Focus on the Fabulous
Shirley Atencio, Carolyn Ruybal and Lisa Renner
The week started with our annual end of the year award assembly. We recognized the hard work and accomplishments of our middle school students. It was impressive to see how much our middle school students have achieved throughout the year. A lot of that success can be related to the hard work and dedication of our amazing staff. Three of our amazing teachers will be heading off for new journeys this coming year. We will bid farewell to Carolyn Ruybal, Lisa Renner and Shirley Atencio. These ladies will leave a void that will not be filled, but we are happy for their new adventures and wish them all the best. Thank you for all you have shared with our students and our district. We love you!
I would like to recognize Mrs. Newmyer and the middle/high band students for their end of the year performance on Wednesday night. The audience enjoyed the different performances from large groups to duets to solos. I was so impressed with the progress the 6th grade band has made over the year. They really have come together as a cohesive unit. The middle school band also did a great job with their performances. Thank you, Mrs. Newmyer, for your hard work in putting this program together; it was a great way to end the year.
I would like to recognize Mrs. Newmyer and the middle/high band students for their end of the year performance on Wednesday night. The audience enjoyed the different performances from large groups to duets to solos. I was so impressed with the progress the 6th grade band has made over the year. They really have come together as a cohesive unit. The middle school band also did a great job with their performances. Thank you, Mrs. Newmyer, for your hard work in putting this program together; it was a great way to end the year.
Teacher Feature-Katrina Ruggles
I teach the middle school Choices classes with the 7th and 8th grade students. Choices is based on the Colorado Comprehensive Health Education standards and the American School Counselor Association Standards. In Choices, we learn about goal setting, how to make good decisions, refusal skills, staying away from drugs and alcohol, sexual activity, and various other health and life skills related topics. It is a fun class, and we have a great time together. I encourage parents to ask their children about what they are learning in Choices, as I believe parents have the largest influence on youth for all of these topics.
In the 7th grade Choices classes this semester, we have been learning about the consequences of early sexual activity as well as the benefits of waiting. Students have learned about reproductive anatomy and about “where babies come from.” We have learned about the physical, intellectual, emotional, social, spiritual, and financial consequences of early sexual activity. For the physical consequences, we have studied various sexually transmitted diseases (STD) and their consequences. This is important as the Center for Disease Control reports that 1 in 4 sexually active teens in the U.S. has a STD. The consequences of STDs can lead to infertility and even death. It is important that our youth understand the real life consequences of the adult decision to have sex. National speakers Barb and Rick Wise spoke about this reality in class, and we held a parent session the evening of Monday, May 6th at Tierra Nueva. Barb acquired the HIV virus at the age of 19, and speaks eloquently about how this has impacted her life. All who hear her are impacted by her story. I encourage parents to ask their child about this presentation and about how it will change their own decision-making.
In the 8th grade Choices classes, we have been doing a curriculum all year called the Working Together Project. With this curriculum, we first studied seven different health problems—substance use, bullying, non-engagement in school, high-risk sexual behaviors, physical inactivity, poor mental health, and unhealthy eating. Students studied what these problems were and their consequences. They analyzed data from our Healthy Kids Colorado Survey that the students in grades 6-12 take. This study asks students about how questions related to these health issues so that we can know how big a problem they are for our school. Students collected other pieces of data as well from adults in the school and community as well as through observations. They used all of the data to prioritize the problems, and both classes selected bullying as their top health concern at the school. Students then learned more about what bullying is and how it impacts both an individual and our school community. They analyzed the problem to identify underlying reasons, including those that include practices at the school. They then selected a strategy that has been researched to create positive change and are now working to implement those strategies. The 3rd hour Choices class decided that our school staff, parents, and students need to be more aware of what the district bullying policy is. The 6th hour Choices class felt that teachers needed to be better trained to recognize bullying and to intervene when they see it. Watch for various resources and events related to putting these strategies into action. This class has been a great opportunity to involve students in making a positive change in our school.
On another note, Alice Burch and I are the middle school Knowledge Bowl sponsors. Our 8th grade team has placed at every meet that we have attended this year. Last week, they medaled with a 3rd place finish in Lake City. Our 7th grade team placed 4th in a tournament as well. This is the first year that we have placed at every tournament we have attended. I love seeing young people get excited about an academic competition, and they are to be congratulated for their efforts in the classroom that are reflected in their knowledge in the competition.
As always, each year seems to fly by, and I am never ready for summer to begin. However, I am honored that I get to work with such wonderful young people as those we have here in Center. They are truly remarkable! I wish them an adventurous summer!
I teach the middle school Choices classes with the 7th and 8th grade students. Choices is based on the Colorado Comprehensive Health Education standards and the American School Counselor Association Standards. In Choices, we learn about goal setting, how to make good decisions, refusal skills, staying away from drugs and alcohol, sexual activity, and various other health and life skills related topics. It is a fun class, and we have a great time together. I encourage parents to ask their children about what they are learning in Choices, as I believe parents have the largest influence on youth for all of these topics.
In the 7th grade Choices classes this semester, we have been learning about the consequences of early sexual activity as well as the benefits of waiting. Students have learned about reproductive anatomy and about “where babies come from.” We have learned about the physical, intellectual, emotional, social, spiritual, and financial consequences of early sexual activity. For the physical consequences, we have studied various sexually transmitted diseases (STD) and their consequences. This is important as the Center for Disease Control reports that 1 in 4 sexually active teens in the U.S. has a STD. The consequences of STDs can lead to infertility and even death. It is important that our youth understand the real life consequences of the adult decision to have sex. National speakers Barb and Rick Wise spoke about this reality in class, and we held a parent session the evening of Monday, May 6th at Tierra Nueva. Barb acquired the HIV virus at the age of 19, and speaks eloquently about how this has impacted her life. All who hear her are impacted by her story. I encourage parents to ask their child about this presentation and about how it will change their own decision-making.
In the 8th grade Choices classes, we have been doing a curriculum all year called the Working Together Project. With this curriculum, we first studied seven different health problems—substance use, bullying, non-engagement in school, high-risk sexual behaviors, physical inactivity, poor mental health, and unhealthy eating. Students studied what these problems were and their consequences. They analyzed data from our Healthy Kids Colorado Survey that the students in grades 6-12 take. This study asks students about how questions related to these health issues so that we can know how big a problem they are for our school. Students collected other pieces of data as well from adults in the school and community as well as through observations. They used all of the data to prioritize the problems, and both classes selected bullying as their top health concern at the school. Students then learned more about what bullying is and how it impacts both an individual and our school community. They analyzed the problem to identify underlying reasons, including those that include practices at the school. They then selected a strategy that has been researched to create positive change and are now working to implement those strategies. The 3rd hour Choices class decided that our school staff, parents, and students need to be more aware of what the district bullying policy is. The 6th hour Choices class felt that teachers needed to be better trained to recognize bullying and to intervene when they see it. Watch for various resources and events related to putting these strategies into action. This class has been a great opportunity to involve students in making a positive change in our school.
On another note, Alice Burch and I are the middle school Knowledge Bowl sponsors. Our 8th grade team has placed at every meet that we have attended this year. Last week, they medaled with a 3rd place finish in Lake City. Our 7th grade team placed 4th in a tournament as well. This is the first year that we have placed at every tournament we have attended. I love seeing young people get excited about an academic competition, and they are to be congratulated for their efforts in the classroom that are reflected in their knowledge in the competition.
As always, each year seems to fly by, and I am never ready for summer to begin. However, I am honored that I get to work with such wonderful young people as those we have here in Center. They are truly remarkable! I wish them an adventurous summer!
Rewind
Monday morning our kids attended the academic awards and then we held our annual Spirit Day, in which our students cleaned up various parts of the community. That afternoon I met with Mr. Welsh for my end of the year evaluation. Our middle school students met at the park for class competitions against the grade levels and teachers. Tuesday morning started early with the WTP group meeting with staff to go over the bully policies for our district. I had several meetings during the day including IEPs, Boettcher and interviews. Mrs. Ruggles arranged for the Get a Grip Presentation for our students. I was able to get into a number of classrooms throughout the week to finish up my walkthroughs. We began NWEA retakes for the middle school on Wednesday and that continued throughout the week. I also sat in on another interview. That evening I had the opportunity to welcome our incoming 6th graders at the 5th grade continuation and listen to the middle/high band performance. Thursday and Friday students took their end of the year assessments. The middle schoolers turned in their laptops on Thursday. Our Knowledge Bowl team competed in the end of the year competition at Adams State. Friday I had a parent meeting and continued to get NWEA retakes completed. Friday evening we held the 8th grade continuation ceremony and wished our 8th graders well as they headed off to high school. Sunday I worked with Mr. Jones on completing teacher evaluations.
Forward Focus
Monday our 7th graders will be having their end of the year trip to go swimming and hang out at the Loft. Monday afternoon our DLT will meet to review the year and make preparations for next year. The 6th grade class trip will be held on Tuesday. The sixth graders will be heading to the Sand Dunes for the day. Wednesday the 8th graders will head to Denver for a Rockies game. I will be conducting end of the year evaluations throughout the week and will be scheduling times to meet with individual teachers. Wednesday will be a work day for our staff and we will host a staff lunch. Teachers and staff, feel free to wear shorts and jeans this week as we have a lot going on! Let’s see how many of you are still reading!