Focus on the Fabulous
Gloria and Mrs. Martinez
As I am finishing up the last round of walkthroughs for the year, I have had the chance to see some great instruction taking place at the middle school. On Thursday I dropped into Mrs. Martinez’s class and got to see the kids presenting their analysis of persuasive speeches. The students researched different persuasive speeches on the internet and chose one based on their preferences. Next, the students analyzed how the medium affected the message and the portrayal of the main idea. Mrs. Martinez designed the lesson to have them evaluate specific aspects of the speech, focusing on the rhetorical devices used. The students then presented a short segment of the speech and their evaluation of it to the class. I was impressed with the selections the students had made and Mrs. Martinez did a great job of prompting students with her questions to get them to critically analyze the speeches. Quality planning, instruction and assessments lead to high achievement for all students.
Teacher Feature with Mrs. Rice
Marilu, Leticia, Heather, and Miriah
PE!!! This has been a fun year in physical education class; lots of exciting units and smiles. I feel fortunate to be able to teach these students in the physical education environment. Not only do they learn new games (racket ball, disc golf, students and tumbling, wrestling, etc) and traditional (basketball, volleyball, softball, football, etc.) , but I also get to see and know the students in a different way. I feel the students work hard and are willing to try new activities; as well as getting to know class mates and myself better. Physical education if a very social setting and I see the students mature and laugh daily. On a side note, I recently took 27 kids to the Hershey’s track meet in Alamosa. We had 8 students qualify for state!!! Good job: Marcos Macias, Frank Torrez, Juan Nungaray, Hector Salazar, Leticia Atencio, Marilu Zamora, Heather Montoya, and Mirah Varela!!
Rewind
Mrs. Ramos' Reading Plus class
This past week our middle school team met with some of the 5th grade staff to discuss incoming sixth graders. This meeting helps to ensure that we are prepared to meet the needs of next year’s students. We are looking forward to working with this group of kids. I was busy with Athletic Director responsibilities throughout the week, preparing to host the end of the year baseball tournament on Friday and Saturday. I attended the budget meeting on Monday afternoon and we brainstormed different options for addressing finance issues for the upcoming school year. I enjoyed celebrating with Mrs. Ramos’s Reading Plus students at their root beer float party. These students have been working hard throughout the semester and have shown tremendous gains on their fluency and comprehension levels. Monday afternoon I watched our Center Vikings complete their regular season play with one more win under their belt. They had an undefeated season rolling into the tournaments! Throughout the week, I had a number of meetings, including RTIs, IEPs and the Helms project. We had our visit with the Lieutenant Governor on Thursday and it was fun to show him around our school. It was especially fun to drop in on Mrs. Ruggles’ Senior Seminar class! That evening the middle/high held their first Parent Appreciation night and the alternative band performed in the auditorium. Friday, students and staff had the day off for a snow day. Skoglund hosted the end of the year middle school baseball tournament at the park. We had sixteen teams who started in the tournament playing in eight games throughout the day. The Center boys defeated Monte Vista in their first game, and then lost a close one to Alamosa that afternoon. Saturday morning they played a tough Salida team for third place. They ended the tournament in the 4th place spot. Overall, they had a successful season. Thanks to everybody who helped to make the tournament a success. The custodial staff did a great job getting the fields ready for play. I know Walter Martinez, the baseball coach, spent extra time and his own resources to make sure the fields were in good condition. Saturday our track team finished their season with the end of the year meet held at Sangre. They had a very successful year and were competitive in all of the track and field events.
Forward Focus
Monday morning we will have our end of the year Awards Assembly in the auditorium. We will be recognizing the hard work and effort of our students throughout the year. After the assembly, kids and staff will do community clean up for the annual Spirit Day. In the afternoon we will head to the park for student- staff competitions! I will be meeting with Mr. Welsh in the afternoon for my end of the year evaluation. Tuesday morning will start with a Bully meeting for the middle school staff being put on by students involved in Mrs. Ruggles’ Working Together Project. There will be a Get a Grip assembly in the auditorium at 10:00 am. We will be meeting throughout the next couple of weeks with different candidates for open positions in both buildings. Wednesday we will have a Health Advisory Committee meeting, the middle/high band concert and the 5th grade Continuation Ceremony. Thursday and Friday we will start district quarterlies. Middle schoolers will turn in lap tops on Thursday. Friday evening is the 8th grade Graduation Ceremony.