Welcome Back! It is the third day of school and we are already off to a GREAT start! It has been wonderful to see students excited to meet their new teachers, reconnect with old friends, and begin new friendships.  The first few days and weeks of school are often filled with establishing routines and expectations, building relationships, and creating a cohesive classroom community. As I walked around the building today, I saw these roots beginning to form and was energized by all the possibilities a new school year brings.

Educators often find the summer is a time of reflection – what should be celebrated, where do we need to put more energy, what can we improve upon? As I had many cloudy July days indoors to reflect on my first year at Cascade Ridge, many celebrations came to mind…

• Our continued high scores on the Stanford Achievement Test and high percentage of students meeting standard on the MSP
• Our building focus on literacy which saw teachers engaging in professional development opportunities and reflective conversations to grow in their instructional practice in reading, the adoption and purchase of our new Science curriculum, thanks to the support of the Issaquah Schools Foundation and our district PTSAs (and a generous donation from our own Cascade Ridge PTSA of $10,000!),
• the GREAT Kid program which gave every student in our school the opportunity to hear what their teacher found “great” about them, building self-esteem and deepening the student/teacher relationship as well as giving me an opportunity to personally connect with every student during the year,
• Working with an amazing staff that cares deeply for our students – academically, socially and emotionally,
• having the privilege of working in a community that TRULY understands the importance of a strong partnership between school and home,

….and the list goes on.

Although Cascade Ridge has much to be proud of, we know there is always room for improvement. This year, our Building Leadership Team, Site Council and PTSA will continue to work on identifying ways to make Cascade Ridge even greater. Policy and systems reviews are part of improving an organization, and you will notice in this Coyote Connection as well as others throughout the year, that we have changed or adjusted some school policies and procedures.

I look forward to another successful and rewarding school year and our continued partnership . Here’s to
the 2011-2012 school year!