Dear Colleagues:

A thought for next week: “Character, not circumstance, makes the person.” — Booker T. Washington

Good Friday morning!

Well, I almost made it. I visited all 25 of our schools since school started last Wednesday, and I had a great time doing it! This week, I got out to Broadus Wood, Meriwether-Lewis, Murray Elementary and Murray High, Crozet, Brownsville, Henley, WAHS, Monticello, Cale, Walton, Red Hill, Scottsville, A-Tech, the Center for Learning & Growth, Ivy Creek, Community Public Charter School, and Post High. I just need to get over to CATEC to really say that I’ve checked out all the ACPS schools at the start of the school year. I’m excited to learn more about the apprenticeship and veterinary sciences programs they have in place at CATEC!

I really appreciate everyone giving me such a nice welcome when I stop by. If I have time, I like to just sit down for a few minutes when I get to a front office and hear stories from the office associates; ours are the best! When I visited Ivy Creek, I happened upon a whole staff meeting, and I left with a piece of homemade apple cake!

Now, I’m not forgetting the school at Blue Ridge Detention Center; it’s just not a school where I can drop by whenever I want. I will get over there before long, I promise.

At every Western Feeder Pattern elementary school I visited on Monday, students were writing about and sharing their hopes and dreams for the school year. That’s a student-centered strategy for goal setting. Beautiful!

I hope that all of you have a fine and well-deserved Labor Day weekend! If you’re interested in something for next week, College Planning Night is Wednesday night at Monticello High School from 5:00 to 7:00.

One final note: Our school office associates are probably the most important people to know in our schools. These critical staff schedule appointments and events and handle school communication. More than anyone else (including me, when I was a principal), the school secretary is aware of what’s going on at the school on a day-to-day basis and can help solve problems before they happen.

Just checking in,

Matt

Matthew S. Haas, Ed.D.
Superintendent of Schools

Your mission and my mission every day is to establish a community of learners and learning, through relationships, relevance and rigor, one student at a time.