My official summer ended two weeks ago and my days have been full and exciting ever since.  One thing I love about being a principal is that no two days are alike.  Each unfolds into countless opportunities to problem solve with creative solutions.  During some of the recent flurry, I mentally retreated to that space this summer that included sun-filled skies with puffy white clouds, the anticipation of snagging a bass on a dangling mealworm, the focused effort to stay atop the water on a wakeboard, the long runs that allowed my thoughts to wander, my new fascination with photography, and the smiles and giggles of my daughters.  It has brought me back to center every time and reminded me that anything before me is possible as long as I am open to listening, thinking out of the box, and true to my unwavering optimism.

 Almond School is fully staffed and ready to welcome 544 students!

The campus has been anything but quiet.  Our district maintenance department and school custodians have worked diligently to clean and prepare our school for opening day.  Our district instructional team has supported our continued growth through many professional development opportunities this summer and in setting a vision to create a more personalized learning experience for students.  Our front office staff has juggled a million different tasks, often all at once, to ensure we’re ready for the first pitch at 8:30am on Wednesday, 8/19.  Then there is our All-Star team of teachers of whom I could not be more proud.  Their incredibleness is evident in the fact that while their year hasn’t officially started, they’ve already spent hours setting up their rooms, meeting with their peers, and planning each and every detail of our first official day together.

This is going to be an incredible year!

As your worlds begin to buzz with activity, whether that be through the joy ;-) of travel back home, the negotiations that arise with re-establishing bedtime hours, the rush of lunch preparations in the morning, or the other multitude of details that will need to be figured out, “Find Your Happy.”  Revisit it whenever needed.  Reset.  Then conquer that challenge in front of you.

See you at 8:30am on Wednesday, 8/19.