If you’re keen on understanding the importance of parent involvement in Roaring Fork School matters, there are various avenues for you to explore.
After the October resignation of former Superintendent Dr. Jesús Rodríguez, a superintendent search hopes to have final candidates announced by March 18. A July 1 start date is slated for the new superintendent to assume their duties.
First, school board directors invited community members to five informal “coffee and talk sessions” in January at coffee shops in Glenwood Springs, Carbondale and Basalt. The final session, with Board President Kathryn Kuhlenberg, will be held on Jan. 19 at 9am at Starbucks Coffee in Willits.
Secondly, the district is also seeking applicants to serve on the Superintendent Search Advisory Committee (SSAC), with the application process closing on Feb. 1. SSAC will interview candidates and, during the week of March 4, will join the board in conducting finalist interviews and visits with community stakeholders.
Additional information and the SSAC application, available in English and Spanish, can be found at www.bit.ly/RFSDsuperintendenthire
On Jan. 16, RFSD’s Family Advisory Committee (FAC) and wellness committees met in consecutive meetings at district offices in Carbondale. Interpretation services were available for both meetings.
Kelly Medina, RFSD family resource center director, guided FAC discussions around the topic of family partnerships in education, which, according to a meeting handout, include “recognizing the diversity of family structures, circumstances and cultural backgrounds and respect[ing] families as important decision-makers for their children’s education.”
Breaking into smaller discussion groups, the dialogue turned to answering, “What do strong family-school partnerships look like?”
One suggestion that came forth was streamlining communications between families and teachers. For instance, parents would like to know if their child is not succeeding academically ahead of attending parent-teacher conferences.
FAC meetings for the remainder of the 2023-24 school year are scheduled for Feb. 20 and Apr. 16. If you are interested in participating, email Medina at kmedina@rfschools.com
Interim Superintendent Dr. Anna Cole facilitated the wellness committee meeting, which centered on the rollout of the new “3R” (which stands for rights, respect and responsibility) health curriculum.
The wellness committee continues to sift through and fine-tune the curriculum to ensure the lessons are age-appropriate.
Once again, small groups discussed the 3R curriculum and reconvened to bring concerns and suggestions to the larger group. A concern was raised about the language and design of the “opt out” form, requesting that the form be revised. One parent believes her second-grade son is “not ready yet,” so she will opt him out of participating in the curriculum.
Cole also took the opportunity to tell attendees that alcohol and drug use in the district’s high schools has been identified as “a number one priority.” She invited parents to attend relevant upcoming educational sessions, which include time for questions, to be held on Jan. 18 at Basalt High School and Jan. 23 at Roaring Fork High School. Meetings at 6pm will be in Spanish, and at 7pm will be in English, with language interpretation provided at both.