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Dear Community,
Welcome back, Chagrin Falls families and staff! The start of a new school year is always special, and we are thrilled to see CF Together in action—the lively student voices filling our hallways, the warm smiles of our teachers and staff, and the spirited sounds of the band floating over our schools. The 2024-25 school year brings with it the promise of “Inspiring All to Grow and Thrive.”
Two years ago, our Chagrin Falls Schools' community came together to create a strategic plan that continues to guide our decisions. At its heart is our commitment to “Inspiring All to Grow and Thrive,” reflecting the importance of personalization, belonging, and partnerships. By embracing who we are in each moment, fostering continuous growth, and building strong connections, we create an environment where every student, teacher, staff member, parent and stakeholder feels valued and supported.
One of our greatest strengths is our talented teachers, who truly understand their students and strive to create lessons that resonate. This year we emphasize the role of instructional coaches in our District. Modeled on the concept of coaching greatness—like every Olympic athlete—we believe our teachers deserve access to a reflective thought partner when creating high quality work. Our instructional coaches are there to help design or refine lessons, provide feedback, and support our teachers in delivering engaging, impactful instruction.
We have been actively listening to our school community. In August, families received a survey regarding the use of smart devices during the school day, and we are currently reviewing more than 800 responses. Your feedback is invaluable, and it will guide us in creating age-appropriate approaches for each building, aligned with the desires expressed by our school community for thoughtful adjustments. This survey is the first step in aligning the use of technology to the needs of teachers, students and parents while preparing our students for workforce readiness.
Additionally, we’ve realigned our leadership team to enhance the support to teachers ensuring that it is aligned to specific needs, better utilize the use of student assessment data and refine our personalized learning approach. In the coming weeks we will help you better understand roles and responsibilities in our district so you can get the information you need in a timely fashion. We recognize that communication will be a key component of this work and are thrilled to start rolling out adjustments to our approach. You can look for the building newsletters, but also changes to Super News and social media so that you easily find upcoming events and learn more about the programming offered in our classrooms.
Continuing the Conversation: Roundtables
Gurney Roundtables
In the near future, we will be sending out information about our fall community roundtables. The first roundtables will be for Gurney Elementary staff and families. We will be sending out information soon on how you can sign-up to join us for the discussions focused on Gurney and our strategic goals: High-Quality Learning Experiences, Student and Staff Wellbeing, and Strategic Resourcing. These discussions will be similar to those held during our strategic planning process, allowing participants to engage in meaningful conversations about where we are now and our desired future. Your feedback is essential to help us bring our strategic initiatives to life at Gurney. We will have roundtables at Chagrin Falls Intermediate School and the 7-12 campus later this fall.
We are excited about the year ahead and look forward to working together as we Inspire All to Grow and Thrive.
Warm regards,
Dr. Jennifer Penczarski
Superintendent
Chagrin Falls Schools
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