From the Superintendent…………..

 

As we start another school I would like to give an overview of what has been happening

over the summer and talk about the year ahead.

 

The summer has been spent hiring 16 new teachers/teacher assistants and approximately

the same number of support staff members. In addition, the major building focus has been

to complete the capital project for technology renovations and upgrades. At this point,

the Elementary and Middle Schools work will be completed in time for opening day a nd

with a little luck, the High School will also be ready. When staff returns, all will have

network accessibility and e­ mail capability. For the Elementary and Middle School staff,

this will be a new experience. Logging into the network will be the first training they

will undergo September 3

rd

. As we progress through the year we will be working with

staff to develop the integration of technology into daily teaching. A core group of

teachers has begun their work this summer using the Intel Teach to the Future Program.

Training with additional staff in this and other integration projects will continue

throughout the school year. Each building will have at least one lab available for teacher

and student use throughout the day. We hope that on your next visit to our schools you

will visit these labs. Again, thanks to all of you for approving this project.

 

Although most of our summer curriculum work was eliminated during the budget process

last spring, an important piece of work did take place. That was the Building Planning

Team Sessions. Each of the three buildings in the district has a team made up of

administration, parents and staff who write action plans for their buildings each year.

These action plans now link directly to the student achievem

ent area of our strategic

plan. Our strategic plan focuses on five broad areas:

 

1.

Student Achievement

2.

Educating the Whole Child

3.

Community Partnerships

4.

Staff Effectiveness

5.

Fiscal Responsibility

 

Under the student achievement area, there are three sub areas where all three building

will be focusing their attention this year: literacy, math and academic intervention

services. The first two are the 3R’s that many of you recall from your school days –

reading, writing and arithmetic. The last, academic interv

ention services, deals with

support services for students at risk of not meeting standards in all areas. Each of the

three building in the district will focus on these areas through the plans they wrote this

summer.

 

This linkage between the Building Team Plans and the Strategic Plan will focus energy

on the goals, which you as a community articulated through the focus groups and surveys

of last year. In upcoming issues of “What’s Happening” we will focus on a different one

of these areas to explain more fully the specific work that will be taking place.

 

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As with all issues we face, our goal continues to be best stated in our Mission Statement:

 

“To provide an effective, high quality learning experience every day, for every

student, with the goal of preparing students to be successful at each level and to

be contributing members of society”.

 

In order to meet our mission we look for an open system of communication between the

community and the school system. Being part of a small system like Williamson,

accessibility to a Superintendent or a Board Member is often immediate. For those of

you coming from larger districts, you might be surprised by our accessibility. It is

something that I believe is appreciated when there is a pressing concern. But some times,

this accessibility leaves out some preliminary steps.

 

If you have a concern about something happening at school with your child, your first

contact should be with the teacher or staff member directly. If you are dissatisfied with

their response, g

o to the staff’s supervisor (usually the Building Principal). Next, if you

are still dissatisfied, please call my office. And finally, if you are dissatisfied with my

response, call a Board of Education member.

 

If you have general concerns about goals, policies, budgets, or our strategic plan contact

either myself or a Board of Education Member directly. These are areas where we have

primary responsibility. I know that the Board and myself want to be accessible and hear

your thoughts and concerns directly on these issues.