Dear Stott Parents/Guardians,
I hope you have all had a summer full of joy, relaxation, and memories with family. I know I was struck by just how quickly time goes by. We took a quick trip to Puerto Vallarta this summer and I have decided that someday I will be retiring to a little village on the coast. My oldest daughter starts her senior year of high school this year though, so with college coming up it will be quite a while before I can even talk about retiring. I guess it’s a good thing that I love my job!
I was recently asked by a family member, why I do what I do. Specifically, they asked me what I hope to accomplish in my role as principal. I think they wanted me to answer along the lines of content that I want students to learn or specific achievement data levels that I think we can reach. My answer was simple. I want to create a place where all students feel loved and feel like they belong. I want our students to learn to love learning and learn that the difficult problems are the fun problems. I hope to create an environment where kindness and integrity triumphs over competition and individuality. I hope that we become the place where the greatest thinkers and leaders and problem solvers of the future get their start. Ok, so maybe it’s not that simple, but it sure is important.
I am so excited to begin this year at Stott. We will continue to build on the great work that we started with our STEM Lab and Problem Based Learning. Our teachers and students were so excited and engaged with many of these challenges last year. I saw students thinking about things and solving problems that they never would have tackled a couple of years ago. We will also continue with our work on a positive school community. Morning meetings, shout outs and lots of positive recognition will be evident throughout the year.
Our theme this year is “Best Year Yet”. We are working hard to highlight all of the wonderful things happening every day at Stott. If you haven’t yet, please follow us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/StottStallions/. We will be updating the page regularly.
My door is always open for parents and families, so please feel free to stop by with any questions, concerns, ideas, or even just a quick hello!
Caryn McCormick