September 1, 2010,

Dear Parents and Community Members,

Welcome to September and to the 2010-2011 school year. The school year has started off well as students, teachers, and support staff filled our schools with excitement and an eagerness for the year ahead. And when I say they “filled our schools”  I mean that literally as once again the district finds itself growing by more than 1,000 students over this time last year. This is actually quite remarkable as very few school districts are growing in this economy, and the few that are generally do not come close to the level of growth we are experiencing.

Not surprisingly, the enrollment growth is both good news and “challenging news”. The good news is that growth helps the district financially, with the challenge of course being how best to house the influx of new students. There is no doubt that if growth continues at this rate the district will have to consider various options such as boundary changes and/or year around schools, especially in the Dougherty Valley.

While not wanting to be presumptuous about all the reasons for the growth, it would seem that the quality of our teachers and support staff, the high expectations for student achievement, our academic results, and being a district that is committed to student success in the 21^st Century are certainly  factors contributing to this growth.

As we look forward to the year ahead, our commitment will remain focused on core academic standards and achievement, supporting character development, and promoting instruction and applied technology that incorporates the 21^st Century skills of critical thinking, collaboration, communication, curiosity, and creativity. We believe this continued effort will support students and their learning in a manner that will keep moving this exceptional school district to the next level of quality.

I will conclude by simply saying “thank you” to parents and other community members for your ongoing support of our schools. Every day I am reminded of how fortunate we are to have this support. We would not be the district that we are without your support. Your contribution of time, energy, and money is never taken for granted.

Thank you for the courtesy of reading my letter. I hope everyone has a great month of September.

Steven Enoch

Superintendent of Schools