Please note:
I am sending this
information out via email in hopes it may reach a parent, guardian or
grandparent that may have missed this letter going home through the mail
service. Enjoy the remainder of the summer, we
look forward to our students returning September 9th.
Sincerely,
Mike O'Neil, Interim Superintendent
Dear
Parents, Guardians and Grandparents,
I
wish to extend a sincere welcome back to the start of school for you and your children. Bus routes will be mailed home this week and
if you have any questions regarding transportation after you receive your
information, please call Jerry Heiser, Head Bus
Driver at 845-373-4105. If you have not yet received your class
assignment (for your elementary child) or class schedule (for your secondary
child), please contact the principal’s office as soon as possible.
We
have had several changes in personal over the summer that I would like to share
with you at this time.
As
you probably are aware Dr. Johns has taken a Superintendency
position in Liverpool, NY and our timing for an appropriate search for a new
Superintendent was not ideal. Therefore, I have been serving in the
capacity as Interim Superintendent for the month of August. With the
assistance of our terrific summer office staff here in the District Office and
in each of the two principal’s offices, I am convinced we have put ourselves
and your children in a very comfortable position to have a successful opening
of school on September 9th.
I
will be relieved of the Interim’s position as of Monday, August 24th. We
have been fortunate enough to have found Mr. David Paciencia
to act as Interim Superintendent until a new Superintendent is found. He
is available to carry us into the school year and through the immediate months
ahead. Mr. Paciencia comes to us with
twenty-two years of experience as a Superintendent and thirty-seven total years
experience in education. He was most recently an Interim Superintendent
in Hudson, New York and did an outstanding job working through the concerns of
budget, curriculum and opening the lines of communication to all of those in
the community of Hudson. You may also recall Mr. Paciencia’s
name, due to the fact he experienced a successful superintendency
at Taconic Hills before his retirement in 2007. Mr. Paciencia
joins us with great enthusiasm, expertise and a true sense of the needs of the Webutuck School District. I am sure you will join me
in welcoming him and offering your support whenever possible.
Other
staff changes also include our High School Principal, Mr. Drew Hopkins.
Mr. Hopkins comes to us from a Dean of Students position in the Taconic Hills
School District. He has been working very hard this summer familiarizing himself with all the components of this position.
In
addition to Mr. Hopkins, we have changed the position of Principal in the
Middle School to a Vice Principal’s role in the 7-12 area. Our new
Interim Vice Principal will be Mr. Robert Wood, who
brings a rich and varied background in a variety of educational settings.
Our new team of Mr. Hopkins and Mr. Wood will bring consistency and a sense of
order and purpose to our 7 – 12 student population.
Additional staff changes include:
April
Ary
Pre-Kindergarten Teacher
Anna
Duffy
Agricultural Teacher
Michael
Ferrara
Lv Replacement for Patricia Hammond
Andrea
Christenson
7-12 School Nurse
Aaron
Kelly
Athletic Director/Teacher Aide
Katy
McEnroe
Principal Grades PreK-6
Robert
Wood
Interim Vice Principal
David
Paciencia
Interim Superintendent
This
year we will be placing a special emphasis on making sure that we are being
responsive to the learning needs of all of our students. It is very
important to us all that we truly believe every student can succeed. We
will be exerting unparalleled efforts at accomplishing this goal and you can
help in an infinite number of ways. Your assistance and support are
appreciated and necessary. Kindly share with us your ideas in our pursuit
of excellence. Your efforts to help your school become everything it can
be are heartily welcomed.
Sincerely,
D.
Michael O’Neil
Interim
Superintendent