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News Release

Sept. 12, 2019

Fort Logan Northgate School in the Spotlight

The Fort Logan Northgate School leadership team recognized top students, lauded the success of the seventh-grade teachers, and took an unflinching look at overall student achievement during a presentation Tuesday (Sept. 10) at the regular meeting of the Sheridan Board of

Education.

Principal Bill Blandón recognized students who outperformed their peers around the state on CMAS (Colorado Measures of Academic Success) including seven students who exceeded state averages on English Language Arts (ELA)--Cindy Tran, Mason Moreno, Rachel Lemus Gonzalez, Aaliyah Cambridge, Danielle Marcojos, Anthony Bracamontes, and Sophie Nguyen. “Seven students exceeding the state tests is truly remarkable,” said Blandón. “They all worked their tails off.”

Additionally, Rolando Herrera Gutierrez (fifth grade) and Brianna Robinson (now in high school, in ninth grade) also exceeded CMAS in ELA and Michael Avila Lopez (sixth grade) and Nathan Salazar (also in ninth grade) were also spotlighted.

Blandón made a point, both in English and Spanish, of thanking the parents who supported their students’ efforts. And he noted the hard work of the seventh-grade teachers—including literacy teacher Heather Royal, social studies teacher Michael DelBrocco, science teacher Sharena DelBrocco, and math teacher Kim Kellogg.

Blandón, joined by assistant principals Margaret Stanley and Cori Canty Woessner, also reviewed a variety of mixed testing results from both CMAS and iReady. The data from the 2017-2018 school year showed some progress and a few “drastic” drops when comparing to students from the 2016-2017 school year.

One bright spot are the growth scores, representing the pace of progress. Of the school’s 538 students, 232 had growth percentiles of 65 or above, indicating a “high growth” rate as measured by the state.

Blandón noted results from student and parent surveys, which suggest appreciation for the modern school facility and for encouragement and support from teachers—but which also identified a need to do more about bullying and student safety.

Assistant Principal Canty Woessner said the improvement plan includes supporting teachers through improved instruction, including clear expectations for every class and about that day’s learning objective. She also noted the use of curriculum calendar “that keeps putting the gradelevel students in front of students.” Students who need extra support to reach standards will be offered a chance to catch up through “re-teach” periods. The school will also implement clear behavior and discipline policies and improved parent communication and hold more regular parent meetings, she said.

Blandón emphasized that the school will seek to understand each student’s learning needs on an individualized, specific basis. He added that the social-emotional curriculum is as important as the academic instructions. Parents, he said, have been receptive to telephone calls to report disciplinary matters. “I wanted to applaud Mr. Blandón and his team,” said Superintendent Pat Sandos. “It takes a lot of courage to come in and put this all out there. They are not sugar coating anything. This is the work they have in front of them and they have embraced it. The communication with parents is a huge piece. I want to applaud you for being so honest with the board. “

Board president Bernadette Saleh commended the school leadership team, who are all new this school year, for their emphasis on involving parents. “(Parents) have a right to know what’s going on in the school and sometimes they don’t,” she said. In response, Blandón noted that it helps that all three Fort Logan Northgate administrators speak both English and Spanish.

Englewood Arts

Superintendent Sandos thanked the non-profit Englewood Arts for their ongoing support for music and arts instruction in Sheridan. “They are selfless and they do an incredible amount of work,” said Superintendent Sandos.

Englewood Arts executive director Eric Bertoluzzi said the group seeks to provide and arts andmusic education opportunities in the community. The group supports the violin program,including the teacher and 36 violins at Fort Logan Northgate School. Bertoluzzi thanked the board for the opportunity serve the students of Sheridan and added that the group would liketo expand programs to Sheridan High School, too.

Burlington Stores

Burlington Stores’ recent $10,000 donation to the classroom teachers at Fort Logan Northgate School is deeply appreciated, said Superintendent Sandos. Parents and community members who want to express their thanks to the store should consider patronizing the new store, which opened this month at the River Point Shopping Center, he added.

Notes

• Superintendent Sandos announced he will attend the CASE (Colorado Association of

School Executives) conference on Sept. 19 and 20. As a result, Chief Academic Officer

Shirley Miles will lead the Learning Walk at Fort Logan Northgate School on Sept. 20.

• Sheridan Celebrates—Sheridan’s annual community event with parades, floats, vendors,

food, and live music—is being held on Saturday, Sept. 28.

Consent Agenda

All consent agenda items were approved.

About Sheridan School District 2

Located southwest of Denver, Sheridan School District 2 seeks high-level post-secondary options for all students through continuous improvement of quality instruction. More:

www.ssd2.org

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