This week, May 3-7 is being recognized as Teacher & Staff Appreciation Week. Thank you for everything you have done this week to acknowledge your child’s teachers and staff. Your engagement this week and throughout the entire school year has been supportive and much appreciated.
We have a core value in St. Louis Park Public Schools that speaks to the importance of community engagement, recognizing that it truly takes all of us to enhance the healthy development of each learner. This school year, I have seen countless examples of staff and teachers and parents/guardians finding creative ways to collaborate to meet the needs of our students.
Our ability to adapt and adjust throughout this school year has led to new strategies and forms of engagement that I believe will benefit us in the future. The ability to respond adaptively has permeated our entire school community and is influencing the way parent groups are convening and facilitating school level events to be more inclusive of all members of the school community.
One example of this is the work of the Senior Celebration committee led by Stacy Atlas, Sally Berry and Jodi Bohrod. Traditionally, the Senior Celebration or Senior All Night Party committee would develop an event that would occur after the commencement ceremony to give graduating seniors an opportunity to be with one another in a safe and fun environment. This traditionally has been an event in which students would have to pay to attend, which was prohibitive for some students. This year the committee felt compelled to figure out a way to make it a free event to be inclusive of all graduating seniors.
Thanks to the overwhelming generosity of Park Tavern and the Park Public Schools & Community Foundation, the Senior Celebration committee was able to make this a free event for all of our graduating seniors.
The philosophy of Ubuntu, I am because we are, continues to be on display in St. Louis Park Public Schools. The collective approach we take in this community to support one another is beautiful and a reflection of our core value on collective responsibility. While this has been a challenging year, there is some much I am thankful for and the educators in St. Louis Park Public Schools are at the top of the list. We have outstanding educators who care deeply about our students. I truly appreciate the care you have demonstrated for them this week and this school year.
Thank you for your continued support of St. Louis Park Public Schools.
Astein