Update from School Superintendent Danna Diaz

Update from SJISD Superintendent Danna Diaz

Dr. Danna Diaz

We had a great start of school and it has been truly an honor to walk down the halls of the schools, have lunch in the cafeteria, meet with teachers, students and parents and learn about how I may better serve as your superintendent.

Thankfully, at the San Juan Island School District, we are proud of our mission:

“To provide a world class education through focus on superior instructional performance, meaningful student engagement, and challenging academic content for every student every day.”

We have systems in place complete with outstanding curriculum, staff and leaders to make sure we give each child what they need to be successful. We partner with parents, community members, family and friends to create the optimum outcome for each student. We would like our students to graduate with choices and opportunities for their future.

Have you seen the capital improvements in our schools? New floors in our gym, new paved walkways at the elementary school, new chairs and tables in some of our classrooms? Yes, we are looking better on the outside and finding new places where we can save on energy. Did you know that the STEM building has solar panels? Yes, students will be able to analyze the data! We are excited about the teaching and learning in our new STEM facility.

For the upcoming 2015 school year, let’s continue to work together to increase the chances of our students’ success. We have partnered with the San Juan Island Community Foundation to provide HICAP (Highly Capable Students program) professional development for our elementary school teachers. I have met with other community supporters to continue the conversation on how we may collaborate and provide funding opportunities for staff to go to training.

We are partnering with United Way with an Employee Giving Campaign from October 1- November 15. The funds raised will ensure services continue for our students in the community. We will distribute an Educational Effectiveness survey in October for staff and parents in October. Students will take the survey in January. Our Community Dinner and STEM Open House will be October 7. The San Juan Public Schools Foundation will have their Phone-A-Thon October 12 & 13. As usual, we plan to call you at home in the late afternoon and evening. Please answer and donate. I will have a community meeting to share my First 100 Days Report. The meeting will be held at Friday Harbor Middle School, October 19, at 5:30 – 6:30 pm. Please come!

Most importantly, don’t forget we will have parent teacher conferences October 21-23, at all the schools. Please review progress reports with your child and discuss their strengths and opportunities as well as areas for improvement.

Please collaborate with your child’s teacher to find ways that you can support your child’s education. The future is on the line. We take very seriously the importance of what we do every day, molding the minds of young people to be successful citizens.

One more thing, did you know that the number of students that ride the bus every day plays a big role in how much funding we receive from our state to help keep our buses safe on the road? Our transportation department does an excellent job transporting our students to and from school. Please show your support by allowing your child to ride the bus. We report our numbers to the state by October 31. Every day counts, let’s ride! I know I will! Watch me!

I’m glad I live in a community that expects excellence. With an education, all of our students significantly increase their chances of living the American dream. Thank you for your support.

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