August 2020
Dear Green Mountain Elementary families,
It is with great pleasure that I welcome you to the 2020-2021 school year. I am very excited to serve all of you in my 4th year as the proud principal at Green Mountain Elementary (15 years total at GMES). I would like to express how grateful I am to be leading such an amazing community of students, families and staff. I am so proud of all of the achievements and accomplishments of our students here at Green Mountain Elementary, and couldn't brag enough about the amazing teachers and staff that work with such strong dedication, devotion, and passion to support this community.
The
beginning of a new school year, like the dawning of a new day, reminds us that
the future holds infinite possibilities…maybe now more than ever. The spring of 2020 has challenged our staff, students,
families, and community to find a new normal for learning, connected us in new
ways and required our Falcon community to SOAR from afar. What I find myself continuously reflecting
upon through this process is how much I appreciate the devotion from our staff and families at GMES, the ways in which our community has partnered to support our families
in need, and appreciation for the little things in life - giving a hug, being
able to laugh out loud with many people around, and gathering our school
community together under one roof. What
I most appreciate about GMES is how even under circumstances we have never
experienced we are still a learning and caring community. As we plan for a return to school like
no other we have seen in the past, our focus will still be to ensure that:
every
student, every day feels connected,
every
student, every day feels challenged by
new learnings and experiences,
and every
student, every day knows they have a caring adult at school they
can turn to.
I do not
need to remind you of how important our job is for all of our students at Green Mountain Elementary. Our students need our wisdom, our care, and
most importantly our relationship. My
hope is that through our professional learning community, both you and our
students will think of our school as a place where we live a great story as a
caring community of learners that come together to do interesting consequential
work. This year, together, we will
continue to attempt new things and we will continue to build strong
foundational skills for our students while working towards transforming the
student learning experience as connected to Jeffco Generations.
“Be a Light- Live a Great Story” will be our theme for the year. With all that is currently going on locally
and globally, I believe that we each will need to “be a light” for each other
and our community, and turn this school year into a great story. Many lyrics from “Be a Light” resonate with
me; especially the following lines:
“Oh, don’t
hide in the dark, you were born to shine, In a world full of hate, be a light. Yeah, it’s hard to live in color, when you
just see black and white, In a world full of hate, be a light.” I am encouraged to see how our theme will be
woven into our classrooms and throughout our school.
Looking forward to another great year of learning and partnership.
With deepest gratitude and love,
Thomas Gardner, Principal
