Elizabeth C-1 School District Newsletter
Quarterly Report to the Community
4-day week
The Elizabeth C-1 School District Board of Directors remains committed to keepings its three goals at the forefront: Provide competitive compensation packages for our staff, increase curriculum offerings, and increase technology use in the classroom to better prepare our students for the 21st century.
With cutbacks in state funding and the rejection of a mill levy override in last fall’s elections, we have had to re-examine our operations and become as efficient as possible, cutting all but the most essential programs. But to continuing being a high achieving school district, we need to find ways to retain our staff because their current pay levels are among the bottom 10 percent in the state.
One option to keep our staff compensation levels competitive is to go to a four-day school week schedule. While it would not save the district a significant amount of money, it is something more than 80 percent of the teachers said they would like and would help in the retention of quality teachers in the absence of increased salaries.
We have had good community participation at our community meetings where we shared research about what would happen if we were to adopt a four-day week and gathered input about it from everyone who is a stakeholder when it comes to education in our community – district residents, parents, students, teachers and administrators.
As you may be aware, the Colorado State Legislature is in the process of adopting the School Finance Act for the 2009-2010 school year. Accordingly, the Board has determined that it is prudent to wait until funding has been determined for the 2009-2010 school year to make a decision on the four day week and will not make any decisions until the Board meeting May 14, 2009.
However, we want to hear from you after you have had a chance to review the material. The PowerPoint presentation as well as some additional information is available on our website, http://elizabeth.k12.co.us. Please take a few moments to visit our website where you can submit your comments. We want to hear your thoughts!
District gearing up Infinite Campus for 2009-2010 school year
The Elizabeth C-1 School District will introduce a new data management program in the 2009-2010 school year that will combine web-based technology and a powerful relational database to allow administrators, teachers, parents and students to streamline educational processes, quickly and easily share information, work more efficiently, increase communication and increase student achievement.
The mission of Infinite Campus is “Transforming K12 Education.” It will track information about students and teachers and the learning activities they participate in; allow users to create and share learning activities that can be monitored for effectiveness; help create individualized learning plans that focus on continuous improvement and outcomes; and include an advanced scheduling feature that can make the most effective match between students and teachers based on the student’s learning plan and the teacher’s professional development plan.
Teachers also will have access to a nationwide platform that allows teachers to share and build on each other’s experience and ideas so they can offer relevant learning activities to their students to help them achieve and succeed.
The Campus Portal tracks individual student attendance, grades, upcoming assignments and relevant school notices so progress can be monitored by parents, teachers, and students. It will give parents access to all school and district notices, demographic information, school calendars, class schedules, attendance, grades, behavior issues, health and immunization information, assessments, graduation planner, fees, school choice, reports, and more.
“Infinite Campus is not only the latest in student data management systems, it is a powerful tool for communication. The Parent/Student Portal will allow parents to have more information at their fingertips then ever before,” said Superintendent Paul Dellacroce.
“We did our data conversion to IC in February and are already setting up the system for the 2009/2010 school year. The program will be online and operational for the 2009/2010 school year. The Parent and Student Portals will not be immediately available but we anticipate the High School and Middle School to open up the portal by the end of the 1st Quarter. The elementary schools will be available by second semester,” he said.
District’s Internet bandwidth expanded
With increasing demand among the district’s Internet users -- students, teachers and administrators alike -- Elizabeth C-1 School Board set aside funding this year to upgrade their Internet bandwidth and that project was finalized on March 5. Technology Director Mike Scobee answered a few questions about the project and why it was needed.
Why was the decision made to expand the school district’s Internet bandwidth?
Schools are using the Internet a lot more for research, testing and school assignments. We have at least one big subscription where media is downloaded and geared to whatever is being tested for in K-12. Our Internet bandwidth is shared by each of the schools and the district offices. Basically, we had about 800 computers using something equivalent to what four households would use. You could have 28 kids doing a history, science or genealogy project at the same time in just one class going off a circuit only four times bigger than what you would use at home. It was creating a bottleneck for users, especially when everyone wanted to use the Internet at the same time.
What was the district’s bandwidth expanded from and what it is now?
We went from 6 MG to almost 45. It costs about twice what we were paying before but we are getting six times more bandwidth.
How has this bandwidth expanded?
Qwest had fiber optic connections they had to run and we had connections we needed to run and get hooked up. Planning started in November and they were digging lines for the new fiber optics in December. We were slowed down a bit by bad weather and hard ground, but everything was up and running by March 5.
What are the most immediate and noticeable effects of having this expanded bandwidth?
It will certainly allow us to have more people using the Internet at the same time, but use varies throughout the district depending on whether students are being tested or what types of assignments they have.
What’s next?
The links between the sites need to be looked at and upgraded. We need to look at expanding the connections between the buildings. We don’t try to keep up with all the changing technology but we want to make sure we have something in place that serves us over time so it will last for awhile.
What has your role been in implementing the Infinite Campus system?
Mostly, it has been with hardware and getting the server set up. We will help administrator the program so our techs can help users with the system if they have problems
School funding … where are we?
With continuing talk about state budget cuts to education, District Finance Officer Ron Patera answered a few questions about how the district is positioning itself in the current economic environment.
How is the Elizabeth C-1 School District going to be impacted by state budget cuts?
Until there is a final decision at the state level, it is difficult to fully gauge how our district will be affected.
Will the District be receiving any federal economic stimulus funding directly?
Currently, the State is waiting on guidance from the Federal Government and C-1 is waiting on guidance from the State.
What other factors are impacting the district school budget?
The slowdown in the economy and in the construction of new homes, are obviously having a negative effect on the District. Two significant revenue sources, Specific Ownership Taxes and Improvement Fees are directly impacted, and are significantly lower than they have been in comparison to prior years at the same point in time. Additionally, declining enrollment translates into fewer dollars to fund our ongoing operations.
Finally, increasing health care premiums and PERAState mandated obligations will consume a significant portion of any new funds the District receives.
How has the C-1 District responded to these budget impacts?
Currently, the District is performing a thorough review of virtually every program and operation to determine if we can eliminate some positions through attrition by shifting certain tasks and responsibilities to other employees without adversely affecting students.
Around the District …
Elizabeth C-1 School District Superintendent Paul Dellacroce was recently named Counselor Advocate of the Year by the Colorado School Counselor Assn. Nominees for the award are selected by district counselors each year. One of main reasons Mr. Dellacroce won this award, EMS counselor Cindy Nunnelee said, was for his support in getting a school counselor in every school. He was also recognized for supporting the adoption of the American School Counselor Assn. model for counseling services by the district counselors, she said.
Congratulations to 7th grader Johnny Harrington from ElizabethMiddle School, who competed in the state geography bee sponsored by the National Geographic Society at the University of Denver on Apr. 3. Contests are held in every grade level throughout the district each year and students are tested on everything from cultural landmarks and land forms to locations. Questions are generated by the National Geographic Society, EMS Principal Rob McMullen said. “This is the first time we recall having a student qualify for the State National Geographic Geography Bee. Johnny represented the Elizabeth community well but unfortunately did not make the finals. Way to go, Johnny!” McMullen said.
For this year’s Winter Musical, students at ElizabethHigh School presented “The Little Shop of Horrors” Mar. 5-7, under the direction of choral director Abby Cates, language arts/drama teacher Mitch Travis and band instructor Nick Bidinger. The musical, an expressive collaboration between all three performing arts departments at EHS, was both highly entertaining and well-received.
Twelve students from FrontierHigh School’s experiential education courses recently returned from a trip to Bent’s Fort near La Junta to learn about some Colorado history firsthand. They camped in the Comanche National Grasslands and told stories around the campfire. They took a 10-mile hike in PicketwireCanyon where they followed the largest dinosaur track way in North America. And they explored Spanish homesteads along the PurgatoryRiver from the 1830s when that part of the state was actually part of Mexico. “I got to see things people don’t normally get to see and it was something that will definitely define my life for awhile,” said junior Eryn Vendetti. The trip was made possible through proceeds from school fundraisers.
Sixth graders at ElizabethMiddle School spent four days in March preparing for a LivingHistoryMuseum project that covered history from the 1920s to the 1990s. Students researched specific decades and looked at the culture, current events, technology and inventions of that time to transform a classroom for each decade into a museum for viewing on Mar. 18. Principal Rob McMullen said the focus was to integrate curriculum among the core classes and require students to use higher level thinking skills while working toward a single effort, much as they did in creating a garden at the school entrance last year. EMS 7th graders worked on a similar project that culminated in a Wellness Night on April 23.
Third, fourth and fifth grade students at Running Creek Elementary School prepared for their CSAP exams this year by participating in Brain Gym exercises under the guidance of PE teacher Charlie Ghidotti to get their blood flowing, whether by exercise or by gently massaging their temples to help stimulate their brains. Members of the school’s PTCO helped out by providing snacks and water for the students each day of CSAP testing to ensure that students were at their best physically. In fundraising activities, the PTCO held a Mother-Child Basketball Tournament Mar. 13 won by Melissa Lincavage and her 2nd grade daughter Payton, and they organized a Spell-a-Thon for the week of Apr. 13-17. Students had three weeks to prepare from a list of age-appropriate words they have learned throughout the year. RCE is the site this year for the Explore Testing program for gifted students statewide. Students previously had to go as far as Fort Collins to take the ACT-sponsored tests because Denver sites were often filled to capacity, according to RCE Instructional Coach Diane Nye. Eleven students in January and 30 in February participated in the rocky Mountain Academic Talent Search through the University of Denver’s program for academically gifted. And for the first time, fourth grade students from Running Creek were invited to participate in the National Assessment of Academic Progress (national report card) test that compares the performance of a small number of students from selected schools to other students nationwide.
SingingHillsElementary School’s ‘Stampede to Read’ Literacy Night (Apr. 3rd) kicked off this year’s fun-filled reading event which will run from Apr. 1 to May 1. Every child can participate and as they meet their weekly reading goals, they will receive a reward. The grand prize at the conclusion of the program is a free child’s ticket to the Elizabeth Stampede. In support of the program, local businesses have donated 250 new books to be given away in a random drawing. Thank you for your support! Spelling Bee: Congratulations to the winners of our first ever Singing Hills Spelling Bee: Andrew Smith (1st Place), Gillian Auger (2nd Place) and Ashlyn Fowler (3rd Place). Great job! Summer School 2009: Summer school information will be available during Spring Conferences. Please speak with your child’s classroom teacher if you are interested in this option. The school district supports this program at no cost to parents, however, transportation is not provided. Classes will begin on June 1 and go through June 18 (Monday-Thursday) from 8am-11:30 am.
Mark your calendars for Elizabeth C-1’s
Education Expo “Showcasing Success”
– A celebration to showcase student success and activity –
10 am – 2 pm at ElizabethHigh School!
