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| Woodland Park School District Newsletter |
| Issue No. 5 |
October 10, 2008 |
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Greetings!
Welcome back and thank you for showing interest in our e-newsletter. It is our focus to improve communication with our parents and community.
Please don't hesitate to leave any feedback you have that would help us reach our goal of improved communication.
We would love to have you come to our next board meeting. The next meeting will be held Wednesday, November 12, 2008 at 7:00 p.m. in the large conference room at the District Administration Office located at 211 N. Baldwin St. Topic to be discussed is: Ends Policy discussion on Exploratory Achievement; also the High School Madrigals will be performing.
Thank you and enjoy the newsletter.
Sincerely,
Woodland Park School District Re-2 Board of Education
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High School Student Council Reports to Board of Education
STUCO Executive Treasurer Katie Powell reported that Homecoming Week was a great success. STUCO will be doing Drive Smart where they will be checking if students are wearing their seat belts over a six week period. Superintendent Arseneau and the Board of Education praised STUCO for doing a great job with all the Homecoming events.
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Activities Director Brian Gustafson highlights Activities & Athletics
· Homecoming wrapup
· Cross Country
o Boys 6th out of 17
o Girls 3rd out of 17 at Doherty Invite
o League Meet tomorrow
· Boys Soccer
o 2nd Win in a week last night @ Harrison
o Final Game at home on 10/16 6pm
· Football
o Currently 3-1 in league play
o Last minute victory @ Harrison
o @ Alamosa on 10/10
· Golf
o WPHS Golf Tournament
§ Champion: Falcon HS
o One golfer missed state by one stroke
· Softball
o Final Record: 11-7
o Finished 6th in league and did not qualify for post-season play
· Volleyball
o Current Record: 10-6; 4-3
o Wrap up regular season play next Thursday
· Middle School
o Concluding Fall sports this week
o Begin Boys Basketball on Monday
· Marching Band : Douglas County Marching Invitational
o 1st in 3A
o 11th overall
o Southern Regionals on October 15 (D20 Stadium)
· Other Activities & Clubs (Forensics, etc.) getting underway
o S.O.S. - Electronics Recycling Drive 10,638 lbs of electronics
o Fall Play 'A Murder Announced'
o Choir Concert tonight
· Over the next Month:
o Continuing Panther Partners Efforts (approx $8,000 so far)
§ Sponsorships
o Post-Season
§ Even host Cripple Creek v'ball playoffs
§ Hopefully have post-season accolades to report
For a complete schedule click the link below:
Athletics & Activities Schedule
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Social Achievement is the focus of this month's
Ends discussion
This month's Ends discussion was on E-3 (Board End's Policy #3) Social Achievement. Board President Rick Wetzel read the policy and shared the goal and purpose of this policy is to send our students out into society with social and 21st Century skills. Building principals reported to the board how they are implementing this in their buildings and Superintendent Arseneau shared this policy has provided a district-wide collaborative effort.
E-3
Policy Type: Ends
Social Achievement
Students shall have the traits and life skills necessary for them to become meaningful citizens.
· Students will accept responsibility and accountability for their own
actions.
· Students will understand the value of service to others and the impact of
service on their school, community, state, and nation.
· Students will understand the importance of exercising the right to vote in
a democratic society.
· Students will demonstrate positive work habits and attitudes to be
successful in school and future career.
Adopted: September 9, 1998
Revised: September 14, 2005; May 14, 2008
LEGAL REF.:
C.R.S. 22-32-109.1 (requirement that mission statement reflect safety as a priority)
Monitoring Method: Board self-assessment
Monitoring Frequency: October, November, December, January, February
WOODLAND PARK SCHOOL DISTRICT RE-2, WOODLAND PARK, COLORADO
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BUS ROUTES MEETINGS SUMMARY
TRANSPORTATION MEETINGS SEPTEMBER 2008 The following concerns and solutions were taken from the meetings that were held with parents, community, Durham Transportation Services and the School District. The purpose of the meetings was to discuss alternate solutions to the rising fuel and transportation costs to the District. All of these ideas were captured at the meetings or received through email. CONCERNS SURROUNDING CONSOLIDATED BUS STOPS
· This will increase the number of cars at a stop creating safety issues for
children and parents (room for parking)
· Increased auto traffic
· Any additional signage required for safety
· Students walking in the cold and dark (time change) with no sidewalks
· Streets students walk on will be plowed with snow along the border
· Students walking on icy and steep roads (sometimes not plowed)
· Students walking farther on roads with blind curves (Elementary students
that walk)
· Some routes will require little or no change
· Not many "walking neighborhoods"
· Wild animals create a safety hazard for children walkers
· County won't plow roads as quickly if bus stops are removed
· Reduced pay for bus drivers
ALTERNATE SOLUTIONS
· Common start time for all schools (concern about K-12 on same bus)
· Common start time for Columbine, Gateway, Middle School and High
School
· Fees for riding
1. Fee for every student enrolled in the district
2. Fee for only those riding the bus
3. Adjusted fee schedule (free and reduced lunch)
4. Punch card so only the times riding are charged per trip
5. Fees for individual neighborhoods or sub divisions to keep the bus
stops as they currently are
· Mill levy for transportation (not sure it will pass)
· Consolidate Middle School and High School stops without changing
Elementary stops
· Consolidate in town routes (K-12 together)
· Review current routes and stops for efficiency
· Crossing guards on highway 24 for in-town walkers
· Four day school week
· Modified four day school week schedule (every other Friday off)
· Work with County and neighborhoods to create safer bus stops and
possible shelters
· Alternative fuel solutions
· How Collaboration early dismissal effects bussing costs
· Work with city and county to increase buying power of fuel (storage
could be an issue)
Several of the issues and solutions were mentioned numerous times at different meetings.
The Board of Education will be reviewing these concerns and suggested alternate solutions over the next couple of months.
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Walmart Teacher of the Year Award is Presented
High School Principal Del Garrick announced that High School English teacher Ashley Lawson is the recipient of the Walmart High School Teacher of the Year Award. Mrs. Lawson was nominated by a student and received a $1,000 gift card for the school, a $100 gift card for her personally, and a beautiful plaque.
Mrs. Lawson has been with the district for five years and is a Nationally Board Certified Master Teacher.
The Board of Education and Administration congratulated and thanked her for all she has done and continues to do for our students on a daily basis.
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Conversation on Teacher Retention and Recruitment
Board President Rick Wetzel shared we have great things happening in our district and we want to be able to retain our great teachers which can be difficult when we are one of the lowest paid districts in the state. Our district is in the bottom 5% of funding that is received by the state. Mr. Wetzel asked the audience for their ideas on how we can retain our teachers and recruit the best new teachers.
Ideas on retaining teachers:
- need to be paid more
- pay teachers what they are worth
- have teachers be aware of how good they really have it.
- teachers need to feel valued and know the administration is listening when they have issues
- positive work environment
- frustration of not having all the necessary resources at fingertips, i.e., technology, textbooks, staff development
- keep our staff informed and educated
- parent involvement - there are so many ways to support and appreciate teachers i.e., bring snacks, lunch, etc.
- need affordable housing for teachers
Ideas/comments about recruitment:
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great teachers going down the pass, frustrated with the hiring process
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continue exit interviews when staff are leaving/retiring
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many will come for the lifestyle Woodland Park offers
The overall comments came down to lack of funding and how we can best support our staff.
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October 12 - 18, 2008 is Classified School Employees' Week
WHEREAS, Classified School Employees are an essential part of our education system; and
WHEREAS, Classified School Employees assist in providing safe and orderly facilities where our students can learn and grow; and
WHEREAS, Classified School Employees perform the daily cleaning and maintenance of school property, safely transport students to and from school, prepare and serve nourishing lunches, maintain records and reports, assist in classrooms and on school playgrounds; and provide a variety of other tasks on behalf of our children; and
WHEREAS, Classified School Employees continue to seek solutions to prevent school violence and will become actively involved in countless school programs; and
WHEREAS, it is appropriate for Woodland Park School District Re-2 to recognize the role of Classified School Employees in our education system, and to salute these employees for the valuable services they provide to our students and to our community;
THEREFORE, we, the members of the Board of Education of the Woodland Park School District do hereby proclaim the week of October 12 - 18, 2008, as
CLASSIFIED SCHOOL EMPLOYEES' WEEK
in our school district and we urge all parents, students, and administration to join us in saluting these dedicated men and women.
Adopted: October 8, 2008
Woodland Park School District Re-2
Board of Education
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SCHOOL BOARD APPROVES RESOLUTION IN SUPPORT OF AMENDMENT 59 (SAFE) SAVINGS ACCOUNT FOR EDUCATION
WHEREAS, a ballot initiative unofficially titled "Savings Account for Education" (SAFE), which will appear on the general election ballot in November 2008 as Amendment 59, will amend the Colorado Constitution to dedicate a new funding source for the benefit of public education and create a savings account to stabilize education funding during tough economic times; and
WHEREAS, Colorado's Constitution is riddled with conflicting and contradictory fiscal restraints that have the effect of limiting the state's financial resources on one hand and requiring annual increases in spending for K-12 education on the other; and
WHEREAS, the SAFE initiative addresses two of these conflicting provisions of the Colorado Constitution by eliminating the spending mandates of Amendment 23[i] and modifying the fiscal year spending limit in the Taxpayer's Bill of Rights (TABOR)[ii] by directing that future state surplus revenue be deposited in the State Education Fund; and
WHEREAS, by addressing this constitutional quagmire, the SAFE initiative restores authority to Colorado's elected representatives to address Colorado's educational and economic infrastructure through the legislative process; and
WHEREAS, the SAFE initiative does not change the requirement in TABOR that all tax increases must be approved by voters nor does it increase any tax rate or impose any new taxes; and
WHEREAS, the SAFE initiative creates a "rainy day" savings account in the State Education Fund that will provide funding for P-12 public schools in tough economic times which will reduce the pressure on the state budget to fund other essential services such as health care, transportation and higher education; and
WHEREAS, the State Education Fund may only be used to fund public education programs, from preschool through the 12th grade, for such things as reducing class-size, expanding technology education, and providing performance incentives for teachers; and
WHEREAS, the SAFE initiative will be beneficial to the interests of public education in the long term because it will restore the ability of elected leaders to make budget decisions based on the needs of the state rather than inflexible state constitutional mandates and it will provide an additional source of revenue for the State Education Fund to be used for educational purposes.
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the Board of Education of the Woodland Park School District Re-2 officially declares its support for the Savings Account for Education, appearing as Amendment 59 on the November 4 ballot, because it is a reasoned compromise that will secure an additional funding source for public education, bolster the State Education Fund and restore budget flexibility to Colorado's elected representatives.
Adopted: October 8, 2008
Woodland Park School District Re-2
Board of Education
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Local Realtors Luncheon
The School Board and District Administration met with local realtors on Tuesday, September 23, 2008. Assistant Superintendent Linda Murray gave a CSAP and ACT score presentation to the group. Discussion began with our declining enrollment numbers and what we could do better as a school district. Improved communication and better marketing of our schools were seen as two key areas. The number of homeschoolers was discussed. The figures on homeschooling trends were not available at the meeting, but are listed below. Thank you to all the realtors who attended and contributed valuable information!
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Local Business Helping Students
Superintendent Arseneau publicly thanked and recognized Mac McClung from Bad Rock Auto. Mac will be working with several of our high school students throughout the year teaching auto repair. He will have the students at his shop teaching them on his own time, once a month, all day on a Saturday. His first session will be this Saturday. Thanks Mac for all that you have given our students.
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Woodland Park School District - Where our Students are # 1 |
211 North Baldwin
Woodland Park, Colorado 80866
719-686-2000 |
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