Snow days are always interesting days for school administrators. We are often required to come into school to ensure the cleanup process is started and help any students who arrive get home. One of my favorite things is to walk the empty hallways and look out the large windows as the snow falls. I often wish our teachers could experience this moment too.
It is always good to welcome the students back to school after break. Although it is peaceful to be alone in the building, it is the children who give the building energy. We are already starting to plan for next year. The 2013-14 kindergarten class registered on Thursday night, and we will soon start working on next year’s class lists. In a future newsletter, we will provide information on the process used by the staff to place students in classrooms.
There is still a lot of work to accomplish this year. The entire state of Kansas and 48 other states will be implementing the College and Career Readiness
Standards. In collaboration with RW's Site Council, we hosted an informal evening for the parents of our third grade students to introduce the new standards and answer questions. It is a top priority to host a similar evening for the parents of our fourth and fifth graders. I’m also excited to announce an additional opportunity for fathers to volunteer at RW during recess. We are looking to schedule a father, to serve as a coach, for one game during recess. This will provide structure and fair play for many of our competitive students.
As we continue to plan for next year, the significance of community keeps arising. If we can capitalize on the several student initiated food and paper product drives, STUCO’s philanthropic and school spirit events, our students will leave our school with a good education and skills to be good citizens.
Our school is large, and we face a variety of challenges from the often-comical pick-up and drop-off line before and after school, to the rigorous curriculum provided to our students, and the continuous hard work of our staff as they focus on a balance of direction and a shared purpose of providing a quality education. As I looked out the window last Friday and saw the clean, crisp, fresh snow I thought about sharing this view on the significance of community with our staff, students, and parents. We have so much potential and RW will work tirelessly to ensure a community atmosphere. When we all work together, we can be unstoppable.
