As a United States Marine, I was taught to observe very closely, and during my nearly 46 days here, I have done just that. It is very clear that everyone here has a genuine concern for one another. During new student orientation, I observed students, parents, and teachers showing the excitement of what seemed like long time friends reuniting after years of being apart. I witnessed parents who donated money to the Boys and Girls Club at Jouett so that other students could be afforded the opportunity to participate. I saw a school staff who worked tirelessly to ensure every student and parent felt welcomed.
It is evident that the foundation on which this school stands is one that has been fully embraced. Represented by the three-legged stool above, the Jouett foundation is comprised of three practices/beliefs: (1) Classroom Meetings, which nurture students' social and emotional needs; (2) WICOR, which provides the research-based instructional and learning strategies that nurture students' educational needs; and (3) Growth Mindset, which instills a belief that "we can and will" instead of "we can't," which is captured in the following quote by Mary Anne Radmacher:
"Courage doesn't always roar. Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at at the
end of the day saying, 'I will try again tomorrow."
One of our hopes for the 2015- 2016 school year is to help our students discover their own voices, and realize how important those voices truly are to this school, and with those whom they will encounter in the future. Whether quiet or aloud, we all must have Powerful Voices.
So as we spend the next few days collaborating and planning for the arrival of our amazing middle school students, we look forward to embracing our differences and uniting as one Jouett Family, taking risks and "trying again tomorrow."
William Schaffer
Assistant Principal
Assistant Principal
