Dear Panther Family,
As we head into the Holiday Season, we are reminded to count our blessings and express gratitude for those who contribute to our lives. I would like to take this opportunity to express sincere gratitude for our staff, students, families, and community partners, and am especially grateful for the trust that is placed in our district to educate our young people. As a district, I know that we understand the magnitude of the responsibility that this brings, and we appreciate the sense of collective responsibility that our community shares around the task of raising confident, resilient, and self-aware members of society.
In December, 2019, and in collaboration with staff, students and community members, our Board of Education adopted a 5-year Strategic Plan. This plan focused on 5 themes: Academics, Finance, Communication, Facilities and Learning Environment. We are making steady progress in all areas, but also know that we have work yet to do. Coming out of the pandemic, we noted very quickly that many families were facing unprecedented challenges involving financial barriers, food scarcity, housing instability, changes in family make-up or dynamic, and employment insecurity, among others. As a result, so too have our students faced unprecedented challenges, creating an opportunity for our district to reflect and evolve our priorities. This year, we have made an intentional commitment to more authentically engage our students through a variety of initiatives in alignment with our Strategic Plan.
We have embraced the call to provide stronger mental health supports and services for students and families. In the past two years, we have added full-time counseling staff, contracted with outside therapists to provide in-school support, and added Behavior Specialists across the district. We have also accepted the challenge of embedding the 5 Core SEL (Social Emotional Learning) Competencies (Self-Awareness, Self-Management, Social Awareness, Relationship Skills, Responsible Decision-Making) into our daily practice.
We have renewed our commitment to the intentional development and alignment of curriculum, instruction, and assessment with a focus on early literacy and K-12 intervention systems. All K-3 teachers have engaged in specialized training around the latest research in the science of reading and writing, to support improved instructional programming at the elementary level where foundational reading skills are developed. We have also added research-based intervention programming at the 6-12 level to meet the changing needs of students at the middle and high school levels.
We have expanded early childhood and secondary learning opportunities by adding additional classrooms for high quality Pre-K programming, and added additional before and after school care classrooms to support the community need for high quality childcare. We have expanded workplace readiness programming at the high school level, and continue to expand career awareness opportunities for students in grades K-12 through exploratory programming, career-focused field trips, and increased opportunities for work-based learning.
As we move forward with our work in these goal areas, we welcome community involvement and participation! We are launching the following opportunities for families and community members to become involved in the conversation:
● Learning Environment Task Force
○ We are looking for individuals who are as passionate as we are about creating a safe, supportive, and challenging learning environment for our students. We will share updates on district and building initiatives, and collaboratively brainstorm to develop recommendations for intentional action steps moving forward. If you are interested in being a part of our Learning Environment Task Force, please call our Administration office at 488-1050.
● Dialogue with Dr. Neumann
○ While my door is always open, these formal invitations for discussion and dialogue around current school issues will provide an opportunity to hear district updates, ask questions, and network with other community members who are advocates for our kids and our schools. Save the date for the next Dialogue: Wednesday, November 15th!
● Expanded Volunteer Opportunities
○ We welcome families as a critical part of the educational process! If you would like to volunteer your time to support school events, work with teachers or students, or participate with one of our many Parent Teacher Organizations, please contact your child’s school office to express interest.
I am grateful for the teachers and staff who work diligently on a daily basis to meet the needs of today’s students, and we are grateful for your partnership, support, and willingness to work collectively with us to create unique opportunities for our children to learn, grow, and ultimately thrive. The bridges we are building today will lead our students to amazing places tomorrow!
Proud to be a Panther,
Sarah Neumann, Superintendent
Parchment School District