Dear Parents,I'm excited! Next week school starts and I can hardly wait! Things are still in the process of being organized, books being placed on shelves, lesson plans being developed, and the final touches being done to the new buildings, but WOW does this year ever look to be a great one!
In addition to the campus being about as ideal for learning as a school can get, we have a staff second to none. All of our classroom teachers are excited and eager for the children to arrive. We've got the units planned and an even stronger insight as to how students learn to read with joy and understanding. We are ready to help kids strengthen their understanding of math concepts and fine-tune their skills as we settle into our second year with Swan's Investigations math curriculum. All this and plans for a number of interesting field trips and hands on activities that should just keep the smiles coming!
As we begin the new school year we will also be welcoming in four new staff members that we are all very excited about. Joining us teaching Spanish will be Jennifer Kruse. She is a certified teacher, has lots of great ideas that will help the children learn while having a wonderful time, has tons of enthusiasm, and she will also bring a strong background of Latin American cultures to our school. Dahti Blanchard is our new Music Exploration teacher. She loves children and has extensive musical and music education experience, even having led the City Library's Children's Choir. She is an absolutely amazing asset to our school. Sarah Dorian-Lawrence told me to expect her violin class to be playing everything from Bach to the Beatles. Her energy, enthusiasm, and expertise is second to none. She will be teaching the violin ensemble class. Laura Flanigan is joining Loida in our already very popular preschool program. Laura has tons of early childhood experience and enthusiasm, and is very excited to be an additional staff member working with our very precious 3 and 4 year olds. We are truly blessed to have such a wonderful, caring, enthusiastic, and professional staff!
As I was knee deep in empty boxes at school recently, a parent popped her head through the door and asked, "Where are we supposed to bring our kids on the first day?" I suddenly realized that with the new buildings now in place, that wasn't really very obvious. On the first day of school all students will go directly to their new classrooms so that they can put their supplies away, hang up their coats, and learn about caring for our new cork floors. The Discoverers (preschool) will be in the classroom in the center of the old building. Our school's main entrance on the 24th street side, will be where they will find their coat hooks. The Explorers (primary, K-2), will find their classrooms on the Kuhn street side of the new buildings. The Navigators' (intermediate, 3-5) classrooms are on the playground side of the new buildings. Please note: the city has requested that all students be dropped off and picked up at our main entrance on 24th street. After students have had a few minutes to put their things away, they will all have our first all-school meeting in Karen's room, get a tour of the school and playground, and then make our way back to their own classrooms to get the rest of the day started. At 3:30, teachers will be walking with their classes out to the parking areas to help students find their parents.
If you are like me and haven't gotten all of your school supplies yet, don't forget that all the student supply lists are listed here on the school website (check Discoverers, Explorers or Navigators) and in the packet of materials that Flossie sent out last week.
Now, with that said, there's probably a thing or two I've forgotten to mention. So please feel free to drop me a line, give me a buzz, or better yet, stop on by if you have any questions.
Have a wonderful last few days of summer vacation and prepare yourself for one of the best school years ever!
Russ