Great Things Going On Now
Once again a big thank you goes out to our building leaders for all the work they are doing preparing for and conducting mid-year teacher evaluations. This is a gigantic task, but the work is well worth it as all our teachers are gaining the opportunity to learn exactly where they stand in relation to Colorado’s teaching standards. It is the Center School District’s belief that the faithful implementation of the requirements of SB 191 teacher and administrator evaluation processes will improve overall classroom instruction and student achievement.
This weekend the Center High School Business Math class sponsored an indoor soccer tournament as a fundraiser and class activity, aiming to learn lessons about how to organize, make a profit, and account for dollars when operating such an event. It was simply wonderful to see many adult community members playing so competitively and respectfully against each other. Lee Flood is the instructor for this class and his kids did a great job!
This weekend the Center High School Business Math class sponsored an indoor soccer tournament as a fundraiser and class activity, aiming to learn lessons about how to organize, make a profit, and account for dollars when operating such an event. It was simply wonderful to see many adult community members playing so competitively and respectfully against each other. Lee Flood is the instructor for this class and his kids did a great job!
Thanks again to the Center Schools Sunshine Club for arranging a staff gathering this past Friday. Those who were able to attend had a great time unwinding from a stressful week and having an opportunity to talk about topics not related to education.
I want to take a moment to thank Center Recreation Director Jonathon Mack for the wonderful work he is doing guiding the Center Pee Wee recreation programs. We are in the midst of the Pee Wee Girls basketball season right now and Mr. Mack has attracted dozens of girls to play, while also maintaining a wonderful cheerleading squad to encourage those who are participating. Mr. Mack also does great work when it comes to fundraising, as our Center Pee Wee teams are consistently among the best equipped in the Valley.
On Friday Center Schools had a very special visitor. Mr. Kent Rominger, a San Luis Valley native and former NASA astronaut with more than 1,500 hours of flight experience, visited our schools to share his passion for math, science and how they both relate to piloting and space exploration. We were able to honor both him and the late Neil Armstrong, the first man to set foot on the moon, by dedicating to them the artwork adorning the walls in our science wing. Each wall has a picture of each gentleman. The decision to place these images in our hallways stems from our belief that any one of our students has within them the talent, work ethic, and ability to go forth and achieve even greater things than have been done by the people we have placed before them as role models. Center Schools thanks Mr. Rominger for the fine example and the inspiration he offers to our students. One of the core beliefs of the Center Consolidated School District is that “with our help ALL of our students can achieve at high levels and be successful in life.” If a student’s definition of success means having the opportunity to leave the bonds of earth to explore the galaxy, we want them to know we’ll do all we can to help them achieve that dream.
I want to take a moment to thank Center Recreation Director Jonathon Mack for the wonderful work he is doing guiding the Center Pee Wee recreation programs. We are in the midst of the Pee Wee Girls basketball season right now and Mr. Mack has attracted dozens of girls to play, while also maintaining a wonderful cheerleading squad to encourage those who are participating. Mr. Mack also does great work when it comes to fundraising, as our Center Pee Wee teams are consistently among the best equipped in the Valley.
On Friday Center Schools had a very special visitor. Mr. Kent Rominger, a San Luis Valley native and former NASA astronaut with more than 1,500 hours of flight experience, visited our schools to share his passion for math, science and how they both relate to piloting and space exploration. We were able to honor both him and the late Neil Armstrong, the first man to set foot on the moon, by dedicating to them the artwork adorning the walls in our science wing. Each wall has a picture of each gentleman. The decision to place these images in our hallways stems from our belief that any one of our students has within them the talent, work ethic, and ability to go forth and achieve even greater things than have been done by the people we have placed before them as role models. Center Schools thanks Mr. Rominger for the fine example and the inspiration he offers to our students. One of the core beliefs of the Center Consolidated School District is that “with our help ALL of our students can achieve at high levels and be successful in life.” If a student’s definition of success means having the opportunity to leave the bonds of earth to explore the galaxy, we want them to know we’ll do all we can to help them achieve that dream.
The Past Week
This past week I traveled to Denver to participate in the CEA, CASE, CASB Anchor Group meeting. While near the capitol building I also took the time to attend a meeting of people interested in protecting the existence of the Building Excellent Schools Today program, perhaps even finding ways to expand upon it.
Tuesday through Thursday we dealt with an unfortunate school safety incident. Many of you already know that we reacted to a post on Facebook that indicated one of our students might commit a violent act in our school. The student in question was immediately confronted by police and eventually booked into the Saguache County Jail. Our administration then spent a day determining whether or not the student had actual intent to commit a crime, and/or the capability to do so. After extensive investigation it was determined there was no evidence the student had a plan, or the means, to commit the crime he claimed he would. What it comes down to is the student simply made a seriously irresponsible comment in a public forum.
As a district we are working to ensure the student understands the enormity of his actions, receives appropriate consequences, and gets the services he needs to serve out an appropriate punishment and begin moving forward with his life in a positive direction.
We want to thank the Center Police Department and Chief Lucero for the outstanding way they responded to this situation. We also want to thank our entire staff and administration for the professional and caring way this situation was navigated
On Friday things were back to normal so I was able to spend a lot of time catching up on work that I should have done earlier in the week.
Tuesday through Thursday we dealt with an unfortunate school safety incident. Many of you already know that we reacted to a post on Facebook that indicated one of our students might commit a violent act in our school. The student in question was immediately confronted by police and eventually booked into the Saguache County Jail. Our administration then spent a day determining whether or not the student had actual intent to commit a crime, and/or the capability to do so. After extensive investigation it was determined there was no evidence the student had a plan, or the means, to commit the crime he claimed he would. What it comes down to is the student simply made a seriously irresponsible comment in a public forum.
As a district we are working to ensure the student understands the enormity of his actions, receives appropriate consequences, and gets the services he needs to serve out an appropriate punishment and begin moving forward with his life in a positive direction.
We want to thank the Center Police Department and Chief Lucero for the outstanding way they responded to this situation. We also want to thank our entire staff and administration for the professional and caring way this situation was navigated
On Friday things were back to normal so I was able to spend a lot of time catching up on work that I should have done earlier in the week.
Big Things We Are Working On
The major focus in the district right now is providing mid-year feedback to teachers and administrators regarding their job performance, beginning the process of adjusting our budget based on actual expenditures and income to this point, and starting the work of influencing pending legislation that could effect us, especially in the realm of school finance.
The Week Ahead
The beginning of the week will be focused on getting out payroll. I will participate in several Boettcher Teacher program meetings both in Center and Alamosa during the later part of the week. On Wednesday I will be in Denver to participate in CASE Day at the Capitol to advocate for legislation that supports the learning of our students. On Thursday and Friday I will return to Denver to working on School Finance issues.
Videos of the Week
The Center High School Video Productions Class has produced a couple more weekly news reports. I encourage you to view them at the following link: http://keepingourfocus.weebly.com/videos.html
Thanks for listening once again and have a great week!
George
Thanks for listening once again and have a great week!
George