As the year ends we are taking time to celebrate our staff with the Employees of Excellence Awards and end of the year BBQ. There is so much to celebrate with staff who truly embrace the mission statement to serve and support all children.
I recently received an email from a substitute that did a great job of articulating what is great about our district and Woodland Intermediate School in particular, “Vicki, as this school year comes to a close I just wanted to send you an email to express my thanks and appreciation for allowing me to be involved as an Emergency Substitute in your district.
I have enjoyed many days of teaching here (mostly at the intermediate and middle school). I have to say that Woodland Intermediate school is one of my very favorite places to teach (I am employed and work full time between Woodland, Ridgefield, and Vancouver districts). I would like to give some kudos for the things going on, specifically in the Intermediate building.
For the longest time, I didn't even know where the school was! Lol. But once I found it and took a job here, I was hooked. I was instantly welcomed and felt appreciated. Honestly, I often sub in Vancouver and am not spoken to all day long by a single staff person. When I'm here I feel like I'm part of a team, a team that cares about their students. The staff are pleasant to each other across all grades and they help each other all the time. The supports you have in place for students with PBIS, counseling, etc are impressive. I am confident I will always have immediate assistance when needed. I have even experienced Mr. Carney taking time to speak to me about my future plans and brainstorming ideas about earning my full teaching credentials. No administrator has ever taken time like that with me.
Also, this might sounds silly, but the hallway etiquette in this building is incredible! The kiddos are quiet and respectful and you can tell the staff works hard to maintain this safe and routine way of moving from one place to another. I honestly haven't seen it done better anywhere else!
I can see the challenges your district faces with respect to behavior and demographics. I take sub jobs in this building, not because they are easy, but in part, because I see the staff genuinely cares about these kids and that inspires me. These truly are wonderful kiddos.”
Great encouragement as we close the chapter for 2016-2017! Looking forward to 2017-2018, we have already hired 17 new certificated staff and have postings out for 4 more. The summer is spent in part processing and onboarding the new staff so they start the year with as much information and support we can give them to help them be successful.