Dr. VALENCIA f. doUGLAS

Superintendent

August 19, 2010

Welcome back to our Pocantico Hills Students and Families!

The 2010-2011 school year promises to be an exciting one.   As the new superintendent, I am excited to welcome you to a beautifully remodeled school that is just waiting for your children to make the halls ring with their excited voices.  I have been an educator for thirty-five years, as a classroom teacher, (special education), principal (k-8) and central office administrator, (assistant superintendent and superintendent). Each of these experiences have prepared me to continue to serve the needs of students  The education of children is my life’s work and I am very happy to be able to continue it here in Pocantico Hills.

I am sure that you and your children have been preparing for the new school year.  I am eager for the year to begin so that I can meet and get to know all of you.

As I prepare for the year, I am reminded of the question I am most often asked by parents, “What should I do to prepare my child to have a successful year?”

Over the years, as I have attempted to answer that question I have come to realize that there are some simple but powerful things parents and guardians can do to help their children. I have listed some of them.

• Talk to your child about how much you love and value him/her. The expectation for learning can be daunting for a student, even the most successful ones.  Children want to know that they are loved, regardless of how well they do in school.
• Let your child know your expectations for her/his performance, both academic and behavioral. It is easier to achieve goals if everyone knows what they are and works towards them together.
• Respect your child’s need for sleep and good nutrition by setting and keeping a regular time for bedtime and providing nutritious meals and snacks. Learning is hard work and the body and the mind needs good nutritious foods to keep it in top shape.
• Meet with your child’s teacher and share your knowledge of your child.  Make sure you talk about who she/he is, not just her/his accomplishments. 
• Review your child’s work; be sure it is complete and reflects your child’s best efforts.
  
• Keep the lines of communication open by keeping all phone numbers and e-mail addresses up to date. This is very important. While emergencies are infrequent, it is terrifying for a child to be in pain and school personnel are not able to contact his/her parent and/or guardian because we have outdated phone numbers.
• Visit the classes and volunteer. I know that we are all busy and we work, but make a plan to take time and visit.  Wonderful things are going on in our school and we love to share our day-to-day experiences.  Try to schedule dates and times with the teacher in advance, it helps to make the experience more meaningful for you while maintaining the continuity of instruction.
• Get know your child’s friends and try to meet their parents.  Your child values your opinion and you need to know who their friends are so that you can offer good advice to them as they develop friendships.  These strong relationships between and among families helps to build strong school/community.
• Finally, enjoy this time, it goes very fast!!!!

Please plan to stop in and say hello when you visit the District.  I am always available to take a moment, have a cup of coffee and chat.

Sincerely,

Valencia F. Douglas, Ed.D.
Superintendent