All summer, I look forward to the start of the school year. It is exciting to see the staff come together to focus on professional learning and preparing for their students. One of my favorite events of the year is Open House. We could not have events like this last year due to some of the COVID restrictions that were in place at the time, so the staff took extra care to make it a great night. There was a great crowd, and families who attended seemed to really enjoy the opportunity. It was also great to have several of our school board members volunteer their time to be there. I enjoyed watching teachers and support staff being intentional about forming relationships with our students and their families. I also appreciated the opportunity to meet some families and help them make connections with the school staff. There were hot dogs, door prizes and many smiles.
It has been good to spend some time in the buildings these last few weeks. I must say I was very impressed with the professional learning sessions that were held. I recently observed a high school staff meeting led by teachers for teachers at the High School. They were focused on implementing a new Multi-Tier Support System (MTSS) structure and discussing how they could use a data dashboard to support their work. I was also pleased with what is happening at the JK-8 Building with interventions, #horsepower time, and conscious discipline training.
We have several new staff members this year, so I want to share this video with you. They are an impressive group of people; I hope you take the opportunity to get to know them.
One of the most difficult days this fall was learning Grace Johnson passed away as a result of the injuries sustained in a tragic car accident. I am unable to fully understand or imagine the pain her family felt and is still experiencing. I have been so thankful to witness our students, staff, and community come together to express concern and extend kindness to honor Grace and support the Johnson family during this difficult time. It has made me very proud to be part of a community that finds comfort in doing good, being kind, and helping others.
