Principal's Corner

May 12, 2008

..... Last week was Staff Appreciation Week; many thanks to everyone for the special notes, flowers, luncheon, and massages for staff. Taking the time to acknowledge others’ hard work and commitment to the kids at View Ridge was appreciated by all.

..... Spring is flying by and packed with school events. With the WASL completed, the fourth grade students packed up and went to camp. Many thanks to the teachers, parents, and staff for helping to make this outdoor experience rewarding.

..... Science Night is scheduled for May 15th. The PTA General meeting on May 20th will be hosting a chocolate tasting in addition to special awards, recognition, and voting on the PTA budget for next year. We look forward to seeing all the parents this week during “Bring a Grown-Up to Lunch.” During the month of May, we will also be practicing a series of safety drills.

..... With four kindergartens moving up to first grade next year, we had the opportunity to hire a new first grade teacher. We are thrilled to welcome Tara Williams to our staff. Tara currently teaches first grade in Colorado and is excited to return to Seattle. She welcomes the opportunity to work with the View Ridge students, staff, and parents. Tara brings experience, enthusiasm, and excellent teaching skills.

..... The time of year is once again upon us when our staff begins working on assigning students to classrooms for next fall. If you know you will be moving or not returning to View Ridge, please let the office know ASAP. As always, the placement process is extremely complex and very important. Please help us by not requesting specific teachers, as not all requests can be honored, and requests often lead to imbalanced classrooms.

..... The VR staff works very hard to develop balanced classrooms, and we need to be fair to all students and families. Hours of thought go into making placements, and changes in enrollment occur throughout the summer. Balancing programs, needs of students, academic and social dynamics, boy/girl ratios, behavioral challenges and other complex learning requirements specific to students are taken into consideration. Teacher teams and staff members think deeply about the many variables and challenges when developing classroom placements. Class placement is an intensive process, and all children benefit from working with a variety of teaching styles while here at View Ridge.

..... If you wish to provide important information for us about your child as we move toward making placements, please put your thoughts in writing and send the letter to me in the office. All of our View Ridge teachers work hard to ensure that the needs of students are given equal consideration and we thank you for your understanding. Please call with questions.

..... Have a great week,

.....