A New Year Begins
As school reopens, and a new year begins, I would like to take this opportunity to thank the students, staff and community for a remarkable 6 months as middle school principal. Serving as your principal has been an extremely rewarding experience and I look forward to many more years working with all of the great people in Lopatcong. Many events have happened in the first few months of school and as much as I would like to acknowledge all of them, I cannot help but consider the time of year. As the New Year turns, now is not the time to revisit the past but instead to look toward the future. With a new beginning, the opportunity is given to all of us to set goals and focus our attention on what lies ahead.
As the New Year begins at Lopatcong Middle School, we welcome our new technology teacher, Mrs. Diane Bower. Mrs. Bower comes to us with teaching experience as well as years in the technology industry. I hope everyone welcomes her and makes her transition to Lopatcong a successful and enjoyable process. We also welcome back Mrs. Lisa Beenders who is returning from maternity leave. Mrs. Beenders will be rejoining Team 6 and will assume her role as Science teacher. I look forward to working with them and learning about what they have to offer our fine school.
In the spirit of New Year, I cannot help but find myself thinking about my own resolutions and goals for the remaining months of school. Every week in this job brings short term goals and tasks that must be accomplished. As important as they are to the daily operation of a school, long-term goals drive me to remain focused on the most important aspect of my job; educating children. With that goal in mind, I have developed 3 main objectives for the remainder of the 2011-2012 school year. I will begin the new year by reviewing in depth what and how our students are being taught, preparing our students and staff for the upcoming NJASK assessment, and making a concerted effort to get to know my students both academically and personally. If I can effectively influence and work with my staff to share in my goals, each student will have the opportunity to experience improvement and academic success.
“We will open the book. Its pages are blank. We are going to put words on them ourselves. The book is called “Opportunity” and its first chapter is New Year’s Day.” - Edith L. Pierce
May we all realize our dreams and goals in 2012!
Jeanene Dutt
Middle School Principal