School News: Bennet: Coloradans Can Breathe a Big Sigh of Relief; Bill Will Protect Colorado Families’ Health Care and Save More Than 2,400 Teacher Jobs

Students at Landmark academy at reunion celebrate first annual latin culture week

Landmark Academy at Reunion , a tuition-free public charter school, recently hosted their First Annual Latin Culture Week, a week focused on educating students on the various aspects of Latin culture, from music and art to sports and celebrities, through unique activities. During the week-long celebration, students were able to step into the lives of the Aztecs, Incas and Mayans with Latin culture lessons through piñata making, cultural crafts, songs, traditional foods and more. Students made maracas and learned a traditional Mexican Hat Dance; created Aztec suns working with metal tooling; and studied different countries in Mexico , Central America and South America . Aztec dancers from the Colorado Folk Arts Council also visited with students and educated them on the spiritual and traditional aspects of Aztec culture through dance. “We reside in a community with strong Latin and Hispanic roots,” said Matt Carlton, principal of Landmark Academy at Reunion . “Our community culture is important to us at Landmark. By providing unique ways for our students to learn the various backgrounds of our diverse community they are able to understand and appreciate different cultures.” For more information about Landmark Academy at Reunion , please visit www.landmarkacademy.org.

August 05, 2010

Bennet: Coloradans Can Breathe a Big Sigh of Relief; Bill Will Protect Colorado Families’ Health Care and Save More Than 2,400 Teacher Jobs

Washington, DC – Michael Bennet, U.S. Senator for Colorado, released the following statement after the Senate passed legislation to provide emergency resources to prevent widespread layoffs of teachers and protect access to Medicaid services for Colorado’s kids and vulnerable populations. The bill passed the Senate by a vote of 61-39. Bennet wrote to Senate leadership in support of both the FMAP extension and bill to preserve teacher jobs.

“Teachers and kids in Colorado and those worried about losing access to their health care can breathe a big sigh of relief,” Bennet said. “The package—which is entirely paid for—will save thousands of jobs and protect health services for kids and vulnerable populations across Colorado and the country. During this savage economy that is hurting families all over our state and our country, we cannot allow our kids and our schools to fall through the cracks.

“If we are going to ensure that we leave more opportunity for our kids than we ourselves have had then we must remain committed to education—to set the table for our kids’ futures; to prepare them for the competitive world that awaits them; and to build the foundation for a strong economy moving forward.”