Granby Public Schools welcomed back all staff on Aug. 24 with a high energy convocation. The message of the day was “Let Kindness Ripple.” We plan to carry this theme throughout the 2023-24 school year.
A highlight of the kick-off event was Granby Memorial High School senior Luke Ranicar singing the National Anthem. Luke also sang a beautiful contemporary song by Ben Platt.
Teacher of the Year Ingrid Budlong inspired her colleagues with a message about the inspiration she receives every day from her fellow teachers. Our Board of Education Chair Rosemarie Weber also shared notes of gratitude from recent Granby graduates.
During convocation, staff were introduced to our school district’s two priorities for the year:
• Maximize student growth and achievement
• Improve our school community communications
As Superintendent, I asked our faculty and staff to embrace the following tenets. These will help us carry out our message of kindness as we accomplish our goals:
• Assume good intentions in all people and situations.
• Communicate with clear language that is timely and positive.
• Invite participation—“Parents as Partners”
• Make decisions in the best interest of students—always.
• Believe and act on the idea that “ALL Kids Can!”
• Cultivate curiosity and joy in learning.
Every member of the staff left with a hand-painted kindness rock. They were invited to keep the memento for inspiration or to pass it along to a friend.
Making memories on the first day of school
Students arrived on Aug. 29 and were welcomed in style!
At Kelly Lane Primary School, students were greeted with a red carpet and balloons. At Wells Road Intermediate School, a cheering squad captured the excitement of the first day. At Granby Memorial Middle School and Granby Memorial High School, faculty and staff met students with smiling faces and warm welcomes.
I was delighted to hear how our class of 2024 students organized themselves to arrive early and watch the sun rise on their senior year!
Getting to work on our goals
At the Board of Education Meeting on Sept. 6, I shared my superintendent goals for the year. While work will continue in all six strategic goal areas, this year’s focus will support the first two goals around student achievement and communication. Specifically, I will work toward:
• 100 percent of students demonstrating growth toward mastery of grade level science, literacy, and math as measured by performance at the proficiency level or higher on state summative assessments.
• The development of a District Communications Plan responsive to the needs of Granby Public Schools and all relevant partners and groups, including students, parents, teachers, staff, administrators, community members, and local businesses and organizations.
Three communications focus groups (staff, parents and community members) were scheduled in September. In addition, we are surveying each of these three groups to collect their feedback and ideas about school communications.
The focus groups and surveys will provide us with a deeper understanding of the school communication needs of each group. We will identify our communication strengths and areas where we need to improve. We will then prepare a comprehensive communications plan that identifies priorities and includes measurable objectives, strategies, and timelines.
Show your Granby spirit!
We invite you to engage with Granby Public Schools. One great way to share your Granby spirit while also enjoying the fall weather is to attend a sporting event. The Granby Bears athletic teams schedules can be found online at the Granby Memorial High School Athletic Fall Schedules page, as well as page 13 of this issue of the Drummer. Go Bears!