As a bit of a disclaimer this week Mr Russel Braiden, Center High School Science Teacher and Adams State University Administrative Intern, produced this issue of Keeping Our Focus.
Great Things Going On
We once again would like to congratulate Skoglund Middle School/Center High School Science/Math teacher Daniel Newmyer for winning the Alan Shepard Technology Award in Education! This is a national award that is presented to only one educator in the United States per year. Daniel was officially presented with this award at the opening ceremony of the 29th National Space Symposium at The Broadmoor Hotel, in Colorado Springs on April 8. While at the ceremony, CHS students had the opportunity to even meet meet Bill Nye "The Science Guy".
In related news, this was by far the best Colorado Science and Engineering Fair yet for Center High School students. Juniors Kevin Garcia and Alanna Chacon took control of their academic futures by winning numerous awards at the State Science Fair. The success of these students is due to their own hard work as well as the support and guidance they have received from a number of dedicated individuals employed in Center Schools. Perhaps this success is a direct result of Daniel Newmyer’s scientific research class. Center High School Math Teacher Diego Martinez also devoted a great deal of time and expertise to the success of these students. In all, Kevin and Alanna walked away with $18,500 in scholarships and awards from the big event!
Technology plays an increasingly important role in the modern world; this is especially true in education. With middle and high school NWEA testing scheduled for Monday the district began experiencing relatively severe internet problems on Friday. A big thanks to Center Schools Technician Teddy Garcia for staying late on Friday night to work with the folks from Century-Link to get the network up and running so testing could begin as scheduled on Monday morning.
Speaking of NWEA, great news is coming out of Haskin Elementary as we are seeing well more than a year of growth out of our students based on early test results! This is certainly due to great work being done by the entire Haskin staff!
Finally, Center High School social studies teacher Scott Poole just received word that he was one of only 25 teachers nationally to receive a fellowship to the Civil War Washington Teacher Fellows program this summer. Congratulations Mr. Poole, we know you'll represent us well!
In related news, this was by far the best Colorado Science and Engineering Fair yet for Center High School students. Juniors Kevin Garcia and Alanna Chacon took control of their academic futures by winning numerous awards at the State Science Fair. The success of these students is due to their own hard work as well as the support and guidance they have received from a number of dedicated individuals employed in Center Schools. Perhaps this success is a direct result of Daniel Newmyer’s scientific research class. Center High School Math Teacher Diego Martinez also devoted a great deal of time and expertise to the success of these students. In all, Kevin and Alanna walked away with $18,500 in scholarships and awards from the big event!
Technology plays an increasingly important role in the modern world; this is especially true in education. With middle and high school NWEA testing scheduled for Monday the district began experiencing relatively severe internet problems on Friday. A big thanks to Center Schools Technician Teddy Garcia for staying late on Friday night to work with the folks from Century-Link to get the network up and running so testing could begin as scheduled on Monday morning.
Speaking of NWEA, great news is coming out of Haskin Elementary as we are seeing well more than a year of growth out of our students based on early test results! This is certainly due to great work being done by the entire Haskin staff!
Finally, Center High School social studies teacher Scott Poole just received word that he was one of only 25 teachers nationally to receive a fellowship to the Civil War Washington Teacher Fellows program this summer. Congratulations Mr. Poole, we know you'll represent us well!
The Past Week
On Monday Mr. Welsh travelled to Colorado Springs to watch Daniel Newmyer receive his Alan Shepard Technology in Education award. He said the highlight of the trip was getting to spend some quality time with a bunch of Mr. Newmyer's students, and Center High School Principal Kevin Jones as well.
Tuesday brought about Mr. Welsh's monthly marathon of meetings including the San Luis Valley Superintendent Advisory Council meeting, a District Accountability Committee meeting, and the regular monthly Board of Education meeting.
Tuesday brought about Mr. Welsh's monthly marathon of meetings including the San Luis Valley Superintendent Advisory Council meeting, a District Accountability Committee meeting, and the regular monthly Board of Education meeting.
At the District Accountability meeting our building leaders walked committee members through our new administrator and teacher evaluation processes. The DAC will ultimately make a recommendation to the school board about how to proceed with this process.
On Wednesday our schools released students early so teachers could work in Professional Learning Communities. At this event great work was done by the middle/high staff especially in focusing on how to use technology tools in instruction. These lessons were led by me and CHS PE Teacher Lee Flood. Meanwhile, elementary staff members broke into groups that focused on math and reading instruction. Additionally, Katrina Ruggles planned another great ICAP day for the students in the middle and high schools whole our seniors enjoyed half a day at Adams State University learning to trust each other and work as a team at the climbing wall. On Wednesday Mr. Welsh also attended an All Valley Teacher of the Year selection committee meeting at the BOCES.
On Wednesday our schools released students early so teachers could work in Professional Learning Communities. At this event great work was done by the middle/high staff especially in focusing on how to use technology tools in instruction. These lessons were led by me and CHS PE Teacher Lee Flood. Meanwhile, elementary staff members broke into groups that focused on math and reading instruction. Additionally, Katrina Ruggles planned another great ICAP day for the students in the middle and high schools whole our seniors enjoyed half a day at Adams State University learning to trust each other and work as a team at the climbing wall. On Wednesday Mr. Welsh also attended an All Valley Teacher of the Year selection committee meeting at the BOCES.
On Thursday our District Leadership Team meeting took place in Center. This afternoon was spent primarily reviewing our core beliefs and working on our 2013-14 Focused Academic Improvement Plan. Goals discussed for next year include: 1) Obtain a guaranteed and viable K-12 curriculum and ensure it is being taught effectively to all students. 2) Develop effective formative and summative measures of student learning of the curriculum to evaluate student learning and adjust instruction based on results. 3) Utilize student achievement data to evaluate and improve student learning and to evaluate teacher and administrator performance.
On Friday Mr. Welsh was in Denver to attend the Colorado Association of School Executives Legislative committee meeting. The major focus of this meeting was school finance. On his way home on Saturday he picked up 130 dozen Krispy Kreme dozen donuts that are being sold as a Class of 2013 fundraiser!
On Friday Mr. Welsh was in Denver to attend the Colorado Association of School Executives Legislative committee meeting. The major focus of this meeting was school finance. On his way home on Saturday he picked up 130 dozen Krispy Kreme dozen donuts that are being sold as a Class of 2013 fundraiser!
Big Things We Are Working On
Mr. Welsh says the biggest tasks before us include planning our finances and improvement processes for next year. In addressing these issues we are well into our district and school academic improvement planning processes. We are also working hard to pin down how many dollars we will have available for operations next year, which is why we are staying focused on the federal budget issues, the new Johnston Finance act, and the progress of the traditional Finance Act.
The Coming Week
Mr. Welsh has a busy week of travel ahead. He'll be going to Denver on Monday as he's been called on to testify at the Capitol about HB 13-1303 (elections). He then gets to celebrate Skoglund Middle School and Center High School's Healthy School Champion awards with Katrina Ruggles, as he attends the Colorado Legacy Foundation awards ceremonies geared at these two achievements on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Mr. Welsh will then attend the CASE, CASB, CDA Anchor Group meeting on Thursday before taking a personal day on Friday to celebrate his anniversary with his wife Becky.
Mr. Welsh will then attend the CASE, CASB, CDA Anchor Group meeting on Thursday before taking a personal day on Friday to celebrate his anniversary with his wife Becky.
Extra Points
One thing that impressed me when I sat down to write something about our little school in the “Center of the Universe” is how easy it was to come up with items for the “Great Things Going On” section of this weekly communication. What an impressive list of for just one week in Center! With this impression in mind, I would like to take this opportunity to recognize someone in our district that otherwise would never be recognized on these pages – the guy that usually does the writing. A while back I ran across a quote by Tom Peters that said, “Great leaders don’t create followers, they create more leaders. I don’t know who Tom Peters is, but I certainly agree with the statement. There are many reasons why so many great things are happening in this district, but one of the main ones, I believe, is directly related to the district’s leadership. This leadership provides the support, encouragement and inspiration for students and district employees to achieve their potential. The reputation of Center School District has attracted motivated and talented education professionals to our schools and is the reason why so many stay. Keep up the great work Mr. Welsh!
Oh, and have a happy birthday!
Russ
Oh, and have a happy birthday!
Russ