Dear Wildcat Families & Students,
Community is really starting to take shape throughout our building as staff are helping students get to know one another, establish critical routines, and begin building the trust that will be our foundation in times of celebration and challenge throughout the year to come. Students are reconnecting with old friends and welcoming new ones, teachers are creating classrooms where students feel known and valued, eighth graders are helping seventh graders find their way, and students are choosing kindness when someone needs a hand. Each interaction is an opportunity to practice the three core values we share as a school: Connection, Compassion, and Integrity.
This Friday, we will gather as a whole school for our first spirit assembly of the year! While there will certainly be plenty of spirit, energy, and fun, our student leaders have also shared with our staff a commitment and a desire to have a school year grounded in belonging and inclusion—a school where every student can find their people and contribute their gifts, inside and outside the classroom. I admire their vision, and invite all of our families and community to support and encourage their efforts along the way!
We also have another special recognition coming up on Thursday, September 17. Constitution Day commemorates the signing of the United States Constitution in 1787. Throughout the day, students will be invited to think about the Constitution not simply as a historical document, but as part of an evolving American story, one that invites further reflection on our school’s core values. As we reflect on that history, we will also recognize the leaders and communities whose courage, advocacy, and sacrifice have helped our nation more fully extend its promises of liberty, equality, and belonging to all people.
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Connection–recognizing that our individual rights exist within a community of people whose rights matter, too.
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Compassion–listening to experiences different from our own and recognizing when others have not experienced the same freedoms or opportunities.
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Integrity–examining the distance between our ideals and our actions—and having the courage to help close that distance.
We are practicing every day how to disagree, advocate, listen, include, question, lead, repair harm, and stand up for others–thank you for your involvement and partnership in this together! Thank you for continuing to help us build a school characterized by Connection, Compassion, and Integrity. It has been a joyful start to the year, and I cannot wait to see the community our Wildcats continue to create together.
You belong here. Others belong here, too. Your voice matters. How you use that voice matters. And each of us has a responsibility to leave our community a little better than we found it.
Wildcats: we leave it better.
In Joy, Love, and Community,
Miranda Joy Smallwood
Principal
