I hope this letter finds you enjoying these days of summer. As the summer winds down, I eagerly anticipate the start of the 2017-2018 school year. I have been saying that I should not be wishing my summer away, yet I am finding myself more excited than ever to start a school year. Much of my excitement is due to the extremely positive impressions of our district and community that I have developed in these early months as your Superintendent of Schools.
This summer has been a busy one! Our principals and administrators completed a busy hiring season and, as I write, we are welcoming a cohort of talented, new educators at New Educator Orientation. We continued a robust and rich summer program with Extended School Year, STAR enrichment programs, High School Experience, and Solutions. This summer has also been busy readying the schools for opening. I want to thank the faculty and staff, secretaries, custodians, Department of Public Works, and the Facilities Department who have been instrumental in implementing summer programs and completing summer projects to get the school year off to a great start.
My excitement for the school year also stems from the opportunity I will have to develop and strengthen relationships with students, families, and community members over the coming months. As a newcomer to Franklin, I am engaging in a systematic entry process, where I will spend the next several months learning as much as I can about the Franklin Public Schools. I also want to use this time to allow you to get to know me. I have been reviewing key documents, I am listening to stakeholders in the schools and community through forums and focus groups, and I will directly observe teaching and learning. This winter, I will present a Report of Findings, which will inform strategic goal setting in the spring.
I will be connecting to students, holding parent forums at each of our schools, and hosting open community forums this fall. More information about dates and locations will be coming soon. I recently presented my entry plan to the Franklin School Committee and I invite you to access it in our District News feed: http://www.franklin.k12.ma.us/Pages/FranklinDistrict_News/
Additionally, you can expect newsletters from the Superintendent’s Office on a regular basis beginning this fall.
We look forward to welcoming students (grades 1-12) back to school on Tuesday, August 29, 2017 and Kindergarten students on Wednesday, August 30, 2017. Please note that Friday, September 1, 2017 is a district-wide professional development day, and there will be no school for students. The first day for students at ECDC is Tuesday, September 5, 2017. It is going to be a great year!
Sincerely,
Sara E. Ahern, Ed.D.
Superintendent of Schools
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| Parmenter School sign with the school opening dates |
http://franklindistrict.vt-s.net/Pages/FranklinDistrict_News/0259188A-000F8513
This was also part of the School Committee meeting on Aug 22 and can be found here as well
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B0wjbnXDBhczZmF5TTlBN2xwU3N6a0piT1dsdlkzZm9VUHlj/view?usp=sharing
