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| It takes a lot of people to get kindergarten through the lunch line at the beginning of the school year! |
Well, the first day of school is now in the rear view mirror and routines have, for the most part been established. Yesterday was the last 'first day' when our preschool students started class, so we now have everyone here and are off and running. All systems are basically, normal? Generally when people ask me how the first day of school went, my 'tongue in cheek' response is that I have only three main goals when it comes to the first day of school: get everyone here safely, make sure everyone has lunch, and get everyone home safely. While it may sound as if the bar is relatively low in terms of first day expectations, those three things are pretty big evolutions in a school day. One of the things I have learned from my many years in education is that on the first day of school the buses are never on time, it takes a long time to get kindergarten through the lunch line, and the end of the day can be likened to organized chaos while we make sure all the students get on the right bus. That said, our first day was a success and while it may only seem like yesterday, today marks day 8!
After we get the first day figured out, the expectations increase exponentially. Classroom routines are practiced and have been established, specials are in full swing, high school schedules are set, and the first sets of assessments are just around the corner. Most importantly, high quality instruction is now underway! Our fall sports seasons have now entered competition with both the football and volleyball teams beginning last week and the first cross country meet of the year scheduled for tomorrow night. We are also super excited to see the return of the fall play this year, which as I understand it, the cast list was announced late last week. You'll want to mark your calendars now, the fall play is scheduled for November 8-9!
The success of our first week and a half of school can largely be attributed to the commitment and long hours put in by our staff. Our custodians had to work late into the evening, on weekends, and even had to put some vacation time on hold to make certain the buildings were ready to go. Our construction workers also had to keep their foot on the gas to ensure construction in the lower elementary was finished before the arrival of the staff. And of course the teachers! When we knew it was going to be close to the deadline for open house, I explained my expectation for that evening. We reassured these teachers the most important thing for students and parents was to meet their teachers, find their locker, and drop off supplies. It mattered not if they had bulletin boards up or rooms fully decorated. It may not have mattered to you or me, but it sure mattered to them. When I walked the halls shortly before 5:00 that evening the rooms looked amazing, by far surpassing expectations!
So on our first day of school we opened up with 754 students, an increase of six over the first day last year. At the same time, we had 30 brand new Pirates that started with us on August 23rd. While not an apples to apples comparison, you have to look all the way back to 2006-2007 to see a higher enrollment number. Indeed this is unofficial and will change between now and October 1st, which is the day we will officially lock in the number. It may surprise you to know that enrollment remains fluid. Since starting school we have had a few additions to our student body. This will certainly continue with both additions and subtractions as we make our way to Count Day on October 1st.
In any event, it is great to have our hallways filled with students again! Hope you all have a great year and if you have any questions, please don't hesitate to reach out!
After we get the first day figured out, the expectations increase exponentially. Classroom routines are practiced and have been established, specials are in full swing, high school schedules are set, and the first sets of assessments are just around the corner. Most importantly, high quality instruction is now underway! Our fall sports seasons have now entered competition with both the football and volleyball teams beginning last week and the first cross country meet of the year scheduled for tomorrow night. We are also super excited to see the return of the fall play this year, which as I understand it, the cast list was announced late last week. You'll want to mark your calendars now, the fall play is scheduled for November 8-9!
The success of our first week and a half of school can largely be attributed to the commitment and long hours put in by our staff. Our custodians had to work late into the evening, on weekends, and even had to put some vacation time on hold to make certain the buildings were ready to go. Our construction workers also had to keep their foot on the gas to ensure construction in the lower elementary was finished before the arrival of the staff. And of course the teachers! When we knew it was going to be close to the deadline for open house, I explained my expectation for that evening. We reassured these teachers the most important thing for students and parents was to meet their teachers, find their locker, and drop off supplies. It mattered not if they had bulletin boards up or rooms fully decorated. It may not have mattered to you or me, but it sure mattered to them. When I walked the halls shortly before 5:00 that evening the rooms looked amazing, by far surpassing expectations!
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| Enrollment continues to rise at Hudson Schools! |
In any event, it is great to have our hallways filled with students again! Hope you all have a great year and if you have any questions, please don't hesitate to reach out!
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