August 1, 2023
Garfield Parents,
On behalf of the staff at Garfield Elementary, I would like to welcome you and your student(s) to the 2023-2024 school year and to our Garfield family. Every year presents new opportunities for our students as they grow both personally and academically. They will surely face challenges but challenges are quite simply new situations that help to reveal one’s character. As part of our team, a team that is only successful if we work together, you and your child will be an important key to their learning and growth.
There are two main focuses that we will have for your child this year; 1) That our instruction and all learning is intentional, planned and takes hard work and 2) How to show others that they care about them. Our teachers receive lots of training on how to improve their instructional skills every year. We have a very rich structured literacy program that is the basis for all of instruction that we do. In order for your child to maximize his or her learning, we need for them to learn how to be good listeners, how to work hard, and how to not be afraid of learning from making mistakes. For this to happen, we also need support and communication from all of our parents. We believe that learning is not accidental. Learning happens when you set goals, have high expectations, and practice.
Respect is also important to learn at Garfield. Respect simply means that you show others that they have value. We show respect when we listen to others, when we work together, when we follow directions and when we learn to solve problems with our minds. We will help teach your child the expectations that we have for all of our young leaders through our LEAD and 7 Habits practices. We use these practices to teach students how to be responsible for themselves and to set goals for their learning.
One of the biggest mistakes we as adults can make with our students, is to underestimate their potential. Please do not ever underestimate your child. We look forward to a very successful year.
Your Partner in Learning,
Jeff Hempleman, Principal
As I look forward to the 2023-2024 school year together, below are key dates to plan accordingly:
- Monday, August 14: Open House for Grades 1 & 2 - 6:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.
- Thursday, August 17: First day of School
- Friday, August 18: Open House for Kindergarten - 5:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.
- Monday, September 4: No school - Labor Day
- Friday, September 22: No School - Professional Development
Your Partner in Learning,
Jeff Hempleman, Principal