Dear Parents, Guardians, and Students,

Welcome back to school! It is both an honor and a joy to serve as your child’s principal at Oak Ridge Elementary School. I am delighted to be here, and I thank those of you that have already warmly welcomed me to the community. I look forward to working closely with you in the days ahead. Our students deserve the very best that we have to offer. The Oak Ridge Staff is committed to giving our very best so all students can achieve at their highest level.

Many changes have taken place over the summer months. To begin with, you might have noticed that the campus has been freshened up with new paint and landscaping. I am confident that our students will appreciate the fresh new look. I am excited to introduce you to a number of outstanding educators joining our team as well. Over the break, we added seven new Classroom Teachers, a Math and English Language Arts Training Coach, an English Language Support Teacher, a new Assistant Principal, a full time Healthy Start Coordinator, and other support personnel. We worked diligently selecting a team that showed great talent, connection to students, and commitment to increasing the achievement of all students. Our team looks forward to building relationships with our families. Working together, we will give our students a personalized high quality learning experience.

Our schedule has also changed. We are adding time to the length of our instructional day. This will give students a greater opportunity to learn and teachers a greater opportunity to teach. Our new schedule will be 8:00-2:30 for grades 1st-6th. Our kindergarten students will also enjoy an extended day of learning. Kindergarten will begin at 8:00 AM and will conclude at 1:00 PM every day. Again, we believe that increasing the length of our instructional day will help all students achieve academically.

I look forward to meeting each of you in the days ahead. I want to work closely with you as we design a learning program that best serves Oak Ridge students. I encourage you to be an active participant in the education of your child. I want to hear your ideas, your concerns, and your wishes for what you believe to be the ideal learning experience for your child.

I am honored to be a part of Oak Ridge Elementary School. I look forward to building upon the traditions of the past, and creating a learning environment where all students thrive academically. I can’t wait to meet each of you and your children. Please stop by and introduce yourself once the new year begins. I am confident that our teamwork will take us far.

Sincerely,

Doug Huscher,
Principal