Wednesday, May 27, 2015

Message from the Superintendent: We made it! The end of another successful school year

Is it me, or did this school year go by incredibly fast? It is hard to believe we have come to the end of another school year. This is a good time to reflect on all the accomplishments and progress your students have made and begin to reenergize yourself for next school year. This summer, I hope you take time to rest and do some of the things you enjoy doing.

When I was hired as superintendent, the Governing Board asked me to do three things:
  • improve the culture and climate of the District;
  • address the financial challenges the GESD was facing; and
  • improve student achievement and learning, the primary reason for our existence.

We can be proud of the significant progress that’s been made in two of these three areas. Although progress has been made in the student achievement area, we need to continue our work in this area to ensure ALL students are learning at the appropriate rate. Your contributions to this growth are appreciated.  A positive climate and culture, and healthy, sustainable finances are the foundation for raising our students’ academic achievement levels.

At the beginning of this school year, we made a commitment to be All In as it relates to student achievement.  This commitment and effort must continue. We will carry this effort forward as we proceed to more clearly define our practices for ensuring student learning. We will refine pacing guides to assure consistency in the standards being taught to students throughout the District. We will also refine our student assessment practices to ensure assessment data is timely and beneficial in our efforts to identify and respond to students’ learning needs. In addition, we will reach agreements on the resources we will use to support student learning.

Fredi Lajvardi, a teacher from Carl Hayden Community High School, will be the keynote speaker for our Welcome Back event to start next school year. Mr. Lajvardi is one of two teachers who led a team of students to the Marine Advanced Technology Education Center’s Annual International Remotely Operated Vehicle robotics competition in 2004. This group of high school students competed against and beat college teams from all across the United States, including MIT. Some of you may know, four of the students on Carl Hayden’s team were undocumented immigrants. 

Mr. Lajvardi will reinforce that when we raise expectations, students will meet them. The Carl Hayden students are an example of this, and they have much in common with the young people in our classrooms. Our students will rise to the expectations we set for them. We need to raise our expectations and support you in getting them there. Focused and structured intentional work led by our Educational Services Division and other departments will be a priority for us moving ahead.

The accomplishments of the Carl Hayden Underwater Robotics Team are outlined in the documentary, Underwater Dreams. We are in the process of making this documentary available to you and hope you are able to watch it prior to the Welcome Back event in August. The movie Spare Parts is the Hollywood version of the same story. 


Again, thank you for your hard work and commitment to our students, community and school district. Best wishes for a safe, restful summer break. I look forward to seeing all of you in early August!

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