Red Rocks Elementary at Red Rocks Park, Morrison, Colorado

Tammy (left) and Courtney Drysdale, Librarian (right), at the Red Rocks Elementary Library.

Nestled in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, Red Rocks Elementary is a wonderful school located in Morrison, Colorado, a popular tourist destination just 30 minutes from downtown Denver.

View from the Red Rocks Elementary library window.

I spoke to Red Rocks’ students on Thursday, November 10, 2011, and I was impressed that the  children can see the Red Rocks Park and Amphitheater from the library window.

9:15-10:00 AM 4th, 5th, & 6th Grades

10:10-10:40 AM Kindergarten & 1st Grades

10:50-11:35 AM 2nd and 3rd Grades

Enlarged view of part of the Red Rocks Amphitheater as seen from the library window.

I regret that we did not have more time to drive into the park itself. This is an area I would love to visit again only next time as a tourist. Red Rocks Park has a fabulous website with great photos of the area at:  http://www.redrocksonline.com/.

We had to leave the school at midday and drive back to Lakewood to visit Green Gables Elementary that afternoon.

12:40-1:20 Kindergarten & 1st Grades

1:20-2:05 4th, 5th, & 6th Grades

2:15-3:00 2nd & 3rd Grades

Both schools are small with only about 350 students each, and Courtney Drysdale is the librarian at both Red Rocks and Green Gables. Courtney did a fabulous job organizing our visits!

My husband and I did manage to take one day off during our trip to Denver. We spent that day in Boulder, Colorado. It was our first trip to Boulder, and my favorite tourist attraction that day was our tour of the Celestial Seasonings Tea Company. I love tea!

Celestial Seasonings Tea Shop, Boulder, Colorado

Colorado is a beautiful state, and we were very fortunate that the weather was gorgeous all week (50 degrees or more). We’re looking forward to visiting the Denver area again.

My Visits to Dennison and Devinny Schools in Lakewood, CO

After visiting two schools in Omaha, Nebraska, I drove to Denver, Colorado where  my husband and I visited several schools in or near the Lakewood suburb. A kindergarten teacher at Dennison Elementary, Robin Wheatley, organized our visit for Tuesday, November 8, 2011. The presentations were in the Gym, and despite the fact that they were large groups (100+ students in each), the children were very attentive and respectful.

9:00-9:45 am  Grade 6
9:50-10:30  Grades K & 1
10:35-11:20 Grade 4
12:10-12:50 pm Lunch
12:50-1:35 Grade 3
1:40-2:25 Grade 2
2:30-3:15 Book Signing in Library

Sadly the teachers were not able to attend the program with their students, so they relied on feedback from the kids to know what we talked about. One teacher’s students were so enthusiastic she wrote:

Dear Tammy,

I think the kids thoroughly enjoyed your visit. I think they enjoyed hearing and seeing the process you go through to write and illustrate a book. I know they enjoyed interacting with your husband, when they got to be part of the orchestra. Those types of activities are always engaging to children.

Thank you for the visit.

Sincerely,
Marijo Lovell
First Grade Teacher
Dennison Elementary

As we left the school I noticed that Dennison Elementary was awarded a Blue Ribbon in 2010 under the No Child Left Behind Act. Congratulations, Dennison!

The following day I went to Devinny Elementary, also in Lakewood. The librarian, Angela Wagner, did a fabulous job introducing us to each group. Angela was very enthusiastic and fun to work with.

Devinny Elementary Librarian, Angela Wagner (left), and Tammy.

Wednesday, November 8, 2011 Schedule:
9:50-10:30 AM Kinder/1st (6 classes)
10:40-11:20 AM 2nd Grade (4 classes)
11:25-12:05 AM 3rd Grade (3 classes)
12:05-1:05 PM Lunch
1:05-1:45 PM 6th Grade (4 classes)
1:50-2:30 PM 4th Grade (4 classes)
2:35-3:10 PM 5th Grade (3 classes)
3:15-4:30 Book Signing

Devinny Elementary Library

All of the Devinny presentations were in the library, and they had a great projection system with a document camera that I could use to show students small details of my art and writing. The teachers attended the programs with their students, and one teacher wrote:

Hi Tammy,
I am a 6th grade teacher at Devinny Elementary. The 6th graders really enjoyed seeing how you created your drawings. In addition, we are currently doing the research portion of a nonfiction paper, so when you talked about doing lots of research before you start writing, it really tied to our work in the classroom.

Thank you for a great presentation!!

Melissa Girard
Devinny  Elementary
6th grade teacher

Thank you, Ms. Lovell and Ms. Girard, for writing. I thoroughly enjoyed visiting both of your schools!