SUPERINTENDENT’S MESSAGE OCTOBER 16, 2014
Hello Timberlane!
I’d like to thank all of you who participated in our recent budget priorities survey. The results have been posted on the district website to which I encourage you to check out. This is valuable information that we will use and consider as we work together to develop the 2015-16 school district budget.
Because your voice matters, I’d like to draw your attention to another community outreach survey that is designed to give residents the opportunity to provide feedback about their experiences with our school district.
This survey was developed by the school board’s Citizen Advisory Committee to get a better understanding of how parents and community members are engaged with our schools and to see where there is room for improvement. This survey will begin on October 17th and close end of day on November 16th.
There are two ways to participate: the first is to log onto the district website at www.timberlane.net and the other is to pick up a paper copy at your local town library or town hall. You will note there are two types of surveys. One is for residents WITH children in the school district and one is for those WITHOUT. Please take the time to complete one of these surveys; it’s one of the ways we are reaching out to our community members in an effort to work together in helping our schools improve, thus helping our students succeed.
Working together is an important component to our success here. It does not mean we must all agree on everything; however, it does mean that we agree to support and encourage one another in a common goal. Our common goal is to deliver the very best educational programs at the lowest cost to the taxpayer. This takes time and is an ongoing process, especially when dealing with a school district of this size. Now, we are not fully there yet, but we are definitely on track in our endeavor to achieve this common goal.
And speaking of the very best educational programs, I am pleased to report on the already evidenced successes of the full day kindergarten program as well as the implementation of the FLES program. FLES, that stands for Foreign Language in Elementary School. The kindergarten teachers presented some of these successes to the school board at their October 2nd meeting. I encourage you to view the Vimeo.
Please know that your support of this early education opportunity is most appreciated. Just ask any of the parents whose child is in the kindergarten program.
Thank you.
Dr. Earl Metzler
Superintendent of Schools