Dear Colleagues:
Welcome back to what truly will be a momentous year for our division.
Our new year actually began this summer and several remarkable accomplishments defined the exceptional talents of our team. We had more than 180 projects and programs at all of our schools, led by the Woodbrook addition and significant modernization work at Albemarle, Jouett, Walton and Western, all on schedule. Our facilities hosted more than 1,300 events supporting local community needs and learning opportunities for students at the rate of nearly 20 such events on a daily basis, and we welcomed more than 130 educators to our New Teacher Academy last week.
Other highlights certainly included visits to our CoderDojo Academy by educators from around the country. They were here to see how they could implement an instructional model that places students at the center of the learning environment, and they were here because of the national reputation for leadership and innovation our division has earned, thanks in large measure to your efforts.
Our opportunities to build upon our national reputation for excellence and creative thoughtfulness will increase this year. Many of the most important nationwide challenges facing public education will be addressed here—closing opportunity gaps, aligning curricula with authentic learning experiences, applying design thinking to schools, expanding contemporary learning resources to all students and the implementation of strategies that break down learning barriers that for too long have restricted the upward limits of student potential.
Solving these challenges will change the lives of students and communities across our nation. One of my favorite Henry Ford quotes seems especially relevant as we prepare for the new year—“If you think you can do a thing or think you can’t do a thing, you’re right.”
Psychologist Michael Scheier makes the same point in a more specific way when he says, “We know why optimists do better than pessimists. Optimists are not simply being Pollyannas; they’re problem solvers who try to improve the situation.”
The power of optimism can be found in our view of young people and community. It is the source of continuous improvement in our service to learners, most recently reflected in the 2018 rankings of school divisions by Niche, a national education assessment organization. We now are the third highest ranked division among more than 130 Virginia school divisions, with top scores for academics, teachers, and the college readiness of our graduates.
As we prepare for another school year, whether we are returning to classrooms, offices, school buses, cafeterias, or work sites, the creative intelligence, confidence, and energy we bring to our responsibilities will be crucial to the impact we will have on the challenges before us.
I urge you to think broadly, positively and enthusiastically about your leadership role in our division. Your ability to connect your plans, activities and relationships to our four values—excellence, young people, respect and community—is what brings people from around the country to Albemarle. More important, it is what will alter public education and the lives of our students for the better.
Pam
Pam Moran
Superintendent