Sneek Peek into Next Week

I wanted to take a moment to discuss some current observations regarding our educational focus and its impact on both educators and students. As you may already be aware, our primary role in education is to equip students not only with academic knowledge but also with essential social skills that will serve them throughout their lives. However, it seems that a larger proportion of our time is now being allocated to various investigations and procedural issues that detract from this fundamental objective.

As we navigate an increasingly hypersensitive environment in education, we find ourselves dealing with various threats and investigations that require our immediate attention. My directive in this context has been to thoroughly investigate all matters that arise. Unfortunately, these investigations typically consume two days' worth of valuable instruction time, which pulls our focus away from what truly matters: nurturing and supporting our students. Please check your child's backpacks and person before coming to school each day.

Thank you for your attention to this pressing matter. I welcome any thoughts you might have regarding this situation and look forward to working together to enhance our educational environment for both teachers and students.

I am thrilled to share the excitement we experienced in selecting our representatives for the Teacher of the Year, Ida S. Baker and Support Employee of the Year awards this year. It was a wonderful opportunity to recognize the extraordinary talents and dedication of our staff members.

As you know, we are fortunate to have such a remarkable team of educators who consistently go above and beyond to support our students. After careful consideration, we are proud to announce our selections, which were revealed during our recent faculty meeting and brought to the attention of our community on the morning show.

Our three standout educators—Katherine Decker, Teacher of the Year, Holly Mullholland -Support Employee, and Lorraine Fernande-, Ida S. Baker award truly exemplify the qualities we value in our learning environment. I have personally collaborated with each of them over the years and can attest to their unwavering care, commitment, and professionalism. They dedicate countless hours to ensuring our students excel both academically and personally, and they engage with our community in impactful ways.

It brings me immense joy to see our talented individuals recognized for their hard work. I encourage you to join us in congratulating them on this well-deserved acknowledgment!

On another note. Our job in education is to teach academics, and social skills. More and more of our days are focused on things that take a lot of time. We are in a hypersensitive time in education with various threats, and investigations. My directive has been to investigate everything and that is what we do. These investigations can last two days which you can see takes our focus from where it needs to be. Your kids really only need notebooks, pencils, paper etc. We do not do show and tell anymore so there will never be a time that your child needs to bring something in that is not related to education. Please check your child's backpack and person on a daily basis. We need to focus on our kids continuing to get a high-quality education. We love our students and community and we want the very best for them. Thank you in advance.

Ms. Decker does a fantastic job representing our school. She has been a Claywell teacher for more than a decade. She actually gets to know her pupils and exudes such a serene demeanor. Teaching the children to read is the most crucial aspect of the first grade. Her students consistently demonstrate proficiency in reading. She is adored by both our parents and pupils. She has led the first grade team for many years and is a trusted mentor for our aspiring educators. I appreciate Ms. Decker serving as a wonderful representative of Claywell's capabilities.

I became Principal. at Claywell fourteen years ago, and that's when I first met Mrs. Mulholland. She was on our PTA Board, and soon became president. Mrs. Mulholland is a parent and a person that I have always held in the highest regard. She is a person that well exceeds my expectations. She is an excellent example of prioritizing our pupils as well. As a para she works with our vulnerable students, who frequently lack the ability to speak up for themselves. Her recognition for this award makes me brings light to all the behind scenes work she does at Claywell.

Mrs. Fernandez is a vital member of our team. She teaches English as a resource for language learners. She is an advocate for our international students who come to our school for the first time and shows unwavering concern for all of our children. She establishes wonderful bonds with our staff, parents, and students. Without her, Claywell would not be the same. I'm happy she's receiving recognition for this esteemed accolade. She works tirelessly in the background to make our school a welcoming and inviting place.

Or teachers selected one person from their class that exemplified "Curiosity". The students join us in the media center, and we give them a certificate to take home. Oh, and we almost forgot the donut. We very proud of our students who were nominated from their class. Thank you to our awesome AP, Mrs. Dunlap for getting the donuts; and our equally as awesome Guidance Counselor, Ms. Trozzi for organizing the event.

Our staff does an excellent job each year recognizing our Veterans. It is a beautiful program ad we truly do hope that all veteran's affiliated with Claywell come out that day. We give you the special treatment you truly deserve, and it is a great way to recognize all of our veterans.

Great American Teach IN is one of our favorite days of the year. We love it when parents and community members share what they do at their job or a hobby that they have. It will be here before you know it. More information is on the flyer today.

9/23

Riley Tulle

9/24

Millie Rodriguez

9/25

Amilia Banks

Lucas Lopez-Lorenzo

Lucas Salazar

Sama Salem

9/26

Sebastian Briceno-Araujo

9/27

Drew Magliano

Graham Melchoir-Farley

9/28

Samuel Garay

9/29

Mireia Martinez

Monday, September 23rd

Third Grade Abuse Presentation

Early Dismissal (12:55)

Wednesday, September 25th

Fourth and fifth grade writing test

Dress in red, white, and blue (patriotic Wednesdays)

Thursday, September 26th

ELL Parent Workshop - 8 AM

SAC Meeting- 2:30 PM

Friday, September 7th

Second grade practices for Science Olympics

Wear spirit shirt or Raise the Flags for the Bucs (Wear your Bucs Gear)