New Member Spotlight!

The Collaborative Welcomes Sargent!                  
 
Sargent School District located in Monte Vista, Colorado just celebrated its 100th Anniversary in July of 2017. The current enrollment is very diverse with over 65% of students coming from outside of the district. Sargent School District offers students a rigorous and relevant core academic program and includes a number of extra-curricular activities such as the National Honor Society, Future Business Leaders of America, and Art Club. The district has most recently equipped elementary students with a 1-1 computing program that enables students to use the latest PC and I-Pad technology.
Genesis Groups - Connecting our Efforts Across the State

The CREC is connecting diverse groups of leaders, educators, and partners across the state to discover, share, leverage resources, and plan action around the following high priority areas.


Student Centered Accountability Program (S-CAP) - Upcoming S-CAP events and more! 

S-CAP Team Members Learn from Dan Heath, author of Switch, Made to Stick, Decisive and The Power of Moments at the Billions Institute's Skid Row School. 

















You're Invited ! Join us for upcoming System Support Reviews:

Monte Vista S-CAP SSR
Monday March 5, 2018
Register  here!

Holyoke S-CAP SSR 
Monday April 23, 2018
Register here! 

"Attending System Support Reviews can be a valuable professional development opportunity for teachers, board members and administrators. We have heard from administrators that it is the most helpful feedback they have ever received and from teachers that it has significantly reduced isolation and seeded ideas and relationships to solve problems of practice".  
Lisa Yates, Superintendent Buena Vista School District


Social Emotional Learning (SEL) - SEL Program Growing Across Colorado 

Thanks to the generosity of the James Walton Fund and Einhorn Family Charitable Trust, 13 school districts were chosen to receive SEL supports for the remainder of the 2017-2018 and 2018-2019 school years.

Congratulations to the following districts: 
  • Aguilar
  • Bayfield
  • Bennett
  • Canon city
  • Deer Trail
  • Huerfano
  • Holyoke
  • Las Animas
  • La Veta
  • Peyton 
  • Primero 
  • Salida 
  • Sargent
Special thanks to the Colorado Health Foundation and the Colorado State University - Innovation Lab for providing the research component.
 
Wondering what more you can do to help your students most at-risk? The Expelled and At-risk Student Services grant deadline is coming up March 15 and through the Rural Itinerant Advocacy Program, districts have seen dramatic improvements in their ability to support struggling students:
  • Increased parent engagement by over 70%
  • Increased student attendance by more than 50%
  • Participation in at-risk behaviors decreased by 35%
If you would like to consider how an EARSS grant can help your students, please contact Kirk Banghart at (719) 207-3858 or  [email protected]

Wanting to consider Health & Wellness for all of your students? Contact Brittney Ames at (408) 621-2743 about the Colorado Healthy Schools Grant. Upcoming deadline is June 15. 


College and Career Readiness -  Military & Protective Services Career Exploration Workshop Coming this Spring

In April, students from the Santa Fe Trail and South Central BOCES will have the opportunity to participate in a Military and Protective Services Career Exploration Workshop in Pueblo.  MAPS Exploration Workshop is a one-day event in which students and their families explore all military and protective services (EMS, firefighting, law enforcement) careers. The purpose of the Workshop is to encourage students and parents to consider military & protective services as an achievable pathway to pursue after high school. This event will provide opportunities for them to directly communicate with members of each branch of the military and protective services personnel and programming through multiple interactive sessions. 


STEM -  San Luis Valley (SLV) STEM Professional Development

Educators testing out their aerodynamic models.
On Friday, January 19 , SLV Educators collaborated in their third  all-day STEM workshop facilitated by Generation Schools Network. The interactive workshop, held at Adams State University, focused on infusing the Engineering Design Process into hands-on learning activities.  
Participants explored key STEM proficiencies such as augmentation, problem solving, and inquiry while designing, constructing, and testing innovative aerodynamic models.  The purpose of the 4 part SLV STEM collaboration is to build capacity across SLV districts and schools to lead and facilitate rich STEM integrated instruction for students K-12.

The final PD of the year will take place on March 9 and is open to all CREC member districts and teachers. If you would like to plan a STEM integration project for your district (anyone interested in building a ninja course with their students?), please contact Nita McCauliffe   for a an event schedule and to let her know you are coming.
    

Teacher Leader and Efficacy - Principal Induction Program  

T hanks to the support of the James Walton Fund, the CREC is able to help support South Central BOCES with the redevelopment of their Principal Induction Program. This grant will provide for principal inductees to have a robust and rigorous induction program that will support and ensure that their early years in school administration are productive and impactful. The grant not only supports the redevelopment efforts but allows for guided mentors and scholarships to defray the cost of the program for candidates.

 If your district or BOCES has new leader candidates that could benefit from this project, please be in touch with  Kirk Banghart.


Teacher Recruitment and Retention - Teacher Immersion Event and more!

Thanks to the Gates Family Foundation, the CREC will be leading a Teacher Immersion Event with the Sante Fe Trail BOCES this Spring! Watch for details coming soon!
 
Teaching candidates from the last Immersion in Manzanola! 





















After helping to launch the idea in Colorado in 2015/2016 and seeing 33% of participants placed, additional rural teacher immersion experiences are in the works: 

Rural Colorado STEM Teacher Recruitment Event, February 7-9, 2018:
Aspiring and current STEM (science, technology, and math) teachers, elementary and K-12 teachers, and individuals interested in becoming teachers-with a desire to become an integral part of a close-knit rural school and community-are invited to participate in the Rural Colorado STEM Teacher Recruitment Event. This two-day, hands-on immersion experience will allow you to learn about teaching opportunities and engage with school leaders, students, and community members.
Click here for more info!

Northeast BOCES Immersion Experience, February 22-24, 2018:
Twelve rural school districts in Northeastern Colorado are working together on their first Teacher Immersion Weekend. College students from all institutions pursuing careers in teaching are invited to spend a few days in our schools and interacting with our teachers, students and communities.   The goal for the weekend is to allow college students an opportunity to experience teaching in a rural school. This will be a terrific opportunity for prospective teachers to experience a different setting and find the joys of teaching life in a small school.
Click here for more info!

 
If you would like to join the conversation, please contact Kirk Banghart at [email protected]. 
Upcoming Events:

S-CAP Professional Development Opportunities!

The Student-Centered Accountability Program (S-CAP) is actively looking for people to attend and participate as a Reviewer or Observer at the upcoming events listed below!  
 
The Student-Centered Accountability Program (S-CAP), is a collaborative effort by six rural districts in Colorado to create a more comprehensive system of accountability than the state DPF system and to focus on "whole child" accountability through continuous improvement of the system. The program is focused on providing parents and the community accurate, well-rounded information to be used for strategic and continuous improvement. 

To find an S-CAP event happening near you, check out the links below: 
    • Monte Vista S-CAP SSR, for more information, click here!
    • Holyoke S-CAP SSR, for more information, click here!

Northeast BOCES Teacher Immersion Weekend
  • February 22-24, click here to learn more! 

Save the Date: National Forum to Advance Rural Education!


If you're looking to engage with national experts, leading researchers, K-12 and higher education practitioners, policymakers, and philanthropic leaders to advance conversations and ideas around innovative rural leadership, practice, research, and policy, this is THE event for you!

If you share our passion for advancing rural education, we hope you will join us and help unite and inspire people to action!

To learn more, click here!
Get Involved with CREC

Kirk Banghart, Chief Facilitator - Colorado Rural Education Collaborative

720-452-3603 | [email protected]
Colorado Rural Education Collaborative |  http://www.coruraledcollab.org /
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