Great Things Going On
Though we have barely kicked off summer many things are already going on around the Center Schools campus. Last week I noticed our varsity girls basketball coach already conducting summer practice with his team in preparation for a tournament they will host this week in our facility. Many staff members were also in the buildings all last week, either receiving Lindamood-Bell Seeing Starts and Visualizing and Verbalizing training, or preparing for our upcoming middle school summer session and elementary summer reading academy. Our custodial staff has already begun working on summer maintenance projects, including having sealed off our PK-12 building upstairs so classroom and hallway floors can be stripped and finished, and classrooms can be restored to a brand new sheen.
On another front, last Saturday we held our annual Center Beginner Triathlon at the Sand Dunes Swimming Pool in Hooper. For the past 8 years we have conducted this event in the hopes that staff and community members would benefit from dedicating themselves to 17 weeks of intense training and the completion of a physical challenge they would not have necessarily felt they were up to. This past Saturday 45 competitors from around the Valley and the state of Colorado started and completed the event that consisted of a 500 meter swim, followed by a 12 mile bike ride, and finishing a 5 kilometer run. As always, many Center Schools and community of Center citizens participated once again and this year Center High School graduate Letty Baca, Center Schools teacher Tim Sanchez, and Center Schools Americorps Vista worker Paul Basile each competed in and finished their very first triathlon. Though my wife Becky and I will soon be moving on to a new town at the end of June, we are committed to continue offering this event to area residents as it really showcases the amazing things people can do if they just put their mind and body to work.
Big things We Are Working On
My to do list for between now and the end of June includes the following items: I will make sure our 2015-16 federal consolidated programs grant has been successfully completed and submitted, I will evaluate our classified staff department heads and make sure they have evaluated their regular department employees, I will help our new superintendent Chris Vance and the board of education complete a final 2015-16 budget, and I will clean out my office far enough in advance for Mr. Vance to have it freshly painted and readied for when he begins his work on July 1st.
The Past Week
Last Tuesday I worked on a lot of office items. On Wednesday I attended a BEST Health Plan meeting in Monte Vista with other superintendents from around our region. I also had my monthly meeting with director of technology Julio Paez on that day. On Thursday I began work on district department head evaluations. On Friday I did some work pertaining to Race to the Top of the Valley common quarterly assessments
The Week Ahead
On Monday I will meet with several staff and community members about the future of the Boys and Girls Club of Center. I will also hunt down new office space for our Early Steps to School Success program, which has to move due to the expansion of our preschool program. I will then meet with the vice president of our school board, Yuri Cendejas, about general school district issues. On Tuesday I will spend time meeting with researchers who are participating in the Colorado Immersion Training on Community Engagement. This event is aimed at sharing information about success stories like Center’s with people who can quantify what has been accomplished through various research endeavors. On Wednesday and Thursday I will work on my end of June to do list of projects. On Friday I will work more on Race to the Top of the Valley projects.
Thanks for listening once again. Have a great week!
George
Thanks for listening once again. Have a great week!
George