Great Things Going On
Last Friday around 250 San Luis Valley teachers met in Sanford to review the results of 2nd quarter and to create 3rd quarter common assessments. This has been challenging work, and we should all be proud of our Center Schools teaching staff, as many of them have taken on leadership roles in this process. In fact, 2013 San Luis Valley Teacher of the Year Daniel Newmyer kicked off Friday’s festivities with a tremendous message as to the importance of the work, and a wonderful icebreaker.
I am not sure how many of our community members are aware of the tremendous work Mr. Richard Blakeslee has been doing with our district’s adult education program. Since the completion of our construction project we have made classroom space available to Mr. Blakeslee in our adult learning-career tech center. By our cobbling together a series of grants and contributing some district general funds to the effort, Richard has been given some of the resources needed to guide many Center adults toward the achievement of GED diplomas, mastery of
I am not sure how many of our community members are aware of the tremendous work Mr. Richard Blakeslee has been doing with our district’s adult education program. Since the completion of our construction project we have made classroom space available to Mr. Blakeslee in our adult learning-career tech center. By our cobbling together a series of grants and contributing some district general funds to the effort, Richard has been given some of the resources needed to guide many Center adults toward the achievement of GED diplomas, mastery of
the English language, and the ability to pass the United States citizenship test. Though he has been working with us for about 5 years, he currently has 50 students enrolled in his program, 30 of which are working toward a General Equivalent Diploma. Six of his adult students completed their GED requirements in 2013, and more than 20 have achieved such status since Richard began working with us. Last year 3 of his students even met the requirements to become U.S. citizens! Because of the great program he has set up, Center is on the cusp of being able to become a GED test center. At this very moment we are working through a grant program based at Kansas State University that will offer up some technology to support our GED instruction, support us with curriculum and instruction aligned to GED testing success, and officially establish our district as a qualified GED testing site.
Finally, I would like to offer a thank you to Center High School principal Kevin Jones for the great after school exercise program he has worked to develop with the help of a grant secured by Katrina Ruggles and her Americorps-Vista crew. Every Monday through Friday Center Schools staff members and folks from the community are meeting at the weight room beginning at 3:50 PM to be taken through a series of strength and cardiovascular workouts guided by fitness experts such as Center Schools PE teachers Annie Rice, Joe Martinez, and Lee Flood, as well as Mr. Jones himself. I must say I look forward to the camaraderie we get to experience each evening when we do these workouts, and the variety of exercises we get to participate in. I encourage all Center Schools staff members and other members of the community to explore the possibility of participating in this great program with us.
Finally, I would like to offer a thank you to Center High School principal Kevin Jones for the great after school exercise program he has worked to develop with the help of a grant secured by Katrina Ruggles and her Americorps-Vista crew. Every Monday through Friday Center Schools staff members and folks from the community are meeting at the weight room beginning at 3:50 PM to be taken through a series of strength and cardiovascular workouts guided by fitness experts such as Center Schools PE teachers Annie Rice, Joe Martinez, and Lee Flood, as well as Mr. Jones himself. I must say I look forward to the camaraderie we get to experience each evening when we do these workouts, and the variety of exercises we get to participate in. I encourage all Center Schools staff members and other members of the community to explore the possibility of participating in this great program with us.
Big Things We are Working On
By the end of each January Colorado school districts are required to submit a mid-fiscal year budget revision to the department of education. This is a great way to track current year spending, and because school districts often don’t know what their actual funding for the school year will be when they establish their original budgets, it offers them the chance to realign their revenues and expenditures more accurately. Because of increases in funding due to a favorable decision by Saguache County Commissioners to pass additional 2013 Secure Rural School funds on to the district, and because of increased pupil count leading to additional state equalization funding, and because Congress actually funded SRS for 2014 and Saguache County has already indicated a minimum of 85% of those dollars will filter through to the schools, Center Schools is actually in a position to tie out its budget based on a significant amount of revenue it did not anticipate receiving at the time it submitted a financial plan back in June 2013. The result of this has allowed the Center Schools finance staff to develop a proposal to address some capitol, equipment, and supply needs, and to fund staff raises the board already agreed to at the December meeting. This plan will be considered by the board of education at its January 14th meeting.
For the past three years Center Schools has conducted comprehensive mid-year reviews of each of its traditional schools to provide feedback that offers each building the opportunity to make instructional adjustments while there is still time to do so during the school year. This Friday Haskin elementary will go through its mid-year process as progress toward achievement of building improvement plans, administrative performance, student achievement data, and actual visits to classrooms to gauge the quality of instruction will be conducted toward the end of improving learning outcomes for all children. This same process will take place at Skoglund Middle School-Center High School on Friday January 24th.
For the past three years Center Schools has conducted comprehensive mid-year reviews of each of its traditional schools to provide feedback that offers each building the opportunity to make instructional adjustments while there is still time to do so during the school year. This Friday Haskin elementary will go through its mid-year process as progress toward achievement of building improvement plans, administrative performance, student achievement data, and actual visits to classrooms to gauge the quality of instruction will be conducted toward the end of improving learning outcomes for all children. This same process will take place at Skoglund Middle School-Center High School on Friday January 24th.
The Past Week
I spent time last week preparing for our All San Luis Valley PLC work that took place in Sanford on Friday. I also made contact with regional legislators in preparation for the upcoming lawmaking session. On Tuesday I participated in a meeting that will lead to Center being designated an official GED testing site. I’ll also spent time with building administrators drawing up a mid-year budget proposal for board members to consider at their upcoming meeting.
The Week Ahead
This week I will be working on finalizing Center’s annual Unified Improvement Plan for submission to CDE by the January 15th deadline. The plan that will be submitted is actually related to the things we have already been working on to improve student learning outcomes for the entire 2013-14 school year. We actually establish our UIP student achievement improvement goals by mid-May of each year so we can then fund our significant efforts during the annual June budgeting process. On Tuesday I have my monthly San Luis Valley Superintendent Advisory Council meeting in Alamosa, the January District Accountability Committee meeting, and our regular January Board of Education meeting. Wednesday will be spent on San Luis Valley race to the top work, as I have to tie out all expenditures through January 10th, and I have to submit a quarterly report related to it. Thursday will be spent preparing for and Friday will be spent conducting the Haskin Elementary School mid-year site review.
Extra Points
This is sure to be an exciting week for Colorado sports fans as the Denver Broncos prepare to take on the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship Game this coming Sunday in Denver. I assume those who know me are aware that I am a long time Patriots fan, so I have no doubt the game will be that much more emotional for me. However, as a Coloradan and a big fan of Peyton Manning, I could certainly live with a Bronco victory and a shot at another Super Bowl Championship for the boys from Denver. As we all know championships are precious and it is not every year your team makes it this far into the playoffs, so I hope everyone enjoys what is happening and gets behind the team they are rooting for. Haskin Elementary teacher Jessica Stevens set a great example by encouraging all her students to wear Chargers blue and gold last Thursday. I know she'll take some ribbing when we get to work on Monday. Of course my son Stefan is a 49er fan, so perhaps that will come in to play on Super Bowl Sunday. At any rate, enjoy the games!
Thanks for listening again, and have a great week!
George
George