EXCELLENCE
TODAY
FOR TOMORROW
SUPERINTENDENT’S REPORT – August 23, 2007
Off to a Great Start!
As we begin the 2007-2008 academic year, we are delighted to announce so many
exciting changes in Rose Tree Media!
First, we would like to welcome our new Administrators Karen Daugherty, Principal of
Rose Tree Elementary, Tony Jackowski, Assistant Principal for Springton Lake, and Eric
Bucci, Assistant Principal for Penncrest High. Not unfamiliar to us are the following
administrators serving in new roles: Dr. Eleanor DiMarino-Linnen, Assistant Principal and
Head of the ERC, Dr. Susan Evans, Acting Principal of Penncrest High School, and Mr.
Ron Baldino, Supervisor of Maintenance and Operations.
Tonight we are delighted that the School Board will be appointing the next principal for
Penncrest High School, Mr. Richard Gregg. Mr. Gregg comes to Penncrest from the
Brandywine School District in Wilmington, where he has been a principal for more than 10
years. We are not certain as yet of the exact start date for Mr. Gregg, but we do know
that he will be here for the first day of school to meet Penncrest students.
I'd like to thank Dr. Taylor for leading a very rigorous process during these last two
months for selecting our new principal. Representatives from all stakeholder groups were
involved: students, parents, teachers, and administrators. Mr. Gregg was the top choice
of every committee.
We began with a pool of forty-five applicants, from which ten were selected for
interviews. After two rounds of interviews, three candidates were sent forward to me for
comprehensive final meetings. I then selected two candidates to bring forward to the
Board of School Directors who met this past Tuesday evening.
As we speak, a Global Connect message is being broadcast to all Penncrest families and
to all Penncrest staff members informing them of the selection of Mr. Gregg. We know
our community will be very well served by our new principal. Please check our website
for additional information about our new Principal.
Chinese Bridge
This evening you are enjoying highlights of our week-long trip to China. Dr. Taylor, Dr.
Evans, and I spent seven days learning much about the culture, language, and heritage
of this great country and we are now eager to share this experience with our students and
teachers. We have also formed partnerships with several schools in Hubei Province who
are eager to foster communication to enhance global learning and understanding. It is
difficult to find words to describe our experience. Certainly, I returned with renewed
appreciation for our own heritage and culture and all that public education in America has
to offer. We take so much for granted, particularly free speech. Our days were filled with
many opportunities since we were on the go from 7:00 a.m. until 10:00 p.m. Everywhere
we visited we were received with such warmth and enthusiasm and the barrier of
language seemed to fall away as friendships formed. We also met on our travels many
educators from across our country from districts who have been offering Mandarin for ten
years or so. Though studying this language may seem frivolous to some, other
districts nationwide have seen the need for some time to broaden their vision. We were
able to talk with a number of district leaders who have successfully implemented Chinese
language programs and have secured grant funding to support that initiative. All in all, it
was a "most auspicious" trip. I also must add to clarify for those concerned taxpayers that
the costs for our travels were underwritten by Hanban, an organization in China
that promotes the study of Chinese, in cooperation with the College Board.
Virtual K
This year, we are welcoming the Class of 2020 to our Kindergarten. Of course, we could
not miss this opportunity to talk about what "RTM 2020 Vision" is. To that end, we will
be welcoming our newest students to engage in Virtual Kindergarten. This special
program, which is our own RTM design to enhance early learning, is being offered to all
enrolled students. Since our kindergarten children have class only for 2 and one-half
hours, we wanted to provide additional learning opportunities for parents and children to
enjoy together online at home. We have put together a curriculum and promises to be full
of fun and our online support teacher, Mrs. Christa Consadene, is eager to meet her new
friends. Parents who have not registered yet are encouraged to do so as soon as
possible. Please check our website for additional information and the dates of upcoming
parent information meetings.