I am thrilled to embark on my second year as superintendent of Falcon School District 49 and honored to have the privilege to lead our outstanding students and schools. We are now into our second quarter of classes, and in these first few months, I have had the opportunity to visit with teachers and students in our classrooms and hallways. I am impressed with the level of focus and enthusiasm in our buildings. Our district aims to consistently provide rigorous and relevant instruction every day in our schools.This school year, D 49 is welcoming back more students than ever before, and it is wonderful to see so many new and returning faces in our classrooms. Unofficial Oct. 1 attendance shows approximately 2.6 percent growth across the district. While it is exciting for the district, it also provides additional challenges, as that increase is on top of our currently overcrowded buildings and classrooms. We will be working hard to ensure class sizes and instruction are not negatively impacted by the growth we’re experiencing this year as one of the fastest growing school districts in the state. We do recognize that adjustments will have to be made, but as always, our district will make quality education our top priority.We also have new additions to school leadership. This year, five of our schools are being led by new principals. We are also pleased to welcome new directors of K-12 education and special education and a new coordinator of the Career Tech/Response to Intervention programs. In this district, we believe that every child deserves an effective teacher, and every school deserves effective leadership. I stand by those standards, and I will be collaborating with these new leaders to create the best educational experience possible for our students.It has been great to see so many opportunities for community members and staff members to step up and support our students and our schools. The Adopt-a-School program is now active at seven of our buildings, with members of our area military installations donating their time to our students. The Watch DOGS program at Meridian Ranch International Elementary gives dads, brothers, uncles and other male figures an opportunity to spend time in our schools. It is difficult to quantify the impact of volunteers in our classrooms as they provide positive role models for our students and support for our teachers.With the growth we are experiencing in our district, our teachers and schools are working to do more with less. Parents, grandparents and other community member volunteers make outstanding contributions to our classrooms. I invite you to reach out to your students’ classrooms or visit a school near your neighborhood and find out about volunteer opportunities that might be available for you or your family members. Those contributions and partnerships become more important than ever with extremely tight budgets and many schools at or over capacity. As I make visits to schools, I am encouraged to see the enthusiasm and skills exhibited by our staff members, always putting learning first. I recognize we are facing tough challenges, but I am impressed by the focus on education for every child.In the effort of encouraging communication and collaboration, I want to invite you to the second annual Falcon School District 49 Community Engagement Conference. It is an opportunity to come together as a community to improve the quality of education for every child in D 49. It takes each one of us to set high standards and improve the learning environment for our kids. I look forward to seeing you Nov. 9 at Vista Ridge High School as we work to raise the bar and close the gap (additional details are available at www.d49.org).I am looking forward to working with our entire D 49 community as we move ahead to meet the needs of every student. High standards are set for educational achievement, and I will always work to ensure the tools are in place for our students to meet and exceed their goals. I wish you all the best as we head into the second quarter of the 2010-11 school year.
