August 25, 2005

Dear Students, Families and Staff:

A little over one week is left of summer vacation for most of you. This has been a very busy and active summer in the district. As you drive by the elementary school, I am sure that you have watched with interest as the two new wings progressed. This fall we will have a new wing of fifth-grade classes, a new music room and practice area and an impressive new library/media center. The renovations completed this summer include creating handicapped access ramps, renovated classrooms (a new art room, larger classroom space for special education and remediation), removing asbestos and continuing repair work on the exterior finish of the building. As I drive by it is surprising how well the new structures "fit in" with the existing building. 

At the secondary campus cleaners are a week ahead of schedule in order to lend a hand at the elementary school. The rooms and halls are newly cleaned and waxed. During the school year we will undertake the renovation of a classroom to convert it to a science lab. We also plan to complete roofing on the sixth-grade wing and replace the electrical panel on the stage. 

New "bricks and mortar" while necessary, are a small part of what makes an excellent school district. We have reviewed end of year student performance on state assessments and it is fair to say that the overall K - 12 results appear to be at the highest level in recent years.

We have many new faces in our schools. We typically enroll 30-40 new students each summer. Newly hired faculty has been selected from the most competitive pool in the last five years. While we will greatly miss former teachers in the district, I believe that you will be pleased with the quality of our new staff. 

We have a number of goals for the 2005-2006 school year. Three major instructional initiatives will commence during the superintendent's conference days. First, the new requirement for grades 3-8 annual testing mandates that we train our staff on a short time line for the expanded English Language Arts (ELA) and Math tests that will occur in January and March. Secondly, the State Education Department has revamped the K - 8 math curriculum and we will need to complete staff training to update our curriculum and prepare for the changes. Finally, we are undertaking a district initiative to improve student writing. I have contracted with a consultant from CASDA.

I look forward to your return on Thursday, September 8th.


Sincerely,

Mark Villanti, Ed.D.
Superintendent of Schools
895-2279

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