Dear Community,

As 2011 comes to an end, I look forward to 2012 with great anticipation. There is no doubt that 2012 will bring much excitement to the Sanford School District with the new BEST building project.

 Once again we will focus on ―Challenging You to Succeed, the vision of our District. With hard work and dedication toward the students of Sanford Schools, there are sure to be greater successes than ever before.

There will always be a need for improvement. The desire to always improve and get better is the driving force behind our current success. Helping every student to succeed in his/her education is the service we provide as a school. We believe that every child can learn, grow, and improve in his/her skills and knowledge. Student improvement is our focus day in and day out.

The principals, teachers, and staff are committed also to improving. Studies show that the number one factor in a student‘s educational success is his/her teacher. The staff has shown a great commitment to improvement through lesson plans that focus on the new Core Standards, and curriculum that targets teaching to those standards. Our Data Team has spent time breaking down data from the State Assessments to see where our strengths and weaknesses lie. It is as important to know what our strengths are as it is to know where our weaknesses lie. Careful study of assessment data is vital in our improve-ment efforts.

Building Leadership Teams, Professional Learning Communities, and book studies are also assisting in our improvement efforts. Just recently we learned that our high school will receive the 2011 Governor‘s Distinguished Improvement Award. Distinguished Improvement Awards are awarded to schools that ―exceed expectations on the 3-year school performance framework‘s indicator related to academic growth and ―meet or exceed expectations on the indicator related to academic growth gaps. These schools demonstrate the highest levels of growth for not just some students but all student groups. Congratulations!

With continued hard work and a desire to always improve, there is no doubt that 2012 will bring much excitement to the Sanford School District.

Happy Holidays,

Kevin Edgar
Superintendent