WELCOME TO THE ELKTON CHARTER SCHOOL WEBSITE

January 2015

 

Oregon released last June’s graduation rates for the state recently, and our district’s total percentage looks very low. I wanted to take the time to explain why these numbers are so low and what it means for our district.

 

Our Class of 2014 graduation rate for students who attend Elkton High School is 90 percent; however, when we add the students from our online program, Insight Online School, our total graduation rate drops to 20 percent and ranks us as one of the lowest graduation rates in the state.

 

It’s not a great number. We want all of our students to graduate and we hope we can serve them well enough to do it within four years. And for the majority of the students we see on a day-to-day basis, we’re able to do that. Our special education graduation rate last year was 100 percent, which is fantastic and much higher than the state’s average for special education students.

 

But some students, many of whom attend our online program, need more time. And we will always try to give them that opportunity, because everyone deserves an education. Many of these children, who without an online option may not attend school at all, will graduate in five or six years. The way state reporting has changed, children who complete high school later than usual are added back into the “cohort” rate, so we expect to see the 2014 class graduation rate pick up in next year’s state report.

 

We’re serving a lot of children virtually these days. And while not every student graduates on time, we strive to keep students going until they do graduate.  The mission at our school is to offer students access to the opportunities to succeed.

 

If you have any questions about graduation rates at Elkton or any other matter, please don’t hesitate to contact me. I can be reached by email at andy.boe@Elkton.k12.or.us. Or, you can call me at 541-836-2777.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 December 2014

I can hardly believe it is December! We have had a great first part of our school year and I continue to be impressed by the level of teaching and learning that occurs in our schools. Our teachers at all levels have a clear and focused approach. Our emphasis over the coming months will be to continue to prepare students for standardized testing. However, we understand that this is only one indicator. We expect our students to be good citizens and good people. Elkton Charter School is dedicated to developing students who will be ready to compete and live in the “real world”.

Our students have been involved in numerous activities throughout the fall. One of the highlights was our annual Veterans Day assembly. The talent of our student body was on display as students sang songs, read essays and handed out awards. It was a great way to recognize the Veterans in our community. Many thanks go out to all our staff and volunteers who worked so hard to put all of this together. Another wonderful event was our Fall Carnival. It was revived this year by a group of community people and was a great success. This too is a very complicated and time consuming event that takes dedicated volunteers to pull off. We owe a lot of gratitude to those willing to take on the challenge.

Our play shed is completed and being used every day by our students. It is a remarkable structure because of the way it blends seamlessly with the existing building. I have had several people traveling by stop and compliment the district on “doing it the right way”. Here is a brief list of things that we are working on currently:

--Addition of two days of counseling at the Grade School beginning in January.

--Implementation of Smarter Balanced formative assessment materials into the curriculum.

--Development of a STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Math) week this spring.

--Development of a Diversity Week at the Grade School

--Implementation of RESPECT Curriculum in grades 6-8

--Continued development of facilities short term and long term plan

 

Please feel free to contact me! I can be reached by e-mail at andy.boe@Elkton.k12.or.us... Or, you can call me at 541-836-2777.

 

 

September 2014

School is off to a great start and students seem to be settling into another great year. Our new play shed is open for business! It has turned out to be the perfect addition to the grade school. It replaces the old one built in 1954!  We will be adding basketball hoops in the next month. Please feel free to stop by after school hours or on the weekend to take a look. We ask that ten o'clock be the latest that people are on campus using the facility.

We will host our first Parent Advisory Council meeting on 9/17 in the Grade School Library. This will be a place to share information about our schools and discuss any ideas or concerns that may arise. The meeting is for any interested community member to attend. I will be sharing information about Title I services as well as our P-3 alignment project. Please feel free to stop in beginning at 6pm.

The weight room is also now open to the public. You will need to sign up for a key card with Mr. Kruse. It will be open to the community during non-school hours. We are adding equipment currently and have received many generous donations from people in the community. Mr. Groth has agreed to use his class to sand blast and paint some of the equipment as we place it in the new space. This will be an excellent learning opportunity for our students.

Please be sure to check our district and school calendars for upcoming events! As always, please call or stop by if you have questions, thoughts or concerns. Go Elks!!!!

 

 

August 2014

 I hope that you have all had a wonderful summer! The start of school is rapidly approaching. For me this is the best time of the year! Our district buildings and grounds are getting the last few finishing touches.  We are going to be ready to welcome students and staff for the 2014-15 school year in September.  Please swing by in the next few days to collect registration packets and get all of the beginning of the year paperwork out of the way.  If you have questions about what you might need as far as student information, give the office a call and we will be happy to give you a list.

As school starts I wanted to remind everyone that I will be reviewing the student handbook with all grades. I will start at the High School and work my way to kindergarten.  My plan is to meet with the 6-12 classes and focus on our policies around dress code, harassment, intimidation and bullying. I will cover some of these things with K-5, but we will focus on what it takes to be a good citizen, and what it means to follow the rules to get the most out of every day. I want to make the expectations clear so that all students understand what is being asked of them. Please feel free to give me a call if students come home with questions, thoughts or concerns!!

Also, along with the beginning of the year, we are launching a new theme. The 2014-15 school year will be focused on “Leaving a Legacy”. You will see this phrase as we talk with students, staff and the community about what we expect our schools to look like now and for the future. Our entire staff and school board are dedicated to creating an environment that is safe and provides students with the skills to be successful in the “real world”. Our dedication to creating a legacy of learning is at the forefront of all things we do.

I also have been receiving lots of requests for information about the Common Core State standards and the impact that they will have. Please take a look at the following link. It has good information specific to Oregon!

http://www.ode.state.or.us/search/page/?id=3425

Please keep checking back to this spot as I will be updating it at least monthly. If you have questions, thoughts or ideas please contact me. I am happy to try and answer questions, or at least find the answer! Again, I could not be more excited to be headed into the school year. Go ELKS!!

 

July 2014

I want to take a moment to thank the Elkton Community for the warm welcome I have received over the last few weeks. This is truly a remarkable place and I consider my family very lucky to be a part of it! I would also like to thank Mike Hughes and Rita VanCampen for their years of dedicated service to our schools and our community! Their hard work will prove to leave a lasting positive impression on our schools.

As the summer is buzzing along you will notice several improvement projects in various stages around the District. Our new fitness facility is nearing completion. This project was funded through grant and district funding. The majority of construction is completed and our crews and contractors will be putting on the finishing touches for the beginning of school. Look for information on our web site  http://www.elkton.k12.or.us/ for a community open house in late August or early September.

As one project finishes another begins! Work will proceed shortly on the new playshed at the Grade School.  This will replace the old playshed that has given many, many years of shade and cover for students in Elkton and needed to be replaced because of rot. We are extremely excited about the new design and will be watching with all of you as the new structure takes shape. Please be aware that the construction will have an impact on access to the playground during the month of August.  We ask that if you stop in to see the progress that you be mindful of equipment and crews trying to complete the project. There is an assortment of other projects that our staff is completing in preparation for the new school year. They do a great job and are working hard.

I encourage any and all of you to call or stop by to meet me. I will be working most of July and am available to answer questions, or hear concerns, about your schools. I seek to continue the “open door” policy that Mr. Hughes had.   One of the areas that we will continue to focus on will be our communication skills. It is important that we communicate all of the wonderful things that our schools have to offer. Please do not hesitate to contact me. Let’s get ready for a successful 2014-15 school year.

Go Elks!

 

Andy Boe

Superintendent

Elkton School District

 

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