Happy Fall to Our Colorado SKIES Community!
Fall is my favorite season, when we move from the warmth and activity that summer brings, to the cold and activity that Colorado winters bring. Let’s face it — Colorado winters are our state’s best kept secret. We transition from one season to another, a smooth and peaceful transition. As we celebrate our third week in our home for this inaugural year we continue to transition with the services we are offering our learners and our CSA families.
Please be sure to check out a new service to you, our weekly Facilitator Newsletters (click here). They will be updated each week, detailing what is going on in each of the core content areas and some updates in our elective courses. Standards that are being addressed are included for easy reference. I encourage you to have a few “Learner Dinner Conversation Questions” at the ready to find out firsthand from your learner what he/she is discovering. Please use these Dinner Conversation Questions as your guide to the level of thinking (rigor) we are engaging your learner in each and every day.
We will be conducting our baseline MAP assessments this coming week as we now have reliable internet service. Results will be mailed directly home and will be an integral part of the ILP conferences that will be occurring on October 3 and October 4. Individualized Learning Plans (ILPs) are completed by every CSA learner where s/he will identify two academic learning goals and one character goal (grit, zeal, growth mindset, organization, self-direction, etc.) and use SMART goal planning (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Timely) to meet these goals. Mark your calendars as your learner’s Advisory teacher will be scheduling an ILP conference with you and your learner.
Our inaugural 8th grade learners are scheduled for their glider flights at Mile High Gliders in Boulder on September 27th and October 4th. Each session will accommodate half of our 8th grade learners. This will be an ongoing tradition at CSA for every 8th grade learner and, if the desire is there, to go beyond this experience and attend rigorous ground school training and instructional hours, including the solo flight in the Spring, to be a licensed glider pilot at 14. This year, we have 15 scholarships available for our inaugural 8th grade learners to support their ground school training and instructional flight hours to obtain their glider license. Planning for the future, a capital campaign has been initiated to create an endowment to fund EACH learner to be able to participate in this amazing opportunity!
Your support of our learners and our facilitators is evident each and every day when I see you drop them off in the mornings. Thank you for all you do and thank you for transitioning with us into our new and developing routine called CSA.
Suzanne Acheson
School Director
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