It is a great day to be a Raider! What a great school year we are about to wrap up. We have sent the senior class off to their next chapter of life, we have taken all of the TCAP’s, EOC’s, ACT’s, SAT”s, Standford’s and every other type of test we could’ve given a child this year, and we have assigned and graded thousands of homework assignments, quizzes, and tests. We have watched plays, musical performances, athletic events, dances, proms, and field days. We have smiled, laughed, cried, hugged, and loved with our students. This, in my opinion, has been a very successful year.

Yes, we have our quick test scores back and the results are a mixed bag of findings. Then again, when the proficient level is set in the 84th percentile for some of the tests, one could question the validity of the results. While I totally agree with higher standards, students scoring in the 80th percentile are not basic in my honest opinion, but that is a story for another time.

This week, enjoy the successes we do not measure with data. This week, you will send off the kids for the summer. They will show their appreciation in all kinds of ways to you, the teacher who went that extra mile for them on a daily basis. I am so excited to end this year on a great note, prepare for the Class of 2013 and the Class of 2025 (incoming kindergartners) and all in-between.

Every single person in our school system we call Cleveland City makes a difference in the children in front of them every day. I appreciate each of you more than you can ever imagine. Thank you for choosing us to work with, and for making a difference in the lives of children. Pat them on the back, fist-bump them, hug them, and let them know you also appreciated them as they go home for the summer.

On behalf of our Cleveland City School Board members and myself, we thank you for a great school year. In two months, we will be back at it with a whole bunch of new kids so vacation well, read a book, enjoy your family, and smile. No matter your job title, you have the greatest job in the world; preparing students for great success! We tip our hats to you on a job well done!

To our principals; Mr. Kiser, Mrs. Croft, Mr. Stephens, Mrs. Finison, Mrs. Bender, Mrs. Earby, Mrs, Ingram, Mr. Elliott, Dr. Barnes, Mrs. Brown, Mr. Eason, Mrs. O’Bryan, Mr. Chai, Mr. Stone, and Mr. Collier – Thank each of you for your hard work and dedication to the cause of excellence for children.

To our AOB and STaR staff, the directors, supervisors and your entire staffs, and our administrative assistants that keep us all straight – Thank you for what you do to the cause of excellence!

To our bus drivers, custodians, administrative assistants, cafeteria staff, instructional facilitators, specialists, teacher aides, maintenance, and all others that work behind the scenes to make our school system an excellent place to live and work – Thank you.

And finally to our teachers, THANK YOU for all you do every single day! Without you, none of this would be possible. You are the rock stars to the students. You are the reason we continue to get better because of your dedication to the cause. Our School Board and I stand behind you and we look forward to seeing what you can do next year.

The students finish Thursday and the teachers finish Friday. Then, we get to hit the rest button and begin the process all over again. I am already looking forward to welcoming you back but I will hold off for now. Let’s get through this Friday first!

FINAL DIRECTOR’S MOMENT OF 2011-2012

This will be the final Director’s Moment for the 2011-2012 school year; however, as it becomes necessary, I will provide periodic updates during the course of the summer to help keep everyone informed of important school-related issues. It is my hope that you have found these communiques to contain some valuable and pertinent information. I have heard from several of you indicating appreciation for having received the weekly updates. Keeping with the spirit of continuous improvement and instructive feedback, please respond to one or both of the following questions:

• Should we continue to provide this type of information to staff each week?
• What should be done to improve the process?

DIRECTOR’S RECOGNITION

Kelly Kiser sent a personal thank you to CHS Biology Teacher Jeannie Cuervo for hosting the Blythe-Bower Kindergarten students this past Friday. The students and teachers of Blythe-Bower Elementary School were so excited by this trip. One of the Kindergarten teachers told Mr. Kiser that it was the best field trip she had taken her kids on in thirty years of teaching, and one of the kids wanted to know how long it would be until they could go to CHS.

“I really appreciate you taking the time to host us at such a busy time of year. It is my opinion that this type of collaborative event really helps our students to see that CHS is a place they want to be in the future and plants the seed to get them started in the right direction.” Quote from Kelly Kiser to Ms. Cuervo – excellent job to all!

The Director’s Moment is signing off now, but will be back soon. Thank you for reading this year.