The first day of school is always important. Students get to catch up with old friends, wear new clothes, and use their new school supplies. But its also a busy day for the Principals. KSST caught up with some SSISD Principals to see how their first days of school went.
Derek Driver, SSHS Principal:
The first day of school “was outstanding.” Principal Driver’s expectations for the new year are to “continue to build on past success and prepare our students for their careers and lives after they graduate.” Driver commented on his teaching staff saying “We have had a great staff development week looking at new technology and ideas that will help us improve student learning which will help us achieve our goal.” Principal Driver is excited about the upcoming events at the high school. “There are so many great things that happen each year at the high school with all our extra-curricular and co-curricular activities I cannot narrow it down to just one.” Parents are encouraged to check the SSISD Website and calendar for updates on school events and activities. Driver said he received “so many positive comments from students in regards to what they did in their classes today just made our administrative team and staff very happy. ”
Angela Edwards, Bowie Principal:
“We want to start building positive relationships and attitudes about school on the very first day! Our first day of school was exciting and fun, but there was some anxiety and nervousness, too, due to a new school, new classmates, and new routines. When parents, students, and teachers are happy, it’s a great day! We expect students to grow and learn. We expect students to be challenged. We expect students to set goals and achieve their goals.”
“Before the last school year was finished, our teachers began preparing for this year. I think people would be surprised at the amount of time that teachers put into their work. I get texts and emails from teachers all summer long about ideas and plans they have for the next year. Work ethic is strong in SSISD!”
“We are blessed to live in a very supportive community, where we have a lot of parent and community involvement. I look forward to all of those events, but I probably look forward to our Veterans Program the most. I am astonished and proud at the respect that first and second grade students show to our veterans! I also look forward to our Winter Carnival, which is a school fundraiser (by PTO) in December. The students have a lot of fun playing games and winning prizes. A LOT of parents and businesses help to make it successful!”
“A smile is easy to come by when you are around little children, so I smiled a lot today! It’s hard to pick one thing. I heard a little boy say that it was the best first day! Another little boy told me about a new classmate that he was concerned about. Seeing how much he already cared about his classmate also made me smile.”
Mandy Fenton, ECLC Principal:
“The first day of school at ECLC went smoothly! There were lots of smiling faces as we had happy students, parents and teachers excited to finally begin our 2017-2018 school year. Our ECLC motto this year is “YOU Matter, EVERY child, EVERY day!” I am very pleased and fortunate to have an outstanding team at ECLC that shares our vision in that we are supporting every child to reach expectations of success.”
“Teachers have been working most of the summer to prepare for this school year. They have come on their own time to organize, decorate, and plan their classrooms. Our teachers have thought about every detail and have made countless decisions that are in the best interest of their students.”
“I am looking forward to the many school-parent opportunities we have planned throughout the year. We have scheduled a family friendly event each month that allows parents to see what is going on at ECLC and ways we can work together as a partnership for their student’s learning.”
“The comment that made me smile today was a young student told her dad when he picked her up that afternoon, “Thank you Daddy for bringing me to this fun place.””
