Year Three

This is year three for me as a head principal at an elementary school. Though my previous teaching and administrative experience comes from middle school, the elementary presents itself with unique situations.

For example, what other educational institution has six different grade levels in one building? With middle, we deal with three usually, the high school with four. Now granted, age and development become factors, but still, six is significant, especially when you compare beginning kindergarteners to say, beginning fifth grade students. Quite a range in ability and development there. I suppose the same could be argued with middle school kids in the comparison between an incoming sixth grader and an incoming eighth grader.

When I look at the challenges and opportunities ahead of us this year, no doubt a big one is the herculean effort we're putting forward in making sure students get as well rounded an education as possible with our blocking style of classes (social studies, science).

This year we have 18 new faces on staff, including paraeducators, teachers and support staff. That's almost one third of our staff. Quite a few folks changing out. Like anything in life, we have to adapt to change or perish, and I'm hopeful and optimistic that we're going to see great growth this coming school year.