January 21, 2024
Focus on the Fabulous
Friday, staff took part in a professional development day coordinated by Kevin Hagan and Ashley Lane. Teachers had a variety of learning opportunities throughout the day, from essential questions, effects of labeling, engagement strategies, and community classrooms, to academic language, executive functioning, PBL, and PEA. It’s impressive to see the level of talent we have on our staff and the willingness the team has to share their strengths with the rest of the team. Adams State treated us to lunch, thanks to Adele for setting that up!
There was even some time for fun with a pickleball tournament and a robust Never Have I Ever game at the elementary! We ended the day reviewing our Core Beliefs and doing a staff rollout of our District Ownership Plan.
Staff reviewed our four focus areas: Curriculum and Instruction, Post-Secondary and Workforce Readiness, Multi-Tiered System of Support, and Recruitment and Retention. Along with the focus areas, teams went over the approaches that were being taken in regards to each area, and the goals that we aim to accomplish by the end of this year and into the future.
We reviewed the six characteristics of our Graduate Profile. The skills and traits that we want our Center graduates to leave our district with as they enter the next phase of their lives. We want our Vikings to be Problem Solvers, Effective Communicators, Hard Workers, Empowered Learners, Contributors, and Future Ready.
We also reviewed our Core Beliefs… and I think it’s worthwhile to review them again!
• Our purpose is to increase academic achievement for ALL students
• With our support, ALL children can achieve at high levels and be successful in life
• Quality planning, instruction, and assessment lead to high achievement for all students
• Everyone must be committed to excellence in ALL they do every day
The first core belief reminds us that our ultimate goal in public education is to help students achieve academically. There are increased expectations placed on schools today and we are called upon to serve a multitude of roles in today’s society, however, our primary goal is to provide kids with the knowledge and skills necessary so that they can be successful in life. The second core belief ensures that we do meet ALL students’ needs, with additional support and resources. Center schools do a tremendous job in providing additional resources for our students, including basic physiological needs, safety and security, love and belonging, health and wellness, social and emotional supports, esteem and character development, after-school activities, restorative practices, post-secondary and workforce opportunities, special education, multi-lingual supports, and academic interventions. These additional supports, ensure that we are addressing the whole child and giving our students the necessary foundation so that they can achieve at high levels. We believe that EVERY child should be supported and EVERY child can achieve at high levels.
As a staff, we must be committed to excellence in ALL we do- every day. We can’t fly by the seat of our pants. We must make a daily choice to be our best in our roles, every day. Our kids deserve that. That means intentional quality lesson planning each week. Preparing ahead of time to ensure that lessons are delivered effectively and that kids understand the content being taught. And, if through daily formative assessments, you recognize that the students didn’t demonstrate understanding, you can reteach and present the content differently, to ensure that kids do understand. Our job is to help students learn. Quality planning, instruction, and ongoing assessment lead to high achievement for our students and is a core belief that the district is committed to. The biggest predictor of student success is a quality teacher in the classroom. The research is undisputable-
• Mortimore and Sammons found that teaching had 6 to 10 times as much impact on achievement as all other factors combined
• (Sanders & Horn) Three years of effective teaching accounts on average for an improvement of 35 to 50 percentile points
• Improved classroom instruction is the prime factor to produce student achievement gains (Odden & Wallace)
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Rewind
Our Viking athletes had a successful weekend of events. The wrestlers traveled to North Fork for the Fight at the Fork tournament. Martin Palma placed 1st, Jordan Duran and Aaron Valadez took 2nd, and Jesus Valadez placed 3rd. Andre Meraz and Lorenzo Trujillo also made it to the winner's podium and the team took 7th overall. At the beginning of the week, CHS wrestlers were ranked 4th in the State for Class 2A.
Our Lady Vikings soundly beat Crested Butte on the road to keep up their current winning streak, having beat Lake County on Thursday by 52 points. Way to go ladies!
Our MLD team has been working hard to get all of the ACCESS testing done for our students. Approximately 40% of our students qualify to receive services through our MLD program. Alex Magness, Gena Portillo, Anna Bishop, and Amanda Alanis make up our MLD team and work to ensure equitable access for our English Learners to grade-level standards and to provide a solid well-rounded education.
Fast Forward
Upcoming dates to get on calendars
Monday, Jan. 22nd- Policy Work, FSCP, and CASB Crew Meeting with newspaper
Tuesday, Jan. 23rd- SLV WBL Coalition, Department Head Meeting
Wednesday, Jan. 24th- Rural Alliance Advocacy, Superintendent PLC, SLV BOCES Meeting
Thursday, Jan. 25th- ICAP/PLC, Early Release, FSCP Retreat, CHS B-ball @ Sargent
Friday, Jan. 26th – FSCP Retreat, Valley Classic
Saturday, Jan. 27th- Valley Classic, Kiwanis Pancake Breakfast