Center of Focus

May 25, 2026

Focus on the Fabulous

Our seniors wrapped up their academic year this past week with some truly amazing activities and celebrations.

On Tuesday, seniors presented their ePortfolios during their exit interviews. These impressive collections highlight the culmination of some of the most meaningful and impactful work completed throughout their high school careers.

Students shared personal projects, Capstone work, community service experiences, honors and awards, college acceptance letters, and personal reflections.

It is always a moving and inspiring event, and this year’s seniors did an outstanding job during their presentations, earning high praise from those who attended.

A special shout-out goes to Mrs. Rounds, who has worked tirelessly to streamline our PWR work alongside the PWR team. Through her leadership, the team has embedded the Viking Profile into the process and established greater consistency and uniformity throughout the district. Her efforts have helped ensure that this important work will continue to be maintained and sustained for years to come.

Tuesday evening, CHS hosted the annual High School Awards Night. As always, Ms. Alfson served as the Master of Ceremonies and coordinated a special evening for our students and families, complete with delicious treats to conclude the celebration.

Thank you to Ms. Alfson, Ms. Banning, and Mrs. Lujan for the thoughtful touches that made the evening so memorable. Our students truly shone, and it was inspiring to see the number of awards and recognitions presented for a wide variety of accomplishments.

We are especially grateful for our community partners who faithfully attend each year to honor our soon-to-be graduates with scholarships and awards. These partnerships play an important role in supporting our students as they pursue their lifelong dreams and future goals.

Our District Ownership Team also gathered for its final meeting of the year. During the meeting, the team reviewed goals, reflected on progress, and celebrated the many successes accomplished throughout the year.

The evening also included time for fun networking and appreciation for the additional time and energy team members have devoted to this important work. Kindra, our hostess with the mostest, kept us engaged and entertained! She's a natural!

Over the last four years, our District Ownership efforts have led to tremendous growth and success, and we remain on track to accomplish the goals established for June 2027. Thank you to the entire team for your dedication and commitment to student success. Keep up the great work!

We also celebrated several important transition ceremonies throughout the week. On Thursday afternoon, our fifth graders were honored during their continuation ceremony as they prepared for the next chapter of their educational journey. Later that day, our kindergarten students proudly joined our seniors for the annual Senior Walk.

This meaningful tradition has become a special part of Center Schools, honoring our graduating seniors as they take one final walk through the hallways where so many memories were made. Hand in hand with our youngest Vikings, our seniors serve as powerful role models, inspiring the next generation to pursue the same goal of graduation and lifelong success. It is a beautiful reminder of the strong culture, connection, and pride that exists throughout our Viking community.

District Ownership Plan at Work

Priority #1- Curriculum and Instruction

CCSD staff lead rigorous, engaging, collaborative learning experiences in every classroom that align with CCSD Instructional Expectations.  

I know you all appreciated me doing the final sweep of the year for objectives and DFAs. You're welcome! Joe especially appreciated my visit. You can tell by his pleasant smile and engaged, thoughtful reflection.

Even with all of the exciting celebrations taking place, our teachers continued working hard to create meaningful and engaging learning opportunities for students right up until the very end of the school year.

In Mrs. Villagomez’s Kindergarten class, students received a memorable visit from the Lorax, who stopped by to read the beloved Dr. Seuss classic, Oh, the Places You’ll Go! Each student was gifted a copy of this book as a special gift as they prepare to move on to first grade. Mrs. Villagomez shared that this time of year is always bittersweet- it is difficult to say goodbye, but exciting to reflect on the growth and accomplishments her students have made throughout the year. Thank you, Mariah, for making your students’ Kindergarten experience so special and memorable.

Our Kindergarten students also enjoyed some extra fun with the “Best Day Ever,” also known as Glow Day! Students practiced reading skills and used glow sticks and highlighters to write sight words that literally glowed with excitement. They also solved math problems on neon paper, making learning colorful, engaging, and fun.

Great job to our entire Kindergarten team, Mrs. Najera, Mrs. Martinez, and Mrs. Villagomez, for creating such meaningful experiences for students and ending the year on such a positive note. We are excited to celebrate our Kindergarten graduates this week and look forward to all the amazing things ahead for our youngest Vikings!

Priority #2 – Postsecondary and Workforce Readiness (PWR)

CCSD develops hardworking learners who are contributors, problem solvers, effective communicators, and future-ready with the skills needed to succeed.

Our CNA students were officially pinned during Wednesday night’s ceremony, marking an important milestone in their educational and career journeys. District Nurse Wendy Murillo does an outstanding job leading this program and supporting students every step of the way as they work toward earning their certifications. We are incredibly proud of our students and all they have accomplished through their hard work, dedication, and commitment to serving others.

We also had several students successfully complete the Culinary Arts program and earn valuable industry credentials. Congratulations to Mr. Sperandio and his students for their hard work and achievement of these goals. These opportunities continue to prepare our students with the skills and experiences needed for success beyond high school.

Priority #3 – Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS)

CCSD maintains high expectations for student learning and behavior, with structures in place to support the needs of all students.

Our MLT held its final meeting of the year and shared some very impressive end-of-year data related to our District Ownership Plan (DOP) goals. The data reflects the hard work, dedication, and collaboration of staff across the district as we continue striving to improve outcomes for all students.

One of our primary attendance goals was to reduce the number of students considered chronically absent by 10% from last year. Our baseline from the 2024-2025 school year was 113 students, giving us an end-of-year goal of 102 students. As of last week, that number had dropped to 96 students, surpassing our goal. This is a significant accomplishment and demonstrates the positive impact of the attendance supports and interventions being implemented across the district.

We also set a goal to reduce the number of students in the 80–90% attendance range by 15%. Our baseline was 104 students, with a target goal of 88 students. As of last week, that number had decreased to 82 students, again exceeding our goal. These results show that we are on track to accomplish all of our attendance goals and continue building stronger habits of consistent school attendance for our students.

While our behavior data shows positive progress and improvement, we did not fully meet the ambitious reduction goals we established at the beginning of the year. Overall student behaviors have decreased considerably, and we are moving in a very positive direction.

For total student referrals (excluding classroom incidents), our goal was to reduce referrals by 20% from the 2024-2025 school year. Our baseline was 300 referrals, with a goal of reducing that number to 240. As of last week, total referrals were at 254, representing a 16% decrease and 46 fewer incidents compared to last year. Although we did not quite reach the 20% target, this still reflects meaningful progress and positive movement.

Similarly, we aimed to reduce the number of students with three or more referrals by 20%. Our baseline was 196 referrals, with a goal of reducing that number to 156. As of last week, the number stood at 170, representing a 15% decrease. Again, while we fell short of the target percentage, the data clearly shows improvement and continued growth in this area.

This information demonstrates that the supports, interventions, positive reinforcement systems, accountability measures, and best-practice strategies being implemented throughout the district are making a difference. We will continue refining our processes and building upon these successes as we work toward accomplishing our long-term goals for overall student achievement and success.

The MLT has worked incredibly hard throughout the year to identify areas of need, implement appropriate supports and interventions, monitor student progress, and assess outcomes to ensure all students have opportunities to succeed. Thank you to the entire team for your commitment, collaboration, and dedication to our students and school community.

Priority #4- Recruitment and Retention (R&R)

CCSD is committed to attracting, training, and retaining highly qualified teachers, knowing that effective educators are the single most important school-based factor in student success.

Fast Forward-

Monday, May 25^th- Memorial Day- No School

Tuesday, May 26^th- Kindergarten Graduation- Auditorium @ 6:00 pm

Wednesday, May 27^th- Skoglund Middle School Awards- Auditorium -8-10 am, Device Inspection and Turn In, 8^th grade Continuation- 7:00 pm

Thursday, May 28^th- Students last day of school, Building X- Ribbon Cutting, Preschool Graduation – Auditorium @ 6:00 pm, Special BOE Meeting

Friday, May 29^th- Staff Work Day- Morning breakfast- EOY recognitions

Saturday, May 30^th- CHS Graduation- Main Gym @ 10:00 am

Saturday, June 6^th- ARC Graduation- Auditorium @ 10:00 am