August 21, 2023 Staff Update: Welcome Back, Staff!
Dear Colleagues:
Welcome back! I hope you had a great summer break and had time to rest, reflect and recharge. It’s hard to believe that in just one week, our buildings and classrooms will be filled with the excited chatter of students.
The start of a new school year is always a great opportunity for change and to reset our goals. I began my new role as superintendent on July 1 and over the last several weeks, I’ve had an opportunity to meet and speak with many members of our Team BCPS community—teachers, staff, students and families—and learn about your priorities and dreams for our school system as well as the areas of improvement that you would like to see addressed immediately.
Earlier this summer, I shared information about our Fast Forward plan and I want you to know that the many meetings and conversations with staff, community, offices, building leaders and partners have confirmed that the following priority areas are where we must and will prioritize resources, investments, and supports to ensure success for the 2023-2024 school year and beyond—
- Academic Achievement– Focused, data-driven, research based, instructionally sound resources, practices and tools that build teacher capacity, promote high levels of learning and increase student achievement.
- Infrastructure–Efficient, effective, responsive and reliable systems that ensure smooth operations across Team BCPS.
- Safety and Climate– Clear expectations, consistent responses and shared accountability will protect and preserve safe learning environments.
- Highly Effective Teachers, Leaders and Staff–Refining efforts to recruit and retain a highly-effective and diverse teacher, support staff, and leadership workforce.
Colleagues, we have the awesome privilege and tremendous duty of helping to educate and shape the next generation. The urgent work in front of us is going to take all members of Team BCPS to make the difference that we want to see in our schools and communities.
As we challenge our students to dream big and to push themselves, we must also challenge ourselves by continuing to hone our craft in the classroom and set high expectations for all students.
There is a lot to be excited about this year and our formula for success is simple: High-quality actions + Reduced distractions + Ongoing monitoring and adjustments = Positive results.
Throughout the summer, BCPS provided focused training for teachers on effective practices and content knowledge. Our teachers have been engaged in professional learning on a variety of topics. Administrators and central office staff also engaged in professional development and stand ready to provide our educators and schools with strategic support and guidance. BCPS is committed to student success and to supporting educators and we are all working together to remove barriers to student success, accelerate academic achievement, and make this great system even better.
We can and will accomplish our goals because we have more than 20,000 committed educators, support professionals, and administrators dedicated to providing a safe, welcoming, and academically rigorous environment for our students.
I look forward to doing this important work with you and moving our school system forward. Please reach out to me throughout the school year to share your ideas and concerns.
Have a great school year! Thank you for all you do on behalf of our 111,000 students and families.
In partnership,
Dr. Myriam Rogers (Yarbrough)