Welcome to Foothill Middle School! I am so pleased to be back for my sixth year as principal of such an extraordinary 21st Century Learning Community. Foothill has been serving students of Walnut Creek for more than 50 years. We are proud to offer a rigorous and challenging academic curriculum while also providing an unmatched opportunity for social and emotional growth through our programs. I know that middle school can be a challenging time for families as students move from their familiar elementary settings and experience unprecedented growth and change. I am proud to support a dynamic staff and parent community who understand that relationships and partnerships are critical to middle school students’ success. Foothill students score well on State tests and also thrive academically when they enter high school. We are able to offer a robust arts and athletics program, which includes award winning music, dynamic drama and afterschool sports for all ability levels. We also have student centered clubs and programs including: California Junior Scholarship Federation (CJSF), Reading, Lego League, Best Buddies, Library Council, Barcode, Griffin Pride, Knitting/Crocheting, Space and Flight, Magical Math, and Environmentally Concerned Kids (ECK). New this year is the addition of the Foothill Makerspace Studio where students are given an opportunity to use critical thinking skills to explore creative approaches to design questions and projects. This year we are excited to continue our implementation of the California State Standards across all departments and work with district-wide initiatives, such as the New York Writing Project. We are thrilled to have coaches Angela Victor and Susan Hartwig (Literacy) as well as Mandy Smith (Math), and Jan Robertson (Science) working with Foothill teachers to deepen their capacity to develop critical thinkers and problem solvers. We will also be continuing “Coffee With Dave” the last Friday of each month where we take time to have conversations about middle school related issues and what is happening here at Foothill. Please remember to check the Foothill School www.foothillmidle.org and PFA www.foothillpfa.com websites for more information about our programs and ways you can get involved. We look forward to seeing you on campus! If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me at [email protected] or (925) 939-8600. Here’s to another wonderful year!