DCSD Notebook

In the business world, company leaders set standards through mission and vision statements and by listing their values. In the education world, it’s all about setting examples and teaching what are called Norms. Here are DCSD’s norms for Culture and Climate:  Presume Positive Intent Exude and Expect Optimism Address Concerns the Right Way Create a Culture of Safe Mistakes Communicate Kindly and Re...

Magic happens when therapy dogs can help school staff members reach out to students who are struggling. DCSD’s pioneering Animal Assisted Interventions team is the largest and most advanced in Colorado. With 34 therapy dogs deployed all over the school district – and more preparing to join their ranks, the AAI team continues to prove its value and brighten the days of thousands of students all ove...

Supt. Erin Kane’s State of DCSD address on Monday, May 4, 2026, featured a Q&A panel with six outstanding seniors who represent a range of academic pursuits, goals and even the types of schools they attended. The students shared their future plans, how DCSD helped prepare them for those next steps, and how they have grown as people during their time in Douglas County Schools.  Supt. Kane’s ful...

Students’ use of smartphones in schools is a huge topic. Is it a distraction? Can they be helpful in an educational setting? When should they be used and when should they be put away?  On April 21, 2026, the DCSD Board of Education approved a new policy about the use of communication devices in schools. This was the culmination of nearly two years’ worth of district leaders’ examination of the cha...

CONTENT WARNING: This episode includes discussion of suicide, which may be triggering for some individuals. Listener discretion is advised. If you or someone you know is dealing with thoughts of self harm, please call 988 for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. From the Happy Crew website: “Colorado ranks 41st in the US for youth mental health treatment access, with 26% of teens reporting persistent...

Career and Technical Education is a hot topic in schools these days – and not just high schools where most of the classes take place. Cimarron Middle School Principal Chris Zimmerman piloted CTE classes at his school this year and helped plan the inaugural Career Discovery Camp taking place this June 3-5 at Legacy Campus. It’s a three-day camp to introduce middle school students to CTE options ava...

Name a high-concept, action-adventure story with a middle-school teacher as the main character. Has there ever been one …? In this episode we’re tying education to current pop culture, specifically the new movie “Project Hail Mary.” It stars Ryan Gosling as Ryland Grace, a middle school science teacher who has to save the entire world on a deep-space mission. Throughout the movie – and even more i...

Great schools make great communities, primarily by equipping young people with the education they need to grow and succeed. They also serve as community resources and contribute to property values. That’s part of the symbiotic relationship thriving schools and communities have – and at the core of that relationship is community investment through taxes that fund school districts. That’s where the...

As this episode is released, registration is now open for a pair of important bike safety events coming up this summer. Sgt. Mark Mithuen, a School Resource Officer supervisor in the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, tells us all about the second annual, free Eye Five Transportation and Road Safety events. Even with twice the capacity as last year, space is limited, so parents are encouraged to reg...

Parents have lots of questions about teen nicotine usage – many of them new ones, thanks to technology and social media:  What does it look like today?  Why are so many young people drawn to it?  Most importantly, how can we work together to keep students healthy and informed? To help guide this conversation, this episode features experts from the Douglas County Health Department, who bring a publ...

Jolee Jones works in two of the most unique positions in education. She leads DCSD’s outdoor education facility near Larkspur, which gives Douglas County students countless opportunities to learn from and enjoy the wonders of nature in Colorado. And the lessons she has both taught and learned, plus her own development as a leader in organizational development led to an expansion of her role. She n...

Daniel C. Oakes High School in Castle Rock provides a compelling alternative for students who find large, comprehensive high schools are not the right fit for their needs. Because Douglas County School District strives to provide something for every style of learner, D.C. Oakes is one way to ensure students don’t miss out on a quality education. And this episode of the DCSD Notebook is a milestone...

Distracted driving is one of the leading causes of injury and death among teens nationwide. While smartphones get much of the blame, the reality is that distractions can come from anywhere — friends in the car, music, emotions, and even overconfidence behind the wheel. To help us understand what really happens on the road and in emergency rooms, we are joined by HCA Healthone Skyridge hospital’s T...

The Sweeney Family Business is all about caring for and building up people. Over the last decade, it’s become even more focused on helping, specifically through education. What started with Kiera Sweeney becoming a Sierra Middle School teacher, soon became three members of the family, with her father, Sean, and then her sister, Delaney, also becoming teachers. In fact those two teach at the same s...

At ThunderRidge High School in Highlands Ranch, Brad Johnson is a mainstay as a history teacher and state-championship winning coach. His daughter, Annabeth Johnson, also teaches history and coaches at ThunderRidge. The father and daughter teachers are at opposite ends of their careers, but both are all about making a difference in students’ lives through education. In this episode, Mr. Johnson an...

In this episode, host Amy Pfister welcomes special guest, Dr. Matt Hadeed, chair of pediatrics at HCA HealthONE Sky Ridge, which is the sponsor of Parent University. Dr. Hadeed is a leader in pediatric health and development, and he has worked with countless families to build routines that support children’s physical and emotional well-being. Dr. Hadeed shares his expertise on what kids really nee...

AVID, or Advancement Via Individual Determination, exists to help students, and in this final episode of our AVID miniseries, we get to hear from former students who went through the program and can attest, with first-person experience, how much it helped them.  So far in this miniseries, we’ve heard the district perspective and the school-level perspective and, in both cases, the viewpoints of ad...

AVID, or Advancement Via Individual Determination, is a highly regarded, comprehensive educational program which has been used in schools all over the U.S. for 45 years.  In one DCSD feeder system, students can learn AVID-based skills throughout their K-12 journey: first at Franktown Elementary, where AVID concepts are infused throughout all grades and subjects, then Sagewood Middle School and Pon...

If you could learn how to learn better or, if you have kids in school,  help them unlock proven strategies to ensure they get the most out of school, would you want to hear more about that?  Here on the DCSD Notebook podcast from the top-scoring school district in the Denver area, we’re going to devote the next three episodes to a deep dive into the AVID program. In this episode, we’re going to st...

In this episode, host Amy Pfister and her guest Nikki Brooker, founder of YANA — You Are Not Alone, are talking about something that so many parents experience but don’t always talk about — how to find your community (as a parent) during your child’s school years. YANA is a local nonprofit which Brooker created to help parents connect, share, and realize that none of us are meant to do this journe...

School psychologists play an important role in providing Pre-K through 12th grade students mental health services including evaluations, counseling, academic and behavioral intervention, safety assessments and support, and crisis response. They are trained in psychology, child development, and education. The growing mental health crisis, paired with an increased need for school psychologists, has...

In any school district, student engagement and involvement can be seen as a three-legged stool of academics, activities and athletics. In DCSD, two of those three legs are supervised, along with student leadership, by our guests for this episode: Derek Chaney, director of Activities, Athletics, and Student Leadership, and Brad Wiidakas, assistant director for the department. Both have been with DC...

This is the second of two chapters in the DCSD Notebook regarding bullying prevention. October is National Bullying Prevention Month, and this Parent University episode, hosted by Community Relations Coordinator Amy Pfister, features three members of the DCSD Health, Wellness and Prevention team. They discuss ways they, as professionals as well as mothers, deal with the challenges presented by bul...

October is National Bullying Prevention Month, and the DCSD Notebook will have two chapters. This week's chapter features a panel of district and school leaders discussing what bullying is and what it isn’t; how schools work with families to investigate and address issues of bullying; resources available to parents; and the legal requirements that all schools face when dealing with these complex i...

In this month’s edition of Parent University, we’re talking about one of the best community spots around — the public library! If you think the library is only about checking out books, you’re missing A LOT. The library is full of fun programs, cool resources, and opportunities that can support children’s learning and give families new ways to connect. Our guest is Jaime Gotlieb, community service...