First Day Update

Good afternoon,

We wanted to take a moment to thank everyone for a great first day! Our students, despite having some challenges with navigating the building, were polite, organized, and orderly, and their attention to the building, from busing tables after lunch, to getting from place to place, to asking questions when necessary, was completely appreciated.

There were a few concerns raised last year when we started the process of integrating and reconfiguring with grade 8 at UHS. One, primarily, was space in the building. With the exception of the start of the day, when there tends to be more people in the "common areas," passing time went very well and without much traffic. Lunch times were balanced, which we anticipate will continue, and it was hard to discern which grades were where without knowing the students. Secondly, some parents had raised the concern of how the upperclassmen would respond to the influx of new students; more often than not, we saw our juniors and seniors redirecting students, providing direction, and helping students along. 

While we realize this is but one day of school, the energy in the building was positive, palpable, and enthusiastic, with teachers organizing students, sharing expectations, and building relationships - in short, our core values were on display everywhere we turned. With all of the planning that went into bringing another grade to UHS, we are pleased with the outcome and organization at this point, and we look forward to the next year together!

Yours in black and orange,

Mike Rubin, Principal