It was a pleasure to connect with some of our families during the building open house events prior to the start of the school year. I engaged both students and parents with a simple question: "Are you ready for school to start?" The responses from our students were mixed, while nearly 100% of the parents responded with a resounding YES! The onset of the school year carries with it the promise of fresh beginnings, exciting new undertakings and maybe, hopefully, a little more quiet time for parents.
Throughout my initial months in the district, I have had the privilege of engaging in one-on-one dialogues with a range of individuals, including administrators, directors, staff members, community representatives, and parents. Some of these exchanges were formal in nature, while others were more spontaneous. What resonates as a common thread throughout these discussions is the positive support for our school district. It was exciting for me to hear our administrators and directors talk about how wonderful their staff is. Equally, I enjoyed hearing our staff express their respect for their principals and supervisors. In conversations with parents, I heard multiple individuals affirm, "The teacher my child gets doesn't matter; Norwalk has great teachers." What a tremendous compliment to our teaching staff.
As someone new to both our school district and community, it has been exciting to engage with individuals who take immense pride in our community and school district. While I am realistic about the challenges we may face during the school year, the foundation of our success rests upon the positive support of our community.
Respectfully,
Shawn Holloway
Norwalk CSD Superintendent
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