Principal Notes 12-10-10

DEAR PARENTS, STAFF, AND STUDENTS,

     These last few weeks of school have been bittersweet for me – I’m so proud of the students, staff, and you parents. You have all been supportive of me, as well as supportive of your children. I have watched them eagerly greet Mrs. Mabbott, and yet also express their heartfelt feelings toward my departure in a week. What a wonderful community this is; Principals following me will be very fortunate to work here.

100 YEARS OF MAPLEWOOD SCHOOL APPROACHING! – There is a link to a “Memories of Maplewood” book on our website at http://www.pps.k12.or.us/schools/maplewood/194.htm . I was looking at it and have been aware that Maplewood first opened a school on these grounds in September, 1912. In looking at that history, I noted that in the 98 years of its existence so far, there have been 33 Principals (for an average of less than 3 years apiece)!

The previous record for Principal longevity here was 6 years. In my 10+ years here, I’ve had to admit that this job is not an easy one, in many ways. The teachers and staff here also know well that our school continually has to try to “so more with less” every year. And this is a building where the Principal and our wonderful Secretary Kathy have to handle many different roles (without an Assistant Principal and without unlimited funds!). These factors, and others, mean that your input into the future Principal will be very important – please see the notice below for a way for you to have your thoughts carefully considered.

WANTED:
Painting benches in gym – Our grey benches have paint chipped away on top, and even some splinters appearing. Can we have some volunteers to do some quick sanding for safety, and then repainting at least the top board with gloss enamel?
Dusting Art Shelves on art cart – The drying cart in our hallway that holds many plastic shelves for student art is getting dusty and making some of the artwork dirty. Can we have someone dust/wipe them off?
Stuffing Student Mailboxes on Fridays – Getting notices and student work into the students’ mailboxes can be a time consuming job; can we get some volunteers for teachers to come in to do that?

It would be best to contact Jill Brown-Young at jillyb4@me.com, volunteer coordinator for PTA, if you could do any of the above! Thanks!

PARENT COFFEE – MEET INTERIM PRINCIPAL JOANNE MABBOTT – December 16th at 8:15 a.m. We would like to offer parents an informal chance to meet Joanne Mabbott; she is inviting anyone to come and join the Thursday morning coffee group in the cafeteria that day.

PRINCIPAL SELECTION – STEP ONE :

Community Meeting

Maplewood Gym

Wednesday, January 12th, 2011

6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

Day care sponsored by PTA being planned

Who: Staff and Community and Parents
Agenda:
a - Hear details about the Principal Selection Process
b – Give your input on what you think is unique about Maplewood that would influence who the next Principal would be.
     Our Facilitators of the meeting will be Michelle Riddell Asst. Executive Director of Human Resources, with our Deputy Superintendent Cynthia Gilliam and others. Joanne and I will not be present at the meeting, to allow open discussions. This is an important chance for you to let your Deputy Superintendent know your thoughts, to meet with other parents, and to discuss your perceptions of Maplewood and its future!
     If you are not able to attend that night, your written comments can be submitted via email to me at jblanck@pps.k12.or.us (starting January 3rd) or letters or on a form that will be available in the office and on school website.
Upcoming Events:

Jan 3 - Welcome Back!
Jan 5 - PTA Meeting at 6:00 pm
Jan 12 - 2 Hour Late Opening
Jan 17 - NO SCHOOL – Martin Luther King Jr. Day
Feb 2 - PTA Meeting at 6:00 pm
Feb 3 - Kindergarten Info Session at 3:00 pm
Feb 9 - 2 Hour Late Opening
Feb 9 - Transfer Applications Open
Feb 18 - Family Art Night
Feb 21 - NO SCHOOL – Presidents’ Day

Best Regards, John

Meet our New Principal

Welcome to Joanne Mabbott, who begins here as Interim Principal. Here is her the text of her Letter of Greetings to the Maplewood Community:

 The most beautiful things in life cannot be seen or even touched. They must be felt with the heart.
-  Helen Keller

12/10/10

Greetings to the Maplewood Community
From Joanne Mabbott

     Sharing your life with people is an opportunity to let them know who you are from the heart. My auto-biography may seem different then others because it won’t be about time and place, it will be about who I am and how I have become the person and educator that I am today. This is important as I immerse myself into your child’s education over the next six months.

When I was in middle school I walked a few steps across the field to the elementary school to work in the 2nd grade classroom everyday. Sitting on the floor with these little ones, reading, writing and singing songs created a feeling of absolute joy within me, a feeling a young adolescent girl doesn’t tend to experience on a daily basis. I loved to watch the teacher orchestrate the lessons. The students paid close attention to her every move and seemed to absorb the knowledge she was imparting with great interest. This was fascinating as I wondered what happened between elementary and middle school, because that wasn’t what was going on next door at the middle school.

Through-out high school and as I entered college I began to consider a career as a teacher. Somehow I knew teaching was my heart’s desire. I loved being with children, enjoyed the structure of a classroom, thrived on being organized (I even had a clean bedroom as a teenager) and most of all the learning part was so exciting. Even today there is something new in every lesson I experience. Upon finishing my Bachelors degree I was the recipient of a scholarship to get a Masters Degree in Education. I wasn’t the top of my graduating class; to qualify for the scholarship I had to go through an interview and writing process. When I was notified I had been selected, I knew I was on the right path, and being an educator was my calling.

My journey has been everything and more that I hoped it would be. I’ve taught 3rd grade through high school for 16 years, in Oregon, Texas and an amazing two year multi-cultural experience overseas in the Middle East. I have been a special education and general education teacher. I have a deep understanding of the learning process and the learning styles of students. My special education expertise is in the area of social, emotional, and behavioral development of children and behavioral intervention techniques.

The second half of my career has been in educational leadership. I began my first administrative position in another multi-cultural experience in bush Alaska. I was the Director of Special Programs and Grants. I flew around in a small plane over frozen seas to 15 villages, over 80,000 square miles. My job was to ensure that specific programs were in compliance and the special education needs of the students were being met. I supported the principals and teachers in the implementation of state mandates. I think they were also happy to see a new face bringing special treats after many dark days and nights of no sun.

Arriving back in the lower forty eight, I settled into an administrative position in the central office at the Northwest Regional Education Service District supervising K-12 school age programs. Three years later I moved to a building (within the same district) where I stayed as the principal for two different schools over a 10 year period. As I look back on my years as a principal, working closely with the students, parents and staff, I realize this is where I am most fulfilled as an educator. Remember my hearts desire? I love being with the children, enjoy the structure of the classroom/school setting, being organized (I still have a very tidy house), and find the learning part so exciting. Why did I leave? I believed at the time I moved to a central office position, first in the Hillsboro School District, then to PPS, that I could make a bigger difference in the area of special education at the central office level. However, after five years of struggling with a lack of federal funding, I realize the place where I can make the biggest difference for all students is at the school level.

My door is always open. Please let Kathy know if you would like to chat with me. I am looking forward to getting to know you and your children. My goal is to support and sustain the work that John and the great staff have been doing this year. I am also excited about working closely with the parent groups on fund raising and other work. The Maplewood community is amazing and it is a privilege to be a part of it. Have a wonderful holiday season and I look forward to serving as your interim principal.

Sincerely,

Joanne