Center of Focus

March 31st, 2025

Focus on the Fabulous- Vikings in Action

Our District Ownership Plan highlights four priority areas that guide our work. At the heart of our ownership philosophy is the belief in shared responsibility and leadership. Achieving the goals outlined in the plan requires dedication and commitment from all stakeholders, and it’s inspiring to see how our Viking team comes together to ensure student success. Every week, that commitment is evident at every level of our district.

Dianna Valenzuela and her food services team work hard to provide students with delicious, nutritious meals. Students enjoyed various impressive meals this week, with homemade lasagna being a standout favorite!

Over Spring Break, our facilities team worked hard to complete key projects and ensure our district was in top shape for our return. If you noticed the shiny floors, that’s just one example of their hard work!

The team is also tackling spring maintenance, including cleaning out planters, burning weeds, and preparing for warmer weather.

Our athletic facilities are also getting some well-deserved attention. It’s exciting to see our athletes training on the brand-new track! Meanwhile, Chris Segura, Cameron King, John Noriega, and the baseball team have worked hard to improve the baseball field. They revamped the warning track, installed turf in the batting cages, and refreshed the dirt on the mound and running lanes.

This collective effort exemplifies the true meaning of district ownership—working together to create the best possible environment for our students. A huge thank you to everyone who makes our district a great place to learn and grow!

Our Center athletes shined brightly once again this week! The CHS Track team competed in the always-windy Sangre de Cristo track meet, where our boys took 1st place and our girls secured 4th place. Both teams delivered strong performances. With such a promising start, we’re excited to see what the rest of the season holds!

Meanwhile, our baseball team hosted its first home game. While the final score wasn’t what we had hoped for, the boys played with heart, determination, and teamwork. Their effort on the field was commendable, and we’re looking forward to a great season ahead. Go Vikings!

District Ownership Plan at Work

Priority #1- Curriculum and Instruction:  CCSD staff lead rigorous, engaging, collaborative learning experiences in every classroom aligned with CCSD Instructional Expectations.

In Mrs. Quintana’s class this past week, some mischievous leprechauns were still lurking around—even after St. Patrick’s Day! Using their lucky and stealthy skills, they managed to stay undercover. But thanks to the creativity and innovation of our 2nd-grade students, their luck finally ran out!

Our young problem-solvers designed clever traps to catch the tricky leprechauns and shared their fabulous creations and writings with the class. What a fun and engaging way to foster critical thinking and creativity!

Great job, Mrs. Quintana and students….and thank you for handling the leprechaun problem at Center Schools!

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.

More students have been actively working on their Capstone projects this past week. Ivan Guaderrama, Ruben Rendon, and Miguel Hernandez will host a car wash this coming week, so don’t forget to bring your dirty vehicles! This is another fantastic way our students are giving back to the community.

Priority #3- Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS):  CCSD will maintain high expectations for student learning and behavior.  Structures are in place to support academic and behavioral needs of all students. 

One key area of feedback from our mid-year survey was the need for greater transparency in discipline, accountability, and staff feedback. In response, we are developing a weekly discipline report that staff will be able to access. Thanks to the dedicated efforts of our staff in inputting data into Branching Minds and Infinite Campus, Melissa Busolo has compiled a report that we will pilot to assess its effectiveness in addressing this need. Stay tuned for more information on when the report will be made available.

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. 

It’s the time of year when districts work hard to get new hires on board for open positions, and CCSD is no different. We have been advertising several positions, and thanks to the efforts of our R & R team, we’ve been getting a lot of interest in our district. 

We currently have the following positions open, so help spread the word:

Haskin Elementary:

Elementary Teachers- Primary Grades

Paraprofessional 

Skoglund Middle School:

MS Social Studies Teacher

Center High School:

RTI Interventionist

CTE Teacher

HS Social Studies

Coaching:

H.S. Football Head Coach

MS Track Assistant Coach

Fast Forward

Calendar Dates

Monday, March 31st- CMAS Test Administer Training, Policy Work, Prep for weekly meetings, classroom visits, Legal Counsel

Tuesday, April 1st- CMAS Test Administer Training, CHS Horizon Benchmark Assessment, Health Insurance Renewal Meeting, District Health Advisory Committee, CHS Baseball @ La Veta

Wednesday, April 2nd- No Cost Eye Exams with Adventure Vision, Saguache County OP Meeting and County MAC, Rural Alliance Advocacy, Opportunity Coalition, SLV Superintendents PLC, MS/HS BOT

Thursday, April 3rd- Eye Exams with Adventure Vision, CHS Knowledge Bowl Meet, Weekly OAC Meeting- Construction

Friday, April 4th- YMFHA Training

Saturday, April 5th- CHS Track- Salida Invitational

Monday, April 7th- April 30th- State Assessments- CMAS, PSAT, SAT