Letter from the Superintendent
Sanders School Community,
It is my pleasure to welcome you to another exciting year at the Sanders Unified School District! I look forward to meeting each of you. This year we welcome several new faces to our administration team: Wanda Burton as Elementary and Middle School Principal, and Peter Baliby as Valley High School Principal. I am confident each of these leaders is dedicated to serving you and helping our students and schools reach new heights. Even though I have only been here a short time, I am very appreciative of the warm welcome from the community. I look forward to working with you to ensure our students receive the quality education they deserve.
Let me take a moment to share my personal educational philosophy. Living in the Information Age, we know more than any other generation about the learning process, both in terms of cognitive development and teaching methods. Advances in technology and research have unlocked many new possibilities to implement data-driven instruction in the classroom.
Teacher observation and feedback allow instructors to be coached to a higher level of performance, just as professional athletes are coached to reach the top of their game. Professional development at all levels within our schools is more important than ever before.
One key area of professional development for our teachers is lesson design. By working together to implement the latest standards in our classrooms we can ensure both teachers and students benefit from the most advanced educational standards available. Differentiated instruction, in particular, can be a driving force behind successful lesson implementation.
It takes a community working together to create a climate for student success. My aim is to create a learning environment where each student feels excited to attend school and motivated to learn. Each student should come to school each day looking forward to a bright future. Our district plays a vital role in opening that doorway to future opportunities. The way we work together to build opportunities for our young people will shape the future of our community and is a sacred responsibility.
The administrative team here at Sanders is dedicated to servant leadership and will use all our skills and resources to help each student, staff member, and teacher achieve their personal best. This means helping students obtain the skills necessary to excel academically. It also means ensuring that staff and teachers have access to the best training and mentoring to progress in their careers, feel a sense of mission in their daily work, and bring their personal best to work each and every day.
I am truly grateful for the opportunity to serve the students, parents, teachers, and staff of the Sanders Community, and look forward to a rewarding year together.
Sincerely,
Kim J. Pearce
Superintendent,
Sanders Unified School District 18