With the start of November, we are provided an excellent opportunity to reflect on days that have already passed and plan for what lies ahead. One thing that all parents and all teachers understand is that children are unpredictable. This unpredictability can at times make it tough on parents and on our teachers. It is not uncommon for students to show up to school not interested in what their teachers have planned for the day. It is our responsibility as a school district to have a strategy for dealing with this behavior.
I believe that the principals in both of our buildings have done an excellent job creating such a strategy and expressing to our teachers the importance of producing lessons that are relevant to the lives of our students. By creating lessons that students are interested in, our teachers have increased student engagement within their classrooms and have been able to decrease the amount of daily office referrals. Students do not learn when they are in the principal’s office and by decreasing trips to the office, students are receiving more instruction from their teachers.
Looking back on the First Quarter, one concern I had prior to the first day of school was the number of new faculty and staff members that we had coming into our district. While I was not surprised by their performance, I can truly say that these individuals have not disappointed. Our new teachers and new support staff have done an excellent job assimilating into the Greenfield community. These new employees have shown me that they understand the importance of community and are doing an excellent job spreading that message throughout our hallways. The idea of “Community” is important to Greenfield and important to our students. It has been great witnessing people come together for the betterment of our school.
I want to say "Good Luck" to both of our varsity athletic teams as they prepare to participate in district competitions. Our volleyball team has shown a tremendous amount of improvement from previous seasons and the football team has done an excellent job transitioning back to 11-Man competition. All extracurricular activities within our district, athletic and academic, are doing an excellent job representing our community in a positive manner. I also feel that our fans are doing an excellent job representing our community positively, at both, home and away games. Please keep this in mind as we move towards basketball season.
As I reflect on my first quarter as a superintendent, I can see areas where I have surpassed my own expectations and areas that I could improve on. I want to remind our community that I am open to individuals stopping by the office to speak with me. Please feel free to call me if you have a concern or a suggestion for our district. We are all in this together and we are more likely to find success if everyone is on the same page, working toward a common goal. I am eagerly looking forward to what lies ahead for our district.
Sincerely,
Chris Kell, Ed.D.
Superintendent
Greenfield R-IV