Welcome to a new and exciting school year at Rockenbaugh! I
hope you had a fun-filled, relaxing summer.
It has been a great first week!
Allow me to introduce myself; my name is Lisa Young, and I
am the new principal at Rockenbaugh Elementary School. I know some of you from
Carroll Leadership Academy for Student Success (CLASS) and Carroll Education
Foundation (CEF) events, not to mention Dragon sporting events. I look forward
to getting to know those of you that I do not know.
When I found out Rockenbaugh needed a new principal, I
jumped at the opportunity. This is a special school in a unique district with
an amazing, dedicated staff! I believe that every child can succeed at high levels in all areas: academic/mind, body/physical health, and
emotional/social health. Teachers must engage students in new and unique ways.
Today’s learners prefer to learn digitally, with others, online, in their own
time, and in their own way. While I perused the halls this week during assessments,
I noticed many younger siblings in the hallways quietly waiting, with more
students than not, interacting with an electronic device to pass the time.
While we need to certainly stay focused on the core content, we must also embed the teaching of critical thinking, creativity, collaboration, and communication. These
skills are essential in being successful in today’s highly global economy. This is the world in which our students live. Reaching them where they are
and engaging them is essential to their current and future successes.
Carroll ISD’s core values include the following:
excellence, relationships, character & integrity, innovation, and open
& honest communication. Our new counselor, Mrs. Connolly, will be
coordinating many different initiatives and programs where students can develop and
show these core values, including focusing on these during our Dragon Tale News. Ethics and values are essential in future success. We will also be discussing at length the issue of bullying. All CISD administrators are reading and studying this important issue.
After a rigorous hiring process, we have 14 new outstanding
staff members! They all attended extra professional development and training
this summer to learn best practices in teaching and to prepare to meet the Carroll
ISD standard. Please welcome them to Rockenbaugh and get to know their
awesomeness. I will be highlighting different staff members in my blog throughout the year.
This first semester we will all be getting to know one
another. I invite you to stop by so that I may meet you. Most importantly, I
will be focusing on knowing our children. I will be visiting each classroom,
roaming the hallways, greeting in the car loop, studying student data, and
doing my best to get to know children and their families. During the second semester, we will continue focusing
more narrowly on our curriculum and engaging our students in meaningful
ways. I welcome your thoughts, dreams, and ideas for what you envision the
ideal school to be.
I am passionate about learning and growing. I am pursuing my
doctorate degree at the University of North Texas; however, after being named
principal, I have decided to take the year to learn Rockenbaugh. I have been reading many administrative books this summer. My favorite has been Strengths Based Leadership by Tom Rath and Barry Conchie. Leaders must focus on people’s natural talents and balance their leadership teams with diverse strengths. I am also passionate
about being a good mom and wife. I have two wonderful sons and a supportive
husband. Striking the balance between work and home is a goal….not always
obtained but a constant target.
I invite you to join me in continuing the strong traditions
created at Rockenbaugh all while discussing what the new and exciting possibilities
might include. Seeing ideas to fruition motivates and excites me!
Honored to serve the Rockenbaugh community,
Lisa
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