This is a special time for parents & grandparents!
When a child is excited and has a sense of wonder about a new school y ear, it’s impossible not to get caught up in their emotions as well.
After all, our own Back-to-School experiences through the years give us the great blessing of being able to share in the specialness of these moments ini the highly personal way.
Now, you would think that with my own children now grown, married, and with families of their own, I’d no longer have the joy of experiencing the eager anticipation of a new school year from the eyes of a young child.
But thankfully, this isn’t the case at all.
From the time I nervously walked into my first day of kindergarten as a five-year old, this marks my 51st Back-to-School season.
And this year, on top of all the other great things we’re looking forward to this school year, I’m delighted to have both a granddaughter starting kindergarten and a grandson beginning preschool right across the parking lot from my office.
I’m able to enjoy the full measure of our Back-to-School enthusiasm and preparation from several vantage points; as superintendent and as a grandpa.
What especially excites me is this.
I’m proud to report our teachers, administrators, and all of our instructional and operational support staff have been working incredibly hard to make sure our 2019-2020 school year more than lives up to the hopes and expectations of our young learners and their family members.
This is no small undertaking; effectively aligning organizational talents and resources with the individual learning needs of every student.
But at SPS, we consistently do this at the highest level.
We take seriously our mission to discover and support every student’s uniqueness (academically and socially) while also promoting safe and accepting school environments that foster caring and positive relationships.
For in doing this, WE ALL have an important role to play in lifting each other up.
I’ll conclude this blog by offering the same Back-to-School words of advice to our dedicated and talented staff, our wonderful students, parents, and grandparents as well as my grandchildren.
(And they’re words of advice I need to keep in mind, too.)
Always strive to be the best version of yourself.
Be you.
Keep growing into your personal best.
Only compare yourself to yourself. I wish everyone in the SPS community a wonderful new school year!
