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School News: School scene beginning to heat up

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Wednesday, Aug. 13, 2014 9:33 PM

Dolores Elementary School is doing things a bit differently this year and offers an open house on Aug. 14 from 5 to 7 p.m. Students will get classroom assignments at that time, something that had been done at registration. Principal Sherri Maxwell says this will give staff more time to balance class size and demographics. Students will also have the opportunity to bring their school supplies before the first day of school.

School board meets tonight

The Dolores School Board of Education will meet today, Aug. 14, at 6 p.m. in the District Board Room, behind the district office at 100 N. 6th Street. Members are expected to consider the approval of new hires: Melissa Hackett as a special-needs paraprofessional, Clint Schurr as a MS/HS special education paraprofessional, Kaari Milligin as the MS/HS secretary and Gilbert Dunston as a food service custodian. Board members are expected to discuss the board retreat, the district mission, vision statements and goals for 2014-15. They're also expected to discuss communication, strategic plans and possible dates for a town hall-style meeting.

Cooper declares retreat a success

"The school board/administration retreat was a great success," says Superintendent Scott Cooper. The board met Aug. 5 and revised vision and mission statements, discussed value statements, and developed goals for their strategic plan. The board also drafted its communication plan. These documents will be discussed during the school board meeting, Aug. 14 at 6 p.m.

Crews prepare for start of school

Crews are working to get Dolores School ready for the first day of school, Aug. 18. The project is ahead of schedule and slightly under budget, says Cooper. The locker rooms will be done this week. The elementary addition will be done Aug. 28, a month earlier than scheduled. The secondary building that will house science, math and Vo-ag/CTE will be done in December, nearly a month ahead of schedule. Visit the district website at doloresschools.org for photos and updates.

TCAP results available this month

The Transitional Colorado Assessment Program (TCAP) results will be available to the public later this month. Cooper will present and discuss the results during the school board meeting Sept. 11 in the conference room at the district office. Last spring marked the end of TCAP, the longest-running state assessment in the U.S. Schools are using the Colorado Measures of Academic Success, which measures social studies and science knowledge, and Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers, which measures reading, writing and math skills. Whether you are a teacher, staff member or a parent, you made a positive difference and deserve to celebrate. Remember, TCAP is just one piece of the assessment puzzle.

Shannon Livick

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