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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