Superintendent's Corner
December 2018

A Message from Dr. Brad Meeks
Last week, the Steamboat Pilot reported that Steamboat Resort had received 79 inches of snow already and that 147 trails were open. The community is ready for the season, which was evident when many community members showed up in their gear at our final Common Ground Community Forum on the morning of December 1 st . We appreciate that they stopped into Soda Creek before heading out to the slopes.

In fact, we would like to extend our gratitude to the nearly 150 people from throughout the community who came out and provided input on the district’s efforts to build for the future by participating in focus groups, the staff forum, and/or one of the three Common Ground Community Forums we hosted over the past few months. Those who attended had the opportunity to review a number of potential scenarios for our Strawberry Park campus, developed by the Steamboat Springs School District Advisory Committee made up of 32 parent, staff, and community volunteers.

It’s not too late to weigh in. Please take a few minutes by December 21, 2018 to provide your feedback on options for existing schools, potential new schools, and what matters most to you when it comes to educating the students in our community by taking this survey . A report that includes community input (focus groups, forums, and survey results) will be provided to the Advisory Committee at the end of January 2019 and will also be shared with the community at https://buildingforthefuture.ssk12.org .

The issues are clear: on one hand, our community is growing, as is the number of students in our schools. Enrollment in our schools has increased nearly 24% over the past 10 years. Each of our buildings is at or over capacity, and enrollment is expected to continue growing. The solutions, on the other hand, are much more complicated. However, with the support of the Advisory Committee and the community’s input, we are making progress toward developing solutions that will meet the needs and desires of much of our community.

The Strawberry Park campus is a key piece in the puzzle of addressing our capacity issues at the elementary and middle school levels. As we get closer to identifying solutions for that campus, we are also starting to outline other critical facility projects such as those at Steamboat Springs and Yampa Valley High Schools that might be part of a package that the community could consider funding in the future.

We anticipate offering another round of community-input opportunities in the new year as part of our Board of Education’s process of selecting a package of projects for voter consideration. Your engagement in this process is so important. While we hope you will continue to be engaged in our work to build for the future in 2019, with the holidays coming up it’s finally time to take a break. Enjoy your friends and family this holiday season. We’ll see you in 2019!
Let us know what you think of our district newsletter. Email us at steamboatschoolnews@ssk12.org
Scenes from Soda Creek Elementary School
Soda Creek Elementary School 5th graders honored veterans with a musical performance in commemoration of Veteran's Day.
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Celebrations!
Soda Creek and Strawberry Park Elementary Schools have both been awarded the Governor’s Distinguished Improvement Award for demonstrating exceptional student growth. Soda Creek and Steamboat Springs Middle School have both been awarded the John Irwin Award for demonstrating exceptional academic achievement over time. All three schools will be recognized at the 2018 School and District Performance Awards Ceremony this coming spring.
The Steamboat Springs High School volleyball team received all-conference honors and boasts the Class 4A Western Slope League’s coach of the year, Wendy Hall, and co-player of the year, senior Anna Allsberry.

This marks the third time in four years (and 11th time since her coaching career started in 1989) that Hall has earned the Western Slope League’s coach of the year honor. Read more
Fall sports athletes received all-conference and state honors!

Volleyball: Anna Allsberry, Katelyn Kline, Abi Berlet, Maddie Heydon, and Avery Harrington

Cross Country: Winter Boese and Maggi Congdon

Boys Golf: Jack Rotermund, Oliver Rotermund, and Tommy Henninger

Boys Soccer: Riley Moore, Murphy Bohlmann, Quinn Connell, and Kevin Kaster

Football: Austin Ban, Drew Bowers, Tanner Raper, Finn Russell, and Jonathon Kaminiski
SSHS math club sent three club members (Sidney Barbier, Cedar Turek, and Elena Wittemyer) to CSU to compete in a regional math event. The event attracts kids from more than 60 schools in Colorado and surrounding states. Steamboat competed in the "small school" division, coming out on top of the 32 team, double-elimination, college-bowl type math meet.
News & Notes
Announcements
Read recent Steamboat Pilot & Today articles.

Several members of the Steamboat Springs Teen Council presented policy options related to disposable grocery bags to Steamboat Springs City Council. Options included placing a 10-cent fee on plastic bags, banning plastic bags and placing a 10-cent fee on paper bags, or banning both plastic and paper bags. Read more

The Steamboat Springs High School hockey team honored fourth-grader Drew Rushton during the Sailors first home game of the season. Read more

The Steamboat Springs Board of Education appointed Kelly Latterman to fill the seat vacated by Mayling Simpson. Ms. Latterman will serve for a year, and then the board seat will be back up for election in November 2019. Read more

When flames destroyed homes in Paradise, California, last month, seventh-graders Maci Earley and Kali Waldman were inspired to spread a little holiday spirit. Read more

Meet SSHS wrestling coach Jordan Bonifas who is looking forward to trying to bring out the potential in our wrestlers. Read more

Our SSHS hockey program is growing, adding its first-ever, school-sanctioned junior varsity team. Read more

4-H members and their families enjoyed a pot luck dinner at SSHS where numerous awards were presented to 4-H members for excellence in their projects areas. Read more

Based on nearly a year of committee work SSSD rolled out scenarios related to the Strawberry Park campus for public review and input. Read more

The Steamboat Pilot & Today published an "Our View" on the school district's efforts to engage the community. They encouraged community members to engage now. Read more

SSSD has entered into a contract to purchase an additional 35.91 acres of land west of Steamboat, doubling the size of the district’s existing piece of property next to Steamboat II. Read more
Please take our survey. Steamboat Springs School District schools are currently at or beyond capacity. Our community is growing, as is the number of students in our schools. We need your input on how we should build for the future! Take our survey http://bit.ly/2018sssd .

Please provide your feedback on options for existing schools, potential new schools, and what matters most to you when it comes to educating the students in our community. The survey will be open through December 21, 2018.

Strawberry Park Elementary School Winter Program and Sign Along, Friday, December 21, 8:30AM grades K-2 , 9:20AM grades 3-5. Family and friends are invited to attend. Each grade level is preparing a short performance, and then everyone is invited to participate in the traditional sing-a-long.
Calendar of Events
December 13-15: 23rd Annual Dance Showcase, 6PM each night at SSHS

December 14: Youth Mental Health First Aid certification class, 8AM at Colorado Mountain College, read more

December 18: SSHS Music Concert, 6PM

December 18 - 21: SSHS Finals

December 21: SPE Winter Program and Sign Along (see information above)
No school for students December 24 - January 7. Happy holidays!