Options Program History Snapshot

In the late 1990’s principal, Dr. Thomas Synnott was observant of homeschool families attending a few classes at Hinkley HS. He was concerned that these families did not have access to the curriculum even though they were taxpayers, especially with these pioneer home school families. Homeschooling was a new concept to him but he was open to it after observing the Sikkema and Denhoed families in action.

In the year 1999, these families approached Tom with the idea of separate APS classes for homeschoolers off-site from the high school and thus the Hinkley Optional Program of Education was born with the approval of the APS School board. Later the name was changed to HOPE: Homeschool Options Program of Education. That first year the classes were in a home with about 20 students.

The following year there was so much interest in the program that it moved to New Life Church with about 100 kids. Now with a building to use, a variety of classes like PE, Drama, and Science could be added. It was purported to be a great mix of supplemental classes just for homeschoolers in all grades.

In 2002 the program moved to Trinity Baptist Church with about 150 students and also opened a site in Arvada, although Arvada was only one of our APS sites for one year as Jefferson County remade the program their own. By this time Dr. Synnott retired from his responsibilities as principal of Hinkley HS to focus simply on the program and not work as many long hours as principal.

In 2003, many changes were made to the program that consisted of stricter guidelines for curriculum purchases, Colorado Department of Education's inclusion of the program guidelines, and the mandate for Colorado licensed teachers. It was also the year of great growth- besides a remaining site at Trinity (called Aurora), the site at New Life Church was reopened, Fellowship Church and the Denver sites were also added. In the subsequent years, additional sites included Brighton, Broomfield, Boulder, Estes Park, Fort Collins, Greeley, Loveland, Longmont, and Parker. Joe Burton and Sue Clark were hired as principals (also retirees) to cover this ever-growing number of students and sites.

With another homeschool program called HOPE in the metro area that year, that did not have a solid reputation, Dr. Synnott simply changed the name to “Options”. Thus was born the program as we know it today. Dr. Synnott was known for his innovative ways of approaching education for many years, and this program was no different. In 2009, Tom received the Principal’s Superintendent Award for his leadership and was recognized as an outstanding principal.

By 2010 there were a total of 16 sites and approximately 1900 students. The Boulder parents mentioned this great program to their school district, and the Colorado Department of Education then became involved to allow the home districts to take over the program for themselves if they chose to do so. That following year we lost all the sites except Aurora, New Life, Denver, Brighton, Greeley, and Broomfield, with Broomfield leaving the following year.

Dr. Synnott (at the age of 73) suddenly died of cancer in 2014. Joe Burton took over the duties as lead principal until he retired in 2019 also as the age of 73. Mike Nachazel was also a part-time principal for the program for about 4 years until his death in 2018. Sue Clark retired in 2019 after 16 years with the program. Larry Thigpen took the helm as principal at the beginning of the 19-20 school year.

Today (circa 2020) in our 5 remaining sites we average around 1000 students each year. Dr. Tom would be proud to know that his legacy is now in so many school districts along the Front Range as far south as Colorado Springs and as far North as Greeley, and has expanded to several different school districts in the Denver Metro area. This program was the pioneer of its kind and has become the model for a unique partnership between homeschoolers, parents, and public schools in Colorado.

This is really the most important thing, isn't it?  Nothing is more valuable than your child.  We have several practices in place.  

1. The Denver Options Teachers are all Colorado State Licensed 

2. The Denver Options Support staff are background checked and most are homeschooling parents. 

3. Our Site is fortunate to have a licensed nurse on staff. 

4. All external doors are locked or are manned by an employee at all times.

5. Each teacher takes attendance each hour.  

6. Each classroom has a speaker to hear announcements from the main desk.

7. Each child must have a 'buddy' when they are moving around the building.  No child should be walking alone.

8. We have support staff who don't have classes but are there to support the teachers at all times.   

Does this program cost anything?

Our classes are funded from the State. We charge only an activity fee of $20 per child per year. You may need to pay for consumables if you choose to use our curriculum. AmeriTowne and InternationalTowne have a fee associated if you choose to take those classes.

Can I register my children for COVA and Denver Options?

No, you cannot.  You may not be a part of two publicly funded programs.

What if we don’t like the program and want to quit?

Let us know. Fill out a withdrawal form. Return your books, and stop attending.

Do I still have to register my children as home-schoolers?

It is recommended that you do. If you enroll in home-schooling through DPS, their number is 303-764-3552 (the contact person is Lia Tinker, Office of Student Records). You may also use an umbrella school if you don’t want to register with a public school. https://www.cde.state.co.us/choice/homeschool

Does Denver Options offer testing?

Yes, we will offer the California Achievement tests in the spring. Per the Colorado Homeschool Law, students in odd grades starting with third may either take a nationally accredited exam (PARCC doesn’t count, it isn’t nationally accredited), be under an umbrella school, or have a certified teacher evaluate your child to determine that they are making sufficient progress.

Will there be homework?

The expectation in most Options classes is occasional homework, to be limited to a half hour per class per week. We rarely give homework in elementary grades. The secondary students can expect some. Often this involves bringing something to school, or finding a bit of information.

Who decides what grade my child is in?

Kindergarten and First grades have minimum requirements for age. The child must be 5 by October 1 to enter Kindergarten, and 6 by October 1 to enter 1st grade. As the kids get older we place them where they fit best socially, which is usually with their grade. Sometimes kids will jump up a grade level or down a grade level for a specific class.

How do I get school books?

You can contact the book office after your enrollment is complete and make an appointment to check out books.  Email the book room at apsoptionsbooks@aurorak12.org  after checking out the book room website and the Curriculum list. 

What about lunches?

Each student should bring a sack lunch. Make sure nothing needs to be refrigerated or reheated. Please put 2 snacks in a backpack to keep with the child. If you can avoid nuts, we appreciate it, but understand that isn’t always possible.

How do you contact me?

We use email and Slack primarily.  If you do not have an email address, please check in with a friend and make sure to check your box every week, or you might be ‘out of the loop’.

We will also need a contact number – usually a cell and home phone to find you in case of emergency.