Greetings from the Superintendent’s Office!

The start of the 2010-11 school-year is just around the corner and we are very excited to get started!  Our first day with students this year is Tuesday, September 7 and at the time of the writing of this newsletter our kick-off day for all staff is scheduled for Tuesday, August 31. 

It’s been a quick and hectic summer.  We have made adjustments to new building leadership at both Page and Lee, and the remainder of our staffing is in place to begin the year.  Many teachers and support staff were very busy spending time updating skills to get ready for the school year.  We have made the adjustments necessary to address the financial challenges schools are facing and we are ready to again give our kids an outstanding educational experience.

Construction at the high school will again be on our minds this year, but this time it’s because it will be finished!  The three year project will be complete and ready to go when we open this fall and believe me – it will be worth the wait.    We are looking forward to having the community see all the changes.  Everyone should be very proud of what we will have for the kids of our district.  We are also looking forward to a community open house this fall for all of the facilities that were part of this project.

We are continuing to work on constructing our district-wide “Curriculum Map”.  Last year teachers continued with the hard work of developing our TK “Power Standards” and we will be moving to the next step of this important process this year.  When this process is complete we will have a system in place that will greatly enhance our ability to serve the needs of our students that will improve the quality of instruction at TK for years to come.

My wife Sandy and I continue to love being part of this school district and community.  We sincerely appreciate the kind words and hellos we receive from people whether we are at a school activity or simply getting a gallon of milk at the Marketplace.  The friendly, caring atmosphere here is everything we hoped for when we moved here three and a half years ago.  We are very blessed.

Thornapple Kellogg’s focus continues to be providing an excellent education for all of our children.  One the greatest contributing factors to the success of this district has been the outstanding quality of the certified and support staff who work with our students everyday, along with the close partnership that has been developed between the school district, parents and community.  We are deeply committed to those relationships and feel a tremendous responsibility to make the most of the great opportunities we have ahead of us. 

Have a great year everyone!