Principal’s message:
Columbine Middle School Families:
Welcome to the 2022-23 school year. As your new principal, I am excited and honored to open the doors to you and your student(s). As a staff, we are pleased to share many of the things going on at CMS this year and always welcome your input and feedback. Please ensure you are regularly checking the school’s website, which can be accessed through the MCSD homepage, our Facebook page, and the CMS Planner App (see the school website for more info) to stay up to date and informed on the happenings with our school. I can be reached by email ([email protected]) or phone (970-249-2581 x 4110) so do not hesitate to contact me.
Prior to this week, our staff engaged in very purposeful professional development (PD) to prepare for the upcoming academic year. As a collective group, we created and started implementing an instructional framework that will provide direction for our work. Guided by research-based practices, the framework will work alongside the MCSD Strategic Plan developed with input from many students, staff, families, community members, and stakeholders. The three categories the framework ensures attention is paid to are Feedback, Content, and Context. Feedback refers to the information loop between the teacher and the student on what they should be learning and how they are doing. Content focuses on lesson progression, which allows the student to move from initial understanding to application of content while increasing their knowledge base. Context directs the engagement, order, sense of belonging, and high expectations for student. The teachers at Columbine are dedicated to improving their craft. Much like asking students to improve daily, we will ask that of ourselves. This framework gives us a proven “road map” to follow.
COLUMBINE MIDDLE SCHOOL’S INSTRUCTIONAL FRAMEWORK
Feedback
#2 Tracking Student Progress
#3 Celebrating Success
Content
#9 Using Structured Practice Sessions
#19 Reflecting on Learning
Context
#23 Noticing and Reacting when students are not engaged
#39 Understanding students’ backgrounds and interest