Welcoming fall and starting a new school year with high expectations for our students is always a joyous feeling. This year we have even more momentum because we’re kicking off a new long-range plan that’s been in the works since January.
Now before you turn the page, fall asleep or decide to go find something more interesting, please bear with me, because all of our work flows out from and is guided by this type of planning.
The entire community has an interest in knowing about and supporting our long-range plans. They go hand-in-hand with Newport News’ reputation as a destination for workers to accept jobs and families to make their homes.
That’s why the formal term is strategic plan. Every large organization has one; it sets our vision and goals for the next five years.
Decisions about every facet of our educational and operational functions can be made with this specific focus in mind. Community members, parents and students can see what our priorities are for the next five years.
Measurable goals can be established and aimed for. Progress can be marked by specifics as part of the broader picture.
So what does this mean for those who don’t have a student in the school system?
Those who are serving as neighbors, business partners and community members are vitally important as the surrounding backbone of our school division. Everybody is part of the larger network preparing our students to lead our community into the future.
Just as we ask families to partner with their students’ teachers and school community, we urge every resident to support students in their local neighborhood in any way they can.
Ensuring every student graduates college, career and citizen-ready takes all of lending our energy and expertise where it can make the most impact.
Numerous opportunities throughout the school year will allow you to participate in community events or be invited to see all that’s going on in our schools.
We’ve opened our new Maritime Engineering and Environmental Studies magnet program. It’s a collaborative lab school with Old Dominion University that will address the need for workers in the maritime industry.
Everything from the arts to sports is thriving in our school division, and we’re constantly adding new opportunities for students to participate in clubs and activities.
All of these daily chances for students to learn and grow, both formally and informally, come from careful planning we do year-round. That planning is the action dictated by our over-arching larger plan.
When I visited each of our 40 schools within the first few days of school, I got a chance to see the start of what will be that giant network humming along throughout the school year.
Please consider yourself a part of that network and realize that we are all crucial cogs in the learning framework. influencing our youngest residents. Just as we thank all who helped formulate our strategic plan, we thank you for your support.
