Head to the Chipotle at 7400 E 29th Ave in Denver on Tuesday, April 6th from 4:00pm to 8:00pm. Just tell the cashier you’re supporting Balarat to make sure that 33% of the proceeds will be donated to Balarat Outdoor Education.
Can't make it to the store? No worries! You can order online and use code T2ZZDHZ before checkout in the ‘promo’ field. Orders placed on Chipotle.com or through
the Chipotle app for pickup using this unique code will be counted towards the fundraiser!
All online orders must be placed for pickup at the same time & location of the fundraiser. Unfortunately, delivery cannot be counted.
Have you or someone you know always dreamed of working at Balarat? Well, you're in luck! Balarat is currently searching for a certified teacher to join their team!
A Balarat Teacher is part of a collaborative team which works together to meet program objectives, including instruction, and providing students with positive outcomes and a welcoming experience. Working with Denver Public Schools 3rd and 5th graders as well as high school students, a Balarat Teacher is responsible for planning, teaching, coordinating, and facilitating a wide variety of program activities. The position involves working with a Denver Public Schools classroom teacher to lead 5th grade students on weekly overnight environmental education excursions at the Balarat Outdoor Education Center near Boulder, CO, as well as working with 3rd grade students and their teachers at Genesee Mountain Park to the West of Denver. This is a full time/school year teaching position and comes with DPS benefits. See the full job description here.
Please help us share and spread the word about this unique opportunity!
Balarat Outdoor Education welcomed back its first fifth-grade students to site on February 3, 2021. After a long, nearly 11 month pause on our on-site programming due to COVID - 19, we were thrilled to host students and their teachers again on the Balarat trails! We are proud to have been given the approval to be the only field trip experience permitted in Denver Public Schools this school year.
Nearly daily since then, groups of class cohorts have been visiting Balarat for day trips. While on site, students are engaged in science explorations that help them to envision themselves as scientists, practicing making deep observations, journaling and having peer-to-peer discussions. In addition, team building activities support students' social and emotional learning. We also offer a silent solitary time for students to connect with nature for a few moments while sitting apart from their peers. These day trips have received rave reviews from students and their teachers alike!
Meanwhile, our staff is continuing to offer live synchronous remote learning sessions to classes of 5th-graders whose families have opted to have their children remain in remote learning for the remainder of the school year. These sessions continue the interactive learning with students at home that were initiated in the Fall 2020 semester. We have strived to be equitable in offering the same type of programming to students, whether in-person on site or in the remote setting.
There have also been some school communities that, because of particular situations, preferred to have our Balarat Staff members come to engage with 5th graders directly at their schools. Our staff quickly pivoted and planned schoolyard science explorations, team building initiatives and visits to nearby parks for those school communities.
Our teaching and administrative staff, on-site caretaker staff, and our bus drivers have all worked very hard to create these integral outdoor education experiences for students this Spring semester. By the end of the school year, our goal is to have been able to engage every fifth-grade class in the school district in one of the types of programming that we have created during this challenging and exciting time!
