Parents key at year-round school
Ten years ago, a group of educators and parents launched a new vision for a year-round school in East Valley.
Continuous Curriculum School organizers will celebrate their anniversary Thursday evening, inviting families and students – past, present and future. Visitors can meet with staff, reminisce or learn about CCS during a 7-8 p.m. open house in the east wing of Skyview Elementary, 16924 E. Wellesley Ave.
“The students who have been here since kindergarten will be welcoming guests,” said Chiere Martyn, principal for CCS and Skyview.
CCS, a K-8 school, runs on a calendar with six weeks in session, followed by a week or two off for breaks, including six weeks of summer vacation. With about 190 students enrolled, CCS is a highly parent-involved school where families contribute about 48 hours of volunteer time per year.
The open house includes an overview and introductions at 7 p.m. in the gym, followed by time for tours or discussions, and then everyone will meet back in the gym for punch, cookies and cake. The office will be open for parents to fill out paperwork or to place their children on a waiting list for certain grades.
Martyn said spots are available at CCS for fifth through eighth grades. The school allows open “choice” enrollment, meaning students can come from outside the district boundaries. Families also can choose volunteer options that fit: in-school support, correcting papers from home, or perhaps one major project.
Several families like the CCS calendar, said parent Amanda Wagner-Sior, adding that people unfamiliar with the schedule may not realize it includes summer vacation.
“You really do have six weeks of summer off, and then five weeks during the year when you can have other vacations,” she said.
CCS offers some enrichment programs for students during breaks, called “innersessions”, for those who want that option, Wagner-Sior added.
Among people involved with CCS from the beginning is Jill Shillam, who teaches third and fourth grades in a looping pattern. She keeps the same students for two years in a row, as do other CCS teachers.
Shillam remembered growth at the start and for several years.
“We had 100 students signed up, and the parents were gung-ho,” Shillam said. “We grew a classroom every year. It was quite magical.”
Amid budget constraints and consolidations in recent years, founding principal Scott Read left for a district teaching position, and Martyn took over managing both CCS and Skyview. The schools now share an office and other resources.
However, Shillam said she still sees committed CCS parents, quality teaching and high student test scores. Shillam added that parents have played a huge role, including around fall 1997, when the district was unable to provide extra grant matching funds, and PTSA members organized raising almost $20,000 necessary for a $115,280 Gates Grant.
“It gave us money for curriculum material, a reading program and computers.”
Carrie Wilkinson, a CCS para-educator, also was involved from the start.
“Statistics show that kids do better with year-round education, retain more and get better grades,” said Wilkinson, who also described the school’s strong academics and family atmosphere.
“My daughter had three years of Latin because a mom came in three days a week,” she said. “CCS has a small-town feel because we’re K-8. I really appreciate that the older kids mentor the younger kids.
“Public education has to offer more options because you’ll lose more to private school and home school if you don’t. This is an option.”
Currently, the school has several parents involved in meetings as the CCS School Improvement Group, with co-coordinators Wagner-Sior and Guy Gifford. One of the immediate concerns is to help increase middle school enrollment for seventh and eighth grade, Wagner-Soir said.
The group has met with parents, staff and administration to examine goals and improvements as well as operating costs, part of the district’s overall budget concerns.