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Happy
New Year! I hope your holidays were joyful and that the new year is
all you wish and deserve. As we begin the spring semester of the
2006-2007 academic year, it is a good time to celebrate and recognize
the mid-year accomplishments of our schools and district offices.
I am proud of the
work students and staff have undertaken across the district to help us
fulfill our mission of success for every student by name. These
efforts have helped us achieve progress in each of our eight district
policy priorities. In reviewing the partial list of mid-year
accomplishments (found on January 15, 2007 edition of The Connection
Newspaper), you will observe that the accomplishments are aligned to
the priorities.
Among the
accomplishments you will find that schools are celebrating and
creating awards and incentives for student achievement and attendance.
Special focus is centered on reaching out to struggling students to
help them meet and exceed California’s content and performance
standards, and close the achievement gap. Teachers and administrators
are increasing parent engagement through special family reading and
math nights, and building community with school events. They are also
building partnerships with universities, business, and community
agencies to increase opportunities and services for students and
families.
Employees at all
levels of our district are engaged in professional development to
increase their knowledge and skills to improve student achievement,
become better stewards of our resources and ensure the safety and well
being of both students and staff.
The mid-year
accomplishments are important steps towards becoming the model
district we aim to become. Our 2006-2008 strategic plan, like our
2004-2006 plan, was crafted to continue building on success and
accelerating our progress. The current plan was written to include
objectives under each policy priority with a special emphasis on four
focus areas: closing the achievement gap, implementing a new
initiative for grades 7-12, integration of the physical, social and
emotional support network students need to thrive, and creating more
authentic opportunities for parent engagement. If you wish to view the
plan, entitled, “Success for Every Student by Name,” you may go to our
web site,
www.scusd.edu or call the Communications Office at 916.643.9043 to
obtain a copy.
On Jan. 18, I will
present the first of three progress reports to our Board of Education.
I invite you to track our progress. The reports will also be posted on
the web, shortly after the presentation.
In closing, I also
wish to thank our many partners for helping us ensure the success of
each of our students, and especially our parents who are first
teachers and most valuable partners. Please accept my best wishes for
a wonderful and productive new year.
Superintendent's Prior Messages
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