Happy New Year!

This is somewhat an unusual title to an article in September, but each year at school, we get to experience a new beginning in September. 
Our tremendous staff members are busy prepping for the return of students and anxiously await the arrival of friendly faces, smiling students, giddy parents and the giggles and laughter that signal another school year. 
One of the great things about school is the beginning and the ending. The treasure chest opens each fall and closes each spring. We start with open house and end with graduation. 
In between, the treasure chest contains many new and exciting things: a new school outfit, new shoes, a new teacher, new classes, new friends, different lunches, different classrooms, new lessons, new students, new issues and problems, new art projects, new songs to sing, new games to learn, new experiments, new teammates, new opponents, and new tests — just a few examples of what the treasure chest holds. 
In the spring we close the treasure chest with all the things learned, researched, experimented with, mastered, and a few things still hanging out there, and we graduate a group of young men and women that venture out into the world to make things better for us all.
We have a challenging year in front of us with construction. There are going to be some things that change and some that stay the same. We certainly hope you will be patient with our mess and understand that some things will change daily and we will manage the best we can.
I would like to also send a message to our community about our gratitude to each of you.
This goes to all the parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, neighbors, friends and all who care about the students we serve. 
The message is, “Thank you!” 
Thank you for trusting us to love your kids, to do whatever it takes to help them succeed and find happiness in their lives. 
Thank you for the hours you spend volunteering in our schools, chaperoning the field trips and dances, and raising funds for activities. 
Thank you for being role models, because you are our kids’ first teachers and the books you read, the hugs you give, and the dinner table discussions you have are so important. 
Thank you for having fun and helping us have fun, because the joy of learning is not just a catch phrase. 
Thank you for supporting students’ wellness with good sleep, healthy food, time for exercise, and mindful championing of their mental health. 
Thank you for believing us when we say that we will do all we can do to make sure that your students learn in a system dedicated to them, not to us, and that their needs and wishes come first. 
Happy New Year to you all!