In 2010, 76.5% of students graduated from the St. Vrain Valley School District. Last year, 90.3% of students graduated.
During the school board’s Wednesday study session, board members and district staff agreed that while a number of metrics should be used to look at student achievement, graduation rates are one of the most important.
St. Vrain Valley Schools has been recognized for excellence in budget presentation with the Pathway to the Meritorious Budget Award (MBA) for the 2021–2022 budget year from the Association of School Business Officials International (ASBO).
ASBO International’s MBA and Pathway to the MBA promote and recognize best budget presentation practices in school districts. Participants submit their applications and budget documents to a panel of school financial professionals who review the materials for compliance with the MBA Criteria Checklist and other requirements and provide expert feedback that districts can use to improve their budget documents.
Districts that successfully demonstrate they have met the necessary program requirements may earn either the MBA or Pathway to the MBA. St. Vrain Valley Schools has earned the two-year introductory Pathway to the MBA and is on track to qualify for the full MBA.
St. Vrain Valley School District students can now obtain high level automotive certifications after the district was selected as the third high school site in the nation to partner with Toyota.
ToniJo Niccoli, principal at the Career Elevation and Technology Center in Longmont, told the school board on Wednesday that the automotive technology program at the school is one of its most requested. She said there are nearly 300 course requests for this option because of both the high quality instructors and this new partnership with Toyota.
One of the most essential human traits we have is curiosity. We each have the desire to learn about the world around us through exploration and experimentation. At Timberline PK-8, sixth grade students had a unique opportunity to participate in Ad Astra Colorado – CU Boulder’s New Space Science Outreach Program.
Through this program, students engage in self-directed and inquiry-based learning, tapping into their own curiosity and unlocking their potential. “This unique opportunity benefits students currently thinking outside the box and outside the classroom,” shared Ms. Emily Sanger, Science Teacher, Timberline PK-8.
All sixth grade students at Timberline PK-8 were invited to participate. Students were asked to come to at least two of the three weekends, but the majority signed up for all three weekends. This year marks the inaugural year for the Colorado-based program. “These students will be the first Ad Astra Academy graduates in Colorado, and the second ever Ad Astra Academy graduating class in the United States,” shared Sanger. Throughout the three weekends, they will be working alongside scientists from CU Boulder on real NASA missions and research projects.
Participation in these weekend field trips allows students to experience science in a different environment and see how they can apply what they learn to real life. “I hope they see themselves as part of something bigger and they feel empowered to explore, question and investigate for the rest of their lives, because of this experience,” shared Sanger.
Ms. Sanger’s vision for her students is “that they see themselves as scientists, that they understand they have an impact and understanding on science and space – I also hope this experience gives them a unique perspective and experience that they can look back on and that they can see themselves as a person that goes to college.”
20 students signed up and participated this past weekend. There will be 24 students participating this coming weekend, March 12 & 13, and 25 students on the last weekend on April 23 & 24. Timberline PK-8’s partnership with CU Boulder through Ad Astra Colorado, shows how St. Vrain Valley Schools works with outside organizations to benefit students’ learning.
Silver Creek High School senior Joe Looney is teaching a six-week game design course as part of his Leadership Academy capstone.
He taught a class on Friday to 13 students at the Innovation Center of St. Vrain Valley Schools. Looney was a student of Tom Darcy, the director of advanced technologies and innovation at the Innovation Center, in the advanced technologies class focusing on virtual reality in a variety of applied learnings and project orientations.
St. Vrain Valley Schools is looking for a creative videographer and multimedia producer to join our award-winning Communications Department.
For full consideration, please apply by Friday, March 25, 2022.
Our team is comprised of strategic and creative problem-solvers who deliver purpose-driven products and services that build strong external and internal relations for our community. This position will play an important role in filming and producing high-quality visual stories that engages and inspires different key stakeholders and audience channels. The ideal candidate will have experience in documentary-style cinematography, marketing video production, voice-over audio production, motion graphics, storyboard planning, and other video production responsibilities.
You’re our ideal candidate if you:
Job functions:
Required job qualifications:
Preferred job qualifications:
The salary schedule for this position is $73,345 – $101,286. The hiring salary is generally near the bottom to mid of the range and is commensurate with education and experience.
About St. Vrain Valley Schools:
St. Vrain Valley Schools is a nationally recognized school district for innovation and technology, and is the educational home to approximately 33,000 of Colorado’s students. The seventh largest school district in the state, St. Vrain Valley operates 60 schools and programs that are spread over 411 square miles. Learn more at www.svvsd.org.
Working in St. Vrain:
In joining the St. Vrain Valley Schools community, you will become part of a highly effective and supportive team of professionals who are having a significant impact in the lives of students and families within our community. St. Vrain Valley Schools offers a wide range of benefits, programs, and resources that are competitive, diverse, and flexible to meet your needs. Employees can customize a selection of benefits that are exactly right for their personal situation. Additionally, employees are part of the PERA Public Employees Retirement System, and benefit from a generous leave package that includes 20 paid vacation days each year, 13 holiday days, and 12 days of PTO/Sick Leave. St. Vrain Valley Schools is an in-person work environment.
For the first time in program history, the Mead High School girls basketball team has made it to the Final Four in the class 4A tournament.
Head coach JR Sagner explained that at the beginning of the season, the team outlined their goals on a whiteboard. Making it to the final four and the Denver Coliseum — where those games are hosted — was one of those goals.
Inclusion is Elemental was the phrase written on teacher, staff and student shirts on Wednesday at Trail Ridge Middle School as the school celebrated a Day of Inclusion with two very special guests.
“ Around the world, exclusion and discrimination continue to divide people with and without intellectual and developmental disabilities. We are changing that with grassroots action for inclusion,” stated the Special Olympics website.
More and more special education students across the St. Vrain Valley School district are now able to use sensory rooms to regulate their learning.
“Sensory rooms use sensory equipment to create a controlled sensory-focused environment. These environments allow sensory experiences to be individually tailored to meet the specific needs of an individual,” according to the National Autism Resources website. “Good sensory rooms are well structured so that the amount and intensity of a sensory experience can be easily controlled and monitored.”
Taryn McDermid did not think at 15 she would be working to save an endangered fish species, but on Thursday she stood in front of a room of wildland biologists explaining her work doing exactly that.
The Niwot High School sophomore and the other four members of the northern redbelly dace data science project team delivered a formal presentation to the members of Boulder County Parks and Open Space about their work to save the endangered species.
