Superintendent's Welcome Back To School Letter
by Dr. Gary Kelly
August 17, 2009
Dear Students, Parents, and Our Community:
Each year I ask the principals of each school to write a “Back To School” letter as a means to communicate several items to the stakeholders of our school district. As well, I write a similar letter in which I hope to outline several key items for the coming school year. Everyone who lives within the boundaries of District #300 is a stakeholder in our school district. Students, parents, faculty/staff, and community members each have a vested interest in what takes place within the educational process of our school system. Students should have the greatest interest in the educational process and should strive to maximize their learning potential in everything they do. Parents have a great interest in which they see their child utilize their educational opportunities to reach the goals (present and future) they have hopefully established for their child. Faculty and staff should continually examine their vital role in meeting the educational needs of all students. Research tells us the classroom teacher is the most important factor in the learning of a child. The community has an interest in that many pay property taxes that go directly to the school district to fulfill its mission in educating all students.
Specifically the vision statement of the school district states, “All students of the DuQuoin CUSD will learn to become productive, contributing members of an ever-changing society through the collaborative efforts of faculty/staff, parents, and the community.” This is a vision for the school district that involves each of our stakeholders in the school district. The District #300 mission statement is, “DuQuoin CUSD will effectively educate and prepare all students to be life-long learners through the utilization of diverse learning experiences and a supportive learning environment.” Certainly this mission is something that we should not take lightly, but continually strive to work together in realizing the mission we have before us.
The key components to “educate and prepare all students” include being accountable, responsible, and engaged. These are not exclusive terms in regard to addressing the school district’s vision and/or mission. They are concepts that we should continually examine that provide the means to realize our vision and reach our mission.
As a school district we must be accountable to our community, but more importantly we must be accountable to providing the best education possible for our students. In turn, our students must take on the accountability associated with their learning process. Students must take responsibility for their learning. Students should be engaged in the learning process and should strive for academic excellence. We ask that parents seek the opportunities we provide to be active participants in your child’s learning and furthermore become engaged in your child’s learning process. Faculty and staff are a major part of the team in a child’s learning process. Faculty and staff must be accountable, responsible, and engaged. The Administration of the school district must accept their role of being accountable, responsible, and engaged in the learning process for each and every student and to all stakeholders in the district.
What about the great things in our school district? There are several that come to mind. First, over 75% of the students in our school district that participates in state mandated testing meet or exceed state standards. That does not mean we don’t have further work to do in reaching those particular students who have not met state standards. On any given day 95% of our students attend school. That is a testimony to those parents and students who understand that being at school is a critical variable to being successful academically. Next, every one of our teachers and support staff in the areas they are assigned are deemed as “highly qualified” according to the No Child Left Behind Act. But, our staff members continue to engage themselves in professional development opportunities to enhance their skills as teachers and instructional aides. Our community supports education in the school district in so many ways. Through participation in providing internship and employment opportunities for students, for support of the Educational Foundation that provides classroom grants and scholarships for high school seniors, for support of extra-curricular activities, in supporting referendums to build two new schools in the last ten years, we have been very fortunate.
We, as the stakeholders within the DuQuoin school district, will see issues that develop along the way, but if we put forth the effort to be accountable, responsible, and engaged we have and will continue to make tremendous progress in seeing our vision and mission becoming a reality for every student in our school district.
Sincerely,
Gary Kelly, Ph.D.
Superintendent
