Dear Falcon Community,

In honor of all workers, including those work-at-home parents, I wish everyone a safe and healthy Labor Day weekend. In reflecting on the meaning of Labor Day, and the original intent behind the passage of Labor Day as a national holiday in 1896 during Grover Cleveland's Presidency, I applaud the efforts of the workers who have contributed to this great nation. The willingness and determination to tackle tough problems throughout the years has required creativity, critical thinking, knowledge and perseverance. These traits, along with other habits of mind, are needed during transformational times. I believe we are in the midst of a transformational time, as new careers based on advanced technologies and an emphasis on entrepreneurship place both opportunities and challenges in front of us. These disruptive trends affect how education is delivered in schools. Therefore, we are looking to build upon our Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math (STEAM) initiative to examine innovation in education and the dispositions, or habits of mind, needed to be successful. We will also utilize the resources from our corporate and university partnerships to help us offer resources and opportunities to our students and staff.  More information regarding this initiative will be included in future editions. As I have mentioned in previous publications, our student enrollment continues to grow. We have had over 200 new students enroll this summer, and the trend shows no sign of slowing down. We will be working throughout this year to finalize plans for new schools and/or additions to house our growing student population. At this point, it appears as though we will be proposing a referendum to finance the construction needed to build the new schools and/or additions. I will be speaking to the community throughout this year to communicate the need for additional schools and to provide updates on the finalized plan. As you may imagine, there are many factors which need to be considered before presenting a finalized plan. In this edition, you will find important information regarding transportation, school opening times, the district calendar, the district app, sports schedules and community groups. You can also follow us on Facebook, Twitter and our web site.

Our teachers and staff have worked extremely hard to prepare our schools, facilities, classrooms and buses for the opening of school on Tuesday. We are looking forward to the return of our students and the ensuing excitement that accompanies them. I wish everyone a great school year.

Respectfully yours,

Michael Kozak

Dr. Michael Kozak

Superintendent of Schools