Dear Colleagues:

A thought for next week: “The task of the modern educator is not to cut down jungles but to irrigate deserts.” — C.S. Lewis

Happy Friday! I am so excited that today is Making Connections day in Albemarle County Public Schools! Yes, I am excited that our educators have signed up for informative and engaging sessions with visiting presenters in fields that will help us keep getting better and better in this noble work we do. Continue reading →

Dear Colleagues:

A thought for next week: “Everything looks like failure in the middle.” — Rosabeth Moss Kanter

Happy Friday! This week was National School Bus Safety Week. I had brunch with all the bus drivers and crews over at the Vehicle Maintenance Facility on Tuesday. Principals, assistant principals, and even a few Board members were there. Continue reading →

Dear Colleagues:

A thought for next week: “One book, one pen, one child, and one teacher can change the world.” — Malala Yousafzai

Good morning, everyone!

Wednesday afternoon, Jay Thomas and I were on our way back from Hampton after making a presentation about the “Profile of a Virginia Graduate” at the VDOE School Counselor Summit that morning. We made a stop in Richmond to meet up with Melisa Larson and Beth White, two terrific teachers from Western Albemarle High School, who were on a field trip with their students at the Virginia Holocaust Museum. Continue reading →

Dear Colleagues:

A thought for next week: “Being a good teacher means helping students to be who they need to be.” — Kwame Alexander

Good Morning, everyone, and happy Friday!

On September 6, Virginia Slechta, a first-grade teacher at Crozet Elementary School, emailed Jamie Foreman and me to ask about expanding IP phone services in classrooms so that teachers can call parents who have held onto phone numbers from other area codes. I really appreciate Ginny emailing us because it started a larger conversation about connecting effectively with families, especially those that are transient. Continue reading →

Dear Colleagues:

A thought for next week: “Education is the new currency of the 21st Century.” — Joe Madison

Good Morning, everyone, and happy Friday!

On behalf of the School Board and our students and families, thank you for a terrific first month of school! I greatly appreciate all the hard work you are putting into each day and night for our children. Continue reading →

Dear Colleagues:

A thought for next week: “Free public schools nourished the concept that what you know matters more than who you know. Common people coupled with an education, talent, and drive could counter social status and elitist contacts based on wealth or position. Only in America is there a Fanfare for the Common Man, instead of fanfares for some inherited royalty or elitist privilege. Public education celebrated the possibilities in the “common” diverse citizenry.” — George A. Goens

Happy Friday!

Yesterday I met with the Transportation Advisory Committee, a group of drivers, managers, and maintenance crew members with whom Jim Foley, Charmane White, and Chuck Leathers meet routinely to hear ideas and concerns for continuous improvement of our transportation services. Continue reading →

Dear Colleagues:

A thought for next week: “For us, there is only the trying. The rest is not our business.” — T.S. Elliot

Here’s a sequel (maybe a prequel) to the story I shared last week. Cheryl Harris at Sutherland emailed to tell me that she taught the Ms. Haas who is teaching my former student’s third grader in Virginia Beach. As Cheryl sublimely stated, “What a circle of positive relationship!” Continue reading →

Dear Colleagues:

A thought for next week: “Sometimes we lack the conviction that our success is needed, when in fact our families and communities need us to be uncommonly successful.”— Princess Fils Aime

Happy Friday!

Something happened earlier in September, and I have decided to tell you about it, hoping you will find it interesting. Continue reading →

Dear Colleagues:

A thought for next week: “We were born to love, and we were born to have courage for it. So be brave, the rest is easy.” — John McCain

Good Friday morning!

Last night, I was reading some research from the National College Athletic Association (NCAA), and I found out that just over five percent of young men and about seven percent of young women high school cross-country runners go on to compete at the collegiate level. You may be wondering why I was curious about that. Continue reading →