Dear Atholton Families,
We are less than one week away from the official start of the 2023-2024 school year. I don't know where the summer went, but it's just about over now. Maybe one last weekend at the beach? Or a soccer tournament in Pennsylvania? That's what I have on tap for the two days before the start of school. Anyway, it has been a very busy few weeks since I officially took the helm as Principal on July 1st. We have hired a lot of new staff members who will bring their passion and enthusiasm to our outstanding returning staff. If you missed the introductory posts on Instagram, I have shared their pictures below.
In addition to hiring staff and preparing for staff and students to return, I had the pleasure to meet some of parent organization presidents. It was fantatic to hear about the events they have planned for the year and the collaborative efforts they are making to support ALL of the students, staff, and families at Atholton. I am excited to work with these strong leaders and I hope you will join the PTSA and Bosster groups as well. Their websites are linked at the end of this newsletter. I am hoping to meet many more parents at some of the upcoming events we have planned. I will address parents and field some Q & A at New Student Orientation on August 24th. In addition, we will host a "Meet the New Admin" event later that evening in the cafeteria (6:30pm). And, of course, I'll see folks for Back to School Night on August 31st. Come to one, come to all. I look forward to meeting you and working with you this year.
My biggest regret of the summer is that the interviews, meetings, and planning for the start of the school year didn't allow me much time to meet students. I've had a chance to see the Robotics Team at work this summer and connect with the senior class officers about the Senior Sunrise, but many more meet and greets are in the works and we have grade level meetings scheduled for the first week of school. Students shared a lot in the survey I sent to them in June and I'm excited to work with them to build on the things they love about Atholton and implement some of the changes they believe will make our school better. (The same goes for staff and parents too--as you'll hear at Orientation or the Meet the Admin event, my job is to bring everyone together to work towards our shared vision for Atholton High.
I sent out the welcome newsletter on 8/10 that appears below, but will be using the Smore platform for the duration of the year since the community is used to this format. We'll be posting more regularly on our website and you'll also be receiving a joint parent group newsletter throughout the year as well. So much going on and I can't wait for it all to start. See you on the 24th if not sooner!
Sincerely,
Nick Novak
Principal
