The agenda and attachments can be downloaded here:  Agenda for May 24th Special Board Meeting With Handouts

There is one critical piece of business to be discussed at this meeting.  The Board needs to authorize a contractor to complete repairs at Springdale School in order for the CAPS program to open next year.  Currently about 23% of resident students in grades K-8 have applied for and been accepted to the  CAPS at Springdale School.  The Board will need to decide the level of renovation that takes place this year and how the renovation will be funded.

Two options are being considered.  Complete the entire project now or complete the first 5 classrooms and the auditorium.  To complete the entire project now would require taking out a low interest loan.  The primary benefit of completing the project now is that it completes the districts programming goals for the facility and will keep the construction costs considerably lower.   If the Board votes to only open five classrooms and the auditorium there are two funding mechanisms available.  The five classrooms and the auditorium could be paid for with the QSCB funds, the Ford Family Grant, and money generated by Springdale School that has already been budgeted for capital improvements, and about 70K from other sources such as the general fund.  This would still leave about a 5% carry forward in the general fund budget.  Some argue that this is the best thing to do, while others do not like the idea of spending down our cash reserves.  Proponents of keeping our cash reserves on hand advocate for taking out a small low interest loan to finish the five classrooms and the auditorium leaving us with considerable cash reserves in  our capital improvement fund…in fact enough cash to make the loan payment for 7 years without Springdale generating any more funds.  Springdale is expected to continue generating considerable positive cash.  The draw back of taking out a loan, even a low interest loan, is that it does cost money in the long run.

I will post financial reports as they are available.  The good news on the financial report front is that our finances continue to track at or slightly better than we for which we had planned.  Further, the newest report from the state points to a modest revenue  forecast increase over the next year at the state level.

This weekend two other national organizations released their rankings for high schools from across the country.  Each organization uses a different metric to rank schools.  The good news is that no matter which metric is used Corbett Schools seem to catch the attention of folks who are interested in evaluating how high schools are doing.

The Washington Post

The Washington Post produces a yearly valuation of high schools called the “High School Challenge”.  The author of this list, Jay Mathews, previously worked for Newsweek magazine so his Challenge Index has been in production for many years. The Challenge Index focuses on Advanced Placement participation.  Corbett High School first appeared on the list back in 2006 when it was ranked 584^th in the nation.   Over the years Corbett School and Corbett Charter School have climbed in the ranks.  This year Corbett Charter School is ranked 2^nd in the Nation and Corbett School is ranked 4^th!  A copy of the list can be viewed by clicking here.

Newsweek

Last year, after Jay Mathews left Newsweek and took his Challenge Index list with him to the Washington Post, Newsweek created a new evaluative high school index called “America’s Best High Schools.”  Their new index is a much broader look at how a school is performing and includes SAT test scores, graduation rates, number of AP tests offered per students, and other categories. Unfortunately, last year, Corbett School was not included in on their list…probably because we were a K-12 school.   This year things are different.

Newsweek has ranked Corbett School 25^th in the Nation based upon their new criteria.  A copy of the complete list of “America’s Best High Schools” can be found by clicking here.

Newsweek also has begun creating a list of the top 25 “Transformative High Schools” in the nation.  According to Newsweek “It is no secret that schools in poor neighborhoods often struggle.  But some achieve a remarkable amount in relation to the poverty of their communities. Newsweek calls these Transformative Schools…”

Corbett School has been ranked 14^th on Newsweek’s “Transformative High Schools” list a complete copy of the list of the top 25 transformative schools can be found by clicking here: 

Good Work and Thank You

Parents, students, teachers, staff, and community members have reason to be proud.  Not necessarily proud that Corbett schools are featured so prominently in three national publications, but proud of the all the work that goes into preparing students for life after high school.  These accolades are fun but the real joy comes from knowing that the work we are all doing is impacting students positively.  Within each of these metrics I find affirmation about the things we are doing well and at the same time I look for clues as to what we could be doing better.

My heartfelt thanks and congratulations go out to everyone who has worked so hard on behalf of our students to warrant such broad attention at the national level.  For everyone involved I think we should take a minute to enjoy the satisfaction of being commended for having done good work for kids, before we transition right back into looking at ways to make what we are doing even better!

 An online sign up for summer enrichment classes is now available.   Courses in grades K-6 are currently available!   To register for the classes click on the “Summer Enrichment” link in the top right hand corner of the district web page.

http://corbett.k12.or.us/summer_enrichment/Summer%20Enrichment%20Class%20List.php

Once on the page follow these steps:

1. First, click on the “Sign Up” button and make a user name and password for yourself.
2. Second, click on the “Sign In” button and select courses for your student(s) to attend.
3. Pay for summer enrichment courses at the Grade School office.

Columbia Gorge Art Festival Flyer

This morning I walked through the Springdale School building.  The sun was shining through the windows, I played a few chords on the old piano that still sits in the building, looked at old school maps hanging in front of chalkboards and my mind’s eye was quickly filled with images of students entering the newly refurbished building to attend their first year in Corbett Arts Program with Spanish (CAPS) at Springdale School next year.  It is really exciting to be building something while other places are struggling with cuts.

CAPS applications close May 17

Corbett families are excited too.  Parents and students are eager about the Spanish portion of the CAPS program.  Students in grades K-8 at the CAPS program will get Spanish instruction every day that supports the curriculum they are learning the rest of the day.  If K-2 students are studying community they will be learning vocabulary associated with community in Spanish, if 3-5 students are exploring simple machines Spanish language related to that topic will support their science instruction, and if 6-8 students are learning about the weather Spanish will focus on those terms.

Images of students spending their daily “Studio Time” practicing guitar, painting a piece of pottery, rehearsing the lines to a play they have created, constructing a set, or working on the perfect amount of shading on their drawing all serve to build excitement amongst parents and students. Parents and kids are also excited about how “the arts” are going to be infused across the curriculum to support instruction in the core topics.  Dance, drama, painting, drawing, pottery, voice, strings, poetry, to name a few areas will be integrated across the curriculum. It is fun to imagine the possibilities.

CAPS Design

Designed to foster connections, relationships and learning across all core subjects through a unique artistic lens, the Corbett Arts Program with Spanish (CAPS) exists thanks to the powerful partnership and vision of staff, community and students.

Our mission at CAPS is to create an insatiable hunger for learning while exploring and perfecting students’ gifts and talents through a wide array of visual, performing, technical and language arts. Through a unified effort of family, staff and community involvement, CAPS students will become confident, vibrant citizens prepared to experience life on both an artistic and global stage.

CAPS at Springdale School: An Asset for the Community for Generations

The foundation of the CAPS educational program is the complete integration of visual, performing, technical and language arts with Corbett School District’s standards-based curriculum. Leveraging the success of Corbett Grade School’s place-based education –which approaches learning through the lens of the Columbia River Gorge– the CAPS program uses visual, performing, technical and language arts as the context for the school’s curriculum. The arts are diverse and powerful, so students who apply to the CAPS program will not need to have a specific interest in any art form to thrive in the school.

Classroom teachers and visiting artists will provide rich experiences that enable students to explore all art forms and integrate learning experiences in other disciplines. Arts can be explored as both the subject matter and the lens through  which teachers will communicate core academics. For example, CAPS teachers will incorporate language arts into the teaching of dramatic works, and vice versa. Speaking, reading and writing skills will be embedded in the creative expression of stories, mathematical challenges or social studies themes. Students will be able to learn to dance, sculpt, paint, act, play an instrument and read music, while at the same time they learn about these art forms in both a historical and cultural context. In this manner CAPS students will be able to reflect on their own artistic work and that of others with respect for one another’s work.

CAPS Open in 2012-2013 For K-8 Students

Apply Now

More than 115 students have already filled out the application to attend CAPS next year in two K-2, two 3-5, and one 6-8 classrooms that will mark phase one of the CAPS program. The last day to apply on-line for the CAPS program is Thursday May 17^th. The application is at the top of the district home page in the upper right hand corner or at the bottom of this article. If there are more applicants than we have space we will do our best to balance gender, and grade level in each grade and each level.  All resident students and transfer students are free to apply for the CAPS program.

Feel free to drop me a line or phone if you have any questions!

Randy Trani

CAPS Application