–Submitted by School Superintendent Danna Diaz
We had a great start of school and it has been truly an honor to walk down the halls of the schools, have lunch in the cafeteria, meet with teachers, students and parents and learn about how I may better serve as your superintendent.
We have systems in place complete with outstanding curriculum, staff and leaders to make sure we give each child what they need to be successful. We partner with parents, community members, family and friends to create the optimum outcome for each student. We would like our students to graduate with choices and opportunities for their future.
Have you seen the capital improvements in our schools? New floors in our gym, new paved walkways at the elementary school, new chairs and tables in some of our classrooms? Yes, we are looking better on the outside and finding new places where we can save on energy. Did you know that the STEM building has solar panels? Yes, students will be able to analyze the data. We are excited about the teaching and learning in our new STEM facility.
We have partnered with the San Juan Island Community Foundation to provide HICAP (Highly Capable Students program) professional development for our elementary school teachers. We are partnering with United Way with an Employee Giving Campaign in the fall. The funds raised will ensure services continue for our students in the community.
We will distribute an Educational Effectiveness survey in October for staff and parents. Students will take the survey in January. The San Juan Public Schools Foundation will have their Phone-A-Thon Oct. 12 and 13. As usual, we plan to call you at home in the late afternoon and evening. I will have a community meeting to share my First 100 Days Report at Friday Harbor Middle School, Oct. 19, 5:30 – 6:30 p.m. Most importantly, don’t forget we will have parent teacher conferences October 21-23, at all the schools.
One more thing, did you know that the number of students that ride the bus every day plays a big role in how much funding we receive from our state to help keep our buses safe on the road? Our transportation department does an excellent job transporting our students. Show your support by allowing your child to ride the bus. We report our numbers to the state by Oct. 31.
