July/August 2012
Welcome to all of our students and families. For those of you who are new to the Zaharis Elementary School community, you have become part of something very special!
The dedicated teachers at Zaharis Elementary School have been busy preparing their rooms for the past several weeks to make them warm, inviting and conducive for learning. If you are as impressed with their efforts as I am, please let them know! We want our classrooms to make a statement immediately upon entry—this room belongs to children. The bare walls that you see will be covered with student work within the first couple weeks. Our “homey” classrooms are designed with specific purposes in mind. They provide opportunities for rigorous teaching and high expectations about children’s learning.
'Ya can’t lead where ya ain’t goin’. As a staff, we recognize that it is necessary to establish a curriculum of caring within our teacher community before we can help children foster a joyful and caring social tone. I am proud to state that the vast majority of our staff met on their own time during mid-summer to enhance their professional and personal friendships. In short—my colleagues care about each other. They treat each other with the same kindness and concern that you would hope all children would emulate. We are so fortunate to have our children reside under their collective care and influence.
Parents and visitors notice that something different is going on when they enter our building. We live at Zaharis School 180 days a year with our Soaring Eagles. Our school is our home. We are very passionate about what takes place both inside and outside of our classrooms—from what goes up on our walls to the choices we make regarding curriculum and instruction.
We have a few new additions to the Zaharis team this year! Cynthia Vargas will be teaching kindergarten, Jen Kunz moves from PE to 2nd grade, Jeff Thomas and Maggie Feix will teach PE, Kathy Danley will serve as our speech and language pathologist, and Stephen Wibe will teach part-time as a general music teacher. You will be wowed by this all-star cast—they are A+ in every way!
Margaret Mead once said, “Never doubt that a small, group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” The world is going to be a better place because of the thoughtful parents, teachers, and students at James K. Zaharis Elementary School.
Mike Oliver, Principal