Good afternoon, Now that August is settling in I just want to inform you of a few items of interest and give you a little early warning as to what's going on relative to the opening of school. The first item is the change that I have made to Dr. Darshan Thakkar's title from Director of Strategy and Accountability to Chief Academic Officer. Under the previous title his focus was to interact with state and regional education officials to translate data reporting and the prognosis of our school system. Under the new title of Chief Academic Officer he will be responsible for all facets of the educational program at all levels of our schools system. In translation that means that he will be focused on our teaching strategies, our assessments, our improvement goals, and our achievement. Any matter that you have relevant to those areas should be communicated to him as he is the line officer in charge.

Last week at school committee I proudly recommended that Pam MacDonald be appointed the new Director of Special Education. Many of you in the system know Pam, however some of you may not. We recruited Pam about a year ago to come work with us on managing the many facets of special education relevant to compliance and cost control. In both areas Pam exceeded our expectations and was able to bridge the gap between compliance, rules and regulations, and what was in the best interest of the child. After reviewing many of the applicants, Pam was the unanimous choice from the team charged with this process. I proudly announce to all of you today that Pam will be heading all facets of the Special Education Department. Lastly, I am announcing that Sandra Green will be moved from a lead teaching role at the Greenleaf School to the acting Assistant Principal at the Silver Hill School. Dr. Green has an extensive educational background and currently works in collaboration at the university level in promoting and managing teacher growth and opportunities. I'm making this appointment because Silver Hill, as we all know, has gone through a period of instability and public comments which quite frankly have been unfair to many. I know as well as most of you that all teachers in our school system work very hard to do what's right for all children. There shouldn't be any schools in our system that work solely for their own success rather than the success of all children in all components of our educational program. This appointment brings an individual who is well versed in the curriculum. She is a most kind, caring, and generous individual who in my opinion will add much . to the Silver Hill community. As you know, Monday August 28th brings the return of all to the schools. Last year we did not have an opening meeting but rather went right to our buildings. However, this year we can accommodate all of our staff at the Hunking School and I think it's time again to come together and focus all of our energies on one common goal. Therefore, enjoy these remaining weeks of summer and more details will be coming out to you relevant to appointments - new staff and what's going to be happening in our schools come September. Again , I hope you and your families enjoy these remaining weeks of summer. Sincerely,

CF.Scully

Superintendent of Schools