Summer, 2015 Dear Tzouanakis Family and Friends, Welcome to back to school for the 2015-2016 school year! I hope this summer has seen the perfect balance of rest and recreation for each of you. As the principal of Tzouanakis Intermediate School, it continues to be my sincere pleasure and honor to be a member of this great school community. TZ enjoys a rich history of academic and cultural excellence that is the result of a collegial partnership between the school staff, parents, and community who provide a diversity of experiences for the students. During my first four years in the district, I have indeed found this close working relationship and focus upon what is best for children exist. I am looking forward to continue working with the dedicated staff to provide the best possible educational program for our students at Tzouanakis Intermediate School. Parents and staff who collaboratively work together each day for the betterment of the students is the exemplary quality that attracted me to Greencastle Community School Corporation. I am excited to continue to be a part of the TZ family and to closely work with everyone to make our school even better. There are a few staff changes for the 2015-16 school year. Please join me in welcoming these great staff members to our TZ family. New to TZ Mrs. Amy Howard—Special Education Teacher (Transferred from GMS) Miss Chelsea Stanley—4th Grade Special Education Teacher Miss Michelle Alexander—4th Grade Teacher Miss Caitlin Russell—4th Grade Teacher Mrs. Elizabeth Barnett—Instructional Assistant TBD—ESL Teacher Position Change Miss Brooke Lewis—4th Grade Teacher Name Change Ms. Michelle Thomas—To—Mrs. Michelle Hendershot

If you are looking for ways to further connect with our school, please consider joining the Tzouanakis PTO. This is a group dedicated to supporting our educational and enrichment programs. They have succeeded in bringing a world of outstanding enrichment programs, technology, materials, and other forms of support so that we can do our best work. PTO Meetings will be at 6:00 P.M. on the second Thursday of each month. They will be announced in the school newsletter, Tzouanakis Trailblazer, which is emailed home on Wednesdays. It may also be found online on the school website.

Our school is continuing our journey exploring FISH! For Schools™. This journey helps us—teachers and students and parents—establish and build a vibrant, supportive learning community. FISH! For Schools is all about effective relationships, promoting individual accountability and providing an emotionally and physically safe atmosphere so we can learn better. It is also a lot of fun. We would like to invite you to explore The FISH! Philosophy along with us. What is FISH!? It all started when a company called ChartHouse Learning discovered a group of fishmongers in Seattle… Despite their less-than-desirable work, these fishmongers brought amazing energy, focus and accountability to their jobs. Inspired by their example, ChartHouse Learning created a video, FISH!, with four simple practices—Be There, Play, Make Their Day and Choose Your Attitude—to help nonfishmongers generate the same energy in their lives. A number of educators watched FISH! and thought, “How can I create a classroom with that much energy, fun and productivity?” Then, based on research and best practices in social and emotional learning, character education, classroom management and human behavior, FISH! For Schools was created. As we explore, your child might start talking about the four FISH! practices at home, so ask what these mean to your child. To help you, here’s a little glossary: —When we interact with others, we need to really focus on that moment with that person. We take responsibility for who we are “being while we’re doing what we’re doing.” —This does not mean goof off, but it does mean bring a light-hearted spirit to life. Think about how much children learn by exploring, experimenting, playing. Why shouldn’t we all approach learning with the same curiosity and interest? Besides, it is more fun! —Too often we ask, “What have you done for me lately?” instead of “How can I make your day?” If we turn the focus around and do little things to make others feel good, we can have a powerful, positive impact on the people in our lives. —We can’t control what happens to us, but we do have a choice about how we respond. By accepting responsibility for the attitude we choose, we also empower ourselves to change it when it is not helpful. Change is challenging, and great things take time, but if we all work together, there is no limit to what we can achieve. Thanks for being part of our educational team. Your child will be a more successful person because of you!

My greatest initiative is to provide the leadership that will facilitate a school environment to provide differentiated instruction to meet the needs of each student to the best of our ability. The educational program must be academically challenging, engage each student by linking the curriculum to previous knowledge and experience, and also be exciting to promote further exploration of new ideas. Parents, teachers, support staff, and administration all have an important role to encourage our children to become active learners. It is my sincere desire to provide expanded opportunities for our students to acquire the skills to become productive citizens in a vastly changing society. Through a close and collegial partnership with everyone associated with TZ, I am confident we can make our school an even better place for our students to learn and grow. Respectfully,

Principal

The Challenge Is Ours… Commitment From Everyone Excellence For Everyone