Happy Friday,
We are absolutely thrilled to share some wonderful news with you this month, and we'll admit, we've been looking forward to writing this letter for a while.
Every year, our students participate in a district school climate survey. It's one of the most honest, direct ways we can hear from them about how they experience school life, whether they feel safe, respected, connected, and valued. This year's results just came in, and they are, in a word, remarkable.
Across nearly every area we measured, and we mean nearly every single one, our students reported feeling better about their school experience than they did last year. Our kids are telling us they feel safer. They feel more respected by the adults in the building. They feel like they belong. More students said they're happy to be at school, that their teachers care about them, and that they feel like a real part of our community. Students also reported that bullying, harassment, and disrespectful behavior are happening less, and that when those things do occur, there are adults they trust enough to go to for help.
These aren't small shifts. In some areas, the improvements were dramatic. For example, the number of students who said that adults at school treat them respectfully jumped significantly from last year. More students said they feel like they belong here. And there was a striking improvement in students reporting that they feel comfortable talking to a teacher or counselor when something is bothering them, which tells us that the relationships being built in our hallways and classrooms every day are real and meaningful.
What does all of this tell us? It tells us that the work we are doing together as educators, as families, and as a community is making a genuine difference in children's lives. Our students notice. They feel it. And they said so.
We know that the best schools aren't just measured by test scores. They're measured by whether children feel known, safe, and valued every day they walk through the door. By that measure, we are proud of where we are and even more excited about where we're headed.
Thank you for entrusting your children to us. We don't take that lightly, and results like these remind us why this work matters so much.
Sincerely,
Dr. G & Tygart
