Letter from the Superintendent - August 2014
It has been a productive and busy summer at Southwest Public Schools. It is my hope that you have had a productive and positive summer, as well. Many of you have been busy with kids’ camps, summer jobs, vacations, and I hope for many of our children their learning has continued throughout the summer. I’m sure it will feel strange to begin school without our last group of graduating seniors, but of course they are off to new adventures and beginning the next stage of life. That’s what we want to do, prepare them to do just that. For this year’s senior class, the clock is ticking ladies and gentlemen, so make the most of it!
My goal for this school year is to make a significant jump forward academically with instructional focus and technology integration. The opportunity to increase learning has never been greater and as instructors and parents we need to direct our children to take advantage of the opportunities they have. The mission is simple: more focus, more learning, less interruptions, higher expectations. We want a standard of determined, committed teachers and students that are looking toward successful futures for all of our students. We need parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles, all caregivers that touch our students’ lives, to be on-board with this level of focus. We can have no exceptions for doing the very best we can and not allow distractions to get in the way of learning – inside and outside of the classroom. A good education is the key to our children’s future, and we all should play a positive role in that process.
We have several projects underway with our restroom renovation at the elementary school along with the installation of some new heating/air conditioning units. At the 7-12 building we are preparing for the integration of a one-to-one laptop initiative that will give our students the very latest in educational skill building equipment. Students will need to be assimilated to a whole new level of responsibility with their new equipment, and we all must make sure they are properly monitored and supervised. Let’s make sure students are smart, mature and socially responsible media/technology users.
Welcome back to the 2014-2015 school year. It is wonderful to have the support of patrons from all of our communities.
Sincerely,
R. Todd Porter