Grandview Heights Schools Notes: Excitement builds as new year begins
It’s time to welcome back students, staff and families to a new school year at Grandview Heights Schools.
I’m thrilled to hear the hum in the hallways and have enjoyed peeking into classrooms to see the life and energy coming back into our school buildings.
Experiencing some stress and anxiety is natural at the beginning of any school year and the last few years have been especially hard. Yet, I anticipate a year full of new possibilities. I’m confident that together we will rise to every challenge.
Members of our staff are some of the most talented and skilled professionals in the field of education, and I believe their expertise and guidance uniquely prepares our students and families for each new season of learning.
We remain committed to our mission to maximize and personalize every student’s learning. As a part of that, we are in the process of reexamining our strategic plan.
Over the next several months, we will be reaching out to stakeholders to evaluate the themes, goals and action items of our current strategic plan. We will examine where we have made progress and where we need to focus in moving forward. This is especially important considering how much has changed in our world over the past three years.
Grandview Heights Schools Notes: District exploring options for K-12 athletic complex
The updated strategic plan will serve as a roadmap to ensure we continue on a path of excellence.
We’re closer to the completion of the 4-12 construction project, and we continue to have immense gratitude for our community’s support. It’s been a year since the new Larson Middle School opened, and it has been a transformational learning environment for our students and staff.
The renovations to Grandview Heights High School will be completed at the end of 2022. We look forward to celebrating this new space with our community at an open house in early 2023.
In a continued effort to evaluate our facilities, we have been working with the architecture firm of Perkins & Will to assess our K-12 athletic complex. We recently wrapped up master planning workshops with key stakeholders and have held three scheduled community meetings where we gathered invaluable feedback on how to improve the safety of our complex as well as meet the needs of our students and the community. We plan to present our findings to the board of education during the Sept. 14 board meeting.
Safety in Grandview Heights School also remains a priority. We have a comprehensive safety plan that encompasses multiple areas including, but not limited to, secure facilities, comprehensive plans and training for staff, and mental health assessment and support. Staff again will participate in ALICE training this year to prevent, prepare for, respond to and recover from active threats and other violent critical incidents. This includes updating our safety plans and identifying threatening behavior before an incident occurs.
The district also has implemented a new communication tool for families – ParentSquare, which is a one-stop shop for school information with the goal of improving communication, coordination and engagement between the home and school community. We look forward to connecting with our families on this new platform.
I’m excited for what’s in store for the school year. We encourage you to stay in touch and attend our sporting and performing arts events.
For the latest information, updates, and news, go to ghschools.org and follow us on Facebook @grandviewheightsschools.
Welcome back, Bobcats!
Andy Culp is superintendent of Grandview Heights Schools.
This article originally appeared on ThisWeek: Grandview Heights Schools Notes: Excitement builds as new year begins
