CHS offers 37 credits of college level courses
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By LeAnn R. Ralph
COLFAX — Colfax High School is offering a variety of classes that allow students to earn up to 37 credits at the college level.
The credits are accomplished through the Early College Credit Program for Universities and the Start College Now program for technical schools, said John Dachel, Colfax High School principal, as part of his principal’s report at the Colfax Board of Education’s September 19 meeting.
The following courses are available to students at Colfax High School: medical terminology; horticulture; psychology (distance learning); accounting; Microsoft Office Suite; marketing; sociology (distance learning); Sign Language I and Sign Language II (distance learning); publications; statistics; CAD and solid modeling; fundamentals of speech (distance learning); economics (distance learning); fundamentals of engineering; AP Biology; AP Calculus.
Xello
All students in grades 7 to 12 completed their Xello (Match Maker) career exploration on September 14, Dachel said.
The students use the program to answer a series of questions to help determine a career that works in line with their interests, he said.
Later on, students will explore the careers more in depth that will result in two or three career possibilities, Dachel said.
Picture retakes
Picture retakes and organizational pictures will be taken on Wednesday, October 12, Dachel reported.
The date was not scheduled on the school calendar, he said.
ASVAB
Juniors at Colfax High School will be offered the ASVAB test on Tuesday, October 25, Dachel said.
The test is an opportunity for juniors to determine their interests and how they might relate to a specific field, he said, noting that the test is optional for all juniors.
Homecoming
Colfax High School homecoming will be the week of October 3 through October 7, Dachel said.
Accelerated Reader
There are 350 students in kindergarten through sixth grade signed up for the Accelerated Reader program, said Trevor Hovde, Colfax Elementary principal.
Teachers and students are setting their reading goals for the first quarter and will have daily time at school to work toward their goals, he said.
Students have been busy taking the Star Reading test to find their reading zone and reading books for Accelerated Reader, Hovde said.
Colfax Elementary also is continuing to use the Renaissance Learning program called Star Early Literacy, which is used to screen kindergarten through second grade students, he said.
The online assessment identifies literacy and math skills in students and can be used for older students who may be struggling in reading to identify the skills they may need to learn and practice, Hovde said.
FastBridge
FastBridge is a new assessment tool this year at Colfax Elementary.
Teachers were trained in using the assessment tool over the summer and in the beginning of the school year, Hovde said.
The tool will help school staff to identify the needs of students in reading and math and will allow better progress monitoring of students and their academic growth, he said.
Reading Wonders
Colfax Elementary teachers are implementing the sixth year of Reading Wonders, a program that is interactive and engaging for students, Hovde said.
Some of the work is done on paper, some work is done using Promethean Boards; and some is done using the students’ Chromebooks, he said.
Colfax Elementary is using Heggerty and “Learning Without Tears” as well, Hovde said.
Heggerty covers 35 weeks of phonological and phonemic awareness and emphasizes sounds, beginning and ending sounds and introduces long and short vowels, he said.
“Learning Without Tears” supports the tactile experience of writing in chronological order (left to right), Hovde said.
Star Reading and Math
Star Reading and Math are assessments available through Renaissance Learning to evaluate reading and math skills, Hovde said.
Students in grades two through six have been using Star Reading and Math to identify those who may be struggling with reading and math skills and to monitor their progress during the year, he said.
Medicaid billing
Peggy Larson, Ashley Goulet and Polly Rudi will be attending Medicaid school-based annual refresher courses in September.
Billing Medicaid for certain services, such as occupational therapy, helps the school district to recover some of the costs associated with certain programs, said Rudi, who is the pupil services director.
Edgenuity
Colfax currently has three students and their families participating in the Edgenuity option for virtual learning, Rudi said.
One elementary student and two middle school/high school students are using the program, she said.
Title III
Four students are currently enrolled in Title III (English Language Learners) oversight, Rudi said.
Three are elementary students and one is in high school, she said.
Students receive accommodations and modifications through regular education classroom immersion, Rudi said.
Colfax is well under having the 10 students that would require the district to hire a teacher, she noted.