Welcome Back!

This week marks the beginning of the school year for Sibley as we opened our doors August 28-29 for our back to school student interviews and conferences.  We were also treated to a taco bar put on by our PTO.  Thank you parents! It was awesome.

It wasn't until last week that staff were actually able to be in our wonderful building.  In case you didn't know, Sibley received a brand new HVAC system over the summer.  I apologize if this was an inconvenience for you, but it was necessary and certainly appreciated now.  As other schools are currently struggling in the area with heat, we are not.  With a new de-humidification system (air conditioning) we are enjoying ourselves.  This system will allow us to better regulate temperature throughout the year and provide for a dramatic increase in the fresh air that circulates the building.

As your principal, I am thrilled to start another year with students.  We have a phenomenal staff that is eager to begin.  We believe that all students can learn at high levels and we are committed to this belief as it is at the core of what we do.  At Sibley, teachers and teams work collaboratively to answer four key questions: 1)What do we want students to learn? 2)How do we know they have learned it? 3)What do we do if they don't know it? 4)How do we respond when they do know it?

Through ongoing and careful analysis of student learning, we are forced to analyze ourselves first.  Just because we "taught" it, doesn't necessarily mean that it has been "learned."  I don't know about your experience in school, but my sometimes lack of desired progress, left me feeling like it (learning) was my fault. We don't want that to be your experience, and so we look at things a lot differently at Sibley.

We know that a great education is a joint effort.  Having said that, we recognize that there are certain aspects of school that might seem foreign to you.  If you ever leave a conference, school event, meeting, hear or read something that isn't clear, do not hesitate to give me a call.  As a parent, your child's success in school is our number one priority.  Feedback, even critical feedback, can only help us improve what we do.

Have a great year!