Last week, CDE announced the seven finalists for the 2024 Colorado Teacher of the Year competition.

Each year, the Colorado Teacher of the Year program recognizes an exceptionally dedicated, knowledgeable and skilled K-12 classroom teacher to represent the entire profession in Colorado. The sole finalist will be named by the end of October and will become Colorado’s nominee for the National Teacher of the Year competition.
The finalists for the Colorado Teacher of the Year 2024 Award are:

• Rawa Abu Alsamah -- Rocky Mountain Prep, Denver
• Danielle Cerna -- Trailside Academy, Mapleton School District
• Ivy Dalley -- Mancos Middle School, Mancos School District
• Miles Groth -- Ute Pass Elementary, Manitou Springs School District 14
• Kimberly Kane -- Delta Middle School, Delta County School District 50J
• Jessica May -- Conrad Ball/Turner Middle School, Thompson School District
• Tiffeny O’Dell -- Byers Junior Senior High School, Byers School District 32-Jl

For more information on each finalist, read the Sept. 15, news release.

CDE will host in-person and virtual training for the Colorado Grants Administration Implementation and Navigation System. Virtual training details will be posted on the GAINS Training webpage once confirmed.

Spots are still available for the following in-person events next week:

• Monday, Sept. 25, at Colorado Mesa University in Grand Junction.
• Wednesday, Sept. 27, at Front Range Community College in Westminster. (Updated Location)
• Thursday, Sept. 28, at Morgan County School District Office in Fort Morgan.

GAINS will launch later this fall and will streamline and consolidate multiple CDE application systems and processes into a single location and system.

Registration information for these sessions and other upcoming in-person events is available on the GAINS Training webpage.

The Student Pathways Unit is offering a series of four regional grant development training sessions this fall. Led by grant-writing specialist Annette Sloan, participants will learn to organize grant applications, craft high-quality responses, use data, set SMART goals, communicate and create well-thought-out budgets.

The training sessions will be from 9 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. The dates and locations are as follows:

• Oct. 4, at Alamosa School District
• Nov. 14, at Edwards Early Learning Center
• Nov. 16, at Thompson School District
• Dec. 14, at Lewis Palmer School District

Space is limited, so early registration is recommended. Register for a training session using this Google form.

CDE will host in-person and virtual training for the Colorado Grants Administration Implementation and Navigation System. Virtual training details will be posted on the GAINS Training webpage once confirmed. Spots are still available for the following in-person events next week:

• Tuesday, Sept. 19, at Adams State College Campus in Alamosa. 
• Wednesday, Sept. 20, at Pikes Peak BOCES in Colorado Springs.

The School Nurse Professional Development grant, funded through CDC’s COVID-19 Public Health Workforce Supplemental Funding, will support local education providers in their efforts to provide professional development opportunities for school nurses that increase current school nurse capacity and/or retain qualified school nurses. Allowable expenses include:

• School nursing professional development tuition and registration fees.
• Travel expenses to attend school nursing professional development events, including lodging, per diem and mileage reimbursement.
• School nursing professional development speaker and/or facilitator fees.
• School nurse-related publications, such as reference texts.
• School nursing professional dues
• School nursing licensing renewal fees.

Approximately $100,000 is available for the 2023-24 school year. Awards will likely range from $1,000 to $5,000, based on the amount of funding requested and the number of applications received. See the Request for Applications on the program webpage for more details.