July 2010

Dear Friends of CCPS,

It is hard to believe we have brought another successful school year to a close.  This was a very unusual and tough year on many levels. I thank you for your understanding and assistance as we have worked very hard to make the best decisions possible for our school division in what many say has been one of the worst economic times in the history of the Commonwealth of Virginia.  I do sincerely hope that in spite of these difficult times for our school system, our county, our state and our nation, this message finds all of our families, both of students and staff, enjoying a restful and relaxing summer vacation surrounded by your loved ones and friends.

All of us at the School Board Office and school building offices have been diligently working this summer in preparation for our favorite time of year…August- when you all return!  We are missing you and can’t wait to get you back with us so we can begin what we know will be one of our best years together ever! 

Thank you from the bottom of my heart for all that you have done to partner with our great school division.  Even with our budget and economic challenges, we have once again, ended another school year with student success, safe and secure schools, almost 90% of our graduating seniors going to college, and a group of employees that has never wavered to put our children and their education above everything else.  I am grateful to each and every one of you for the role you have played in our success.  We are all truly blessed to be a part of such a supportive and loyal school community.

Stay tuned for updates.  I will outline our specific accomplishments of the past year in a power point presentation at our August school board meeting and on our homepage of the website.  I am also extremely excited to share with all of you our broad goals for this coming school year.  Our theme this year is “HEROES FOR ZEROS!”  As silly as this sounds, we, as a school division are committed to embracing 4 ambitious “ZERO” goals for the 2010-2011 school year:  ZERO absences, ZERO classrooms without instructional rigor, ZERO student suspensions without instructional continuity and ZERO attitudes without “positivity” and a spirit of collaboration and teamwork.  We will be providing more information on these important objectives in the very near future. 

As I begin my eighth year, I remain as honored to serve as your Superintendent of Schools today as I did when I came to this great school division in 2003.  Thank you for your confidence and support.  I pledge to continue to the best of my ability to ensure that every student we have the privilege of serving will receive the quality education he/she deserves.  I look forward to seeing you soon!