December 8, 2024
Focus on the Fabulous
The annual Colorado Association of School Boards (CASB) convention took place this past week, and Center Schools proudly represented the district with a strong team of students, board members, and district administration. This year’s theme, Mission Possible, emphasized the power of collaboration, leadership, and innovation in education.
Board President Kim Duran and Representative Miguel Rios attended the conference to stay informed about recent trends, challenges, and best practices in education, leadership, and district management. Kim, Miguel, Andy, and Carrie had the chance to listen to impactful keynote presentations by distinguished speakers and attend breakout sessions directly aligned with the work we are doing in the Center.
A highlight of the convention was the opportunity for our students to gain valuable leadership experience and connect with peers from districts across the state.
Special thanks to Hanna Hays for coordinating the student experience and ensuring our students had a meaningful and productive time. During the student leadership sessions, students discussed challenges and successes within their schools and shared insights on improving education and student engagement.
Center’s board members also engaged with our students throughout the conference to discuss district-specific concerns and ideas for growth. Last year’s conference inspired the creation of the CASB Crew, a student leadership group instrumental in implementing and reinforcing our cell phone policy and launching the Merit Program. This year, we look forward to continuing the work of the CASB Crew to ensure that student voices remain central to our district’s progress and success.
A shout out to our amazing tech team who has been working for over a year on getting our sound system updated in both gyms. This project includes replacing the overhead speakers and amplifiers in the auxiliary and main gyms. The comprehensive project has involved a great deal of planning and preparation to ensure our system is appropriate for our needs and provides the best system possible. Installers were here last week to begin this phase of the project. Thanks to Julio, Teddy, and Ascencion for all of their work to get us to this point!
Focus on our Fabulous Athletes
Center Schools showcased exceptional athletic performance at the annual Sangre Shootout Tournament. The Center Boys' team took 3rd with a decisive victory over Dolores. The Lady Vikings made an impressive run to the Championship Game, leading throughout but narrowly falling short in the final moments. Despite the tough loss, the Lady Vikings displayed incredible heart, determination, and sportsmanship, earning a well-deserved 2nd Place finish. Congratulations to both teams on a fantastic tournament, and here’s to a successful season ahead!
Our Viking wrestlers started their season with an impressive showing at the Fowler Grizzly Invitational, finishing 5th as a team. Congratulations to the following wrestlers for their standout performances:
The Vikings are off to a great start, and we look forward to an exciting wrestling season!
District Ownership Plan at Work
The District Ownership Team (DOT) has established long-term and short-term goals for each of our improvement strategies.
Priority #1- Curriculum and Instruction: CCSD staff lead rigorous, engaging, collaborative learning experiences in every classroom that are aligned with CCSD Instructional Expectations
Last week, I visited a couple of Kindergarten classrooms, and I was incredibly impressed by the level of rigor, engagement, and classroom management I observed.
In Miss Duran’s class, Kindergarteners were actively engaged in literacy activities. Students rotated through three stations, where they practiced letter recognition, sounded out words, and worked on writing their letters. Every student was on task and fully engaged in their learning, and transitions between activities were seamless, with no instructional time wasted.
In Mrs. Villagomez’s class, our youngest learners were focused and independent as they practiced math facts on their devices. At the same time, Mrs. Villagomez and Ms. Dawn provided individualized progress monitoring, working one-on-one with students to assess and support their math fluency. Students demonstrated an impressive level of focus, knowing what was expected of them and tackling challenging tasks independently.
Both classrooms exemplified our core belief in increasing academic achievement for all students. Miss Duran and Mrs. Villagomez created structured, rigorous learning environments where students build strong foundational skills. With this level of effort and dedication from both students and teachers, our Kindergarteners are already on their way to achieving high levels of success.
Priority #2: Post-Secondary and Workforce Readiness (PWR): CCSD seeks to develop hardworking learners who are contributors, problem solvers, effective communicators, future-ready, and empowered with the skills necessary to meet and handle the challenges they will face in today’s world.
Priority #3: Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS): CCSD will maintain high student learning and behavior expectations. Structures are in place to support the academic and behavioral needs of all students.
Priority #4-: Recruitment and Retention:
CCSD is committed to attracting the best and brightest to teach our students. Our goal is to recruit, train, and retain highly qualified teachers. Effective educators are the single most important school based factor determining student success.
Fast Forward
Calendar Dates
Monday, December 9th- R & R Meeting, NWEA Testing, Winter Band Concert
Tuesday, December 10th- CDE Monthly Commissioner Call, NWEA Testing, Superintendents Advisory Council, District Accountability Committee
Wednesday, December 11th- Joint IOG Meeting, NWEA Testing, SLV Superintendent PLC, Haskin Winter Concert, Regular BOE Meeting
Thursday, December 12th- CHS Mid Term Exams
Friday, December 13th- CHS Varsity Basketball VAA Tournament, CHS Wrestling Badger Invitational @ Limon
Saturday, December 14th- CHS Varsity Basketball VAA Tournament, CHS Wrestling Badger Invitational @ Limon
Monday, December 16th- End of Semester Final Exams
Tuesday, December 17th- End of Semester Final Exams
Wednesday, December 18th- End of Semester Final Exams, End of 2nd quarter- 1st Semester
Thursday, December 19th- All District Christmas Breakfast Potluck, Secret Santa Gift Reveal, Center Staff Christmas Party
Friday December 20th- January 5th – Christmas Vacation
Monday, January 6th- No Students, Staff PD @ ASU, Haskin Data Day in the afternoon
Tuesday, January 7th- Beginning of the second semester- 3rd quarter
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