Dear Colleagues:

I hope your summer experiences were healthy and joyful, strengthening family and friendships, even allowing for at least a few items to come off the bucket list.

Welcome back to another wonderful year of opportunities to change the lives of so many families in Albemarle County.

Recently, one of our principals told me why being an educator was all that she ever wanted to do, and she mentioned running into a former student who she taught in first grade, and who is now an impressive college student. Similarly, one of our bus drivers shared with me that, in his time as a driver, he has driven to school not only a student, but the student’s parents and grandparents! In no other profession is one so often able to see, years into the future, the impact of their support on someone’s life.

Arguably the most powerful attribute we have as educators is the lineal connections we cement through the generations, connections that only exist because what we do is relevant, has value, and transforms people’s lives for the better.

This year is a time for extending those connections, not just vertically through family lines, but horizontally, through our communities. Earlier this year, we devoted several months to the development of a concept for how our high school instructional model should change to deepen the permanency and the authenticity of student learning. Throughout the process, we became more convinced that the route to this goal takes us outside conventional structure. In our high school concept we concluded that public education should not be limited by what can occur inside our classrooms, but should flourish, too, in the classrooms that exist in our libraries, businesses, community organizations, through public service, and in independent research work.

Our School Board has been consistently vocal about the benefits and urgency in increasing the number and diversity of learning opportunities that match today’s contemporary environment. This is a perfect fit with our project-based learning model.

So as we open the doors on a new school year across our 26 facilities, I ask each of you to think about ways to more fully engage the personal and organizational resources of the communities around you. We are fortunate to live in an area that places a high premium on the quality of public education, an area rich with expanding diversity and life experiences, a community that has shown itself eager to add wisdom to our curricula and volunteerism to the success of our programs.

Although I have experienced more new beginnings to a school year than I am eager to count, this time of year never fails to invigorate. It reminds us of how uplifting it is to be a part of the most important mission society offers all of our generations, and it reminds us of the unlimited potential we have as professionals to change the lives of so many families in Albemarle County.

Welcome back, and thank you for all you will do this year for our students and our community.

Pam