Opinions

Behind the Scenes → Student Support at CCPS Though I’ve been employed with Central City Public Schools for six years, it did not take long for it to become evident to me that our teachers truly follow the student-centered mission we listen to each morning: to educate, challenge and prepare students with life-long skills for the world around them. I’ve been a member of this community for over a decade; however, I realize that many of my thoughts about the exceptional educators that are my colleagues stem from instances that occur behind the scenes. The public sees standardized test scores, yearly school-ratings, and the occasional social-media rants from people who are displeased. As a Special Education/Resource teacher at CCHS, I have the privilege of an inside look at multiple educators in action. Co-teaching with many different teachers throughout the years has given me the ability to provide others with countless examples of excellence in our crew of teachers. The support that I know my own children will receive is a comfort and a blessing that I’d like to share with our community.

For most students, the school day begins with the first bell, first class or homeroom, but the reality is that for many students the school day begins by standing on a curb waiting for one of Central City Public School’s buses to pick them up. The transportation department of the school includes a fleet of full-sized buses, including the traditional big yellow route buses, a couple of mid-size buses, a pair of smaller buses and two custom-decorated Bison buses which are used mainly to transport students to extra-curricular activities. Several buses are equipped with wheelchair lifts for students with disabilities and all buses are equipped with video camera systems.

What does PT do? School Based PT’s focus on gross motor tasks including walking, running, and jumping! Other areas we explore include ball skills and coordination tasks like hopscotch and jump rope. We also keep an eye out on participation in PE and during recess playing on playground equipment! School PT also focuses on access to the learning environment!