Great Things Going On
Last week more than thirty Center High School students stayed after school voluntarily to receive tutoring help in math. Students who are willing to do this receive help from Center High School teachers Daniel Newmyer and Diego Martinez, as well as some Adams State University math students we have been able to recruit. This opportunity is being offered this year as a result of an Expelled and At Risk Student Services (EARSS) grant we received this summer thanks to great work by Katrina Ruggles and our Americorps Vista team.
On Friday Center Schools teachers gathered in Del Norte, along with instructors from most of the SLV school districts, to revise and share the results of first semester common assessments aligned to the Colorado Sample Curriculum and to create second quarter assessments. Center Schools teachers guided ten of the twenty-four PLC sessions that took place and, as always, actively participated in a positive fashion in all the great work that took place during the day.
I am not sure how many Center Schools patrons know Nita McAuliffe. Mrs. McAuliffe is the San Luis Valley Board of Cooperative Education Services executive director. The BOCES supports the Center School District by providing special education, speech, psychologist, migrant, and early childhood services for our students. Nita has been instrumental to many improvements that are taking place in districts all over our region, as she has led the BOCES in acquiring grants to support literacy, implementation of standards, improved teacher and administrator evaluation processes, and extended learning opportunities. In all my time as superintendent of schools I have not worked with a more productive leader of our BOCES. I just wanted to take a moment to thank her for all she is doing for our region and for our kids and staff members here in Center.
Big Things We Are Working On
Center Schools is the midst of its annual financial audit. All Colorado School districts are required to be audited on an annual basis. Center Schools’ audit is being conducted this year by the folks at Wall, Smith, Bateman, and Associates out of Alamosa. WSB staff members were on site most of this past week to go over specific items with Center Schools Director of Finance Betty Casanova, and will be continuing to work on the audit for the next several weeks off site. We hope to review and accept the final results at our regular December board of education meeting.
The Past Week
This past week I met about our Save the Children Early Steps to School Success program on Monday. On Tuesday I sat in on a meeting with some parks and recreation and school district representatives to straighten out some issues regarding the sharing of our athletic facilities. On Tuesday afternoon we closed on the purchase of our Americorps house, and I’m pleased to say we will soon be receiving another full Americorps crew of 12 young men and women to serve our district patrons. On Wednesday it was my turn to attend the Southern Superintendent’s group meeting in Pueblo. SLV school leaders are combining efforts to be represented at theses sessions so we can share with and learn from the many school districts in the southeastern portion of our state. On Thursday and Friday my work attention shifted to preparing for and conducting our All Valley PLC sessions that took place in Del Norte at the end of the week.
The Week Ahead
On Monday I will be attending a ConnectED webinar to learn more about how educators all over the state might stay in contact with each other in support of staff development efforts, instruction, and instructional improvement. On Tuesday I will be attending a Saguache County Commissioners work session in the morning before hustling back to Center to take Dr. Carmen Simone, the new Trinidad State Community College President, on a tour of our schools. Later that afternoon Representative Scott Tipton will also be on campus to address our Center High School American Government students, and then to tour the campus as well. On Wednesday and Thursday we’ll be having our annual fall Parent-Teacher Conferences. All students will be released early on Wednesday. On Thursday we will have no school for kids in grades K-5, but our 6th through 12th graders will need to come for half the day. There will then be no school on Friday, as our entire staff will be coming off back to back 12 hour days and will be given that time to recover.
Extra Points
If it were not exciting enough to find out last week that the Center Schools Board of Education was being honored as the All State School Board, that news was followed with the announcement that I have been named 2013-14 Colorado Superintendent of the Year!
This news was released by the Colorado Association of School Executives on Wednesday. In the press release CASE Executive Director Bruce Caughey said, “George is being honored as our Superintendent of the Year for his visionary leadership, which has transformed a low-performing school district with a high rate of people living in poverty into a model example of how resources, leadership and determination can make the difference in the lives of Colorado’s young scholars.” The press release also quoted our Board President Michael Lobato as saying, “This has happened as a result of an infusion of resources provided through a federal turn-around improvement grant, and a clear vision to adopt, implement and effectively teach a curriculum clearly aligned to Colorado standards.”
I can’t tell you how proud I am of this accomplishment, not only for my sake, but for our entire school district. It is my belief this honor comes only on the coattails of the hard work each of our staff members are doing on behalf of our kids here in Center.
I recieved this award because I get to work with a school board that is actually focused on increasing student achievement, moving the district forward, and what is best for kids and staff members in general.
I received this award because the team I have here in the administration office consisting of Lori, Betty, JJ, and Jessica has allowed me to focus many of my efforts on global issues that are important to us in Center such as accreditation regulations, implementation of SB 191, and getting us the financial resources we need to do our jobs more effectively.
I received this award because our facilities, transportation, food service, and technology departments are guided by outstanding leaders who do their jobs with excellence and are supported by the best staff members they can possibly employ. Because of the great work our departments do I get to spend time worrying about how to get kids to achieve at a higher academic level, not on whether or not our kids are well fed, facilities are operational, network and devices are working, or our kids are getting taken to and from school safely.
I received this award because I get to supervise six of the best principals in the state of Colorado. Kevin, Carrie, Sarah, Kathy, Joy, and Chris have patiently waited for me to figure out just how to support them best, and have acted above and beyond my greatest hopes and expectations in everything I have asked them to do in the pursuit of better classroom instruction.
Finally, it is my belief I received this award because Center Schools is the home of the most outstanding teachers and instructional support staff in Colorado. The difference for every kid in this district comes down to the work being done in every classroom. Every time I visit our classrooms I am simply awestruck by the quality of teaching I see.
On Thursday the student bodies of each school celebrated the board's award as well as mine. As it was Halloween, Haskin Elementary students prepared a special costume for me to wear during their annual costume parade.
A good friend once told me, “A great leader will create more opportunities for others than he makes for himself.” I can only hope I have done that in Center. I know each of our staff members has always risen to the occasion for Center kids when they have been given such opportunities. From the bottom of my heart, I thank all the folks I work with for making me look so darn good!
George
This news was released by the Colorado Association of School Executives on Wednesday. In the press release CASE Executive Director Bruce Caughey said, “George is being honored as our Superintendent of the Year for his visionary leadership, which has transformed a low-performing school district with a high rate of people living in poverty into a model example of how resources, leadership and determination can make the difference in the lives of Colorado’s young scholars.” The press release also quoted our Board President Michael Lobato as saying, “This has happened as a result of an infusion of resources provided through a federal turn-around improvement grant, and a clear vision to adopt, implement and effectively teach a curriculum clearly aligned to Colorado standards.”
I can’t tell you how proud I am of this accomplishment, not only for my sake, but for our entire school district. It is my belief this honor comes only on the coattails of the hard work each of our staff members are doing on behalf of our kids here in Center.
I recieved this award because I get to work with a school board that is actually focused on increasing student achievement, moving the district forward, and what is best for kids and staff members in general.
I received this award because the team I have here in the administration office consisting of Lori, Betty, JJ, and Jessica has allowed me to focus many of my efforts on global issues that are important to us in Center such as accreditation regulations, implementation of SB 191, and getting us the financial resources we need to do our jobs more effectively.
I received this award because our facilities, transportation, food service, and technology departments are guided by outstanding leaders who do their jobs with excellence and are supported by the best staff members they can possibly employ. Because of the great work our departments do I get to spend time worrying about how to get kids to achieve at a higher academic level, not on whether or not our kids are well fed, facilities are operational, network and devices are working, or our kids are getting taken to and from school safely.
I received this award because I get to supervise six of the best principals in the state of Colorado. Kevin, Carrie, Sarah, Kathy, Joy, and Chris have patiently waited for me to figure out just how to support them best, and have acted above and beyond my greatest hopes and expectations in everything I have asked them to do in the pursuit of better classroom instruction.
Finally, it is my belief I received this award because Center Schools is the home of the most outstanding teachers and instructional support staff in Colorado. The difference for every kid in this district comes down to the work being done in every classroom. Every time I visit our classrooms I am simply awestruck by the quality of teaching I see.
On Thursday the student bodies of each school celebrated the board's award as well as mine. As it was Halloween, Haskin Elementary students prepared a special costume for me to wear during their annual costume parade.
A good friend once told me, “A great leader will create more opportunities for others than he makes for himself.” I can only hope I have done that in Center. I know each of our staff members has always risen to the occasion for Center kids when they have been given such opportunities. From the bottom of my heart, I thank all the folks I work with for making me look so darn good!
George