Dear CSA Families,
Today I was reminded why it is absolutely essential for our learners to be in school and with one another. Please join me in visualizing this picture of our learners that I personally saw today: a school full of middle school learners. The night before, we had approximately three inches of snow. True to Colorado, the sun came out and learners could go outside if they wanted to. Piles of snow were everywhere. Learners spent the morning being on task, doing what they needed to do, and then…WOW! Snow! Sun! Friends! Fun! We had learners sliding down parking lot snow clearing mounds, rolling in the snow, throwing a snowball or two, with the ultimate result of wet, smiling, laughing, happy young people who got to act like normal kids! How long has it been since our kids could act normal at school? All I can say is, it’s just about time. And I am so glad it has happened here at CSA!
Though we have COVID protocols in place, routinely being in classes and with peers has made a tremendous difference in the emotional and mental health of our learners.
The upcoming dance is all the buzz, and we are trying to encourage the learners to take this on and create it for themselves. What a wonderful learning opportunity! Please know that our learners are rising to the occasion and making their plans, creating this dance for themselves, and seeking guidance and approval from administration. I am SO PROUD of them!
Parents/guardians: Just so you have some insight into what has been planned thus far, each grade level is identifying a theme for decorations (once approved, of course). They will decorate the afternoon before the dance, the decorations will be up throughout the day, and then the music (once approved, of course) will be piped throughout the school via the PA system. All learners will remain within their classroom pods and have a wonderful time! We are encouraging learners to contribute/make the decorations, establish set-up and clean-up committees, identify prepackaged snacks (due to COVID) for donation, and finally to promote the dance. Giving your learners the opportunity to develop their own event and make a significant contribution to planning is how we encourage the creativity and the entrepreneurial spirit in our learners. The dance will be held during the Advisory period, and we will probably tap into 30 minutes of the previous core content period to make a 90-minute celebration time for learners. Please know that your learners are doing an awesome job! It is also a wonderful research opportunity to see how “information” via the grapevine circulates throughout the school. It is TRULY amazing! Date TBD: we are getting close thanks to the hard work of our learners.
We will be on the lookout for new facilitator talent with our Star Search. This is where you, our CSA community, have your learners experience a mini lesson from a candidate facilitator under the watchful eye of our families, help interview them, and provide your perspective on their fit with CSA. February 19 was not the only chance. There will be more!
Please be available to view some of our virtual Presentations of Learning along with some in-person presentations that will be posted to the CSA website. We are working to include our families in this wonderful celebration of learning, while also following the COVID protocols we are all expected to adhere to at the present time. Thus, CSA will have a “virtual” POL via our website. We will be sending out a Blackboard Connect announcement to let you know when it is up and running! (Please note: If you are not receiving Blackboard Connect notifications from CSA, some of your contact information may be missing. Please reach out to the CSA Main Office to see if you need to do a few more steps via the Parent Portal to get all the CSA news!)
Lastly, and most importantly, I am SO encouraged about the recent Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) results from our learners. I will have specific details to share in next week’s Monday Message once we can close the testing window. All I can say right now is that our learners are GROWING amazingly! Science is DEFINITELY our strong suit as a school! (Is it any wonder since we are an aerospace-focused school?) Recent results from our February assessment were shared with every learner to set/reset their academic goals for their IEP. They have them; ask them to share the MAP assessment results with you.
Thank you for sharing your amazing learner(s) with us! We love their passion, their zeal, their ZEST (remember dressing with zest?), and their love of snow-filled fun! They are truly bright, shining stars waiting to be released on their next adventure!
Warm regards,
Suzanne Acheson
School Director
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