I am enthusiastic about serving the town of Natick as the Superintendent of Schools. If we have not met, or you want to know a bit more about me, I share the following as an overview of my work and educational experience.
While I have served Natick for many years and in many capacities, it is important for you to know that you have been heard.
The school committee and I remain committed to keeping community meetings and dialogue going and to that end, a series of coffees and office hours, both in-person and virtually, will be published. I hope you can all attend at some point and we can talk and meet. Many community members are satisfied with services, student achievement rates and supports--most notably, our strong teachers, in school intervention supports, curriculum experiences and course offerings, and range of after-school and academic offerings PK-12 consistently rise as areas of district respect.
Others have indicated that we have work to do with regard to building trust and transparency in our daily work and seek more direct relationships with our administrative team. I consider this the main priority for me personally and for our leadership teams. Still, others have indicated that some pain and mystery exist around certain programs; special education and student emotional and behavioral supports have risen up as areas in need of attention. But mostly, people are worried about maintaining the same level of support and opportunity for students as we continue to grow in numbers and student complexity.
Indeed, immense challenges await us. Budgets are tighter than ever, our students’ needs and our enrollment are larger than ever.
Our recent legal challenges related to public speak cut to the very core of messages we send to students about being informed and civil citizens. We must model and lead the very best learning for them and a commitment to collaborating through conflict while we do it. In this realm of continued and positive communication, I have always been a big believer in face-to-face chats about our students and our district. To continue community dialogue and model open conversation, I invite you to join me for periodic superintendent hours and coffee times which will be published on our district calendar (forthcoming).
This appointment, therefore, is the start of what I hope will be an ongoing dialogue in support of our students and the development of our community-at-large.
My 12-year-old daughter helped me find the words to describe my feelings relative to my appointment as Superintendent of Schools: “Mom, I bet you feel proud and scared but happy, too because Natick is, like, so much a part of our lives, it’s like another family member!”
You got it, Ava, Natick is family.
Sincerely,
Anna Nolin, Ed.D.