Great Things Going On
Center Schools summer school programs are officially in full swing. Sarah Vance, Haskin Elementary grade 3-5 principal, is supervising a summer reading academy focused on supporting students who are performing below grade level in reading. Once again Lindamood-Bell intervention techniques are being utilized by highly trained staff members to support our kids in increasing their reading comprehension and fluency skills. Additionally, Haskin Elementary School special education teacher LJ Garcia is supervising Skoglund Middle School’s math and reading summer school Student attendees to this program are getting basic support in math and reading fundamentals including division, multiplication, number facts, and descriptive writing. Haskin Elementary also has an enrichment book study taking place for two weeks during which students are reading “The Boy in the Striped Pajamas” while discussing such deep topics as racism, the Holocaust, and general life-long struggles. Haskin Elementary 4th-5th grade teacher Colleen Hurst is doing an excellent job of guiding this enrichment group.
I would like to remind everyone that our cafeteria is open to the public between now and July 3rd. We are serving free meals to all community children up to age 20. Parents and adults are also welcome to join in for a nominal free. Dianna Valenzuela and her crew do a great job preparing healthy, nutritious meals, and I am also very impressed with how they are taking care of each other, and themselves. They take time to exercise each day as a group during their mid-morning break time. Keep up the great work ladies!
Finally, this week I want to thank the Center Schools custodial staff, and especially Tony Garcia, for the great work they are doing keeping our grounds looking wonderful. It wasn’t until late summer last year that we got all of our landscaping done in relation to our new building project. This summer is the first opportunity we have had to learn what it will take to keep the grounds looking beautiful. Tony is our head groundskeeper and he has been doing a great job maintaining the landscape while also learning how to care for and feed the beautiful plant life that occupies our school grounds.
The Past Week
Last week I attended our monthly San Luis Valley superintendent advisory council meeting as well as the regular June board of education and district accountability committee meetings. On Wednesday I participated in interviews designed to hire a new BOCES migrant education director. I also took some personal vacation time late in the week during which I joined in on the 75 mile Ride the Rockies leg from Alamosa to Salida (actually I cheated and left from Center). I then spent some time working around my house and yard on Friday.
Big Things We Are Working On
Middle and High School summer school are in full swing. After last week's board meeting I believe we now only have one certified teacher opening left to fill. We’ll be finalizing our 2013-14 budget in the next week or so. We’ll also be completing our Federal Programs grant application in the next week.
The Coming Week
Short of having an Even Start Board meeting during the middle of the day on Wednesday I have an extremely open week. I will be working on my To Do list which includes finalizing this year’s Race to the top of the Valley expenditures, setting up our first valley wide iPad pilot meeting, and contacting next year’s All Valley PLC leaders to plan some training. I hope to take an afternoon or two off this week to spend time with my family, or to work on my home improvement projects.
Extra Points
Though a little late, I would like to wish all the fathers, and father figures, a happy Father’s Day. It is probably impossible to replace the caring and nurturing spirit of the typical mother, but in the time I have been in Center I have noticed that many of our best and brightest kids usually can be traced to a significant father figure in their lives. These Dad’s come in all types. Sometimes they are traditional. Sometimes a grandfather or uncle fills the role. Sometimes a family friend or even a Center Schools employee steps in to support the child. Good fathers teach their kids the value of hard work and effort, and to be willing to take risks. They show them it is OK to fail as long as you try your hardest, and they show them how to prioritize the truly important things in life. We have many great fathers in our community and that allows us to work with some truly wonderful kids here at the Center School District. I wish you all a happy Father’s Day week and I thank you for all you do to support your kids and our schools!
Thanks so much for listening again and have a great week!
George
Thanks so much for listening again and have a great week!
George