Principal's Message

Dear Parent(s) or Guardian(s),
 
With a new school year approaching, it is important for me to introduce myself and share a few school expectations, changes, and goals which will affect Enota Multiple Intelligences Academy this coming year.  It is a very exciting time at Enota and a new principal always adds a different dimension for the staff, parents, and students. Therefore, I would like to be as clear as possible about what I believe.
 
I believe:

Education should be your child’s primary focus!

Administrators, teachers, and students should give 110%!

Communication is the key to a successful organization!

Teachers should engage every child in learning and every child should engage in learning!

True learning comes from quality instruction, high expectations, parent support, and challenging each and every student!

Classroom instruction should be protected from unnecessary distractions!

Parents are a school’s greatest resource for promoting and sustaining student learning!

I am committed to these belief statements and will pursue them wholeheartedly, but it will be impossible to achieve educational success without your help. Please stress the importance of learning with your children, which includes highlighting hard work, not being tardy, and not distracting the classroom environment. Also, beyond enforcing the completion of your child’s homework, continue to enhance learning by having a reading hour at home or math/science/social studies exploration. Schools have a heavy burden to advance every student and we need your involvement in the learning process.
 
This past spring, I met with most of the stakeholder groups of Enota, including teachers, students, paraprofessionals, media specialist, cafeteria staff, custodial staff, PTA, and the School Governance Council. These conversations were invaluable for me to understand the culture, energy, and purpose of this school. I was able to hear concerns and receive feedback on how we should proceed to positively impact school instruction, assessment, communication, rules, and procedures for improved student performance.
 
One of the first procedural changes involves student drop-off and pick-up. This has become a safety issue for our students. The school has not been in compliance with fire codes by allowing for an access lane for fire department vehicles and personnel. During morning and afternoon dismissal, the second lane will be coned off and access will not be permitted. Our priority must be protecting children and the instructional start time by having students quickly and safely enter and exit school. Therefore, all drop-offs and pick-ups must occur in the rear of the building. In order to make this a quick process, we would like for all families with the last name ending in A-L to arrive for drop-off between 7:15-7:30 and pick-up between 2:20-2:35. Families with the last name ending in M-Z should drop-off between 7:25-7:40 and pick-up between 2:30-2:45. At the beginning of the second semester, we will alternate the times. Administrators and teachers will ensure an adequate number of personnel are in the back helping with unloading and loading students. I believe these changes will allow us to quickly and effectively begin and end each school day.
 
Many parents and guardians have had the practice of walking their children into school in the morning. This is a practice that we would like to continue to support at EMIA with certain guidelines. First, keeping with our focus on safety, the school will reserve the rear/side parking spaces next to the garden. Please take great care pulling in and out of those spaces. The school will also leave the green hallway (4^th Grade) unlocked from 7:05-7:25 for quick access into the building from the garden. This will allow parents and students to safely exit the parking lot and enter the building before classroom instruction begins and without slowing the buses and drop-off process. If you are unable to complete the walk-in process prior to 7:25 your child should be dropped off normally. *On the first day of school, please park across the road to walk your child into school. There are not enough parking spaces in the rear to accommodate all the traffic we expect on the first day.
 
After speaking with many of the stakeholders, I discovered that our check-in and check-out procedures do not support the instructional time that teachers so desperately need to be free from disruptions. It is critical that all visitors to Enota go through the main office for check-in and check-out. Please be advised that identification verification may be required to clear up any custody issues. Once this is completed, the office staff will have your child report to the office. The last check-out will be at 2:00pm.
 
Also, as a means of protecting instructional time, we are asking parents to schedule classroom visits. If you would like a parent conference with the teacher, please plan ahead by setting an appointment with the teacher during their planning period, morning, or immediately after school. It is imperative for visitors to go through the main office to receive a visitor’s pass for lunch, conferences, guest speaking, or attending class events.
 
We are introducing a new discipline policy at Enota this school year. At different times throughout the year, some students make poor decisions that leave an opportunity for teachers and administrators to help guide their learning in the area of behavior. Teachers continuously try different strategies to keep students in class, but at times it becomes necessary for a student to be removed. An Opportunity Room (OR) will be created to handle issues that arise from the classroom. Prior to placement into the OR, teachers will provide each child with a warning, loss of privileges, in-class action plan, and a parent contact. The following are the guidelines for the OR.
 
·         Step 1: First Offense = 30 Minutes
·         Step 2: Second Offense within 20 school days= 1 Hour
·         Step 3: Third Offense within 20 school days = 2 Hours
·         Step 4 : Fourth Offense within 20 school days = 1 Full Day
·         Step 5 : Fifth Offense will require a behavior contract
 
*An extensive description of the OR will be included in the Enota Parent Handbook.
 
Our Open House will be held August 5^th from 11:00am-1:00pm and 4:00-6:00pm. We invite all parents and students to drop by and meet their new teachers and visit their classrooms.
 
I know you and your child are as excited as I am about this new school year. I look forward to meeting your child and getting to know them. It is my sincere desire for all of us to achieve success through working together, remaining positive, and communicating effectively. Let’s make Enota “the smart place to be”.
 
Sincerely,
 
Dr. Matt Maynor
Principal, Enota Multiple Intelligences Academy