August 26, 2011
Back-to-School Message
Dear Parents and Guardians,
Happy 2011-12 School Year! Seeing beaming students and staff greeting each other like long-lost relatives on the first days of school has been a highlight of this year’s launch. We often forget that the relationships and the sense of connectedness our students feel is a precursor to learning.
All of our schools have Back to School Nights during the next two or three weeks. This is a great chance for you to hear from your children’s principals and teachers. I am continually amazed by the skill of our staff members and the wonderful opportunities to grow and learn they provide every student.
As parents, the start of the school year reminds us that our children are growing up. As they put on their back-to-school clothes, have their picture taken for their student ID or journey to a new school, we see the accumulation of small changes in sharp relief. And, unceasingly, our children yearn for a greater sense of independence – whether walking to school without holding hands, riding their bike by themselves or just a desire not to have us around as much.
Independence is one of the hardest gifts to give because it can feel we are being less than we should as parents, or we are so busy that it is easier to just do things for our children. It is in the not giving, doing or deciding, though, that we stretch our children and create learning opportunities. Independence is the foundation of many critical life skills: the confidence to take on challenges, the capacity to take personal responsibility for one’s actions and the ability to understand that failures and setbacks are only temporary obstacles in life’s journey.
Every year, I see kindergarten parents in tears as they drop off their children for the first time at a classroom door. These are the public expressions of what we all feel as our precious children grow up. But take heart – the world is unfolding as it should. A wise parent described the start of the year as a “cutting of strings.” My best wishes to you in this hard work.
Sincerely,
Kevin Skelly, Ph.D.,
Superintendent
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