Greetings From Superintendent Brunson
Greetings Staff, Students, Families and Community Members,
Educate, Empower and Inspire the Whole Child - that’s the Elementary School District 159 way! The District's mission is to inspire a love of learning and ensure educational excellence for every child. Our Board members, administrators, teachers, and staff relentlessly pursue this objective with commitment and dedication every day.
Building community, deepening collaboration and improving communication, when done well, have the potential to profoundly shape how our schools operate. By focusing on community, collaboration, and communication, we will strengthen academic achievement for all learners, build strong social emotional support and promote belonging in our schools. Also, supporting and empowering educators and principals helps them make wise school-based decisions. Most importantly, we will be better equipped to unlock the talents and gifts for each of our students, by providing the foundation they deserve to realize their full human potential. By doing this, they will achieve the dreams they have for themselves and for their future.
Our team has had a very busy summer, focusing on providing improvements to our facilities. We are completing some beautification projects and the addition to Sieden Prairie, providing a State of the Art Media Center and expanding our preschool program to serve more students to give them the strong start needed for their long educational journey. The district has updated the HVAC system at Woodgate which is part of a two year project. Improving our HVAC systems create a safe and comfortable learning environment for students and school staff. One aspect that impacts students' health and academic performance is indoor air quality.
Our talented teachers and staff provided comprehensive Summer programming offerings which included Academic Enrichment, Summer of STEAM, Extended School Year and Fine Arts Enrichment. We will continue to expand these programs each year.
Our laser focus on academic excellence paid off this past year. We have made some great strides with our academic achievement across all grades in our school district. However, there is still so much work to be done, and student attendance and preparedness is paramount to their academic success. Please ensure that students are in school everyday on time.
Focusing on the whole child includes taking care of their social emotional learning, well-being and creating learning spaces that foster belonging. We will continue using two of our important partnerships focusing on restorative practices including ways of creating community that honors the importance of relationships amongst all members in the school community; as well as practices to repair relationships when harm has been caused. Creating safe and harmonious learning environments provides students with the optimal conditions for success.
Working with the National Equity Project focuses on system change through leadership development. With their support we are working to build culture, conditions and competencies for excellence and equity in our school district to transform our students’ educational experience. We are building on past successes, imagining new possibilities, and creating our future together.
Since this is an Olympic year our theme for the year is “Let the Gains Begin”. We will continue to work together to provide a learning environment that encourages our children to “Fly High” and ensure they have all the skills to “ Stick the Landing!”
Please consider joining your school’s PTO, attending my Chat N Chews, school/district events, participating in Parent Universities offered by our F.A.C.E. Department and attending Board of Education meetings. Your partnership and support is integral for our continued success as a school community. I truly believe that strong healthy communities create strong healthy children. Mark your calendar for the first day of school, which is August 14, 2024.
Watch us #ThriveIn159!
Be well,
Dr. Tiffany S. Brunson
Superintendent of Schools
