November 14, 2017
Dear CSS community,
As a school community, we are incredibly fortunate to call 21 Broadmoor Avenue home. I cannot tell you how much pride it gives me to share photos and videos (especially this new drone fly-over footage by CSS Parent, Dave Richardi P’18, P’21) of our campus when representing the school around the nation and world. Visitors to our campus and returning alumni often remark on the location and beauty of our campus and buildings. As one new Middle School student told her extended family this fall, “I go to school in a castle!”
Supporting our infrastructure: The proper upkeep and regular compliance of our 28-acre campus and our eight buildings, along with all the elements of our physical plant and transportation fleet, requires careful planning and hard work. I’m grateful to share some important updates on that note.
Through our fundraising efforts, both Annual Fund dollars and Parents Association gifts allow the school to fund high-impact purchases such as items like the following improvements. Thank you for supporting the Annual Fund and the Parents Association.
- This past summer we removed the play structure serving the Early Childhood Center (ECC) and the PreK program, due to age and safety standards. This necessary, but somewhat untimely change, allowed our educators and facility staff to reimagine the space. Over the summer and the fall, we assessed modern play structures, fall zones, licensing requirements, and of course the needs of our students to play and exercise. CSS invested $12,000 in the ECC playground. The sandbox was doubled in size, border and stair timbers were replaced, fresh mulch was spread, and concrete work maintained the ever-popular bike path. The teachers incorporated natural elements and tree logs for gross motor development. I am pleased to announce that we have selected a new structure (see photos above) that will expand the physical and imaginative play options for our students. Not only will this new structure be exciting to the students, it is fully-certified for our early childcare program, but it is also a durable, low-maintenance, and commercial grade structure. We are still coordinating the final purchase and color selections of the structure as well as the timeline for installation, but aim to align the installer’s schedule with Colorado weather patterns to bring this project to completion soon.
- We have purchased two pre-owned activity buses with low miles to replace older vehicles and maintain the capacity of our transportation fleet. These two activity buses meet and exceed the current school safety standards and they are equipped with many of the passenger and traffic safety features of a full-size school bus. These new buses will go into service next month.
- Proudly, we are preparing for the school’s re-accreditation with the Association of Independent Schools and National Association of Independent Schools, and our Director of Facilities, Gil Vasquez, has summarized our successful compliance with federal, state, county and city regulations pertinent to the school’s operation. Click here to read a complete copy of the 2017 Facilities Report (PDF).
- Lastly, no discussion of our campus would be complete without a reminder to follow our traffic patterns (PDF), adhere to one-way signs in front of the Trianon, and refrain at all times from parking on Hutton Lane adjacent to Boddington Field and in fire lanes!
Warmly,
Aaron Schubach
Head of School
