Is the mission possible?

Good morning,

I hope that you are as excited about this new school year as we are. A new year brings about new possibilities, challenges, and opportunities. Our district's theme this year is Mission Possible. Throughout the school year, we are going to be referring to this theme and what it means at Petal Primary as we work to meet the needs of the Petal School District's youngest scholars.

Our goals at Petal Primary this year are very simple and straightforward, and we want you to know up front what we will be working toward so that we can all work together.

Goals for 2012-2013

• Improve communication and further engage our parent population
• Continue implementation of the Common Core State Standards
• Increase our average daily attendance to 97%

These are very broad goals and really are extensions of work that we have begun prior to this school year. However, we recognize that there is always room for improvement, and we solicit your support and feedback as we move throughout the school year. I plan to share with you regularly the various things that are going on as we work toward reaching these goals.

As the Petal Primary School teachers prepared for the new school year, we spent some time clearly articulating our "bone deep beliefs" about teaching & learning. What is a "bone deep belief"?  It is one that is true to the very core of that individual and remains constant during both good times and bad times. A "bone deep belief" is so much a part of an individual that it can be stated "on the spot". The time that we spent reflecting on our beliefs was truly time well spent. Opening your heart to share your passion for teaching and learning is risky, but this process reminded each of us precisely why we are in this business.

Today I want to share with you my very own "bone deep beliefs". These should be evident in my practice, so as we work together during the upcoming school year, you should be able to see these beliefs in action.

1. I believe that relationships are the foundation for learning.
2. I believe that collaboration is essential for true growth in schools - collaboration among teachers, parents, and students.
3. I believe that teaching IS rocket science.
4. I believe that lifelong learning is critical and that as the principal, I must be the lead learner.
5. I believe that we must set goals high. Even if we fail, we will learn from our mistakes.
6. I believe that change is fundamental & in order to truly prepare students for the future, we must embrace change.

Over the months ahead, I plan to give a bit more details about each of these beliefs that I've shared. I would also like to share some of the teachers' belief statements, along with those of my fellow administrators, Kim Raulston and Sandy Hampton.

I was amazed as individual teachers shared their own beliefs. I am so privileged to work alongside individuals who have such a burning passion for what they do everyday. As I said, sharing your inner most feelings and thoughts is risky and very personal, but this process allowed us to put into words those beliefs that are at the very core of why we do what we do everyday. As teachers read aloud their belief statements, you could've heard a pin drop. For some educators out there, teaching may just be a job, but at Petal Primary, being a teacher is much more than what we do, it's who we are.

Is this mission possible? We believe that it is indeed possible, and we plan to do whatever it takes to make it happen. Petal Primary is ready to embrace the challenges that await us.

Please give us your feedback. We can't wait to see you and your young scholars later this week.

dd