Students showcase classroom projects as district leaders highlight new curriculum and intervention schedule

Valley student council members opened the Hermosa Valley School District board meeting with a series of short presentations about classroom activities, then site leaders reviewed curriculum and instructional changes across grades 5–8.

“Noah, Valley Student Council ASB president, said the school had been writing Spanish pen‑pal letters with students in Laredo, Mexico and showcased recent projects in Spanish and STEM,” student council members told the board. Presentations from Mia, Aria Cathikar, Harper and Kelsey described PLTW engineering tasks, digital photography assignments, art and ceramics units, debate teams and yearbook work that staff said are reinforcing classroom learning.

In the district presentation that followed, site leadership described recently adopted curricula — Wit & Wisdom for ELA, Eureka for K–5 math and FOSS for science — and said teachers are using focus walls, student work analysis and cross‑grade planning to deepen instruction. The presenter described hands‑on science (solar ovens, heat‑transfer experiments), long‑division and algebraic reasoning work, and social studies modules that frame history as a storyline rather than isolated facts.

The board heard details about the district’s advisory and intervention approach: advisory is a 25‑minute period four times per week used for executive‑functioning supports, SEL and a dedicated pull‑out intervention block that provides four 25‑minute periods with designated intervention teachers so students do not have to miss electives or core instruction. The presenter said this model allows targeted support without affecting students’ elective or PE time.

Board members praised the visuals and classroom artifacts shown in the presentation and asked how classrooms and student work would be shared with families; staff said the deck would be distributed to parents and curriculum highlights posted through the district’s Wave Watch newsletter. The presenter also described ongoing teacher collaboration days and grade‑level analysis of interim assessments (IABs) to improve assessment literacy and instructional planning.

The presentation closed with the site leader saying enrollment has increased and student engagement is high; the board asked follow‑up questions about cohort trends and intervention outcomes, which staff said they will continue to unpack through data reviews and subsequent reports.