Dear Parents,

There is one month of the year that is by far the best. It stands out in each of our lives and is always when many of our best and most significant memories are made. It is the month when we grow and smile the most, when we are thoughtful and introspective, when we reflect on the past and build toward the future. With a month this significant one would think that it wouldn't go unnoticed, that there would be some sort of government recognition or at least a reality television show based on the events that happen during it. Well, actually, I have to admit that the month is not really named on any calendar or delineated out as an equal member of a Julian year. However, it is a month that figures so prominently in teachers' minds everywhere that they all (yes, Swan School teachers too) put their own lives on hold for it. Instead of 30 or so days in this month, there are about 180 days (not counting weekends). You have probably guessed the month is Septemberoctobernovemberdecemberjanuaryfebruarymarchaprilmayjune (kind of a long one to spell, perhaps I'll put it on next year's spelling list). In so many ways, this school year has seemed like it was simply one month, it has passed so very quickly! Even with such an accelerated passage of time, I know that every student, parent, and staff member at Swan School has made memories that will be held far into the future.

We all learn most from challenges that we successfully meet and from building on those successes. This year we have happily met a number of challenges that were first identified in earlier years as well as some we encountered this year. We have expanded our campus so as to better meet the needs of our students. We have implemented a new math curriculum that helps insure that Swan School students continue to stay "ahead of the curve" while still being true to our educational values and multiage structure. We have begun to enhance our playground to help keep learning fun, to help our kids stay fit, and to help keep our children safe. Our school day was restructured and refined to better support student learning in every area from traditional academic subjects like math and reading to music, foreign language, and the arts. We created and taught a school-wide framework for student behavior that has helped all the children learn to respect and nurture one another. We have implemented a professional growth plan that, although in its infancy, has made a difference in teachers' school-day lives. Building on these successes will be fun, partly because they will help Swan School's reputation grow even further, but mostly because they will all directly contribute to each and every child's growth, happiness, and success as a student.

Although many of our goals are created from the results of the end-of-year parent surveys (be sure to complete this June's survey and turn it in to the box in the office), there are a few goals that have already been identified for the 2006-2007 school year. They include moving into our new buildings, implementation of our new preschool program for 3 and 4 year olds, an additional academic focus on refining our reading curriculum, and beginning an accreditation process with the Pacific Northwest Association of Independent Schools while still keeping our current accreditation with the state. Of course we will also be continuing to further refine our multiage educational structure, fine tune mathematics instruction, and work towards achieving an even higher level of collaboration among all the teachers.

Wow, it looks like 2006-2007 will be another "month" in which many happy memories will be built!

This past month, er, school year, has gone by so fast for me. It wasn't so long ago that I joined the Swan School family. I have never been welcomed so warmly and I knew right from the start that it would be a magical year. Thank you for everything you have done to make this school year so special for me, for the staff, and most of all for the children.

Russ