Amazing Teachers

Good Afternoon,
Those of you who have been part of the Warner School District for more than the nine months I have been around are already aware of this fact but for me it becomes more and more clear everyday. We have tremendous teaching staff that show up everyday with wonderful ideas to engage student learning and create lasting impacts on our students. I know when I took the job the staff had a great reputation based on academic performance and assessment. It didn't take long for me to witness all the little things they do to make learning a wonderful experience.

We have staff that put on weddings from Romeo and Juliet, staff who arrange to have books made from student projects, models in social studies, demonstrations from SD HP, and everything in between. The amount of time, thought and effort that our staff members contribute to this school is amazing. I've seen wreaths made from peppermint candy and chariots in the hallways and donuts shared with dads. We have a staff that embraces the meaning of teaching and learning and helps students focus on those same principles. Classrooms are where the magic of learning happens and teachers are the magicians.

The stress of state assessments are right around the corner; focus of staff will now move to getting the most out of the students' academic ability. The mood of building will become more serious, patience may be a bit shorter, recesses may even be shorter. Rest assured however, your children are in good hands as we tackle this annual practice. With the Smarter Balance testing (which was introduced last year), we will also be facing "new" or different results; the results will be difficult to compare to the high standards set during past years. The results will all be sorted out over the following years as everyone gets a better handle on what the new numbers relate to. Have some patience with us and the system if the numbers appear significantly or even marginally lower.

The staff here is amazing and they all do terrific work with the students. Of course, all of you knew that already; I'm the new guy on the block getting made fully aware.