Focus on the Fabulous
Each week I talk about the great things our staff and students are doing here in Center, but none of that would be possible if it weren’t for the visionary leadership that Mr. Welsh has provided our district. He has created an environment which is student centered and where everyone works together to support our students so that they can achieve at high levels and be successful in life. That is something that should not be taken for granted. I applaud the school board for their vote on Tuesday night which renewed Mr. Welsh’s contract for another two years. The show of support from the community and staff was impressive and the messages they shared confirmed the positive impact that Mr. Welsh has had on our district. It’s great to see everyone working together, committed to excellence in order to raise student achievement and help kids develop into contributing members of society.
Rewind
We kicked off our Skoglund Middle School Olympics unit last week! It was fun to see all the creative lessons teachers had put together to incorporate the Olympics theme into their instruction. Mrs. Ruggles had her students working in teams, researching specific countries, and discussing ways to handle conflict. Mr. Vigil was focusing on the geography of Russia, helping kids develop a sense of where the Olympic events are being held, and discussing the threat of terrorism. Several teachers are having students research and present different topics related to the Olympics, including Ms. Dolan, Mrs. Martinez, and Mr. Hagan. In math, kids are creating graphs, looking at data, and analyzing the results of that data, all related to the Winter Games. Our teachers have taken time to plan for quality instruction related to our theme! Way to go teachers!
Monday, Mr. Jones and I hosted the SLV Secondary Administrators PLC. We reviewed our BLT and PLC processes and went over some of the work we have done recently with data. We dropped into a couple middle and high classes and observed instruction. Our girls’ basketball tournament started on Tuesday. Thanks to Mr. Jones for letting us play the first round of tournaments in the big gym. Our 7th graders had an exciting win over Creede, and unfortunately our 8th graders came up a little short against Sargent. The final games of the tournament were played in Sanford on Friday and Saturday. Our 7th graders came in 4th place at the tournament. The 8th graders didn't fare quite as well at the tournament, but had a winning season overall! Tuesday evening I attended the monthly DAC and BOE meetings. I had the chance to review winter NWEA data with all of our students on Thursday. I've asked students to take their graphs home and go over their scores with their parents. This will encourage students to begin taking more ownership of their learning and monitoring their own progress. Wednesday and Thursday we held parent teacher conferences. We ran a shortened schedule as students were released at 2:00 pm each day. Conferences ran from 3:30- 7:30 pm. We had a good turnout both nights.
Monday, Mr. Jones and I hosted the SLV Secondary Administrators PLC. We reviewed our BLT and PLC processes and went over some of the work we have done recently with data. We dropped into a couple middle and high classes and observed instruction. Our girls’ basketball tournament started on Tuesday. Thanks to Mr. Jones for letting us play the first round of tournaments in the big gym. Our 7th graders had an exciting win over Creede, and unfortunately our 8th graders came up a little short against Sargent. The final games of the tournament were played in Sanford on Friday and Saturday. Our 7th graders came in 4th place at the tournament. The 8th graders didn't fare quite as well at the tournament, but had a winning season overall! Tuesday evening I attended the monthly DAC and BOE meetings. I had the chance to review winter NWEA data with all of our students on Thursday. I've asked students to take their graphs home and go over their scores with their parents. This will encourage students to begin taking more ownership of their learning and monitoring their own progress. Wednesday and Thursday we held parent teacher conferences. We ran a shortened schedule as students were released at 2:00 pm each day. Conferences ran from 3:30- 7:30 pm. We had a good turnout both nights.
Forward Focus
Tuesday afternoon we will have a presentation for the students in the auditorium during 7th period. Lynn Reimer will be the presenter and she will be discussing drug and alcohol prevention. There is a health advisory meeting on Wednesday and I have a student RTI scheduled that day as well. There will be a Winter Fest pep rally in the gym during 4th hour. Teachers may take their students if they wish. Thursday I will be meeting with Debbie from PEBC and that evening I will cover the high school basketball game at Sargent. Friday afternoon we will hold our closing ceremony for the Olympics unit. After school, I will be covering the high school basketball game against Cripple Creek.