Dear Colleagues:
As we conclude another extraordinary year for our division, I want to take this opportunity to thank you for your many contributions to our students and their families and for the incredible teamwork you demonstrated throughout the year. I have had the chance to say a number of times these past few weeks, there is no I in team. The recognition we receive for our work belongs to all of you. You are the ones who have made Albemarle County Public Schools well known across our country for the transformational change we bring to education.
The latest example of this comes later this week when several of our educators will make not one, but three presentations at the National Maker Faire in Washington. They will be discussing how we are introducing and using innovation in our classrooms. We’re told as many as 10,000 people are expected to attend the Faire to learn about how the best K-12 education in the country is being delivered. We will be an important part of that story, and our visit to Washington also will include a separate discussion with the U.S. Patent Office around our maker work.
And as some of us head to Washington, others have returned, specifically several of Crozet Elementary School’s outstanding leaders. They were honored at an event last week that celebrated the accomplishments of 58 schools who received our nation’s Green Ribbon Award. That’s out of 135,000 schools across our country. The Department of Education describes Green Ribbon schools as “inspiring 21st excellence,” and Crozet’s wonderful community has achieved that.
The capstone of every year is our high school graduations. It’s worth noting that our on-time graduation rate of 95 percent not only is well above the Virginia statewide average, it is better than the statewide average of each one of the 50 states.
That’s quite a meaningful tribute to each and every colleague in our division, for the road to graduation begins early in a student’s academic life and it is a broad one. Every member of our team, from our school and central office staff and administrators, to our teachers and teaching assistants, to our bus drivers, food and building service professionals, prepares our students for a successful academic career.
As our school year concludes, it is important to note that part of the gift that is an Albemarle County Public Schools education are the opportunities to extend the joy of learning beyond the formal school year. We soon will be beginning our Fine Arts Academy, our Student Leadership Academy, our Coder Dojo Academy, and our nationally renowned M-Cubed Program. We are grateful for those members of our team and for the volunteers who make these world-class programs available to our students.
The end of year also is a time to offer thanks to those of our colleagues who, after many years of dedicated service to our community, are about to embark upon a new opportunity in their life. We are honored by their service and wish them a happy and healthy retirement.
On the subject of happy and healthy, have a wonderful summer. I hope you and your family will relax together, enjoy friends, discover something new, and once again return for a school year energized and enthusiastic, eager to make knowledge come alive for every one of our students.
Thank you for a job well done with our learners this year!
Pam