End of School Year Message from Interim Superintendent Irma D. Trosclair

The 2018-2019 school year has come to an end. First, congratulations to all 2019 LPSS graduates. These young men and women have worked hard, stayed the course, and have reached their goal of earning a high school diploma. This is no easy task and each graduate is to be commended for this outstanding accomplishment. We hope you take all that you have learned in Lafayette Parish schools and apply it to your future endeavors in creating the life you want! Best of luck to each of you!

I’d like to acknowledge all stakeholders for your role in supporting the success of our students this year. Together we have worked to improve the services we provide to students. Thank you to students, staff, parents, and community partners for helping to make the 2018-2019 school year successful. So many of you went above and beyond in your efforts to ensure that our students were provided rewarding educational experiences. Educating our children for a successful future and productive life is important and impactful work.

Although we made a positive difference in the lives of students this year, we must continue the work of boosting success for all students and in creating schools of which our Lafayette community can be proud. District staff is working hard to plan for improvement in the upcoming school year. In my opinion, ‘good’ is never good enough for children. We must always strive to get better. My staff and I have set high expectations for supporting school leaders, teachers and school staffs. We are committed to building capacity in and supporting instructional leaders and teachers so that students receive the highest quality instruction. All students deserve meaningful and engaging learning experiences that not only close achievement gaps, but also challenge them to reach their greatest learning potential. We are committed to eliminating opportunity gaps for all students. Opportunity gaps exist when students are not given the opportunity to be supported and/or challenged at their current academic level: the lower performing student, the average student, and the above average student. We will work diligently to plan instruction that meets the needs of each student.

With summer break here, be reminded of the importance of keeping children academically engaged during the summer months. The “summer slide” refers to the loss of academic skills that students experience during the summer months. On average, students who don’t read during the summer lose 2-3 months of reading skills over summer vacation. Click here for more information, The Summer Slide. Encourage children to read at home. Encourage them to join a summer library club. A little reading each day goes a long way! Our district’s Parent Resource Center remains open all summer and is filled with books as well as with a variety of learning games. Call Ms. K. Gonzalez at 337.521.7174 for more information.

In closing, my hope is that you enjoy a summer of rest and relaxation. May it be filled with many wonderful, engaging and memorable moments with your children. We look forward to seeing students in August and in partnering with you as we do the good and important work of educating the students of Lafayette Parish.