Principal's Page

My Shared Vision for Learning

Dreams come in different forms. For example, take a small mouse that typically has a pointed snout, relatively large ears and eyes, and a long tail and transform him into an iconic character whose easily recognizable silhouette consists of a simple circle and 2 smaller circles for his ears. This brain child of cartoonist Walt Disney launched Mickey’s career in November 1928. This character eventually came to symbolize a global entertainment empire. So…just as Walt Disney took this simple mouse and changed him into something special just like a spider became a superhero and just like E.T. became an accepted alien. Anything you dream can be possible.

This is a time when we “dream…”As you know, a dream represents a cherished aspiration, ambition, or ideal.

Collect as many hopes and dreams that cross your path as you transform your world.

This is my story…

Our school dream and shared vision is to promote safety of students and staff in school while enabling and ensuring that all students will strive to achieve academic excellence and teachers become effective leaders. Effective teachers will move to highly effective through peer coaching, mentoring and collegial inquiry. We will build upon students’ dreams and personal experiences (Social and Emotional) to provide a safe learning environment and to make proactive and positive change in local, district, state and national decisions affecting the improvement of teaching and learning. In turn, teachers will make a concerted effort to ensure opportunities and culturally responsive teaching for all students to be reflective dreamers promoting differentiated instruction to increase the rigor of learning through ongoing collection and analogies of data. Hence, we will be fostering, enhancing and supporting student rigor within and outside of the classroom; ultimately, ensuring a differentiated teaching environment for students to achieve their dreams by providing innovative approaches to improving learning through appropriate technologies while continuously monitoring evaluating and reviewing the needs of students.

In alignment with District 24’s vision, we too, have high expectations as a team for all students to succeed. At the commencement of each school year, I will guide my staff, students, and parents to reflect on their dreams and set goals for the new school year. This practice will enable students take their experiences and channel it towards their dreams. This practice approaches the study and practice of leadership from the perspective of human experiences and fosters active leadership inspiring all stakeholders. In turn, effective teachers will move to highly effective teachers making a concerted effort to ensure opportunities for all students to be successful by focusing on engagement which is the centerpiece of the framework of teaching. This focus will affect and promote higher student participation, foster active student leadership, and engage parents in becoming part of the learning process, thus promoting active leadership, shared vision for the school and community, and preserving integrity, fairness, and ethical beliefs in and out of school. Towards the close of the year, “dreams” will be revisited and adjusted as needed to review a new course of action the following school year.

This magazine was designed to prepare you with the knowledge of how you and your colleagues can learn, understand, acknowledge, and be inspired by the wholesome advice given to ensure our children’s dreams come true by improving quality of instructional practices and student learning. In addition, you too can transform your view of each child by looking at him or her from a variety of perspectives. Dream it, Learn it, Live it...by standing stronger….together.

Adelina Valastro-Tripoli

Imagine, discover, create , plan, explore, create more…

Then and only then will your dream come true as you

begin to spread your wings and soar.