Monday, September 21, 2015:

Happy New Year . . . or more aptly entitled, "Welcome to a New School Year!"  As we begin the 2015-2016 school year - if the first couple weeks of school are any indication or prove to be any reassurance for the remaining 38 weeks, I feel confident that this year will ultimately be a great year.  

We will soon roll out our "almost" complete new 5-Year Strategic Plan.  This is significant simply because the document will guide our work over the next five years (and beyond).  As we know, the Liverpool Central School District proudly serves approximately 7,500 students.  So, on behalf on each and every student . . . this Strategic Plan serves as our commitment and dedication to the success and promise for an individualized and personalized education.  We enter this New Year with a renewed commitment to academic excellence, educational equality, ethics, engagement, as well as the standards and rigor, which sets Liverpool apart formally other educational institutions.

With our five-year strategic plan, we have the opportunity to build on our strengths and harness the support from our community to move the school district to the next level.  For many years, the district has provided an excellent education to all of our students.  We must continue that proud tradition while taking advantage of the advances in technology to ensure all students are afforded every opportunity to achieve success and an enriched life beyond our walls.

This effort requires the contributions and commitment of our families and community partners.   As parents, as educators, and as a community, we all share the same expectations . . . for our children to be happy, knowledgeable, and successful contributing members of society.  We must work collectively to ensure that our students have the skills and tools to succeed in life.  We must do all we can to prepare our students for an ever-changing world.  Ultimately, this requires a partnership.

As you will soon see, the district will be focusing on 3 major goals:

•   Student Achievement

•   Communication

•   Future-Ready Skills

Along with these goals, the district will also be embarking on several initiatives:

•   Support Project-Based Learning Classrooms;

•   Initiate a "1-to-1" Technology Device Environment;

•   Initiate a transition into a Paperless Work Environment;

•   Support a Google Drive Platform;

•   Support Classroom Connections in 'Knowledge and Learning with Career Readiness Skills and Expectations Beyond High School';

•   Continue to Reinforce and Support Increase Rigor (and Relevance) in Academic Expectations;

•   Provide Support for S.T.E.M. Alignment and other Cross-Disciplinary Linkages in Curriculum and Instruction;

•   Initiate an Enhanced Communication Plan;

•   Review and Enhance the District Safety Plan;

•   Develop a District-Wide Facility Improvement Plan;

•   Develop a District-Wide Professional Development Plan;

•   Design and Initiate a Community-Partner Plan;

This Strategic Plan will be utilized to measure the success and expectations for the coming years; I will continue to monitor and report on the district's success stories, as well as identify our shortcomings.  I look forward to the community's input throughout the process.