Time To Start Over

By Mark J. Ward, Superintendent

It is hard to believe that we are ready to start another school year…but we are! Those of us who work in education have a unique and special opportunity each year to literally start over! Students, classes, teachers, staff members and even the facilities change over the summer break as we prepare to start another “new year”. There is really no business that is quite like education.

Planning and staff development have become a very important part of the summer routine and the ECS staff has spent hundreds of hours learning, refreshing, training and developing new teaching strategies. The maintenance and cleaning staff has been working hard to ready the building for the “return” of our students. With most of the building nearly 50 years old it creates challenges each year and our staff does a tremendous job getting everything ready. 

As we begin another new year we want to encourage parents and family members to be active in your child’s education. Research is very clear, the more involved you are with your child’s education the more success the child will have in school. We have incorporated a number of changes this year for students in grades 6-8 that are designed to assist them socially, emotionally and academically through what can be a very difficult period of time. Starting September 18, we plan to make grades and attendance for students in grades 6-12 available via the internet for parents and guardians in an effort to improve communication.

Later in September the Board of Education will roll out the District’s Strategic Plan which is a culmination of over six months of work by more than eighty members of the school community. We believe the “plan” will help provide a “vision” and guide the district’s journey into the future. The plan addresses issues related to: academic achievement, curriculum, technology, community involvement, fiscal responsibility, facility improvement, data-based decision-making and a strong desire to make sure our students can compete.

Now more than ever, we must prepare our students for the “opportunities” they will face in a world that is now “flat”. Technology has revolutionized every aspect of our life and we must make sure our students are ready to meet those challenges. Our students are no longer just competing with students in the United States; they are competing with students from China, India, Germany, Japan and the rest of the world!

There are many new and exciting “student centered” changes happening at ECS this year that will focus on strengthening and improving their academic opportunities and experiences. Our staff has anxiously been preparing for the new school year and look forward to welcoming your children back on Wednesday, September 2!