Dear Naldrett Families,
Welcome to the start of the 2016-2017 school year! I hope everyone had a fantastic summer. I would like to take this opportunity to introduce myself to those of you who may be new to Naldrett Elementary. My name is Heidi Stephenson, and I am the principal of Naldrett Elementary. I am looking forward to my second year at Naldrett. Our staff is continuing to grow from last year and build on our successes to reach new goals as a school. The new school year is always exciting because we get to wipe the slate clean with a fresh start. Hopefully, you all found ways to enjoy yourselves together with family and recharge your batteries.
I would like to take this time to give you a little insight about myself. I am a graduate of Algonac High School and continue to live in the Algonac community. My husband’s name is Mike and he is also from Algonac. We both attended Michigan State University…..Go Spartans! I completed my graduate work at Saginaw Valley University in Educational Leadership. We have three children. Luke is 16, Grant is 14 and Ella is 11 years old. During my time off, I did a lot of traveling and watched my kids play baseball/softball across a few states. They had a lot of ups and downs. My car was dirty, and my refrigerator was empty half the time but our hearts were definitely full! I am so grateful for the time spent with my family.
As your principal, it is important to me that everyone understands what we say and do matters on a daily basis. I hope everyone who steps through our doors feels that it takes a village to raise a child. This attitude enables us to meet the challenges of academic excellence in a positive, fun and nurturing environment. This is my twenty-first year in the Anchor Bay School District and I am proud to work for such a great district! I have taught at the elementary level for eighteen of those years in various grade levels. Two years ago I was one of the assistant principals at Anchor Bay High School. I am looking forward to seeing each of you and working together to help your children learn and grow this year. My door is always open so please do not hesitate to call if you have any questions or need assistance.
As a school community, it is important you are aware of a few changes in our school. The first change to our staff is Mrs. Ostling took a leave of absence because her family is relocating to the Grand Rapids area for work. We wish her the best of luck with their new journey. Mrs. Ostling will certainly be missed by all! With the retirement of our PLTW teacher, Mrs. Donahue, Naldrett welcomes Mr. Green! Mr. Green has been a first grade teacher in the Anchor Bay School District for over nineteen years. We also have a new “traditional” preschool program that will be taught by Ms. Connie Barber and her para, Ms. Mary Maggetti. The other staffing changes are Mrs. Hart will be the para in Ms. Bartnik’s ESCE classroom, and Mrs. Kemp will be Mrs. Williams’ long-term sub while she finishes her maternity leave until the end of October.
In addition to staff changes, our media center has 32 new computers, and the computers that were in the library have been put in classrooms. Mr. Jon and Mr. Hugh have the building looking fantastic. We have fresh paint, clean carpet and our Positive Behavior Incentive Support committee will be hanging new posters to add to the finishing touches for the school year. The district has purchased a new math program call Bridges in Mathematics. Much of our district’s professional development will be focused on training teachers in the new math program this year.
Below are some important dates to put on your calendar:
- 8/22- Kindergarten bus safety 10am-11:00am
- 8/29- Kindergarten Welcome Night 6:00pm-7:00pm
- 9/6- The First ½ day for students 9:06am-12:36pm
- 9/14- Open House 6:00pm-7:00pm (*Please meet in cafeteria at 6pm to begin with introduction of our staff)
- 9/28- 1st PTO Meeting @ 6pm
In closing, when we ALL work together as a learning community and keep STUDENTS FIRST, we will make a GREAT school year! Parent involvement is such an important aspect of every child’s education. We are fortunate to have a strong staff that is eager to build strong connections with our students and families. Let’s keep growing, building our school and never forget that we are not too small to achieve great things. Please feel free to stop in the office. I am very excited to welcome all of the returning and new Naldrett families to the 2016-2017 school year.
Sincerely,
Heidi Stephenson
Principal
Naldrett Elementary
585- 949- 1212- ext 1510