Welcome Back with Open Arms!

August 28, 2010

Late summer greetings to you and your family! As we approach the final days of summer, I can't help but be reminded of some of the societal stereotypes portrayed when discussing the return to school. One of our most prominent images has been displayed by a local office supply retailer, who runs a commercial showing students painfully walking through the store to gather their supplies, while their parents rejoice, singing and dancing their way to purchasing new glue sticks. Those in education (through various movies, sitcoms, commercials, and even conversations with relatives) are also painted with this same brush. I can't tell you how many family functions I have attended in which my relatives ask/tell Alesha (my wife) and I, "you must be sad that you have to go back to school and that your vacation is over." We usually just smile and talk about how it's time to go back, and what we anticipate for the fall. Regardless, such a message falls upon moot ears, as it is human nature to assume that one wants as much vacation as possible, and parents, after two months of being home with children, are more than eager to return them to school.

I am proud that Voorheesville Elementary School does not fit this generic stereotype, and like everything else, stands above the standard. Over the course of the past ten weeks, I have been present for all but one of those weeks (as you are aware from previous posts, I took my vacation in late June-early July). Though I can't account for this initial week into summer, I can attest that there has not been a single summer day in which the building has not seen multiple staff members, either working on summer curriculum projects, or making room preparations for a new school year. In the last few weeks we have hired numerous staff members, which involved the creation of numerous hiring committees. Over 25% of our building volunteered their time this summer to assist in selecting the finest teachers on the market (which we certainly succeeded). In addition to putting teachers into classrooms, our staff has assisted in planning our ten-month Spirit Programming, and working in both horizontal and vertical groups to use our Curriculum Mapping software to initially map the first few months of grade-level math curricula. Such an endeavor is truly a work-in-progress, and in mapping and re-visiting math curricula, new ideas and means of instruction are consistently added to teacher repertoires. Curriculum is not a stagnant, linear process that only occurs periodically throughout the year. Our teachers, in the spirit of perpetual self-improvement, have undertaken the process of Curriculum Mapping so that they can constantly re-visit and add to their instruction. Throughout all of their work this summer and in the fall, the overarching Essential Question for each unit continues to be, "When can I use this in real world applications?" Our staff is not simply set on delivering curriculum scope and sequence, but has invested a commitment to assisting students in recognizing the overall purpose of the knowledge and skills they acquire each year. Clearly, re-framing instruction to be more than just delivery is a year-round job, and our staff's commitment this summer has provided a firm foundation to continue. Clearly, a staff that invests year-round in making curricular improvements is certainly not a staff more pre-occupied with prolonging their summer vacation, but prepares (shortly following the end of one school year) to begin the next year with an even better instructional base! We are very pleased to welcome the following staff to our family:

Susan Frye will be a new addition to the teacher aide staff, working exclusively in the cafeteria and outside during recess. Julie Rossi will be joining Ms. Lee and Ms. VanWie in the Speech Language office suite, replacing the irreplaceable Judy Hundemann. Julie comes to us from the Greenville Central School District, and is very excited to be working with K-5 students. Caitlin Willsey will be teaching first grade this year! A Berne born and raised native, she comes to us from the Cairo-Durham School District with experience at the first and second grade levels. When not hanging out with her dog, Reilley, she can be found spending time with her family, or completing her masters degree in Literacy.

Laura Pasquali will be substituting for Mrs. Jordan's second grade 6-8 week maternity leave. Laura, a Voorheesville native (class of 2005) has completed her Bachelors in Childhood Education, and is in the process of pursuing her masters degree, both at LeMoyne College. Carolyn Losee will be joining us from the Ravena-Coeymans-Selkirk Central School District to teach Kindergarten. She comes to us with an experience, drive, and enthusiasm that stood out to all members of the committee. Carolyn possesses her Childhood and literacy certification, and is in the process of completing her Students with Disabilities certification. When not working (though her references indicated this is rare), she spends her time cooking and preparing for road races. Though Shauna Worthley has been with us for three years as a Kindergarten teacher, we are very excited to have her join our fourth grade team!

Of course, the main quotient of the summer stereotype involves students, and their reticence to return to another school year. During the summer, I've had the opportunity to remain connected to our families, both formally and informally. In each of the 350 phone calls I made to all of our Voorheesville Families, there was not one household in which the students who answered the phone didn't emphatically express their excitement to return to school. Our new student orientation, which was held on August 18th, allowed us to welcome over 18 new families to our school. Our newest additions were met with the finest enthusiasm from our fifth grade tour guides, who within an hour's time frame acclimated our students from near and far to our building. With soccer season upon us, our parking lots and fields are packed with elementary students through dusk. In my walks through the fields before returning home in the evening, I've had the privilege of stopping to see students, and inquire of their summer adventures. When the subject is brought up that we will be "back in school within two weeks," I am not met with a look of anxiety or malaise, but instead with a smile, followed by how excited they are to be in their new teacher's class. I'm also asked if it's true we will have a longer recess and play BEFORE we eat (all of which is true), and have received 100% of student approval for this change.

Contrary to the media pitch of school supply commercials, Voorheesville Elementary School cannot wait to re-open its doors. With a top notch team in place to execute an ever-changing curriculum, a student group whose attitude is universally enthusiastic, and a building that is freshly cleaned and painted (just wait until you see our cafeteria) serve as the perfect ingredients for a powerful start to the 2010-2011 school year. Once again, I thank you for the opportunity to lead a building through another school year that clearly has the makings to be the best one yet!

See you soon!

Same great place, but with a fresh, new look!

July 23, 2010

Greetings!  I hope this summer is finding you some time to do things not typically possible during the school year.  With an unseasonably hot summer thus far, I couldn't be happier.  I can distinctly recall last summer's record rainfall, and the few days where one could actually enjoy the carefree weather and warm days.  Those of you with access to a swimming pool, enjoy these next seven weeks.

I was recently walking through the large gym when the final balloon from Fifth Grade graduation slowly returned to the surface.  Though impressive that the helium lasted for four weeks, I was once again amazed that our final day was almost a month ago!  I still think of ourselves as freshly on vacation, as certainly the impression of this school year will forever be in mind.  Not just because it was my first, but because of the major impact all of you have had upon me.  You assisted me in making this place my home, and for discovering first-hand the excitement, enthusiasm, and compassion that pervade our staff and students.  But, as we creep towards the mid-point of summer, I couldn't be happier to prepare for an even more impacting and powerful 2010-2011 school year.

I had the privilege of taking a cruise with my wife the second week of the summer, celebrating our one year anniversary.  Being new to the concept of cruise travel, my curiosity was certainly piqued.   I was amazed that, a ship so large (yet so small in the grand scheme of size), was able to consistently meet the needs of over 3,000 guests at any given time throughout the tour.  From the cleanliness of windows to the presentation of food, even the positive, enthusiastic attitude of the entire crew from housekeeping to ship administration, this vessel was truly a fine testament to perpetual positivity, hard work, and what it can truly accomplish even in a small amount of time. Also impressive was that while this was a short seven day vacation for my wife and I, this crew repeated this week-long experience 52 weeks per year!  Taking numerous opportunities to discuss the uniquely positive attitude of this vacation with the crew, I of course asked how they were able to maintain their enthusiasm week after week, despite the repetition that is a natural part of the schedule.  Universally, the answer was simple:  "though it might be our 30th tour, it's YOUR first...the challenge and prize is in making you feel that this truly is our first."

In returning from this vacation, I immediately noticed the parallels in this line of thinking with our own at V.E.S. Certainly, we are not offering unlimited buffets of food and access to evening entertainment (though I would argue our most recent version of Mulan Jr. would rival any professional performance), our philosophies are certainly the same, and clearly evident throughout the summer.  Though this is typically the time for a building to become dormant, our custodians are madly cleaning, waxing, and scrubbing their way to make this building appear as if it were recently built.  Our summer school and summer reading program students, though returning to a building they have known for many months, are greeted daily by teachers and teaching assistants that maximize summer instructional time; providing innovative, student-centered activities.  I have yet to encounter one day so far this summer when at least two staff members have not stopped in to begin preparations for next year, or to work on a variety of exciting summer curriculum projects, that will be implemented day one.

We have had, and continue to have, some changing faces in our building, but insist on replacing the irreplaceable with nothing short of the best candidates on the market.  Ms. Caitlin Willsey has recently joined us from the Cairo-Durham Central School District, and will be filling in for Mrs. Nowik for the 2010-2011 school year.  Ms. Willsey surfaced as our top choice amongst over 150 applicants, and endured three interviews with various representatives of the District.  Whether we are hiring for a classroom aide or a full-time teaching position, each hire is treated seriously.  While a time-consuming process, rest assured that our staff is nothing short of the absolute best, and has been through numerous rigorous tasks to prove their efficacy.  We are in the process of interviewing for Mrs. Jordan's maternity leave for the first few weeks of the school year.  Again, rest assured that these same standards will be applied.  Many of you have also heard that one of our fourth grade teachers, Ms. Ashley Hillard, will be leaving us in order to be closer to her family in Virginia.  Though we will miss her greatly, we also take this as an opportunity to look at our programming, and to decide how to maximize the infinite talents of our staff members.  Regardless of what grade level we replace, they will be a true asset to our team, and will represent the caliber of educator they are replacing.

Once again, though we are in the business of education and not recreation (though I do think we do a phenomenal job of providing our students with stimulation both in and out of the classroom), it is obvious we are building that possesses a similar philosophy:  to maximize all of our time and energy to ensure an experience that supercedes the standard expectations.  I thank you once again for allowing me the opportunity to be at the helm of this fantastic school community.  As always, please never hesitate to let me know if you have any questions!  Besides email and phone calls, never hesitate to stop in over the summer, we love visitors!

Principal's Corner Archives