Dear Colleagues:

As we prepare for winter break, I hope each of you will enjoy this time with your family and friends. I will be traveling to visit my mother, who is 94, and I also am looking forward to a visit with my son, who now lives in New York City.

While the work we accomplish as educators represents the most important profession that exists, the time we spend with our families is even more important. It’s a point I underscored in a recent meeting with our school and department leaders.

We work hard. In the spirit of the new Star Wars film, I recall a line from an earlier version in the series. I think it was Yoda who said to young Luke “Do. Or do not. There is no try.”

Each of you certainly demonstrates a can-do approach, and it shows up in the data and stories that represent such accomplishments as three million safe driving miles by our school bus drivers or the thousands of pounds of food our students help donate to the Blue Ridge Food Bank. We find these inspirational stories every day among the young people who ride our buses, dine in our cafeterias, visit our libraries, exercise in our gyms and playing fields, and engage as learners in our classrooms.

Niche, a national educational assessment organization, recently published their meta-analysis of school districts in Virginia and across our nation. We were ranked in the top five of the more than 130 school divisions in our state. Our four companions are located in Northern Virginia, where annual per pupil investments are as high as $22,000. The investment in Albemarle County is a bit over $13,000.

Not only are we within the top five in Virginia, we are in the top two percent of all school divisions in our nation. What distinguishes the Niche rankings from all others is that the results are not based solely upon numbers; the judgment of students and parents are valued as well. It is significant that our highest ratings were in teaching, educational outcomes (college and career readiness), and academics.

Similar opinions were offered by the 2,000 people who recently responded to our annual Community Outreach Survey. By overwhelming margins, respondents said children are safe in our schools, schools are meeting the academic needs of our students, and we are succeeding in preparing students for careers and to be lifelong learners.

Since 1635, when the first public school made its debut in what now is the United States, schools have been the heartbeat of every community. Consider, in our community today: the high school student seeking to develop an at-home health test for eye pressure, the Health & Medical Science students interning in hospitals and clinics, the middle school student developing a manufacturing foundry at home, or the elementary school students preparing to launch an exploratory balloon to reach the outer edge of our atmosphere.

Teachers and support staff are making these and other milestones possible through your inexhaustible effort, sheer determination, and unlimited joy. While I was proud this week to be selected as a finalist for National Superintendent of the Year, I am prouder still and ever more grateful knowing that this selection is not about me. It is a tribute to your role as a contributing author to the long list of extraordinary numbers, ideas and accomplishments that tell our division’s incredible story. So thank you for all you do for our children, families and colleagues.

Best wishes for a healthy and happy holiday season, one that I hope you will use to travel, share meals together, enjoy activities with friends and family, and celebrate.

Pam