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School to Community Connection |
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Issue 115 Back to School News Administrators and staff of the Healdsburg Unified School District are looking forward to the coming 2006-2007 school year. It is always exciting to open a new school like our newly completed Fitch Mountain Campus of Healdsburg Elementary School, but many other positive changes have also come together in time for students’ first day on Tuesday, September 5. Unified Grade Levels What is particularly exciting about this fall is the organization of our campuses to allow all students to be with all their grade level peers. Healdsburg will provide a community experience unique to most school districts across our country by allowing a student to begin his/her school experience in Kindergarten with classmates he/she will graduate with 13 years later. Having the opportunity to make childhood friends which will last a lifetime is a privilege available to few in a country where most school districts have multiple elementary, junior and senior high schools. And, this configuration offers parents the opportunity to form close and long lasting relationships with other parents, a critical component in building the kind of community partnership necessary to provide a safe and supportive experience for the children of Healdsburg. Another positive attribute of the Healdsburg Unified School District is the size of our school community at each campus and particularly at the high school. Personalized, caring, safe school communities are established best when students are known by name by their teachers and administrators. And, that can happen only when schools are small such as what we have in Healdsburg. New HUSD Team Members The Healdsburg Unified School District Administrative team has some new faces for this coming year. We were extremely pleased to have been able to hire six highly qualified administrators to fill all of our open positions. At Healdsburg Junior High, we have appointed Debra Hall as Principal and Carol Reed as Vice Principal. Both Ms. Hall and Ms. Reed come to us with experience and expertise that will ensure a smooth transition as we start the school year with 6th grade students at the Junior High campus. Administrators Kestrel Davis and Kent Cromwell join Healdsburg High School Principal John Curry at Healdsburg High School. We are confident that Mr. Curry will be as successful at the High School as he was as Principal at the Junior High School in creating a positive, safe academic environment for all students. Ms. Davis and Mr. Cromwell both bring energy and expertise that will allow the high school to build on the successful program that was recognized and awarded a six year accreditation from the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) this past year. The District Office has two new people in place, as well. Ruth Karlsrud has retired as the District Director of Business Services and she has been replaced by Steve Barekman. Mr. Barekman was most recently the Director of Business Services in the Ukiah Unified School District. Lois Gause has taken over the position of Human Resources Manager joining us from the Piner-Olivet School District. Healdsburg Education Foundation Support The School District is fortunate to have the Healdsburg Education Foundation (HEF) taking on an important role in supporting our District Programs. Under the leadership of their new president, Anne Friedemann, and thanks to the leadership of HEF Past President, Jesse Shaw, many significant projects are in place to support existing School District Programs and to create new ones. Through HEF the District has received a substantial donation from the Henry Wendt Family to transform the high school library into a 21st Century Research and Technology Center. Also thanks to HEF, the District will again be able to offer an elementary school music program. And, an additional $55,000 has been donated by HEF in support of the Healdsburg High School athletic programs to support costs associated with transportation, tournament fees and awards, and officials’ fees. These are only a few examples of the Foundation’s support for our public schools. With our new leadership team in place, a strategy to coordinate our programs, K-12, and the support of the Healdsburg Education Foundation, other service organizations and our entire community, the 2006-2007 school year should be an exciting and successful one for our students and our community-at-large. By Superintendent Robert Carter |
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