CASTLE ROCK SCHOOLS NEWS & INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR SCHOOLS Learning for All * Whatever it Takes

Message from the Superintendent: Happy New Year! I have several things to share with the community as we begin 2017:

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Inclement Weather: We have already had an interesting winter and we have a long way to go. So far, we have missed four school days due to weather and we will be making those days up in the future. We hope that there won’t be many more or we could be having school in July!

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Legislative Session: The legislative session began on January 9, 2017. All signs point to it being a long and arduous session. Education funding will be a major issue.

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Focus Groups/Strategic Planning: As you may know, we held 18 focus groups this past fall. We have now published a report summarizing what we heard in those sessions (available to view on our website). That information will now serve as the foundation for our strategic planning process which begins this month. We hope to complete the process by July 1, 2017.

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Late Arrival/Early Dismissal: Our academic program needs some real, long lasting improvements. We are putting together some strong foundational pieces to do that (see Teaching & Learning in this newsletter). However, unlike other districts around us, we have no time to work with our teachers on professional development and training. We cannot get to our goal of high academic achievement without this component. We are considering, for next year, either late arrival or early dismissal days to work with educational staff. However, we need help from our CR parents. Castle Rock Parents: Please see the survey link on the front page of our District website. Please click on the link and take the survey.

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2017-18 Castle Rock School District Calendar: This month we will begin work on the school calendar for next year. It is our hope to produce a two-year calendar to better allow families to plan for the future. Facilities Study: The District has formed a facilities study team that has begun meeting. At this time, the team consists of a core group that is charged with revising the previous facilities study report. Later this month, that group will expand to about fifteen members (most from the community) to assess the short and long term facility needs of the District.

Winter 2017

In This Issue: Message from the Superintendent Message from the Principals Message from the Board of Directors Meet the Director of Teaching and Learning Snow Make-Up Days New Website Parent Survey: Early Release/Late Start

CASTLE ROCK PARENTS WE NEED YOUR HELP! Please take a moment to fill out the survey found on our website: Crschools.org Click on the link labeled Parent Survey: Early Release/Late Start Go Paperless! If you would like to receive future copies of the District Newsletter, please leave your email address at the link below.

CASTLE ROCK, Home of the ROCKETS!

http://tinyurl.com/gtod6no

Snow Make Up Days:

February 17 June 16

New Website @ Crschools.org

June 19 Message from Our Board of Directors:

Message High School Principal, Mr. Greene

As a staff we are working on a number of different committees to enhance/enrich our curriculum for the upcoming school year. We have a committee looking at a new graduation requirement (CORE 24) and how that would impact our course offerings and the schedule we will roll out next year. We have another committee looking at technology and the feasibility of offering ChromeBooks to every student next year, not just the Juniors and Seniors. We have a small group looking at our credit recovery and trying to find ways to offer more classes through an online platform. For example, if a student wanted to take a foreign language that we did not offer, having that ability to get online instruction would benefit our students in many content areas. Finally, we have a committee working on courses that can be offered next year that will allow some student to receive more interventions or enrichments during the school day. Winter sport season is in full swing with good numbers of athletes participating in Basketball and Wrestling.

This year, our Board of Directors is trying something new. We have formed six Board committees to look at various aspects of the Board and the District. The committees are all made up of Board members and staff members. The committees are:  Board Development and Training  Board Evaluation (How are we doing as a Board)  Superintendent Evaluation  Community Communications  Board Policy Review Staff Recognition All six of the committees have either met at least once or are scheduled to meet soon. It is our hope that this work will accomplish at least two objectives: increase the involvement of Board members in the District; and develop ideas that will enhance the effectiveness of the District. The Board has also become involved in two major projects: 1) A facilities study to determine the short and long term needs of our school buildings; 2) Fact gathering to determine if a Skills Center is viable for our District and a partnership with districts both south and north of our location. The Skills Center would provide our students and students from surrounding districts an opportunity to earn certification in various trades and vocations. You are always welcome to come to our Board meetings. Check our website for dates. Generally, the first meeting of the month is a work session for the Board regarding some program in our District or regional and/or statewide issues. The second meeting is a business meeting for the Board. At our next meeting on January 24, the Board will interview the candidate to be appointed for Board position #2 and will select the chair and vice chair for the coming year.

Message from the Middle School Principal, Mrs. Golden;

Focus Groups… Castle Rock PTO CR Middle School Staff & Students CR High School Staff & Students CR Elementary Staff Community Forum @ CRES Community Forum @ CRMS Community Forum @ CRHS Ryderwood Group Vader Group

Language teachers have been working with an ELA coach from the ESD. State Standards SBA - interim tests Math teachers have been working with a math coach - Tom Boyce State Standards Formative and summative assessments SBA - interim tests Pacing PBIS - a small group is getting trained in PBIS and then training staff C.R.R.E.W Cards have been handed out to students for each of the letters (C= Caring, R = respectful, R= responsible, E = effort, W = Win the Day) Weekly drawings-recognition Monthly drawings- recognition Captains of our CRMS C.R.R.E.W. - students who have perfect attendance and honor roll Science Team 6-8 grade science classes (all integrated, not taught by grade) Early Release before Thanksgiving Break - Staff arranged for students trip to Greece - teachers planned activities for our students to experience Greece traditions and culture Jog a thon - raised money for PTO - middle school trying to earn funds for an electric reader board - students got to pie a teacher (Auckland, Holter, Golden, Keatley) if they raised a set amount of money PIT Team is meeting - Pirate Improvement Team - looking into ways to make CRMS better!

Ministerial Counsel Senior Center City Leaders (Mayor, Police Chief, Fire Chief, Public works). Chamber of Commerce CREA/PSE Unions Administration Team C.A.R.E. Coalition

Message from Elementary School Principal, Mr. Starkey; We have lots of exciting things happening at CRES. This year we have a variety of teams and committees to help support our students at Castle Rock Elementary. These teams consist of a Positive Behavior Intervention Support team, a Leadership Team, Response To Intervention Team, and a Student Support Team that is just getting up and running. One of our current focuses for Castle Rock Elementary is academic achievement. Castle Rock Elementary is excited to announce they were acknowledged as a Washington 2016 School of Distinction for the second year in a row. Our school earned this due to steady academic achievement growth. We continue to make this a high priority among our school and will strive to make further academic improvement. Our leadership team and RTI team continue to focus on methods and data to assure we are continuing to improve academically. Prior to Christmas Break, Castle Rock Elementary participated in a Jog A Thon put on by the Castle Rock PTO. Over $9,000 was raised at the elementary alone to improve our outdoor areas for students. Students who participated earned a variety of prizes. Each student who raised $75.00 or over earned lunch and the opportunity to throw a pie in the face of Mr.Starkey (Principal), Mrs. Heller (Assistant Principal) Mr. Davis (P.E. Teacher) Mr. Wallace (P.E. Teacher) or Ms. Liz (Secretary). Lastly, It’s time to give a shout out to our students at CRES! CRES won the 2016 Lil’ Squatches Race held in Castle Rock. Our school received a check for nearly $3,000 to go towards playground equipment. Thank you parents and community for your support and participation in this activity. Our students not only earned a lot of money for our school but will get to experience an assembly held by OMSI. What a great opportunity for our students!

CRES Students, spraying Mr. Wallace, Mr. Davis and Mr. Starkey with Silly String.

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Teaching & Learning Department: crschools.org WEBSITE: We have been busy this semester building structures to help you! Have you logged on to our new website yet? On our website, you will find a drop down tab PARENTS. If you click on the word parent, you will be taken to a wealth of information! From Skyward Log In, to Homework Help, to resources on testing—it is our hope you will find this resource useful as we work together to help your child. Another area on the website to preview is “What Will My Child Learn?” We have created informative brochures for each grade level that helps you to know what your child will learn in English/language arts and mathematics, as well as ideas and tips to try at home. We know when we all work together— both at school and at home, your child learns, develops and grows! ATTENDANCE: Every winter, bad weather — snow, slush, freezing temperatures or even heavy rains in warmer climates — can present challenges to getting children to school. So do the colds, fevers and earaches that often come with the winter months. What can you do? *Develop back up plans for getting your child to school in bad weather. Carpool or form a “walking school bus” where families walk their child to school. *Keep your children healthy. Dress for the weather— when it is cold, wear warm clothing, jackets, mittens and boots. Eat a good breakfast every day. Stress the importance of handwashing—especially in the winter months. Talk to your doctor or nurse about when a sick child should come to school. If your child has a fever, they should not be at school.

Contact Us: District Office: 360-501-2940 High School: 360-501-2930 Middle School: 360-501-2920 Elementary School: 360-501-2910 Staff emails: First Initial [email protected]

Castle Rock School District

Castle Rock School District 600 Huntington Ave. S. Castle Rock, WA. 98611

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