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INSIDE THIS ISSUE

Excellent Teachers - a focus on Stephanie Gallegos and Noel Falk, MMS
New Faces in New Places
Construction, Buildings and Grounds Update
2007 ACT and CSAP scores
A Letter from the Interim Superintendent

Excellent Teachers Make the Difference!

It was a glance and silent giggle reminiscent of the way your grandparents would look at each other and let out and smirk before answering how long they have been together. After looking at each other for some time trying to quietly work out how long it’s really been and not how long it feels like, Stephanie Gallegos said, “it’s been three years going on 20 years” that she and her teaching partner, Noel Falk, have been job sharing.

You can tell right away just by sitting in the same room with Gallegos and Falk that they have an unspoken understanding and respect for each other. It’s something they say is the key to their success in the classroom.

Gallegos, a Mentor Teacher, and Falk, an Instructional Guide for Expeditionary Learning, teach 7th grade Social Studies and Reading at Minturn Middle School (MMS). Though Gallegos and Falk earned top marks for their success in helping raise student achievement, they say it had more to do with the atmosphere in the classroom than their own skills.

It’s a modest claim, according to MMS Principal Toni Boush.

“They are amazing teachers,” Boush said. “They have incredible integrity, their work ethic is powerful and their ability to share their talents with our staff members is a gift.”

With 26 years of teaching experience between them, Gallegos and Falk say they still feel as though they learn new lessons every year. Many of those lessons are learned through their experiences with Expeditionary Learning.

A summer expedition to Minneapolis for an instructional seminar taught Gallegos and Falk new teaching techniques and classroom projects to bring back to their own classroom in Minturn. Over the course of one week, the women became students of the Civil War and Art in order to better learn how a teacher can affect and inspire a student in even the most challenging of learning topics.

It was an experience that neither Gallegos nor Falk would have traded for the world, they say.

“The shift from a teaching role to student was amazing, yet frightening in a way,” Gallegos said. “It reminded me of what we face every day, and taught me that I still have a lot to learn. We brought back so many incredible ideas that really made the trip worth it.”

The women learned how to develop a stronger rapport with their students, how to encourage and strengthen support and how students learn the same concept in a variety of ways. But the most valuable lesson they learned was that it’s safe to take risks—students and teachers alike.

“I am a terrible artist,” Gallegos said. “But when we were tasked with doing a water color stamp to depict what we had learned I thought, ‘wow this is incredible,’ and it really inspired me to do my best. I took a risk and I realized that by tying something artistic to something out of a book is an amazing tactic.”

Before they could even return to their dorms, Gallegos and Falk were already making plans to share their experiences with their own students. The idea of “team teaching” became an exciting prospect for the new school year, where specialty teachers could work together with core subject teachers to blur the lines of education.

Falk said she and Gallegos will focus a large portion of this year on immigration and will learn through “team teaching.” For example, students will learn about Irish immigrants who came to America during the potato famine. They will create a historically accurate, yet fictional, character and keep a diary of their life. In Art class, they will use their lessons there to create a portrait and “snapshots” of their character and their surroundings. The English teacher will teach them about character development and story themes, the Media Specialist will help them research the time period, and even the Math teacher will relate lessons to their history lesson.

“We believe that carrying lessons from one classroom to another helps the information stick and keeps the student interested in what they are learning,” Falk said. “We will incorporate other subjects into our classes as well.”

The teachers have the consent and praise of their peers as they continue to formulate their plan to help students continue to succeed.

“They are a phenomenal team, and its impressive how they integrate how their students learn and their teaching style into a meaningful context,” Master Teacher at MMS, Chris Mayhew, said. “I can’t tell you how valuable their knowledge and insights are in how to reach and engage students in the learning process.”

Gallegos and Falk were described by Mayhew and Boush as creative, inspiring, dedicated, fun and joyful. The teachers say they are thankful for their job share, and credit the working schedule for their energy.

“It’s great for the students because they get a high-energy teacher every day,” Falk said. “We think as one person and are able to pick-up where the other one leaves off without getting worn down. We get to mix it up and keep it fresh.”

“I just love working with this girl,” Gallegos said. “We have it all! We get to job share, teach amazing kids and do Expeditionary Learning. Life is good.”

New Faces in New Places

After completing a national search and an extensive interview process, Eagle County Schools is pleased to announce the hiring of our new Interim Superintendent, Mr. John Pacheco. John brings the personal and professional commitment to success combined with superior leadership and a vast knowledge of the education system needed to be a successful Interim Superintendent.

Prior to joining Eagle County Schools, Mr. Pacheco assumed the role of Superintendent at Woodland Park School District from 1997 to 2004, and Weld County School District from 1994 to 1997. John has also taken on the roles of Interim and Deputy Superintendent, Principal, Coordinator of Federal and State Programs, Assistant Director and Teacher at Colorado Springs District 11, Southern Colorado State College and Weld Board of Cooperative Educational Services, respectively. In addition to receiving his Bachelors degree in Secondary Education, Spanish and Math from Southern Colorado State College, Mr. Pacheco has obtained his Masters Degree in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Northern Colorado.

Mr. Pacheco successfully passed a $14.6 million bond issue and a $1.1 million mill levy override in November 2003 for Woodland Park School District. “John worked tirelessly for issues that could make a lasting impact on our district,” states past Woodland Park School District Board President, Jenny Cowan. “He was a great leader for our district in that he was able to manage any issue with a calm demeanor and a willingness to listen to all sides.”

Impressively, John has received a number of nominations and awards over the last 15 years, including: The Colorado Association of Superintendents’ Colbert Cushing Award for service and contribution to education; The Leadership Award for service from the Weld County United Way in 1996; a Finalist for the 2002 Colorado Superintendent of the Year; The Outstanding Educator Award from the Pikes Peak chapter of Phi Delta Kappa; and The Distinguished Administrator Award from the Pikes Peak area Arts and Business Education Consortium for his continuous dedication to the arts.

“We are thrilled to have Mr. Pacheco as our new Interim Superintendent,” states Mike Gass, Director of Secondary Education and Curriculum. “John’s energy and enthusiasm in working closely with the organization and the unique Vail Valley community will definitely be an asset to Eagle County Schools.”

In addition to the addition of Interim Superintendent, Eagle County Schools would like to announce the additions of Phil Onofrio as CFO, Heather Eberts as Executive Director of Elementary Education, Jason Glass as Director of Human Resources and Brooke Skjonsby as Director of Communications.

Building Great School, East to West: Construction, Buildings and Grounds Update

Eagle County Schools would again like to take the opportunity to thank Eagle County community members who were in full support of the $128 million bond that was passed in the fall for improvements in our schools, which will ensure ‘Great Schools, East to West.’ In light of this success, we believe it is important to keep you informed of the progress of various projects and initiatives, and this month’s focus is on the construction, buildings and grounds update.

June Creek Elementary

Construction is proceeding on the project with the following items of interest: the foundation rebar is on site, forming & pouring of footers has begun, installation of the sanitary sewer is underway and fire & domestic water service piping is ongoing.

Red Canyon High School

Site demolition is complete, structural survey and layout is in progress, structural excavation for footings & stem walls is complete and subgrading for parking lot has begun.

New Battle Mountain High School

H+L Architects are proceeding with Design Development drawings and meetings are on-going to finalize the Howard Ditch piping on the site. Bidding for site work will be done through September.

Eagle Valley High School

Designs for the project will be completed by the end of September. Demolition permits for the houses in the area have been sent to the State. The design team is reviewing traffic flow options for the site and a phasing plan has been formed to disrupt staff & students as little as possible.

Remodel Battle Mountain High School

ARC has suggested a committee be formed to develop a plan that outlines the proposed use of the old Battle Mountain High School.

Mark Your Calendars!

• Red Canyon ground breaking on September 18, 2007.

• New Battle Mountain High School ground breaking on October 22, 2007.

Juniors Shine on 2007 ACT Scores

In the spring of 2007, Eagle Valley High, Red Canyon High and Battle Mountain High Juniors earned the highest ACT scores in four years, resulting in more students to considering attending college. All three high schools showed improvements in every area on the test, which includes English, math, reading and science.

Eagle Valley High Juniors scored higher than state average in every area of the test, earning a composite score of 20.1, or three-tenths greater than the state composite of 19.9. Battle Mountain High Juniors also scored higher than the state average by two-tenths. These same Juniors shined on the English portion of the exam. Eagle Valley High students scored six-tenths higher and Battle Mountain High students four-tenths higher than state average.

“I attribute that to a lot of things — the job our teachers are doing, the content they are covering and the students for the importance they put on the exam,” Mark Strakbein, Principal at Eagle Valley High was recently quoted as saying in a Vail Daily article highlighting the district’s ACT scores.

Because ACT scores carry weight with college admission boards, a good score on the exam can make a student consider applying to a college if he or she had not considered it before. Solid instruction in classes like English and math, combined with ACT prep class, can help a student raise their score further. Taking the test more than once also resulted in higher test scores.

Individual Schools in Eagle County Show Gains on 2007 CSAP

The Colorado Department of Education released the 2007 CSAP results and Eagle County Schools show gains at individual buildings when comparing scores with last year and/or state-wide performance levels. Nearly 100% of Eagle County Schools’ students participated in the state CSAP assessment this year, a key indicator of the District’s commitment to the ‘No Child Left Behind’ legislation.

Impressively, Brush Creek Elementary School and Eagle County Charter Academy students significantly exceeded state-level scores building-wide in reading, writing, math and science categories this year. Barely missing the bar, Red Sandstone Elementary School students surpassed state-level scores in all grades and subject areas tested, with the exception of 4th grade reading, which fell shy by one percentage point. Similarly, students from Eagle Valley Elementary School and Eagle Valley Middle School exceeded state-level scores in all grades and subject areas tested, with the exception of 3rd grade math and 8th grade reading and math, respectively.

The reading portion of the CSAP test proved to be most successful for Eagle County Schools’ 3rd through 10th English-Proficient students in comparing scores from last year; in the category of reading, six out of the eight grade levels met or exceeded the Board of Education’s goal of English-Proficient students achieving 80% proficiency or higher on the CSAP test. The two grade levels that fell slightly short of meeting this target stayed well within reach of those that fulfilled the Board’s objective; 79% of 4th grade English-Proficient students scored proficient or advanced on the reading portion of the CSAP test, while 8th grade remained a close 3 percentage points away from the ultimate goal at 77%. In addition to success in reading scores overall, six out of the eight elementary school students showed an improvement in scores on the science portion of the CSAP test.

87% of Eagle County Schools’ 4th graders scored proficient or advanced on the math portion of the CSAP test. This particular group of students notably improved their math scores this year at five out of the eight elementary schools, including Avon Elementary, Brush Creek Elementary, Eagle Valley Elementary, Edwards Elementary and Gypsum Elementary. Brush Creek Elementary School’s 4th grade students also exceeded the state average in math, with 86% scoring proficient or advanced. Likewise, Gypsum Elementary School’s 4th grade students surpassed the state average in math, with 79% scoring proficient or advanced. Eagle County Schools’ 3rd grade students proved they were clearly capable of tackling the section of the test dedicated to numbers and equations with 82% scoring proficient or advanced. Not too far behind were Eagle County Schools’ 5th and 6th graders, who scored 78% and 72% proficient or advanced on the math portion of the CSAP.

In addition to gains at the overall district level from 2006 to 2007, many of our individual schools showed impressive results:

• Minturn Middle School’s 7th graders averaged an impressive 23% increase in reading, writing and math scores this year. Not surprisingly, this same group of students also surpassed the state this year in those same areas tested.
• 10th graders at Battle Mountain High School improved their overall scores this year in the areas of reading and math, and managed to surpass the state this year in those same areas plus writing. Eagle Valley High School 9th graders also scored significantly above state levels in the areas of reading and math.
• Meadow Mountain Elementary School 5th graders scored well above state levels in the areas of reading and writing.
• Red Canyon High School 10th graders considerably improved their scores this year in the areas of reading, writing, math and science. This particular group of students also surpassed the state in reading.
• 6th graders at Gypsum Creek Middle School managed to surpass the state this year in reading and writing, and improved their overall scores in those same areas plus math.
• Red Hill Elementary School 3rd and 5th graders exceeded the state on the writing portion of the CSAP test.
• 7th graders at Berry Creek Middle School improved their overall scores this year in reading, writing and math.

In the state of Colorado, students continue to excel on NWEA and ACT tests, and continue to face challenges on the CSAP exam. Despite the fact that the district has the fifth highest percentage in the state of students whose native language is Spanish, overall Eagle County Schools’ scores show relative consistency with state averages. “CSAP is a test given in English. It isn’t enough to be able to speak English in order to perform on the test. You must be able to read and write in English as well. Attaining this level of proficiency takes from three to five years but once students are there, they do very well,” comments Heather Eberts, Director of Elementary Education and Curriculum.

Due to the fact that we hold extremely high standards for each and every one of our students and are firm believers in ‘No Child Left Behind,’ we continue to strive for ways of improving our curriculum and instruction. “The CSAP test results are very informative in allowing us to explore the strengths and challenges that exist in Eagle County Schools,” states Mike Gass, Director of Secondary Education and Curriculum. “We are proud of the success that we continue to have, however we realize that there is always room for improvement. For that reason, these assessments continue to be extremely helpful and will be used to make our school district the best it can be.”

A Letter from the Interim Superintendent, John Pacheco

Dear Parents, Students, and Community Members:

Welcome back to the 2007-08 school year. I’ve been on board about 4 weeks and I am feeling very positive about this upcoming school year.

This summer our staff has worked hard to get schools ready and to prepare themselves to teach your children when they arrive. I have been impressed with the level of commitment and the quality of the people in the school district. I am pleased and proud to join them this year and to help them continue to build a top quality school district.

I want to also invite you to take an active role in your child’s education this school year. It takes a strong partnership between home and school to educate your children and our students. If we are going to succeed in that most important goal, we’re going to have to work together and support each other. Our staff is committed to doing that and we invite you to join us.

Please know that we welcome you in contacting your individual schools and also our District Office. We stand ready and eager to hear from you about your needs, questions and concerns. You can reach our District Office staff and myself at 328-6321, or visit us at 757 E. Third Street in Eagle.

I hope to see many of you as I am in schools and at school sponsored activities this school year. My best wishes for a great and productive school year.

Sincerely,

John Pacheco

Interim Superintendent

A Ghostly Gala Announcement

Save the date for Eagle County Charter Academy school’s exciting Ghostly Gala, the Halloween event of the year! It is Friday, October 26, at the Park Hyatt Beaver Creek. The theme is “Vegas Ghosts and Gangsters.” This fun dinner, dance and auction benefits the Eagle County Charter Academy. Look for the eBay auction coming in October. For more information, contact Linda Boyne, Gala Chairperson, at linda@boynegroup.com or 376-7300.

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