Another trip around the sun. No, not a birthday but a Thanksgiving celebration is here next week. It feels so good when we collaborate and partner in your child’s education. Curiosity and creativity flow more freely, anxiety and stress diminish, and confidence and achievement increase. Take a look at just some of the many positives for which I am thankful:
- Thankful for you, Spectrum families, for your wonderful support
- Thankful for those families in particular that reach out with curiosity and desire to partner together when in times and areas of concern or disagreement - we are a system of people in relationship, going to make mistakes but also then growth
- Thankful especially for when parents that reach out with positive feedback, communications, and connections, framing it as a priority to support me personally so I can, in turn, support my staff
- Thankful for a supportive Board and Executive Director
- Thankful for wonderful teachers that are willing to learn and grow themselves
- Thankful for Mr. Leland and his support as a colleague and friend
- Thankful for Ms. Sommerstad’s friendship, wisdom, and approach to supporting middle school students
- Thankful for Ms. Peterson for being a part of the middle-school leadership team and connecting with learners, helping them navigate the challenges of the middle-school years
- Thankful for Ms. Siegel and Ms. Burfeind & Ms. Durkot and Ms. Emmel for greeting families and students every day, along with health support, attendance, and all the other “things” that pop up during a middle-school day
- A special thank you to Cathy Durkot for all her years of service and support to Spectrum as she heads out to new challenges and adventures; she has left an indelible imprint on the sixth-grade campus
- Thankful for Ms. Moe’s, Mr. Gangl’s, and Mr. Brunt’s leadership as team leaders
- Thankful to the teachers that voice their ideas and opinions as a part of the Collaborative Leadership Team in helping make Spectrum great
- Thankful for Ms. Johnson and Ms. Hegseth for their curriculum expertise, energy, and support.
- Thankful to Mr. Johnson and the custodians who keep our campuses safe and clean - truly top-notch
- Thankful for Ms. Lemmermann and Ms. Nelson and the breakfast/lunch support in providing quality meals and space to our students
- Thankful for Mr. Steensland guidance of the WIN program and sixth grade Directed Study
- Thankful for Ms. Faatz for leading the Student Council
- Thankful for our paraprofessionals and their work with the learners that have specific special needs
- Thankful for resources/tools/devices to be able to learn
- Thankful for anyone (staff, student, parent) who if feeling negative or down makes a conscious effort to communicate with kindness and proactively seeks out support to make a difficult situation better
- And I thank the students for being patient and persistent in their learning, making these days, weeks, and months the best they can be. More often than not, I see smiles on faces and the joy and challenges of the middle-school years are being met head on. It makes all the time and effort worthwhile!
Lastly, a personal thank you for allowing me the opportunity to support and serve you as principal. I hope you have or can make some time to take a moment and see all the things worthy of being thankful for in the next few days: Happy Thanksgiving!
Weeks at a Glance
- Friday, November 22 - Sunday, November 24: Spectrum High School Theater's performances of Little Women
- Thursday, November 28 and Friday, November 29: No School - Thanksgiving Break