Great Things Going On
During the past week I had the pleasure of running into Class of 1950 Center High School graduate and Center Athletic Hall of Fame inductee Bob Felmlee twice. The first time was at a meeting of area Freemasons and the second time was when he dropped by the office to donate his beautiful high school letter sweater to the school district. Bob’s sweater is adorned by a patch celebrating the 1950 Center High School State Basketball Championship team he played on. Center Schools will take good care of his gift while displaying it for all to enjoy.
I want to thank and congratulate Center Schools director of food service Dianna Valenzuela for her fine work securing a grant to support our daily student snack program. Because of our new lunch schedule this year some of our kids have a bit of a late lunch and these funds will allow us to offer them a treat midway through the day to help them stay on task academically. Thanks for your hard work on this Dianna!
I want to thank and congratulate Center Schools director of food service Dianna Valenzuela for her fine work securing a grant to support our daily student snack program. Because of our new lunch schedule this year some of our kids have a bit of a late lunch and these funds will allow us to offer them a treat midway through the day to help them stay on task academically. Thanks for your hard work on this Dianna!
Former Center Schools board member and current parent Miguel Cendejas did a wonderful job encouraging many of our area children prepare for and compete in the annual Optimist Tri-Star Basketball skills contest. Three of our students even placed, with Alicia Rios and Natalia Cendejas both taking first place honors ,and Zembria Traversie taking 3rd place. Congratulations to the kids and a special thank you to their parents for getting them involved in such a positive activity.
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During the past week Center High School social studies teacher Scott Poole had his senior government students conducted a mock court hearing to argue the merits of administering the death penalty to convicted criminals. We highly encourage teachers to use simulation activities that allow their students to apply knowledge and skills learned in class and I want to thank Mr. Poole for making this effort.
Finally, on Wednesday afternoon the Center Schools staff heard a presentation from Center Town and Country Club members about the risks women face when it comes to heart disease. The session culminated with a gift of Red Dress Pins to all staff members so they might wear them strike up conversations with others about these risks and the actions that can be taken to reduce them. I want to thank the Town and Country Club for including us in this important event and taking the time to come to our school to educate our staff!
Big Things We Are Working On
As of the time I wrote this there were still three board members for whom there are enough qualified signatures to hold a recall election. On Thursday evening Saguache County Clerk Carla Gomez notified board member Richie Barela that a final determination has been made regarding petitions against him and they have been determined insufficient to place him on the ballot. Final determinations of sufficiency have been made on James Sanchez and Phil Varoz, so they will be on the ballot. I think Yuridia Cendejas only had until last Friday to challenge or get signatures removed from her petitions, so a final determination should be made on her soon as well.
Last Friday the Center District Leadership Team met to review the Center School District 2014-15 academic improvement plan for progress being made, and to begin thinking about improvements to be implemented throughout the district next year.
On Wednesday afternoon Center School Board president Michael Lobato and I met with representatives of the former Masonic lodge in Center to talk about their possibly giving the building to Center Schools to then be used to establish a Boys and Girls Club for the community. Verbal agreements were made to move forward on this project and we will spend some time in the next month or so to work out the paperwork details to make this a reality.
Last Friday the Center District Leadership Team met to review the Center School District 2014-15 academic improvement plan for progress being made, and to begin thinking about improvements to be implemented throughout the district next year.
On Wednesday afternoon Center School Board president Michael Lobato and I met with representatives of the former Masonic lodge in Center to talk about their possibly giving the building to Center Schools to then be used to establish a Boys and Girls Club for the community. Verbal agreements were made to move forward on this project and we will spend some time in the next month or so to work out the paperwork details to make this a reality.
The Past Week
On Monday I had a meeting with Early Steps to School Success coordinator Alondra Chaparro where I had the opportunity to learn about the data she collects and enters for her program. On Tuesday I worked on payroll. On Wednesday I had the pleasure of taking several regional superintendents through our buildings as we conducted another Individual Career and Academic Planning (ICAP) day in our middle-high. This was a wonderful opportunity to share with other system leaders just how we go about doing this work at Center Schools. On Wednesday afternoon I met with representatives from the Monte Vista Masonic lodge about the possible donation of the old Masonic building to the school district. On Thursday I had another Early Steps to School Success site supervisor meeting, and I also took some opportunities to visit classrooms to observe instruction. On Friday I met with the Center Schools District Leadership Team to review progress being made on this year’s academic improvement plan and to start work on our 2015-16 plan.
The Week Ahead
On Monday morning Haskin Elementary teachers will receive bullying prevention training. I will be attending a Healthy Eaters Lifelong Movers steering committee meeting in Alamosa during the day. On Tuesday Center School Board president Michael Lobato and I will meet with Del Norte School Board president Wendy Mellot and superintendent Nathan Smith about an effort being made to erase Colorado’s education funding negative factor. On Tuesday evening Center High School students will have an opportunity to take an ACT test preparation course. On Wednesday I have a meeting with our Technology department leadership. On Thursday I will be attending a community wealth-building luncheon in Del Norte, and will be on hand to broadcast the Custer County basketball games that evening. On Friday I have to drive to La Junta and back to attend the Colorado Department of Education Rural Education Council meeting. I’ll also be around on Saturday to help out at the annual Valley Classic Wrestling Tournament we will host.
George
George