Great Things Going On
I would like to begin this week by thanking administrative office assistant Jessica Ornelas, director of technology Julio Paez, director of instruction Lori Cooper, and district and public librarian Becky Reed, for all the work they have done to prepare Center Schools for its annual grade 6-12 Jump Start program. Jump Start offers an opportunity for students who need to brush up on core subject area academics to get individualized attention toward doing so during the first 3 weeks of the school year. In order to operate the program Center Schools staff members must first identify those students whose state achievement test scores indicate a possible need for extra help. These families must be communicated with in a very short time frame, and then students who are not required to attend Jump Start must be tested through NWEA to ensure they have retained knowledge learned during the past school year. Jump Start attendees have already been notified and all other students will begin NWEA testing this week.
I want to offer special congratulations to Center High School social studies teacher Scott Poole upon having been selected to participate in an American History Fellowship tour of historic sites. This was a very exclusive trip, as only a select group of teachers from around the country were able to participate. Mr. Poole spent a week in the Washington D. C. area during July and learned a ton of content related information that we are sure our students will benefit from as he shares this knowledge in his class work. Hopefully you can find Mr. Poole in this picture I have attached. If you need a hint, look in the far back row toward the left.
I also want to thank our administrative team for all the great work they did this past week preparing our schools for the arrival of students. Additionally, the team attended an all Valley administrative PLC event on Friday where they learned about the many grants being spearheaded by the BOCES and Race tot the top of the Valley collaborative, and delved deeper into the requirements of implementing SB 191 style teacher and administrator evaluations.
I want to offer special congratulations to Center High School social studies teacher Scott Poole upon having been selected to participate in an American History Fellowship tour of historic sites. This was a very exclusive trip, as only a select group of teachers from around the country were able to participate. Mr. Poole spent a week in the Washington D. C. area during July and learned a ton of content related information that we are sure our students will benefit from as he shares this knowledge in his class work. Hopefully you can find Mr. Poole in this picture I have attached. If you need a hint, look in the far back row toward the left.
I also want to thank our administrative team for all the great work they did this past week preparing our schools for the arrival of students. Additionally, the team attended an all Valley administrative PLC event on Friday where they learned about the many grants being spearheaded by the BOCES and Race tot the top of the Valley collaborative, and delved deeper into the requirements of implementing SB 191 style teacher and administrator evaluations.
Big Things We Are Working On
Right now our complete focus is on preparing for the opening of school the 2013-14 school year. The first day of school for Haskin Elementary students in grades PK-5 will be Monday August 12. Students in grades 6-12 have been notified if they need to attend Jump Start. Students attending Jump Start must report for school on Monday August 12th as well. The first day of school for all other students in grades 6-12 will be Tuesday September 3rd.
The purpose of the Center Schools Jump Start program is to hold students accountable for their effort, and performance, on state achievement tests. The program offers an incentive to students who are performing well to extend their summer vacation by an additional 3 weeks, while also allowing students who need extra help in the subjects of math, science, reading and writing to receive such assistance in a highly focused manner. The three weeks of Jump Start instruction are intense, focusing on identified academic weaknesses of students, and upon successful completion of the program, including success on a post Jump Start exam, kids are able to advance to their next academic level. Recently the Center Schools Jump Start program has received a lot of attention in the state of Colorado as being an excellent way in which to raise student value for education and effort in class all year, including on the day they take the TCAP test. This has become of utmost importance to teachers and administrators all over the state as they are transitioning toward a system through which a major part of their evaluation will be determined by the extent to which they help students grow academically.
The purpose of the Center Schools Jump Start program is to hold students accountable for their effort, and performance, on state achievement tests. The program offers an incentive to students who are performing well to extend their summer vacation by an additional 3 weeks, while also allowing students who need extra help in the subjects of math, science, reading and writing to receive such assistance in a highly focused manner. The three weeks of Jump Start instruction are intense, focusing on identified academic weaknesses of students, and upon successful completion of the program, including success on a post Jump Start exam, kids are able to advance to their next academic level. Recently the Center Schools Jump Start program has received a lot of attention in the state of Colorado as being an excellent way in which to raise student value for education and effort in class all year, including on the day they take the TCAP test. This has become of utmost importance to teachers and administrators all over the state as they are transitioning toward a system through which a major part of their evaluation will be determined by the extent to which they help students grow academically.
The Past Week
Last week I only worked on Wednesday and Friday. On Wednesday I attended a Building Excellent Schools Today focus group meeting in Denver, in hopes of finding ways to keep the school construction program viable. On Friday I attended a San Luis Valley Race to the top collaborative administrator PLC. At this session we discussed the many grant initiative SLV schools are participating in and shared our knowledge on how best to implement the requirements of SB 191 teacher and administrator evaluation processes.
The Coming Week
Center Schools welcomes new staff member to work on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday with some orientation activities. On Thursday and Friday all other staff members report to work to prepare for the upcoming school year. My only diversion from this work this week will be attending a Colorado School safety Resource Center advisory board meeting, as well as a Colorado Commits to Kids information meeting on Tuesday in Denver.
Our Mission and Core Beliefs
As we head into another academic year I thought it would be a great time to remind everyone about the work we will be setting out to do in the Center School District.
The mission of Center Schools is to seek to develop independent, self-motivated, adventurous, learners armed with the skills necessary to meet the challenges they will face in their future.
In doing so our graduates will…
Our Core Beliefs
1. Our purpose is to increase academic achievement for ALL students
2. With our support ALL children can achieve at high levels and be successful in life
3. Quality planning, instruction, and assessments lead to high achievement for ALL students
4. EVERYONE must be committed to excellence in ALL they do EVERY day.
Thanks for listening again. I look forward to another great year!
George
The mission of Center Schools is to seek to develop independent, self-motivated, adventurous, learners armed with the skills necessary to meet the challenges they will face in their future.
In doing so our graduates will…
- Have a high value for life long education.
- Have a personal vision regarding their future.
- Be reflective learners.
- Seek balance in their lives.
- Adapt to fast-paced change.
- Be confident in their skills.
- Be ready for the challenges of life after high school.
- Be capable of success beyond the San Luis Valley.
- Be effective communicators seeking to learn languages beyond English.
- Be able to use up-to-date technology in a legal and ethical fashion.
- Be able to collaborate to solve problems.
- Leave school armed with college level and real world skills.
Our Core Beliefs
1. Our purpose is to increase academic achievement for ALL students
2. With our support ALL children can achieve at high levels and be successful in life
3. Quality planning, instruction, and assessments lead to high achievement for ALL students
4. EVERYONE must be committed to excellence in ALL they do EVERY day.
Thanks for listening again. I look forward to another great year!
George