Dear D51 Colleagues and Families,

As we approach the final week of the semester before Winter Break, I want to take a moment to celebrate the many successes across our district. Our students continue to show remarkable growth academically, excel in extracurricular activities, and thrive thanks to the unwavering support of our community. With the passage of ballot initiatives 4A and 4B, we’re excited to be able to continue providing the resources our students need to succeed. While challenges have come our way, we’ve faced them together and emerged stronger as a district. I am looking forward to all the great things that next semester will bring.

This week we met with our school leaders during the D51 Leadership Academy. This professional learning opportunity allows our school leaders to review data, refine systems, and plan for January’s In-Service with all school staff. Through our Strategic Plan, we have been able to work on identifying systems that help us adapt and drive real progress. As we look toward the future, the district is beginning to recruit a Steering Committee to help create our next 5-Year Strategic Plan. This committee will help us identify our strengths and challenges and create goals to better support our students, families, staff, and community. The current Strategic Plan, which ends at the end of this school year, was a community co-created plan, and we want the same for our next Strategic Plan. If you’re interested in getting involved, please fill out the Interest Form.

I also had the opportunity to stop by the planning retreat held by the Grand Junction High School Instructional Leadership Team this week. It was great seeing the planning this team did and all of our school ILT’s do, in action. The retreat was hosted at Timberline Bank, and we got to hear from CEO Jim Pederson about organizational leadership and putting the community first. Shoutout to Principal Sorensen and his team for the invite and hard work they put into serving students, and shoutout to Timberline Bank for being an Engaged & Supportive Community Partner with D51. 

I also had the opportunity to stop by Independence Academy Charter School for their annual STEAM Competition Day. You can read more about it below, but shoutout to Principal Gonsalves and her team for creating a fun learning environment that encourages competition while keeping the Art in STEAM! I also had the opportunity to attend the GJHS Extravaganza Choir Concert on Thursday night. The students sounded amazing, and Director Hirsh always does an amazing job incorporating fun into the choral performances. Shoutout to everyone who made it out to support fine arts in D51. 

I was also able to continue visiting schools this week to deliver Performance School banners to our D51 schools who earned the highest academic rating in the state! 90% of our D51 schools are at the top academic levels in the state, and two-thirds have earned the highest academic rating as Performance Schools. I was able to deliver banners to Indepedence Academy Charter School, Juniper Ridge Community School, Taylor Elementary School, and Broadway Elementary School. Congrats to these schools, and I look forward to getting out to the rest of our Performance Schools in the near future to deliver their banners to them!

We also had the opportunity this week to honor Tim Leon, our Director of Safety & Security, who is retiring from D51. A ceremony was held Thursday in the Board Room, and it was great to see the room full of people who have worked with Tim over the years. Tim has given over 40 years to public safety in our community, and we thank him for everything he has done to protect our 20,000 students, over 3,000 staff, and our families. Join me in congratulating Tim on his retirement. He’ll be missed, and he’s left a lasting legacy as he heads to the next chapter in his life. 

As the week comes to a close, I’d like to give a couple of well-deserved shoutouts. First, congratulations to our Girls’ Phoenix Wrestling Team for kicking off the season with a stellar performance, taking first place in their very first tournament! I can’t wait to see what you achieve this season—what an amazing start! And good luck to our D51 cheer and dance teams who are currently competing at State! I love the support our community shows to our D51 student athletes, and I’d encourage you to join me this weekend as we cheer on our winter sports teams competing throughout the district.

And a big congratulations to everyone who celebrated graduation at the CMU Commencement this morning. We’re proud of the strong partnerships we’ve built with CMU and CMU Tech, and we are so grateful for the opportunities and support they provide to our students, graduates, teachers, and staff. Thank you for being an integral part of our D51 community! 

GJHS CLDE Banquet
Sunday evening, Grand Junction High School hosted an incredible celebration banquet honoring our Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CLD) students and their families. Read more here.

Computer Science Education Week & Hour of Code
This week, District 51 celebrated Computer Science Education Week by participating in the global Hour of Code initiative! Students explored the exciting world of computer science through fun, hands-on activities, raising awareness about its impact on the future and inspiring them to dive into this growing field. Read more here.

D51 Cheer and Dance CMU State Showcase
On Monday night, our D51 Cheer and Dance Teams had a State Send-Off at Colorado Mesa University. Read more here.

Pear Park StuCo Visits Solstice Senior Living
One of my favorite parts of this time of year is seeing everyone come together to give back and spread goodwill. Today, Pear Park Elementary’s student council embraced the spirit of the season by spreading holiday cheer at the Solstice Senior Living Center at Grand Valley. Read more here. 

IACS Competition Day
Independence Academy Charter School hosted its annual STEAM Team Challenge competition today, bringing creativity, problem-solving, and collaboration to the forefront! Middle school students teamed up by grade to tackle an exciting timed challenge: solving 24 Rubik's cubes as quickly as possible. How’d they do? Read more here.

D51 Teams Place at FIRST Lego League State Competition
Last weekend, District 51 students competed at the FIRST Lego League State Competition in Denver, and once again, D51 had two teams win awards! Read more here.

CHS Named State Finalist in National STEM Competition
Central High School is one of just six schools in Colorado—and one of only 300 nationwide— that was named a finalist in the Samsung Solve for Tomorrow National STEM competition. Read more here.

Heads-Up Parenting Campaign
The Western Colorado Community Foundation (WCCF) has been an invaluable partner to District 51, supporting initiatives like funding smartphone storage devices, launching the Lunch Lizard, and engaging with our students, staff, and families. Their recent "Heads-Up Parenting" campaign, centered on the message “Your phone doesn’t need you. They do,” aligns perfectly with one of the focus areas of our updated cell phone policy: prioritizing the mental health and well-being of our kids. Read more here.

Board of Education Meeting Recap - Business Meeting
On December 10, the Board of Education held a Business Meeting in the Harry Butler Board Room. For highlights from the meeting, click here. To view a recording of the meeting, click here.

Board of Education Meeting Recap - Special Meeting
On December 12, the Board of Education held a Special Meeting virtually. For highlights from the meeting, click here. To view a recording of the meeting, click here.

UPCOMING EVENTS

• Colorado State Spirit Competition
  December 13-14, Denver, CO
• Fruita Monument High School Art Show
  Monday, December 16, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Fruita Monument High School
• Warrior Classic Wrestling Tournament
  December 20-21, Central High School

For more events happening across the district, visit:

• Fall Athletics Schedule
• District Upcoming Events

If you have good news to share with us, we'd love to highlight your program, event, story, and more. Please share it with our communications department by emailing communicate@d51schools.org.

 

Dr. Brian Hill
District 51 Superintendent