I would like to
wish all of our parents, grandparents and students a Happy
New Year and a heartfelt welcome back. It is really great
to see all of the kids back and ready to go! The New Year
to me is often about new starts. The students don’t always
say it but I know that they are like us adults in many
ways. They want to do better in the things that they
struggle with whether it is making the honor roll, meeting
math lab and AR goals, meeting new friends etc. I think
that as parents we sometimes think that our children only
think about goals and their future if we remind them about
them. The truth is, that at a very young age, kids have
dreams, ideas and really want to do well…they just sometimes
struggle with getting it done. Just like us.
Where I am
going with this is to encourage parents to make an effort to
blend what your goals for your children are with what their
own personal goals are. The trick is getting your kids to
share with you what personal goals they would like to work
on. I know how tricky this communication can be because my
wife and I have two teenagers whom with we are still
learning how to most effectively get them to share with us
their aspirations.
Being a parent
is the toughest, best job on the planet. I try to do my job
from the perspective of a parent because I am a parent and
because I think that this approach is what parents expect
from a Principal. My children are Mountain Vista alumni and
they could not have been more prepared for high school when
they left our program. As proud as I am of what we do, I
want our school to always strive to do better. Please share
with me what you like about us and what you think we can do
to enhance our school. Many of the outstanding programs we
have are a direct result of parent feedback.
Remember, a
good start is imperative to a successful second half of the
school year. I can’t over stress this concept because
countless times I have seen students quickly dig themselves
a hole and often never get out of it. Help them learn good
habits, be patient and good things will happen.