The SoRoCo Weekly Newsletter
September 18, 2016
Dear Team,
We are starting to get into the swing of things. Much of the anxiety, which naturally comes with the beginning of a new school year, has given way to a subtle confidence in the vision of what this year has in store for us.
The rules and expectations you communicated with our students the first week of school have directly influenced the excellent behavior we have noticed so far. Our students are amazing! They will do whatever we ask of them!
As our honeymoon phase starts to blend into the bulk of our school year, it is important we make a concerted effort to keep our bar high. If we start to compromise our standard of expectations, then students will realize we never truly expected the best from them.
We appreciate all the support you are giving our students. Continue building those relationships. Our small community is deeply based in relationships and support. Keep it up!
~ The Admin Team
6th Graders Spent the Week at Science Camp
Dear Soroco Middle School Parents,
The school administration team has reviewed Soroco Middle School student PARCC scores from last spring that were received this month and I-Ready student math scores this fall and we have made a decision to offer more core math instruction to students who are presently not performing at grade level. We believe it is extremely important that all students have the opportunity to meet grade level math expectations in order to be successful continuing forward in their academic learning.
We realize in order to offer additional math instruction to students, that something will need to be changed in their daily schedule. In order to give students the additional math instruction two days per week, students needing additional math instruction will rotate with physical education or art classes every other day. This change will begin during the next school week.
Sincerely,
George Purnell, Principal Soroco MS/HSCNCC is offering the following opportunities for all middle school and high school students on Fridays:
Math Support AND Enrichment – Any student looking for extra help in math (6th grade – Pre Calculus) OR who really likes math and wants to build upon their math knowledge with logic puzzles, Math Counts problems and, if there is enough interest, form a math team with a competition in Denver! This group will meet from 9:00 -10:00 am in the high school library starting September 16th for nine weeks.
Drawing - Award winning artist, Suzy Patillo, will be sharing her artistic skills and knowledge while teaching a drawing class. Bring your own sketch pad or drawing book and be ready to learn some new techniques to enhance your own drawing skills. This group will meet from 1:00 - 2:00 pm in the high school library starting September 16th for nine weeks.
Creative Writing - Paulie Anderson, editor of the Valley Voice, will be teaching a creative writing class. This is a great opportunity to work on your writing skills while enjoying some time to be creative! This group will meet from 2:00 - 3:00 pm in the high school library starting September 16th for nine weeks.
Each class costs $50 for all nine weeks. Sign up for two classes and the cost is $80; sign up for all three and the cost is only $100!
Contact Angie Baker at 970-260- 6257 or Angie.Baker@cncc.edu for more information or to register.
Soroco Coaches Transform Our Students' Lives
This week we highlight Asst MS Volleyball Coach, Emilee Tritz.
Emilee is a brand new addition to Soroco Athletics. A recent graduate of Soroco High School, she has a great way with our kids and enjoys teaching them the basics of volleyball. We are excited to have her on our team!
SRO Steve Harbison's Fitness Challenge, Mon Oct 17th
Officer Harbison wants YOU to sign up for the 2016 Soroco Fitness Challenge!
"I encourage all SOROCO staff to participate in an effort to build a culture of healthy competition and to strengthen our bond with the student body." ~ Steve Harbison
When: Monday, October 17th from 4:15 to 6:15 pm
Who: All Soroco Staff and Students
Where: Meet at the track at 4:15 pm SHARP! We will all warm up together and then begin the relay race, then we will move inside to the weight room.
Cost: $20.00 entry fee for each team (includes a really cool T-shirt). That’s $5.00 per person.
Expectations:
- Form a team of 4 participants and complete the entry form by clicking the button below. (Minimum 1 staff member or 1 female student per team)
- Name your team. (Please use good judgment for team names - keep it appropriate)
- Pay the entry fee to Mr. Luongo.
- The top 3 teams win a pizza party during lunch on Thursday, October 20th.
Events: There will be two events in the competition, and everyone will participate in both events.
1st Event: 2-Mile Relay Run (each person runs 2 laps, which is ½ a mile)
2nd Event: Bench Press (number of repetitions based on a % of body weight)
We would love as many people to sign up as possible. We will even the playing field by making adjustments for different ages and genders. Staff who are reluctant to participate, we encourage you to help supervise. We need time keepers on the track, and mathematicians to calculate body weight percentages for the bench press!
High School Student of the Week - Kayla Wille
Kayla was nominated this week by Ms. Peasley, a teacher who doesn't even have her this year, but noticed Kayla's contribution to our school culture outside of the classroom. Ms. Peasley writes, "I do not have her this year, but I have seen Kayla in the halls encouraging others to have great days. She is always in high spirits and being kind to others when I see her."
Grade: 10
Favorite Subject: Ag, because it's part of my lifestyle.
Favorite Hobby: Showing sheep and rodeo.
Favorite Movie: 8 Seconds
Favorite Sport: Basketball
Favorite Food: Steak
Best Part About Soroco: It's a small school and we are heavily involved in sports and Ag - the country lifestyle! And everyone knows each other.
Middle School Student of the Week - Gregory Rubalcaba
Gregory is off to a good start. He has been nominated this week by his science teacher, Ms. Curran, who is proud of him for "working hard, participating, and being on time."
Grade: 8
Favorite Subject: Math, because it's fun to learn.
Favorite Hobby: Video games (after homework is done, of course!)
Favorite Book: Firestorm
Favorite Movie: Star Wars (the old ones with Harrison Ford)
Favorite Sport: Football
Favorite Food: Hawaiian Pizza
Best Part About Soroco: All the people who come together to make school enjoyable and make me want to come back every day.
A Message from the Athletic Director
Congratulations to junior Cross Country runner Ben Kelley for his third 1st place finish of the season. His time on Saturday was 16:21, which is a 5:16 pace for 3.1 miles! Holy smokes!
Another impressive victory this week includes another dominating win for the High School football team - this time over Rangely with a final score of 46 - 6. Way to go, guys.
Note: we have added a JV football game to the schedule. We will be hosting Hayden's JV tomorrow, Monday September 19th at 5:00. We hope you can make it out.
~ David Luongo