Keeping Our Focus
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    • 2015 >
      • Binational Educator Exchange
      • January 11, 2015
      • January 18, 2015
      • January 25, 2015
      • February 1, 2015
      • February 8, 2015
      • February 15, 2015
      • February 22, 2015
      • March 1, 2015
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      • April 5, 2015
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      • April 26, 2015
      • May 3, 2015
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      • May 17, 2015
      • May 24, 2015
      • May 31, 2015
      • June 7, 2015
      • June 14, 2015
      • June 21, 2015
      • June 28, 2015
    • 2014 >
      • 2014 In Review Part 1
      • 2014 In Review Part 2
      • 2014 Accreditation
      • Sanchez-Varoz Documents
      • Superintendent Work Calendars
      • Alternative to Expulsion Policy
      • Superintendent Job Performance Surveys
      • January 6, 2014
      • January 12, 2014
      • January 19, 2014
      • January 26, 2014
      • February 2, 2014
      • February 9, 2014
      • February 16, 2014
      • February 23, 2014
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      • March 30, 2014
      • April 6, 2014
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      • May 4, 2014
      • May 11, 2014
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      • May 25, 2014
      • June 1, 2014
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      • July 6, 2014
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      • July 21, 2014
      • July 27, 2014
      • August 3, 2014
      • August 10, 2014
      • August 17, 2014
      • August 24, 2014
      • September 1, 2014
      • September 7, 2014
      • September 14, 2014
      • September 21, 2014
      • September 28, 2014
      • October 5, 2014
      • Extra Points 10-5-14
      • October 13, 2014
      • October 19, 2014
      • October 26, 2014
      • November 2, 2014
      • November 9, 2014
      • November 16, 2014
      • November 23, 2014
      • November 30, 2014
      • December 7, 2014
      • December 14, 2014
      • December 21, 2014
    • 2013 >
      • January 6, 2013
      • January 13, 2013
      • January 20, 2013
      • January 27, 2013
      • February 3, 2013
      • February 10, 2013
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      • February 24, 2012
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      • April 6, 2013
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      • April 28, 2013
      • May 5, 2013
      • May 12, 2013
      • May 19, 2013
      • June 3, 2013
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      • June 16, 2013
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      • July 21, 2012
      • July 29, 2013
      • August 4, 2013
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      • August 19, 2013
      • August 26, 2013
      • September 2, 2013
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      • September 15, 2013
      • September 23, 2013
      • September 29, 2013
      • October 6, 2013
      • October 13, 2013
      • October 20, 2013
      • October 27, 2013
      • November 3, 2013
      • November 11, 2013
      • November 18, 2013
      • December 1, 2013
      • December 8, 2013
      • December 15, 2013
      • 2013 in Review
    • 2012 >
      • 2012 in Review
      • Class of 2012 Graduation Video
      • 3rd Grade TCAP Release
      • December 16, 2012
      • December 9, 2012
      • December 1, 2012
      • November 11, 2012
      • November 4, 2012
      • October 27, 2012
      • October 14, 2012
      • October 7, 2012
      • September 30, 2012
      • September 23, 2012
      • September 19, 2012
      • September 9, 2012
      • September 2, 2012
      • August 26, 2012
      • August 19, 2012
      • August 12, 2012
      • August 5th, 2012
      • July 29, 2012
      • July 22, 2012
      • July 15, 2012
      • July 8, 2012
      • June 17, 2012
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      • June 3, 2012
      • May 27, 2012
      • May 20, 2012
      • May 13, 2012
      • May 6, 2012
      • April 29, 2012
      • April 22, 2012
      • April 15, 2012
      • April 8, 2012
      • April Fools
      • Mar 25, 2012
      • Mar 18, 2012
      • Mar 11, 2012
      • Mar 4, 2012
      • Feb 26, 2012
      • Feb 19, 2012
      • Feb 12, 2012
      • Feb 5, 2012
      • Jan 29, 2012
      • Jan 22, 2012
      • Jan 15, 2012
      • Jan 8, 2012
    • 2011 >
      • 2011 in Review
      • Dec 25, 2011
      • Dec 18, 2011
      • Dec, 11, 2011
      • Dec 4, 2011
      • Nov 27, 2011
      • Nov 13, 2011
    • Lobato Decision >
      • Lobato Update

Great Things Going On

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A big thank you to Center High School math teacher Diego Martinez who secured the opportunity for CHS student Megan McKibbon to travel to Albuquerque to tour a gliderport, get in the cockpit of a glider, and work a professional glider flight simulator.  This was a reward for outstanding progress in math this year; Megan was able to knock off twice as many credits as the average math student.

Another big thank you goes to Haskin Elementary instructional coach Sarah Vance and Lindamood-Bell site coordinator Melissa Garcia for organizing an outstanding end of year after school program rewards event.  While thanking them, I also want to thank the many Center Schools staff members who gave up their precious time by working in our after school program three evenings per week.  The most important thing we can do in school to catch our struggling kids up to others around the state is to extend their learning 

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day with quality programs.  Haskin Elementary School, in partnership with Lindamood-bell, has certainly done that. 

Speaking of Lindamood-Bell, the Center School District was recently highlighted in their professional development newsletter in connection with the IDEA grant collaborative that has just been established in the San Luis Valley.  I recently had the pleasure of kicking off a valley wide administrator training event which highlighted the great work being done in Haskin Elementary School in terms of literacy acquisition and growth.   If you would like to view this newsletter and my presentation, simply click on this link.    


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Congratulations are due to Center High School baseball coach Lloyd Garcia and his Viking Baseball squad after securing the 2013 Southern Peaks League championship in undefeated fashion after sweeping a couple of games from the Sierra Grande Panthers on Saturday in Center.  The Viking Nine will start its quest for a trip to the state tournament next weekend when they play in the SPL tournament at Adams State University. 

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This week I also want to highlight the great work Alondra Chaparro has been doing in our Save the Children Early Steps to School Success program.  I had the opportunity to attend a parent outreach event on Wednesday and Alondra had the room packed with parents working hard to engage their children in literacy activities after school and at home.  What impressed me most, and I think our Center Schools teaching staff can relate to this, was how Alondra had wonderful learning objectives posted for the parents she was engaging.  At the event she was working with parents to enhance their understanding of how children develop language and literacy skills through singing and storytelling.  She did this by having the children create puppets they were able to use during the rest of the session.

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Finally, a big thank you to Linda Donaldson this week for the wonderful classroom lesson related to proportion and ratios that she conducted with her 8th grade students.  She taught them that by simply measuring a persons forearm it is possible to design and entire outfit for them, then had her students prove this by diagramming and designing clothes (out of paper) for Skoglund Middle School principal Carrie Zimmerman.  What a great way to have students apply their math skills Linda!

The Past Week

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During the past week I began building 2013-14 school staffing models, toured a group of Buena Vista educators through our buildings, participated in a statewide audit of the BEST program, conducted 10 classroom walkthroughs, began finalizing principal evaluations, attended a Save the Children parent event, attended an after school program attendance incentive event, reviewed 2013-14 Turnaround Improvement Grant applications for CDE and attended the CASE legislative Committee meeting in Denver.   


Big Things We Are Working On

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This Wednesday the Colorado Department of Education will release this year’s 3rd grade TCAP reading results.  Folks in the community might recall that as recently as 2010 our 3rd grade performance was only at 28% proficient or above.  Since our turnaround efforts we have steadily increased our 3rd grade reading proficiency, first moving up to 41% in 2011, and then to 75% in 2012.  Based on student benchmark numbers we have seen throughout the year we don’t anticipate we’ll be as high as 75% again this year, however, we know we’ll be far above 2010’s 28%.  We do anticipate having our lowest ever unsatisfactory score ever, and perhaps the second highest 3rd grade TCAP proficiency in the history of our district.  3rd grade reading results are traditionally released each May.  However, they are only one of 27 test results we’ll receive that will measure how we are doing when it comes to student achievement.

This year’s budgeting process is turning out to be very challenging.  Because of sequestration and the federal budget impasse, the Center Schools District is in a situation where it can’t count on receiving roughly three quarters of a million dollars that it has traditionally been operating with.  Because of this we will likely make some decisions not to fill some openings we currently have due to retirements and general staff mobility.  On Monday afternoon department heads and representatives of each school staff will participate in a meeting where we will outline the funding shortfalls we are expecting and help to identify ways that we might deal with the situation.  The primary goal of the district in dealing with these issues is to first continue to offer high quality, and even improve instructional opportunities for all children and second, to do all it can to ensure that all effective returning employees have a position available in the district for the coming year.

Closely linked to our budget situation is the passage of a revised school finance act that will ultimately go in front of Colorado’s voters this November and the current school finance act, which passed through the legislature last week.   This year’s finance act provides for about $180 extra per student, which we anticipate will help the district to the tune of roughly $80,000 (unfortunately far less than anticipated lost federal revenues dud to sequestration).  The new finance act, depending on how it is funded in the end, could bring far greater increases in per pupil revenues to the district, as much as $2,500 per student if a billion dollars worth of new revenue comes into the system.  Unfortunately this solution, if it happens at all, is not likely to come our way until the 2015-16 budget year.


The Coming Week

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May 6-10 will be a busy week in the Center School District with high level budget meetings taking place on Monday, along with a special community presentation on AIDS and personal choices on Monday evening at Tierra Nueva.  On Tuesday I’ll be wrapping up some administrator evaluations and doing some Race to the top of the Valley work.  On Wednesday evening Romeo and Juliet performances will be presented by Center High School language arts teacher Kindra Rounds’ students. Wednesday brings about traditional spring negotiations with the Center Education Association, and a special BOE executive session meeting to address some personnel matters.  On Thursday Lieutenant Governor Joseph Garcia will be making a stop in Center in celebration of Colorado Literacy Week.  We encourage community members to come to the Fyock Community Library at 3:30 PM to engage the Lieutenant Governor on this topic.  On Thursday evening the Center School District will be holding a big parent appreciation event.   Assuming the weather holds up between now and Friday, the district will have no school on May 10th in celebration of not having to use a single snow day all year!  However, despite not having classes, Skoglund Middle School staff members will be busy hosting the annual all valley middle school track meet and baseball tournament at the Center Community Park. 

Thanks so much for listening again and have a great week!

George