Springs Studio Scoop
Springs Studio for Academic Excellence, March Edition
A note from Executive Principal, Mr. Knoche
If we put faith in the great prognosticating groundhog, Punxsutawney Phil, we should be seeing warmer spring-like weather coming soon. With that prediction, it’s time to start preparing for the last quarter of the year. The next few months at Springs Studio get extremely busy just as we want to be outside more often and we get premature feelings of summer break. At the Senior level, this is referred to as Senioritis. Students are working hard and finding their groove; however, Spring Break can stagnate those good habits. Therefore, we are encouraging students to stay active, use the extra time to move forward in classes and keep a schedule so that they do not have to rebuild those habits after the break. Shortly after we return, from break, we will embark on state testing, and I wanted to emphasize a little more personally why students taking the test is so important.
SSAE uses state testing results to drive our instructional programs and to correct academic gaps. Without data to operate off, we are forced to make educated guesses about student ability levels. In a small school setting, like Springs Studio, large amounts of opt outs have an impact on our ability to make accurate decisions about our course offerings, interventions and overall student support. We do not define any student by their test scores or believe that students cannot grow exponentially with the right support and interventions. Additionally, we receive a document each year that essentially gives us a ranking based on our data. We have been identified by the Colorado Department of Education as a “Performance” accredited school. This is because we demonstrate high levels of growth within the student population, strong academic performance, miniscule dropout rates, and high graduation rates. As a community, we should take great pride in these accomplishments because it is our school/parent partnerships that truly make this possible. Many online schools struggle and do not ever achieve this designation. We use Star360 assessments, as internal measures to verify that we are on the right path to gain student growth. We only use this data internally to find patterns in student learning gaps, individual academic skills areas to focus on and we are confident that we are a “Performance Accredited” school based on our internal measures. Please support us in having students take the test seriously, spending appropriate time on the test and not opting out. Last year our participation numbers were lower than state expectations and I want us to meet those number so we can demonstrate how awesome we are as a school and make the decision around the data to really show our schools levels of performance and be proud of our accomplishments. I would love to talk further about this subject if anyone would like to explore further. Please reach out if you’re interested.
SIncerely,
David Knoche
Principal
Daylight Savings Time 2019
SSAE Testing Dates
State testing is coming quickly, and we want to give you the dates for these important tests that will give us quality data for our school. Your attendance and participation are very important to our school. Please make appointments on days that are not school days especially in April. All testing will be at Springs Studio, except April 11th for 10th-grade students (see below).
April 9th - SAT - 11th-grade students
April 11th - PSAT - 9th-grade students
April 11th - PSAT - 10th-grade students. Testing at Creekside Success Center, 3850 Pony Tracks Drive, Colorado Springs, CO in the Gym
April 15th, 17th, and 19th - CMAS/English, Math, and Science - 3rd - 8th-grade students. Two tests per day
April 16th - CMAS/Science - 11th-grade students
Classlink - Single Sign-On
"Pull for the House"
from now until April 15th.
Why pop tabs? The tab is made of pure, high-grade aluminum. Don't forget about the tabs from soup cans, broth cans, pet food cans, and even tennis/racquetball balls!
Recycling these pop tabs helps families of critically ill children. Proceeds raised will support programs that last year served over 3,000 area children and their families.
Family Engagement Council
Our Family Engagement Council is responsible for making recommendations to their principal concerning priorities for; spending school funds, making recommendations concerning the preparation of the school’s performance, improvement, priority improvement or turnaround plan (whichever is applicable), and meeting at least quarterly to discuss implementation of the school’s plan and other progress pertinent to the school’s accreditation contract with the local school board. The Educator Evaluation and Support Bill of 2010 (S.B. 10-191) also authorized School Accountability Committees to provide input and recommendations to District Accountability Committees and district administration concerning principal development plans and principal evaluations. To become a member, please fill out the FEC Nomination Form.
Family Engagement Council Meetings are held at SSAE from 5:00 pm - 6:00 pm on:
April 30
June 4th
Springs Studio Inclement Weather Information
If D49 issues a 2-hour delay or closure, SSAE students will work virtually from home. Teachers will be available online for student support.
If you are unsure of a closure or delay:
- D49 website - The D49 website will include weather information on the home page in the District Updates section. Also, you can look for a banner at the top of the home page that will provide a brief statement such as "delayed," "Delayed Monitoring, or "Closed."
- Local TV stations - When winter weather hits, tune into any local TV station's newscast to view their weather delays/closure information.
- Social Media - Stay connected regarding delays and closures on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Follow District 49 on each of these platforms to see current information.
- Email/Text Messages - Be sure you have current contact information in our Student Information System to receive emails or text messages. Check with your child's school to ensure they have up-to-date information. If you do not receive an email or text when the weather is questionable, be sure to check other resources.
Upcoming Events
March 5th - Love & Logic High School Parent Training
March 6th - Middle School Star 360 Testing (Math and Reading)
March 7th - Movie Night - High School
March 8th - Professional Development - No Students
March 11th - Middle School Science Exhibition
March 12th - Aleks Testing - High School
March 12th - Meet and Greet Informational Meeting
March 13th - Yoga and Healthy Breakfast - Grades 1st-8th
March 15th - Work Day, No Elementary Students
March 18-29 - Spring Break