D11 Insights
March/April 2023
The Heartbeat of Excellence
It's hard to believe we are already in the fourth quarter of this school year. It feels like just yesterday that I was hired to serve proudly as your superintendent. I'm thrilled to have signed a recent contract from the Board of Education to serve for at least three more years!
We have already accomplished so much this school year. As I reflect on the first three quarters, I want to say thank you for your support. We are all leaning in toward making the Colorado Springs School District 11 in the heart of the city the District of change.
Soon we will begin the Statewide Colorado Measures of Academic Success or CMAS testing. CMAS is the state’s indicator of academic preparedness for language arts, math, science, and social studies. It’s aligned with the state’s rigorous academic standards and designed to gauge how well students are mastering the standards and are prepared for their next grade.
The results provide a picture of student performance to schools, districts, teachers, parents, and the community. Through CMAS scores, a snapshot is shown of how students are progressing academically. This is key to ensuring students are on track to graduate and be prepared for lifelong plans after high school.
You can help your student perform their best on the CMAS test. Students should come to school on time and be well-rested. They should also eat a good breakfast so they can put their best learning forward. Here are some other ways families may support their child in school:
- Please work with your student’s teacher to identify strategies to enrich your child’s education where they are already meeting or exceeding grade-level expectations. Likewise, your student’s teacher can help identify resources to improve your student’s performance where needed. Tutoring, after-school programs, or at-home activities may be available to help students practice their skills.
- Assure your student that test scores are only one indicator of progress.
- Determine which skills to reinforce at home. The detailed breakdowns of specific skills on your student’s score report serve as a great starting point for identifying areas that need improvement.
International Learning
Midland Celebrates Read Across America
Students Teach Younger Students
Let's Talk! Is Coming Soon
In today's busy world, it's hard to know where to go to get the answers you seek. In a large school district, it's impossible to know every department and person to connect with to get the answers you seek.
That's why we're adding Let's Talk! to the D11 set of customer service tools. Let's Talk! is an always-on online customer service and communication tool to help District 11 staff better serve our community. With Let's Talk! anyone can submit a question, comment, concern, suggestion, or compliment from their device 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and receive a timely response.
The Let's Talk! tool will begin rollout shortly after spring break and will continue to be developed over the next several months. We look forward to hearing from you using the Let's Talk! online system!
Kindergarten Round-up
All children entering kindergarten who will be 5 years old on or before October 1, 2023 are encouraged to enroll now and begin their academic journey! All D11 schools offer free full-day kindergarten, master kindergarten teachers, robust curriculum, and safe environments. Full-day kindergartners benefit from more time to begin learning to read and write, to explore learning activities of all kinds, and to develop all-important academic and social skills.
Click here to learn more about how to enroll for kindergarten, as well as tips on how to prepare your child for lifelong academic success!
New Dyslexia Services in D11 Schools
Nationally, 15-20% of the population has some indicators of a reading difficulty called dyslexia. Symptoms of dyslexia include slow or inaccurate reading, poor spelling, and poor writing. Colorado Springs School District 11 recognizes that dyslexia affects a similar ratio of our students which may impact their learning journey.
The educators of District 11 are committed to meeting the needs of all students, including students with dyslexia. District 11 has been informally providing support for students who may have dyslexia for several years through high-quality programs that provide direct instruction in foundational reading skills that are critical for students with a profile indicating dyslexia.
We are excited to introduce an expansion of dyslexia therapy opportunities for identified students during regular and extended school days at specified D11 elementary sites at no cost to families (representing a value of $6500 or above as these services are often not covered by insurance).
If you feel your child fits the profile for dyslexia and would benefit from Take Flight, a comprehensive dyslexia intervention therapy, we would like to hear from you. Please fill out this form to indicate your interest.
If you would like to know more about dyslexia or dyslexia programming in District 11, please visit our website. We look forward to supporting your child in achieving their academic goals.
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About Us
Email: webmaster@d11.org
Website: www.d11.org
Location: 1115 North El Paso Street, Colorado Springs, CO, USA
Phone: 7195202000
Facebook: Facebook.com/cssd11
Twitter: @CSSD11