August 28, 2023
Focus on the Fabulous
The kids are settling in as we start off the third week of school. Ms. Hintz has created a welcoming reading space in the library where kids can learn the love of reading! We have the perfect mix of veteran staff and new faces that make up our Viking team this year. We will be getting to know our new team members over the next few weeks.
Our fifth-grade team is brand new to the district, however, there is a wealth of knowledge and experience on the team.
Kate Fuller is one of our new fifth-grade teachers. She has 39 years of experience in education. Her experience includes teaching at the elementary level in both regular and special education, as a Senior Director of School support for GSN, as an elementary principal in Pagosa Springs, and as a Spalding Reading trainer. These varied experiences coupled with her drive, work ethic, and passion will be beneficial for the district and our students!
Tamera Hernandez is the other half of the fifth-grade team and she is a familiar face in Center as she is a Viking graduate! This is Tamera’s first year as a classroom teacher in the district, but she does have over eight years of experience in early childhood. It’s always awesome to have a Center alum join the team as a great role model for our students! Tamera’s nurturing nature and her passion for learning will serve her well this year.
At the secondary level, we are thrilled to have TWO, count them, TWO licensed math teachers on board! They are joining Trish Rue, our amazing middle school math teacher, to complete the math department.
Maria Lena Junio most recently lived in Arizona, but originally comes from the Philippines. She brings years of experience with her as she has been in education in various capacities for over 18 years. Her work experience includes stints at several colleges and universities, an integrated senior high school, and for the last couple of years, she has worked at Vista Grande HS in Casa Grande, AZ.
Brian Roberts is coming to us from New Mexico. He spent the last three years teaching Earth Science and Agriculture at EVHS in Española, New Mexico. His three strongest assets as an educator include building rapport with students, setting high expectations, and his passion!
He has a full schedule as he will be teaching upper-level math and science classes.
We want to welcome each of you to our Viking family! We are looking forward to working together for our students!
Camille Ruggles, our secondary special education teacher, who also serves our country in the National Guard, had the honor of presenting the colors at the Broncos football game this weekend. Way to go Camille! You represent our country, Bronco Country, and Viking Country well! You make us proud!
Rewind
The administration team had the chance to get into some classrooms last week and we saw some great instruction and activities for the second week of school! High-quality instruction and engaged learning are taking place within the walls of CCSD. Mr. Kriss had the kids on the edges of their seats as he followed their detailed instructions for making a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. This was a fun lesson that emphasized to students the importance of writing clear, explicit directions in preparation for future science labs! In Mrs. Rounds's class students were working collaboratively on passion boards as they began making plans for their futures! At the elementary, in Mrs. Mikeljack’s class, students were engaged in text and using Kagan strategies to discuss passages that they were reading together! In each of the classes, we saw students communicating in different ways, which is one of our priority areas on the Graduate Profile! Vikings are Effective Communicators! An effective communicator speaks and writes with clarity, honesty, and integrity. They are active listeners, self-advocates, advocates for others, and know when to ask for help!
Friday we had our first PLC day as we looked over our state CMAS results, reviewed our building boulders, prepped for NWEA, and did an overview of Branching Minds. Misty Lambert was a breakout star with her presentation on one of the secondary boulders, student belonging. She did a fantastic job of presenting different strategies that we can use to help kids feel connected and let them know they belong! Thanks to everyone who contributed to the work!
Our cross-country team has been preparing for their first competition. The team was at school early Friday morning and hit the hills in Del Norte the day before!
Fast Forward
Upcoming dates to get on calendars
Monday, August 28th- NWEA Testing
Tuesday, August 29th- NWEA Testing, School Finance Task Force
Wednesday, August 30th – NWEA Testing, Rural Alliance Advocacy, Weekly Superintendent PLC, Suicide Prevention Training
Thursday, August 31st- Colorado Education Initiative Meeting, Recruitment and Retention, Volleyball @ Crested Butte
Friday, Sept. 1st- Volleyball @ Calhan, Football @ Northfork, Cross Country @ Rocky Ford
Saturday, Sept. 2nd- Volleyball @ Las Animas
Monday, Sept. 4th – Labor Day, Football vs. Platte Canyon @ Home
Friday, Sept. 8th- No Students- PD Day
Friday, Sept. 15th- Optional PD Day
Thursday, Sept. 21st- ICAP, Early Release, PLC
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