Recognizing three milestones.

(And YOU are one of them!)

Milestone #1

Last Friday’s Open House and Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony at List Elementary was a huge success.

Using what had to be the world’s largest pair of scissors, the ribbon was cut to officially announce the end of construction at our PreK-4 elementary.

Dr. Jill Waliczek, List principal, and I appreciated former Superintendent Adele Martin’s participation in the event.

Adele spearheaded the passage of FSD’s building bond back in 2019 which YOU and every community are so generously supporting today.

Thank you!

If you weren’t there with us last Friday, I wish you could’ve been.

You would’ve heard several List students speak about what the school’s renovations mean to them, their teachers, and exciting new opportunities for learning.

I’m grateful our students know their future shines brighter because of how YOU and the rest of our community have valued their education and have always stepped up to make the necessary investment.

Here’s Milestone #2.
 It may be one you cheered on from the bleachers.

Kudos to our players and Coach Martin and the coaches for capturing first place in our conference last Friday!
 
There are several big games still ahead and we wish them well!

And speaking of the wishing someone well –
Milestone #3 marks such a time.

As many of you already know, Dr. Jill Waliczek will be leaving her position as our principal at List at the end of October to become a professor in Educational Leadership at SVSU.

As happy as I am for Jill, and the wonderful opportunity ahead for her, I’ve got to admit to feeling a sincere sense of loss for FSD – and mind you, I’ve only known Jill for a couple of months!

It hasn’t taken me long to see why Jill has earned the respect of our school family as an “incredible champion for kids.”

So I asked previous Superintendent Adele Martin to offer her thoughts about Jill since she knew her so well.

[from Adele]

“Jill and I were both with FSD for nearly two decades.
 
As both teachers and administrators, we practically shared the same career path in our district. I was the superintendent for 5 years prior to this summer, and Jill was the principal at List during my entire tenure.
 
Jill is a tremendous educator, caring FSD parent, and top tier instructional leader.
 
I appreciated Jill’s –

• attention to detail,
• willingness to help staff and students make strides academically and culturally,
• and focus on making sure our new construction at List properly “fit” the instructional needs of staff and students alike.

I also appreciated how Jill always exuded a passion and voice for our kids’ need to play, to move, to enjoy recess, and to have PE, art, and music.
 
Jill valued a well-rounded curriculum and she excelled at helping our district design and deliver quality instructional content.”

Thank you, Adele, for sharing your thoughts about Jill, and helping me spotlight her character and talents in a way an FSD newbie like me couldn’t.
 
I just want to say “Thank you, Jill,” for never failing to lift up our students, families, and school district in the many ways Adele so richly described.
 
Now, I hope YOU and everyone else who knows Jill will find the time during October to connect with her and congratulate her, too.
 
Well, that’s it for this week.
 
Covering three milestones is enough for one email!