Bee Thankful and Bee Safe Over the Break!
Greetings Parents and Community Members! Another week is upon us and we are that much closer to Thanksgiving! It’s been a tremendous week with lots of happenings. I was able to share all of the good news, school priorities and amazing things taking place at Brandon during last week’s annual Principal Meet and Greet hosted by NAPPS (North Atlanta Parents for Public Schools) at Sarah Smith Elementary School. I spoke about our implementation of our new Wit and Wisdom ELA program and our focus around guided reading, as well as the awesome professional development we’ve been able to bring to our teachers because of generous donations from you! We also had another very productive GO TEAM meeting where we continued to look at schoolwide data, our CCRPI results and how we can maximize our funding for next school year in order to best serve our most important clients – our students! To top it all off, we started a brand new tradition at Brandon – our first annual Thanksgiving Luncheon! Both campuses were packed with over 200 parents and family members across all grade levels. We served hot turkey, stuffing, fresh baked bread, cobbler and cranberry sauce – and the Main Campus even had a live band! We understand the large crowds caused a bit of a delay and we promise to make it smoother next year because we’re learning every day! I definitely want to thank everyone who came out to visit, our teachers for being flexible with their time, and, most importantly, OUR AMAZING CAFETERIA STAFF who spent THREE DAYS cooking and making sure that everyone was well fed!
Other cool things that took place this week:
- Mr. Carr’s 2nd grade class was caught working hard on their mixed media monochromatic artwork. They learned how colors can be grouped to create unified compositions.
- Dr. Kathryn Calhoun, Brandon parent extraordinaire, spoke to our 4th grade challenge students about dominant and recessive genes – Thanks Doc!
- Our Kindergartners honored the heroes of our country by making cards for our veterans on Veterans Day.
- Ms. Rinkowski’s class exemplified SEL competencies by writing what they love most about each other on their classmates’ desks.
As we inch closer to Thanksgiving, I want to take the time to reflect on what I am thankful for. Most importantly, I’m thankful for my wife and my two healthy children. I’m also thankful for all of the success (and struggles) that come with being the Principal at Brandon. I’m thankful for the hardworking administration and teachers who come to school each and every day with the tools necessary to impact our children. I’m thankful for our parents who volunteer their time and energy in making Brandon such a special place, and I’m thankful for all of our support staff who help keep our buildings up and running so that we can do what we all do best. I hope next week is great. I hope that you can take the time with your family, friends and loved ones to reflect on what you are thankful for as well. As always, please feel free to reach out to me or a member of our admin team with any questions or concerns.
Until next time!
j