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Mr. Anderson's June Message |
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Dear Friends and Families of A.G. Bell,
As I sit to write the final Chimes message for the year, I can’t help but reflect on what has been a wonderful whirlwind of a year. Within the past several days I have had the opportunity to reflect with two separate A.G. Bell parents on the beauty of our community and the wonderful place that is A.G. Bell. Our diversity, exceptional teachers and staff, supportive and involved parents, a “still new” playground and growing volunteer corps all serve to make A.G. Bell a wonderful place for kids, families and staff.
As we have worked together to meet the needs of our students and families, here are some things we have accomplished together this year:
“A.G. Bell - Our Students Our School” We’ve introduced our theme of ownership and accountability. At A.G. Bell, each of us shares in the success of our students and school. 54 “Kindys”: We welcomed 54 new kindergarten students to the world of school! Now that’s always an adventure! Math Focus: We developed a math team (including parents and staff members), facilitated our first parent math night, and started a Math Olympiad program for our 5th and 6th graders to support our students in becoming competent and confident mathematical thinkers. We’ve made good progress and we are looking forward to continuing our work in this area. 10+ New Staff Members: We integrated and assimilated 10 wonderful new staff members, including a new secretary and office manager (that’s about 20% of our total staff!). Each new staff member has brought wonderful skills to A.G. Bell. Our experienced staff have worked hard supporting and mentoring these folks. Thanks to both of these groups, we’re moving forward! Art Experience Room: Together, our teaching staff redesigned our planning time model to include wonderful art experiences under the direction of our classroom teachers and Mrs. Michelle Lustgarten. Due to Mrs. Lustgarten’s knowledge and expertise, our kids receive quality art experiences on a regular basis. A huge thank you also to our art volunteers - many who volunteer multiple times a week to support our work in the Art Experience Room Lunch Buddies: Under the direction of Mrs. Jana Robertson and assisted by Ms. Conley, we retooled our Lunch Buddy program to include participation of over 20 community volunteers, who provide conversation, mentorship and support to select students on a weekly basis. JA Day: Through the Junior Achievement Program, we welcomed the folks from KMPG, an accounting firm in Seattle, to spend a day teaching life skills and providing a real world approach to nearly every classroom in our building. Jazzed for Bell: Together at this year’s auction, we raised in excess of $10,000 to support student programs and PTSA. A big thank you to all who participated! Talent Show 2008: Our students were able to display their talents at the all school talent show this year. Thanks to staff members Desiree Woodruff, Kathy Hovis, Grace Stanphill, Andrew Schmidt and Shari Alma, and numerous parents, who took time out of their days to make sure our kids had this opportunity. Updated Communication: We have continued to publish the monthly PTSA “Chimes” newsletter and have worked to update our school website. We have instituted “Coffee with Curtis” meetings and weekly emails from the office in an attempt to strengthen our communication. As we head into next year, we have a few more ideas for improvement in this area. Giving: Our generous students have supported various causes including The Guatemalan Friendship School and local agencies (Hopelink) with both financial and food contributions. Most Importantly: Together, our staff and supportive community members have given our best efforts to teach, mentor and support all 400+ preschool-6th grade students in their development as people, life-long learners and quality citizens!
Truly, we have much to celebrate at A.G. Bell Elementary and I’m pleased to be a part of such a wonderful community.
Truly! Curtis Anderson
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Thank you! |
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