Back to School

Last week Dr. Miyashiro and I visited Magnolia Elementary School and Greenfield Middle School to celebrate our back-to-school routines. Our dedicated staff is working hard to make sure every classroom has what's needed and every student has been placed in the best learning environment.  

At Magnolia, Principal Coffin gave me a tour of teachers in different grade levels facilitating some of the "Necessary Conditions" lessons as students shared why school is important and descriptors for an effective school environment.  With the new challenges that changing enrollment brings at this time of year, teachers were using engagement and redirection strategies and the supporting paraeducators worked whole-heartedly with multiple children in the classrooms. It was great to recognize a support teacher at Magnolia with whom I connected at the Welcome Back Breakfast.  She had shared with me at the Breakfast that it was Cajon Valley's reputation that had led her to move to San Diego County with a contract in our unique district.  Additionally, Principal Coffin informed us of the new Language Arts block schedule to allow for increased and aligned Tier 2 and Tier 3 instruction while safeguarding students' Tier 1 instructional time. I am excited to see how this shift improves academic achievement and overall student success.

Transitioning to the needs of our middle schools, Principal Morris at Greenfield showed us around classrooms during their "Jump Start" program.  Here we also observed some of the "Necessary Conditions" lessons, but geared for a more mature crowd.  Each classroom established and displayed their "Standard Operating Procedures" to build a foundation for success during the first week of school where staff again work tirelessly to solidify student schedules and balance rosters as they adjust to changing enrollment.  It was impressive to see adherence to the lesson and activity schedule across every classroom we visited.  It's clear that the hard work this team has put into the program is paying off as it builds a strong school culture and also sets every staff member and student up for success with clear expectations motivated by collaboration.

This is just the beginning...I'm looking forward to seeing where the year takes us!