Raptor Families,
Greetings and welcome to the New Year. We are busily approaching the end of the open enrollment season, ramping up for registration in the 2017-2018 school year, and nearing the graduation for the Class of 2017!
I would like to share with you some news for the forthcoming year in 2017-2018. First and foremost Silver Creek will be growing again. Our incoming class of 9th graders will number approximately 380 students. This number allows for us to accommodate for all of the feeder system students and provide open enrollment to approximately 80 students within St. Vrain. Naturally, this will require additional classroom space and teaching staff to accommodate for growth, as our departing class of 2017 is approximately 285 students. The overall number of students in 2016-2017 is 1315, in 2017-2018 this number will be closer to 1410.
We are in discussion with our St. Vrain Operations and Construction team about the expansion of Silver Creek High School classrooms. Due to the passage of the bond in 2016 Silver Creek will be the beneficiary of new classrooms. The initial plan would have reconstructed the C Wing, but due this construction taking the C Wing offline and rendering it unusable for a time, we are exploring additional options for classroom construction. These plans are being developed so as to not disrupt the available classroom space we currently have. We look to have some finality to this plan within the coming months, share it with our community, and begin the construction process in the coming year.
Given that we are growing we have been exploring additional curricular options for students at Silver Creek. In 2017-2018 we will bring on two new courses. In science we will be adding Anatomy and Physiology. This course will meet the standard requirements to be considered as a science credit for graduation. It will also meet the prerequisite for attending the Career Development Center’s Medical Professions courses. Additionally we have been approved and are launching the AP Capstone Program. Students will be able to take AP Seminar and, the following year, take AP Research. These two courses coupled with passage of four AP courses with a 3 or better on exams will allow for students to earn the newly designated AP Diploma. More information on each course is available in our student handbook.
Ever wondered how we schedule 1300+ students for their classes? All told, for two semesters, that is over 18,000 individual student classes that must be scheduled for one school year.
Registration season is upon us. Right now applications for Advanced Placement classes are available and are to be submitted prior to January 31. Audition classes have posted information on our registration website. Teachers are making recommendations for courses. Please visit our registration website for the most up to date information on registration.
Students play a significant role in how we create a “Master Schedule”. Based upon student course selection input, we create a schedule that meets the greatest amount of student requests. While sometimes we cannot meet them all, our promise is that scheduling is student-centered. As such, we maximize student choice and participation through strategic placement of classes in the “Master Schedule” and always keep a keen eye on graduation requirements. This process also drives what teachers teach, hiring processes, professional development for teacher preparation, and training for teachers in the summer. If you have questions regarding this, our team is here to help you.
Scheduling for Parent Teacher Conferences Update. In the fall of 2016 we piloted a program called Meet The Teacher. This program, while user friendly is not cost effective. The quoted rate of usage was nearly $1.00 per student. We will be switching back to the previously used Canyon Creek Online Scheduling System, which costs us $300 per year. We are sorry for any inconvenience, but pricing is a major factor in being a good steward of public monies. We will be providing instructions for sign-up in the coming weeks and will take this scheduling system live on February 1.
We have some excellent events coming up this spring:
1/27/17—-Creek Week Celebration with incoming 9th graders
1/27/17—-Symphonic Orchestra to perform at the Colorado Music Educators Conference
2/8/17—–Registration Night for Incoming 9th Graders
2/11/17—-Chinese New Year Celebration at Silver Creek High School 2:00 PM
2/15/17—-Parent Teacher Conferences 2:50-7:00 PM
2/16/17—-Parent Teacher Conferences 2:50-7:00 PM
3/3/17—–Silver Creek Talent Show 7:00 PM
3/4/17—–Silver Creek Mardi Gras sponsored by the Silver Creek Education Foundation
3/22/17—-Silver Creek Night at Chipotle to support SCEF and RABC
4/8/17—–Prom and After Prom
4/11/17—-SAT and PSAT Colorado High Schools Test Date
4/29/17—-Inaugural Raptor 5K at Silver Creek
Thank you for your support of Silver Creek and all of our students!
Sincerely,
Erick Finnestead
Principal