deaf, last week, students had Valentine's votes for the best Romero Brito-inspired Valentine's art. The winner received an art prize from Rachella Ortiz, Art Teacher. Students also learned about Yago Partal the Zoo Portraits artist. K-2nd grade students made sweater bears while 3rd through 5th grade made Yayoi Kusama-inspired Valentine's hearts. The display has polka dots around it, to match her art style.

seven portraits of bears - each wearing a unique sweater

valentine's hearts displayed vertically and surrounded by polka dots

17 heart art pictures with the text "Valentine's Votes".
#FFFFFF

January 2024
 
The students, in the School for the Deaf, are practicing as a pair to present, the Ella Mae Lentz poem, “The Dogs” to the class this week. Students have been learning about the importance of poetry in Deaf Culture class.
[Image: photo of a male and female student, who is using ASL, working with a laptop in a classroom.]

A male and female student, who is using ASL, working with a laptop in a classroom.]
#FFFFFF

November 2023

Thanks to this CSDB family for instilling the importance of community service in their children! In this video, Hollywood, a student in the School for the Deaf, explains how he is preparing food for people in need. The family gave service to homeless people over the holiday break. Great job!!

#FFFFFF

October 2023

Students in the School for the Deaf Physics class are learning all about the states of matter, changes between states, physical and chemical changes, and changes in thermal energy all while making delicious vanilla ice cream. Who says learning about science isn't messy?

Written by Bryan Zigler, Middle/High School Science Teacher, School for the Deaf

 

Seven students perform a group experiment around a science lab table.
#FFFFFF

Class of 2023-Mariah Gonzales

May 2023

Celebrating a member of the Class of 2023, Mariah Gonzales. Congratulations!
 

Mariah Gonzales Graduation Announcement 2023
#FFFFFF

Class of 2023-Daisy Martin

May 2023

Celebrating a member of the Class of 2023, Daisy Martin. Congratulations!

Daisy Martin Graduation Announcement 2023