by Glendale Sports Center | Jun 23, 2023 | Glendale City News
by Julie Cataldo, Sr. Director, 
Early Childhood Education,
YMCA of Metro Denver
As Denver grows and Colorado prepares to launch universal preschool, more families than ever are looking for early childcare/education for the fall. The task can seem daunting, but the key is to find a safe and nurturing option that draws out kids’ interests and encourages them in a fun, welcoming, and creative learning environment. Just ask Christina Graham, who has worked at the YMCA University Hills Academy Preschool for nine years. As someone who discovered a love for music early in her own life, Graham is delighted with the opportunity to bring rhythm and melody into the classroom.
“I sing every day — have a song for every occasion,” she shared. “Learning through music for me always stuck more and was more enjoyable. It makes learning more fun.”
Graham is the lead teacher of the Preschool room at University Hills Y Academy, the first preschool class for children 2.5-4 years old. She teaches foundational concepts like shapes, numbers, and the alphabet to about 20 kids.
“We use Creative Curriculum that gives us a deep dive into different subjects,” she shared “One month we focus on water, and the next month we will focus on the concept of building things.”
Exploration is a cornerstone of Y Academy curriculum and an element that Graham particularly appreciates. There is never a dull moment in Graham’s classroom. From making oobleck, trying yoga, and holding their own dance parties, to learning about reptiles and magic tricks, every week holds a new discovery.
“We have a music center, a block center, and a science center. We teach a lot through play and seeing what the children’s focus is on,” Graham explained. “At this young age, having many opportunities to try new things is key to discovering what you like. You can try basketball, swimming, soccer, and piano classes — all that at such a young age. That is an important opportunity, and I’m really glad we can do that for the community and the kids.”
Having that strong, nurturing community is key too.
“I really like how close we can get with the families. We have families whom I have taught all of their kids, and now their nieces and nephews are coming through as well,” Graham added. “You get to connect and grow with them.”
Graham and her fellow Academy teachers prioritize developing connections with parents and help them stay connected daily through the Y’s “Tadpoles” program, where they can provide an outline of what kids are doing and send pictures and updates throughout the day. The Y Academy teachers also offer simple activities that parents can do to further classroom learning at home.
For instance, Graham “shares the teaching-based songs we are learning with parents, so they sing them at home with their kids.”
Graham has certainly seen the results of this play-based, community-centered learning at the Y. Academy teachers use Teaching Strategies Gold as an assessment tool, which includes photos of assignments over time. Graham shared that she has “some kids who could barely write at the beginning of the year and can clearly spell their name by the end. It’s really fun to see the improvement and celebrate with them as they are getting better and know it too.”
The YMCA of Metro Denver offers three early childhood education centers around the metro area — Arvada, Southwest, and University Hills — as well as programs like swim lessons, youth sports, dance classes, before and after school enrichment programs, and more through school age and beyond. Learn more about all the programs the YMCA has to offer at denverymca.org.
by Peter Boyles | Jun 23, 2023 | Blasting with Boyles
Johnston
Former Colorado Democrat Progressive State Senator Mike Johnston is now the Mayor of Denver. Did anybody really take the time to look at the promises that this man made on ending homelessness?
One of the great things about this moment in time is we’re saying goodbye to undoubtedly one of the worst mayors in the history of Denver, Michael Hancock. The growth of crime, filth, rot, decay, and principally homelessness, and its two handmaidens crime and drug abuse, skyrocketed under Hancock.
The tremendous damage that was done to the Denver Police Department occurred under Michael Hancock. If you can remember back with us when we were at KHOW Radio, and we first exposed his involvement in Denver Players and Denver Sugar, only to watch the massive cover up by almost every branch of Denver media. The things that he did with women on the staff, but more so the greater effect of what he did to Denver itself.
So now moving into the job is Mike Johnston who, like John Hickenlooper, said he was going to end homelessness. But tightening the noose there ain’t no 10-year plan. This is a one year I will end homelessness plan. Does anybody in their right mind sucking air believe that? And what are the alternatives if he doesn’t? Another 11 more years as Mayor.
Not that I was shocked because Kelly Brough crowed that she worked for Hickenlooper the creator of all this nonsense to begin with, and that she was good friends with Bill Ritter. Why would you tell anybody that? At long last, Kelly, have you no shame.
Now Denver chooses a guy that had been the principal of a school and a classroom teacher. Isn’t the teacher’s union one of the mainstays of why people are mad at Denver? So, here’s a question. Whose side is he on? My educated guess is if you pay the band you get to tell them what to play. We’re in a really bad place.
Denver has to be the only place outside of Ukraine where you have a victory parade and people shoot each other. And a firetruck runs over a cop.
Didn’t you all think it was really interesting how the TV outlets were playing this down as though the shootings really didn’t happen or the cop didn’t get run over because of the happy Nuggets news? And the beauty of it is that team had been up for 24 hours and they were dead drunk.
And so here we are. Do you honestly believe that Denver, Colorado, is better off now than it was 12 years ago? And if you answer yes to that question, than you seriously need help. Get back on the meds quickly. And we know the direction the city is going in. And if you think this guy Mike Johnston is going to bring the city back to the salad days of Bill McNichols and early days of Federico Pena there’s just not a chance in hell.
Unfortunately, Candi CdeBaca, an avowed communist will not be around to help.
— Peter Boyles
by Charles Bonniwell | Jun 23, 2023 | Editorials
Your property taxes will be going sky high after Governor Polis and a bi-partisan majority in legislature convinced us voters in 2020 to do away with the Gallagher Amendment which limited property tax hikes for homeowners. The Gallagher Amendment saved homeowners $82 billion in taxes since its adoption in 1982. But no more.
Having suckered voters so successfully last time, Governor Polis has come up with another POLIS con job, Proposition HH. This will go before the voters in the fall. This time it is being done without Republican connivance, but Republican opposition may no longer matter. Rushed through at the end of the session, the Democrats in the legislature closed all debate, causing Republicans to walk out.
Proposition HH appears to have drawn inspiration from the old confidence man’s three-card monte card trick. In that card game you are supposed to pick out the black ace from three cards. Trick of hand makes sure you never do. In Proposition HH the voters are supposed to pick out the tax relief but by sleight-of-hand language you are voting yourself a “tax raise.”
If you vote “Yes” on Proposition HH you may think you are getting property tax relief from the effects of the revocation of the Gallagher Amendment, but you have not followed the cards closely enough. While your property tax will be slightly reduced for 10 years you would allow the state to keep more of your Tabor refunds permanently with a portion going to favored entities to backfill what they would lose from the slight reduction in property tax rates over the 10 years. Without going into all the byzantine meandering of the proposition, you are, in effect, voting yourself a tax raise under the guise of “tax relief.”
The governor has always been something of a flimflam man, but he has proven it works. His real name was Jared Shutz, but he changed it before going into public life to hide some of the more unsavory parts of his past, in particular, an assault on a female employee. He pushed the Colorado Independent Ethics Commission idea as an effort to promote confidence in our government institutions when it is perhaps the greatest bureaucratic con job in all of Colorado government.
He has promoted himself nationally as a Democrat who is also something of a small “l” libertarian, which is comical, but the national press is dutifully calling him by that description. Reason Magazine recently wrote an article on him titled “Jared Polis: The Most Libertarian Governor in America?” He is considered by some as the leading candidate for the Democratic nomination for U.S. President should Joe Biden pull out for some reason.
Will his three-card monte trick called Proposition HH fool the voters? If the past is any indication, don’t bet against Polis as the dealer.
— Editorial Board
by Valley Gadfly | Jun 23, 2023 | Valley Gadfly
Who doesn’t love the month of July? It’s the summertime, the sun is out, and the days last longer. Plus, we celebrate the 4th of July with food, friends, family, and fireworks.
It’s time to hail the U.S. of A. with groovin’ patriotic songs from the nation’s best-loved pop, rock, hip-hop, and country music artists. We just want “our piece of the American pie.”
To get you fired-up and set to shout-out to America, here are our choices for shopping, dining, and entertainment. Pay homage to our county as you enjoy summer’s second month:
Blast into July to the sounds of Denver Concert Band’s Independence Day Instrumentalists playing at Four Mile Park’s Independence Celebration July 1, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. See history, as re-enactors mine for gold. Information: 720-865-0800.
Park Hill’s July 4th Parade, starting at 1:30 p.m. with floats, costumed characters, and classic cars captures the holiday’s historic spirit. Information: 303-918-6517.
Relax to the rhythms of Billboard’s top Smooth Jazz guitarist Gregory Goodloe, as he entertains at Dazzle@Baur’s July 8, 7 p.m. Information: 303-839-5100.
Shop the streets for not-to-miss sales and discounts at Cherry Creek North’s 16-block Sidewalk Sale July 14-16, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Information: 303-394-2904.
Oh, time for some beers and sunshine at Comrade Brewing, open noon every day, just East of Quebec on Iliff Ave. World Beer Gold Cup’s 2023 Winner for Chili Beer, their 4th Gold in five years. Mmm, oh, yeah. Information: 720-748-0700.
When the family screams for ice cream, head to Heaven Creamery in Cherry Creek, serving 500 rotating flavors, plus frozen desserts. More: Also bringing savory crepes back to Cherry Creek this summer. Information: 303-635-6779.
Experience the Brass Band Extravaganza, featuring the finest-rowdiest horn and percussion players at City Park, July 16, 6-8 p.m. Information: 303-744-1004.
Catch Cypress Hill doing their album Black Sunday with the Colorado Symphony at the Mission Ballroom July 20, 8:30 p.m. Information: 720-577-6884.
This year’s indoor-outdoor Summer Brew Fest at Mile High Station, is the hot spot for music and beers July 22, 1-4 & 6-10 p.m. Information: 720-946-7721.
End July listening to 150 bands on Broadway from 6th Ave. to Alameda at the Underground Music Showcase. Information: undergroundmusicshowcase.com.
Swallow Hill Music’s Shady Grove Picnic Series ends with three Thursday evening shows at Four Mile Historic Park July 6, 13, and 20, 6:30 p.m. Miguel Avina kicks things off with folk ballads, pop, and indie sounds. High-energy stage antics by Los Mocochetes follows with politically charged lyrics. The series ends with Colorado-based string band High Lonesome doing hard-driving bluegrass with good pickin’ and two- and three-part harmonies. Information:303-777-1003.
To really sense what it means to be an American, listen to Lee Greenwood’s “God Bless the U.S.A.” Song is from his 1984 country music album “You’ve Got A Good Love Comin.”
Bruce Springsteen’s super-patriotic, “Born in the U.S.A.” is a song where he scream-sings the title. It’s about a Vietnam vet who returns home to find life isn’t the way he left it.
It’s Woody Guthrie’s lyrics, “this land was made for you and me,” that reminds us the U.S. isn’t for a specific group, but rather, it’s all of us who make it an amazing place to live.
— Glen Richardson
The Valley Gadfly can be reached at newspaper@glendalecherrycreek.com.
