Principal's Message
September 2, 2010
Dear Santa Rita families:
Last week was the first week of school for me as your principal, but it was also back-to-school week for me as a parent. I have two wonderful boys, 9 and 7, who are happily enjoying their first weeks of school. This is the time of the year where I remind myself of what message I want to send to my children, as both an educator and a parent. I have been inspired by Carol Dweck, a researcher at Columbia and Stanford, and her book Mindset.
I want my children to believe they have the ability and capacity to learn and succeed at anything they put their minds to. I want them to be comfortable when they are presented with challenges in learning, so they continue working and don’t give up. I never want to hear my children say, I’ll never be good at math or I’m just not a reader. I don’t want tears for an A-, a C, or even an F.
I want the same for your children as well. People with a fixed mindset tend to believe that learning should be easy (and it may be for a while), but when presented with a challenge, they will give up quickly. People with a growth mindset believe they can master anything and will continue to try. People with growth mindsets are lifelong learners and continue to learn and challenge themselves in new areas. People with fixed mindsets tend to always do similar tasks and only tackle things they know they will be able to do successfully and quickly. Which one are you?
Dweck recommends that we praise children for effort instead of results - again, it is about the journey of learning and not the destination. If you are interested in learning more, here is a post from Good Morning America entitled Why Praise Can Be Bad for Kids. I will continue to talk with my boys about their strong effort and hard work to ensure that they become great risk takers and continue to have confidence in their ability to tackle learning.
Here’s to working on our growth mindsets!
Sandra
Sandra McGonagle | Principal | smcgonagle@santaritaschool.org
It’s a GREAT time to be a Bobcat!
August 26, 2010
I’ve told several people this week that I have the greatest job in the world. I really do mean it! I love working with students, staff, and parents to help grow the learning at school.
At our first staff meeting this week, we discussed how teaching was like a ship navigating the ocean waters. Great learning requires that teachers and students take risks in the classroom. This could be in the form of trying a new activity or a new technology, or asking a great burning question and taking time to discuss it. Great learning should also focus on the journey, not just the destination. Learning is a process, as well as a product. Can students work together collaboratively? Can they communicate clearly in many different modes? Can they apply their learning? We also discussed the doldrums - the time when a ship has no wind to push it along its course. Sometimes we see this in a classroom. Maybe we are not seeing the progress we would like or a student loses motivation to work hard. This is the time to push forward! Eventually the wind will come back, and we do not want to have strayed too far off course. Finally, there is discovery. This is the most exciting part of taking a great journey.
I hope that you will encourage your child throughout the year to take risks, focus on the journey, weather the doldrums, and discover great things about themselves and the world around them.
Here’s to a great school year!
August 13, 2010
Welcome to the 2010-2011 school year at Santa Rita School! I am extremely excited to be your principal and am looking forward to the new school year, working closely with a dedicated staff, committed parents, and eager students to make it a terrific year for all. The Santa Rita staff is busy preparing for another great school year – and a memorable first day of school on August 24th.
Students: come prepared with your enthusiasm, focus, and curiosity – all important elements of an exciting school learning experience!
Be on the lookout for a letter (US Mail) containing your child’s classroom placement, parent “to-do” list, important dates, and three additional forms that require your attention. This will be mailed to you from Santa Rita on August 17th.
There have been some additional staff updates to start off the 2010 – 2011 school year that I wanted to share with you.
A grade 4-6 Therapeutic Special Day Class (T-SDC) has been added at Santa Rita. Please welcome Jeff Allyn - Jeff will be the T-SDC teacher. Jeff has taught at several schools in the district, most recently Blach. Welcome, Jefff!
In addition to Jeff, please welcome Ashley Button. Ashley is our new PM Kindergarten teacher and will be partnering with CiCi Nakano. Ashley comes to us with some unique teaching experiences, most recently as a Kindergarten teacher at Bullis Charter School. Welcome, Ashley!
I think you all already knew about Lori Loftus coming from Covington and teaching 2nd grade and Lindamaris Ortiz coming back to Santa Rita in Kinder after a stint at Loyola. Welcome, Lori and Lindamaris!
Our new PE Teacher is Cynthia Meek-Prock. She will be working at Santa Rita on Wednesdays and Fridays. Also, Yvonne Milkey resigned from her position as Science Aide and will be the long-term sub for Carrie Middleton as she enjoys time off with her beautiful baby until mid-November. Welcome, Cindy and Yvonne!
We are so lucky to have enthusiastic, experienced educators join our fabulous Santa Rita faculty group!
May you enjoy the final few days of summer vacation! Please feel free to contact me any time I can be of service to you or your child.
IMPORTANT DATES:
New Family Orientation
Thursday, August 19th, 7:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Multi-Purpose Room
PTA Sponsored Welcome to Kindergarten Playdate Social
Sunday, August 22nd, 4:00 pm – 5:30 pm
Kinder Playground
First Day of School
Tuesday, August 24th
Bobcat Chase and Pancake Breakfast
Saturday, August 28, 8:00 am – 11:00 am
Santa Rita Blacktop
Back to School Night
Tuesday, August 31st, 6:30 pm – 8:00 pm
Early Dismissal Day K-6
July 2010
I wanted to take this time to express to you how excited I am to be your new principal. Thank you to those who were able to attend the Friday Assembly and PTA coffee in June; it was a wonderful, warm welcome and fun introduction to the Santa Rita community. I am truly looking forward to getting to know each of you and your child(ren) as the school year begins in August.
I hope this message finds you relaxing and enjoying your summer vacation. I also hope you have the chance to read a great book, learn a new skill, and travel to a new or favorite place, near or far. My family will be enjoying some time together in Tahoe this summer before school starts. Lake Tahoe is one of our favorite family vacations!
On another note, I have spent much of my summer working at the Krause Center for Innovation at Foothill College as a lead instructor for the MERIT program. Working with a group of educators form around the world on innovative ways technology can transform learning has inspired and excited me to get to work at Santa Rita. I am tremendously excited to lead a school that has a great tradition of academic excellence in a caring learning community.
I am eager to meet you and work with you as partners in the success of your child’s education. Please feel free to stop by and visit in August or send me an email if you have a question. My door is always open to you! Don’t forget – school begins August 24th.
Enjoy the remainder of your summer!