Dear Parents and Students:

Welcome to the 2011-2012 school year at Christa McAuliffe Elementary School. The parent-student handbook is full of important information for a successful school year.  Please take a moment to read it together as a family.  After you read the handbook, please sign the last page and return it to your child’s teacher. This will indicate that you have read and understood our school and district policies. 

We consider it a great privilege to work with your children and look forward to fostering a fun, nurturing, and challenging learning environment. The staff at McAuliffe places an emphasis on collaborating with each other so that students are receiving the best instruction possible.  We believe that all students have the ability to succeed both academically and personally and look forward to working with students to accomplish this goal.

Parental involvement is a key component to the success of students at McAuliffe. I would like to invite all parents to be a part of our school community. We welcome and encourage parent volunteers and hope that you will take advantage of the many opportunities available to you. These opportunities include attending/volunteering at PTA events, working in classrooms, chaperoning field trips, assisting with playground supervision, and more. Please contact your child’s teacher for ways to become involved in the classroom. You can also find information on upcoming events and volunteer opportunities on the PTSA website (www.mcauliffeptsa.org).

We are excited to continue our “Reach for the Stars” program at McAuliffe. This program promotes a positive school culture through positive reinforcement and an incentive program for students. Students are encouraged to “Be Safe and Responsible”, “Be Kind and Respectful”, and “Be Your Best”. Our Reach for the Stars program is aligned with the life skills as defined on our school report card and supported with our school discipline policy.

As we begin another year at McAuliffe, I would like to be the first to say “Welcome Back!” I am honored to be the principal of Christa McAuliffe Elementary and look forward to working with our talented educators, supportive parents, and amazing students again this year. Thank you in advance for making McAuliffe a wonderful place for children to learn.

Here’s to a great school year!

Sincerely,

Brady Howden

Principal, Christa McAuliffe Elementary