RIFLE, CO – On November 16, 2011, Garfield Re-2 School Board met for a special session to reorganize after the November 1, 2011 election.
Elected as school board president was Chris Pearson of Rifle. Pearson was first elected to the board in 2007 and has served as board secretary. She was re-elected to the board as part of the 2011 campaign. Elected as vice president was Lee Krauth of New Castle. Krauth was first elected to the board in 2009. Elected as the board Secretary was Patrick Burwell of Rifle. This was the first meeting for Burwell, who joined the board as part of his successful election campaign November 1.
Brad Moss of Rifle was re-elected as Treasurer. Moss was first appointed to the board in 2006 filling the vacancy left by then board member Kim Goossens. He successfully ran for election in 2007 and was re-elected in 2009.
Board member Scott Doherty also successfully ran for re-election and retained his seat on the Garfield Re-2 board.
The next regularly scheduled Garfield Re-2 school board meeting will be Monday, December 13 at 5:00PM at Coal Ridge High School.
After barely missing the playoffs with several close losses last season, Rifle put it all together this year and enters the post-season as one of the favorites. The Western Slope champs scored two close wins over Battle Mountain (22-21) and Palisade (36-33) earn a first round game at home. They’re a team well suited for bad weather games late in the season as they have a punishing ground game chewing up 382 yards a night. They were held to a season low 204 yards by Battle Mountain but ground out 42 yards against Palisade. The Bears also rolled up 607 yards in the blowout of Steamboat Springs. Brandon Kittle has 1,127 yards overall which would normally lead a team but that number is almost doubled by Ryan Moeller (2,198 yards). The senior had back-to-back 300 yard efforts against Delta and Moffat County and finished the regular season with 42 carries and 237 yards in the 32-27 win over Glenwood Springs. He’s scored 20 touchdowns with 17 coming over the last six weeks. With 41 points a game, Roosevelt is also explosive and they too do most of their damage in the run game. The Riders total 297 yards a game there but also chip in 95 yards through the air. Christian Kratz (790 yards), Marcus Holguin (751) and Juan Sanchez (592) lead a balanced attack. Spencer Urban has thrown for 800 yards and 11 touchdowns
For those planning on attending the playoff football game between Rifle and Roosevelt this Saturday at 1 p.m., the cost will be $7 for adults and $5 for students and senior citizens. District passes will not get you in the game for free as this is a CHSAA sponsored playoff event and only CHSAA and CHSCA passes will be allowed for free admittance.
On October 27 at approximately 10:25 a.m. staff members at Graham Mesa Elementary indicated that there was an odor of smoke in the building.
As a precautionary measure, Graham Mesa Elementary staff pulled the fire alarm. Rifle Fire Department responded to Graham Mesa Elementary at approximately 10:29. The school was evacuated while Rifle Fire Department conducted their investigation of the building.
Rifle Fire Department did not find any smoke, nor abnormal levels of carbon monoxide in the building. Neither levels of smoke nor carbon monoxide reached detectable levels.
It is believed that the smell of smoke in the building occurred due to an inversion keeping smoke from several area controlled burns low to the valley floor in the area of Graham Mesa Elementary. Students retuned to class at approximately 11:00 a.m. Garfield Re-2 School District maintenance staff will continue on site to monitor the air handling system throughout the day.
Three Rifle Middle School classes helped National Geographic Kids magazine set the Guinness World Records® title for the most people doing jumping jacks in a 24-hour period. Ms. Peterson and Ms. Snead's fifth grade class and Ms. VanDevender’s sixth grade class each participated in the event. To break the record, more than 20,000 people worldwide need to complete one minute of jumping jacks in events occurring between 3 p.m. ET October 11, 2011 and 3 p.m. ET October 12, 2011.
At approximately 2 p.m. on Tuesday, October 11, 2011, approximately 59 students performed jumping jacks for one minute on the north lawn of the Rifle Middle School campus in support of National Geographic Kids’ quest to set the Guinness World Record
“This is such a good classroom community building activity. The kids loved participating in something larger than themselves. We hope that our contribution will help break the world record,” said Peterson after the event.
“Let’s Jump!” supports First Lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move! campaign, which encourages kids and families to get healthy and active. Mrs. Obama is scheduled to kick off the 24-hour period with one minute of jumping jacks at the White House.
National Geographic Kids magazine encourages kids and families to get teams, classmates, organizations and communities to join them in breaking the magazine’s fifth Guinness World Record. People can also take a pledge to jump and help break the record at www.teamupandpledge.com as part of Team Up for a Healthy America, Jamba Juice's national grassroots campaign to help raise awareness about the nation's obesity epidemic. Visit http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/lets-jump/for official rules, additional locations, and other information.
RIFLE, CO - At approximately 11:45 a.m. the Rifle Fire Protection District was notified of an odor at Graham Mesa Elementary and that several students and a teacher were not feeling well. Upon Rifle Fire Protection District’s arrival, as a precautionary measure, the building was evacuated and all students and staff were transported to Wamsley Elementary where they finished the school day. Parents were notified via autodialer or personal phone call at approximately 1:30 p.m. - more -
A candidate for the office of school director must be:
• a resident of the school district and a registered voter, as shown on the books of the county clerk and recorder, for at least 12 consecutive months prior to the election;
• 18 years or older by the date of the election;
• a citizen of the United States.
If you are interested in running for the Garfield Re-2 School Board, you may pick up a nomination petition from Sharon Donohoue at the District Office, 839 Whiteriver Ave, Rifle, CO. Nomination petitions are due August 26, 2011. For the specific boundaries of the
director districts or for further information
contact Sharon Donohoue at 665-7600.
School begins August 17 and several organizations will be holding school supply drives for our students. The Garfield Re-2 Transportation Department will be conducting their annual school supply drive. Watch for drums at all local City Market locations and at the Rifle Wal-Mart. If you would like to make a donation, or need support with school supply purchases, you may contact the Transportation Department at 665.7630. In New Castle, the River Center is conducting a drive. If you would like to make a donation, or if you need support with school supply purchases, you may contact them at River Center 126 N 4th Street, New Castle, CO or via phone at (970) 984-4333.
The District made nearly $800,000 cuts to the original 11-12 budget including: - more -
The complete budget can be found here.
The Citizen Telegram's Budget story is here.
Using data from many different sources including disaggregated CSAP scores broken down by gender, ethnicity, socio-economic status, student growth data from the state, staff surveys, and parent surveys each school is going through the process to evaluate where they are now, their short and long term goals, and how are they going to reach their goals. - more -
Coal Ridge student Jonathan Angelo was one of two local students to receive the Encana scholarship. Angelo has demonstrated potential for leadership, solid community service and outstanding academic achievement, in addition to a commitment to work toward a career in the oil and gas industry. - more - (from the Citizen Telegram)
“I like constantly learning, really applying yourself to continue learning something new every day,” said Aguirre, a resident of Peach Valley. “I love going to school and having something on my mind to give me a purpose to wake up in the morning and try.” - more -
(from the Post Independent)
The Garfield Re-2 Board of Directors officially approved Kevin Marlatt as the incoming principal of Rifle Middle School at the May 24, 2011 regular school board meeting. Marlatt will take over for Shane Bostic who resigned earlier this year.
Marlatt is very familiar with the Garfield Re-2 School District. For the 2010-11 school year, He was Principal of Kaplan Academy of Colorado. Kaplan Academy was Garfield Re-2’s online high school in partnership with Kaplan Virtual Education. Kaplan is no longer affiliated with Garfield Re-2 School District. - more -
Matthews has seen many changes in the Garfield Re-2 School District. During her 18-years in the district, she has worked under four superintendents, six principals and worked in four different buildings in many different roles. She said she is ready for the most significant change of her career. - more-
Congratulations! Click here to watch the short video of CRHS's graduation.
Congratulations Class of 2011. To see a short video of graduation photos, click here.
On May 19, between 1 and 2 p.m. all Garfield Re-2 schools and support buildings will show their support for Coal Ridge High School and their quest to win the EPA Energy Star National Building Competition by reducing their energy consumption. All schools will turn off unnecessary lights, air handling systems, unused electrical devices, and unplug unnecessary electrical appliances to reduce phantom loads. All essential systems will continue to operate and school will continue as usual.
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A well known quote by Henry E. Adams sticks in the mind of Cactus Valley Elementary pre-school teacher Cindy Davis – “A teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops.”
Davis used this quote in an essay for the L.S. Woods Teacher of the Year award, but she likely did not know how appropriate it was. - more -
As the school year winds down, the academic competitions heat up. Garfield Re-2 middle schools students recently competed in brain benders focused on spelling and math.
On April 20, 5th and 6th graders competed in a spelling bee at Grand River Hospital District. Students competed in written rounds. Rifle Middle School fifth graders Sydney Kennedy, Morgan Brown and Caleb Opstein paced the pack finishing first, second and third respectively. - more -
School has been selected to participate in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA's) ENERGY STAR National Building Competition: Battle of the Buildings to help improve the energy efficiency of commercial buildings and protect the environment. - more -
Director Hamrick and Superintendent Birdsey shared that the District had completed six community focus groups, with several additional meetings set up for the coming weeks. Both commented that the meetings have been positive and the conversation has been excellent. These groups will provide the Board with additional information about community feelings about the large items for consideration in the 11-12 budget. The community survey is currently active and when complete, will provide a statistically significant reflection of the community about a variety of items. Both the community survey and focus group information will be presented to the Board at a special meeting on April 5 meeting. No additional action was taken with regard to the 2011-12 budget.
School districts around Colorado and the nation are bracing for the next round of budget cuts. The Garfield School District Re-2 is no different. Last month, Gov. John Hickenlooper announced $375 million in cuts to education next year, cuts that will likely be felt in every classroom in the state.
Last year, Garfield Re-2 reduced its budget by $4.4 million or just over 10 percent. This year the district faces at least $2.5 million in additional cuts. Community feedback will be imperative in guiding the school board as they begin this daunting task. - more -
Congratulations to everyone that performed in the Solo and Ensemble Festival at Rifle High School. Students practice for months in preparation for this event and did extremely well. When playing in the festival, students receive a rating from a judge between 1 and 5 with I being the best performance. Below are the students in band who participated and the rating they received. - more -
After three years of sitting vacant, Garfield Re-2 School District will begin the process of demolishing the old Roy Moore Elementary building in Silt.
At the January 11, 2011 school board meeting, the Board approved the budget to begin asbestos abatement and then demolish the old school with the exception of the existing gymnasium. The gymnasium will not have utilities to it and for the immediate future will be used as storage. - more -
