That's a Wrap!

The 2023-2024 school year is now in the books and students and families are settling in for the summer break.  As I reflect on this past year, I find it was filled with many successes, a focus on continuous improvement and an unwavering commitment to our students’ success.  I want to take a moment to celebrate our efforts, our achievements and extend my heartfelt gratitude to all who have made this year exceptional.

• Congratulations to the Class of 2024 on reaching this significant milestone.  You were the first class to graduate on a Thursday evening…and what a beautiful evening it was!  Graduates, as you move forward into this next chapter, approach it with excitement and hard work.  Learn from mistakes, never let regrets or past failures define who you are or who you can become.

• Thank you, Sand Creek Board of Education, for your unwavering support and dedication to ensuring district continuous improvement with the focus of Sand Creek Schools being the best it can be.  Your commitment and dedication to our students, staff, community and district is unmatched and appreciated more than you can know.

• Thank you to the incredible staff of Sand Creek Schools.  No matter your position in the district, you are the heart and soul of our educational community.  As a 1SC TEAM this past year, each of you were extremely valuable and your unwavering dedication and tireless efforts to inspire, guide and nurture our students made a difference!  Never underestimate the impact you have on a student’s life.

• Thank you, Sand Creek students.  Each one of you is a valuable member of the Aggie community and we are glad to be doing this journey with you and your parents.  Thank you for embracing the 1SC initiative this past year.  We continue to pledge our support and commitment to provide a nurturing and engaging learning environment and to continue efforts to continual improve in our goal to make Sand Creek Schools one of the best!

• Thank you parents and community members.  You are a valuable part of our 1SC efforts and your support and partnership with us is instrumental to our success as a district.  We need your involvement, encouragement and support to be the best we can be.

You probably noticed me using a couple of phrases several times in my acknowledgements above.  Continuous Improvement and “1SC” have both been a focus of the district.

• Over the past year, we have continued our focus on continuous improvement.  Our main, overarching district goal to “Improve Student Academics and Behavior through the Implementation of the MTSS Framework” includes several activities and initiatives that center around three main strategies:  Academics and Curriculum, Culture and Climate and Social-Emotional Learning.  You can find more information on our continuous improvement goals under the District Continuous Improvement link on our main webpage.

• 1SC was central focus of our Positive Behavior Interventions and Support (PBIS) implementation this past year, which falls under our Culture and Climate strategy.  1SC represents our expectations for our district in how we will conduct ourselves within our school buildings and in how we represent Sand Creek Schools when we are outside of our building walls.  We will continue these efforts as we move into next year.

The school board is taking another big step in continuous improvement this coming year.  Starting in September, we will be kicking off our Strategic Plan process.  This will be a vital step in our continuous improvement efforts and will involve students, parents, staff, and community members. Please stay tuned for more information on this process.

I could go on and on in highlighting all the efforts and gains we have made towards continuous improvement this past year.  However, I would run out of room on this page!   Let me just say I am excited about our successes and what we were able to accomplish this past year and I am excited about continuing these efforts over the coming year.  Continuous improvement will be a constant focus as we move forward into next school year.  Together, we will continue to strive for excellence.

In closing, I extend my sincere appreciation, gratitude and well wishes to all of you.  Have a safe and restful summer and I look forward to seeing all of you again soon!

Sincerely,

Sharon Smith, Superintendent

Go Aggies!