Helios New School

I have a child who is thriving again. At a traditional public school, he was jaded by the rote learning models which rarely went to any depth and failed to addressed the curiosity of children. At Helios, the focus is on leveraging the child's strengths and supporting them as they develop other areas needed to be an independent thinker and learner. My child loves to learn and school is "so great"!
--Submitted by a parent

I have two children at Helios. My older child was previously at a traditional, private school, where he was withering intellectually and socially. Helios has been a complete turnaround for him. He is thriving academically, has a great group of friends, and loves going to school. The kids love the project-based approach to instruction and the focus on creativity. As parents, we like that they are also receiving basic skills instruction, but with a differentiated and engaging delivery. For our family, the foreign language component is critical, and the kids really enjoy learning Mandarin. Helios recently hired a new Head of School who was the founder and longtime head of the nationally acclaimed Rocky Mountain School for the Gifted and Creative. There are also several extraordinarily talented teachers joining the faculty for the fall. This new team, which also includes our founding educator/Admissions Director, is a truly impressive set of gifted educators. The parent community is dedicated, supportive, and just a wonderful group of people.
--Submitted by a parent

Helios has been a terrific school for my second grader. At Helios, the kids learn, incorporate and use various subjects at the same time, rather than studying each subject in a vacuum. For example, his class is learning principles of geometry, writing, history, logical sequencing and team building by designing and building a maze. First they learned about the different types of mazes and then broke into teams to create scale models of student-designed mazes, and from those scale models they created life-size mazes in the classroom. I think this hands-on approach to learning helps him conceptualize the underlying lessons in a way that allows him to extrapolate the underlying principle to other situations. And most importantly, he has fun doing it. The school also provides very individualized attention. My son's teachers evaluate his progress in different core subjects (e.g., math, reading) and then accelerate or explore different instructional strategies to ensure he is heading on a trajectory that is appropriate for him in all subjects. So, for example, you could have third grader who is doing middle school-level math, while reading at third or fourth grade level.
--Submitted by a parent

While we loved this school at first, it has changed significantly in the last years. Just the facts: First ~ The school director has left this school and as of this post, there is still no replacement. Second~ of the original 12 person staff that began the school year 2010-2011 only four remain and as of this post no official announcements have been made about any of them returning next year. Third~ At least 1/3 of currently enrolled students have not yet re-enrolled for next year. It is my opinion the changes in this school have to do with a push from the interference of it's School Board to change the school from a 'School for Gifted Education' to one more standard academic i.e. 'skills based' school.
--Submitted by a parent

Our son has spent the last two years at Helios. At his previous private Kindergarten we were told that he was not paying attention and was being disruptive. It turned out he was probably bored, mostly by the drilling routine. His transformation at Helios was majestic. His teachers are amazing, interactive and totally immersed in bringing out the best in each child. He loves the project-oriented approach and has just bloomed, with the excitement just oozing every day. His reading level has jumped up at least 2 grades and I cannot believe how much math he has mastered, including 4th and 5th grade material, without all the previous drilling. Best of all, he is surrounded by gifted children like himself, hand-picked to generate a community of kids full of curiosity, imagination and excitement, who love to be challenged, and love being at school.
--Submitted by a parent

Helios is a gem! The teachers, staff, and even other parents know my son very well and value his uniqueness. We were previously at a traditional school and while my son did well with the structure there was not enough rigor. I was concerned that Helios constructivist approach would not provide enough structure for my particular child. My worries were unfounded - he has been thriving at Helios for 2 years. Helios teachers are skilled at balancing structure and flexibility. They appropriately challenge my son in all areas and follow where he is ready to go, which is generally 2-3 grade levels above where he would be at a regular school. At Helios he gets to be neither ashamed nor proud of being academically advanced. The challenging core curriculum, foreign language, music and PE are interwoven with SEL components making for a full experience. Helios nurtures his love of learning. My son misses Helios in summer, holidays or when he is sick. A critical priority for any private school is selection of the right kids and families. Helios does an amazing job at admissions and uses a careful and rigorous evaluation methodology. The result is a strong and passionate community.
--Submitted by a parent

We moved our son here this year and we're incredibly pleased with it. Although he was doing well in his previous school academically, he seemed to be losing some of his joy and passion for learning. At Helios, he comes home excited about something every day. He is using math to solve real-world problems and his reading improved by one grade level in just a few months. He's also getting excited about science, music and art in ways he did not at his previous school. The parent community is great, and that is often what makes or breaks a relatively new school.
--Submitted by a parent

Tuition aside, the school is amazing. Jo Ellis (head-of-school) is a real find. She get's it. She has vision, seeks to blend head/heart in the classroom, understands the needs of gifted kids (skew of high performance in one subject, poor in another, for some difficulty in sitting at a desk all day, ask 'too many' questions), willing to make personnel changes when warranted, absurdly responsive to parent concerns, long term thinker, and former veteran teacher. In class, the teacher ratio allows each child to work at their level (whether above/below/same as others). Project-based learning makes learning more fun and real-world (no death by worksheet). Great place for active learners. You'll see kids standing, sitting, lying on floor doing their work-all acceptable. Great place for a bright child that doesn't conform well to traditional classroom environment. Our child loved the time spent there.
--Submitted by a parent

Our daughter is finally happy and thriving, thanks to Helios. She was counting down the days of winter holiday until she could go back to her Grade 1 class! The teachers are so responsive and respectful, letting the children guide the curriculum but also providing a wealth of their own amazing ideas and a safe, comfortable structure for the children. The constructivist school philosophy matches our desire to have our daughter continue to think independently and question the world around her. We are so thrilled to have found such a fantastic school and highly recommend it, especially when the special needs of gifted children come into play.
--Submitted by a parent

Helios New School honor children as active learners. Our son is not stuck behind a desk like he would be in a traditional classroom. Instead he is on the floor telling the group a story using animal figures, 'working' in the clinic he and his peers set up in the classroom, writing a book to add to the library, singing with the music specialist or learning math 'hands-on' (no worksheets here). Our son now sings 'Happy Birthday' to family members in Mandarin. The best way I have found to describe his experience at Helios is to say that 'his brain is on fire'! The teachers are flexible and ready to explore new ideas. They make the children feel brilliant and honor each child as an individual. Yes, the school is small but the backbone of the school is strong, with great professional support. The parents are very active and welcomed!
--Submitted by a parent