Dear Kent Lake School Community Member,

Greetings! Welcome to the school year 2011-2012. What an exciting year we have ahead of us at Kent Lake Elementary, filled with outstanding educational experiences for our students. First, allow me to welcome to our community the many new families who will be joining us this school year. Our student population now totals 570 children, Kindergarten through Fifth grade. We invite all of you into the building and hope you will involve yourself in many ways.

Again this school year our focus will be on forming a strong learning community. A learning community has student achievement as its focus. The strong partnership comprised of staff, parents, students, and community members helps to achieve the goal of minimizing classroom interruptions to maximize instructional time.

Kent Lake has an established curriculum in all subject areas. Our curriculum is based on state and national standards and "Best Practices" of teachers. Parents and guardians do not need to wonder about the contents of the curriculum. It is on the Michigan State Department of Education web site and the South Lyon Community Schools’ web site. Each teacher has curriculum guides and can answer questions about the curriculum. On the evening of the Kent Lake Curriculum Night, teachers have an opportunity to share the curriculum for their grade levels. The Kindergarten through Second Grade Curriculum Night is September 28th and the Third through Fifth Grade Curriculum Night will take place on September 22nd.

Achievement is learning that is measured. Teachers teach materials identified in learning benchmarks, and district and state assessments tell us what we need to do to help our students achieve even more. Parents and guardians can help their students by paying close attention to the curriculum and by getting involved to find out what assessments say about their school’s achievements. Fortunately, the teachers at Kent Lake are benchmark oriented and have superior instructional skills.

Our PTO and CHEERS volunteer program, under the able leadership of the executive board and the president, Lee Kempisty, have a full slate of committees. Each committee has activities in which they are responsible. I ask that all parents and guardians spend time at Kent Lake or “behind the scenes” on one of the many activities that support our learning community. Your children will know that school is important to you if you help out at Kent Lake Elementary, and they will realize we truly are a LEARNING COMMUNITY! We will reach a greater level of student success through your hours of volunteering at home, at school, or at one of our community events!

Kent Lake Elementary is an NCA accredited school. The AdvancEd/NCA accreditation process is firmly embedded in the Kent Lake Elementary School continuous School Improvement Process. This process provides a solid framework for increasing student achievement at Kent Lake Elementary School. In March 2011, Kent Lake Elementary School participated in a Quality Assurance Review (QAR) and was fully accredited. The QAR team commended the Kent Lake staff for functioning as a true professional learning community in which all members collaborate to share and learn with one another, committing to the academic, social, and emotional success of the students, and providing multiple ways to volunteer and contribute to the learning process and school mission.

Our Goal is to make this year a success for all students. I look forward to seeing you all participate in our learning community throughout the 2011-2012 school year.

What I believe…
During my fourteen years in education I have developed educational values and beliefs that I feel are important to share with you. As the principal of Kent Lake Elementary I believe:

• Do first what is best for children!
• Learning is highly influenced by emotion. Therefore, we need to provide highly engaging and meaningful learning experiences where individuals are encouraged and supported to construct their own knowledge.
• Students need enriched learning environments where they feel safe and empowered, and environments which have high expectations for academic achievement and Habits of Mind.
• Assessment, instruction, and curriculum need to be aligned, authentic and engaging to increase student achievement.
• All members of the learning community need to feel ownership in the shared mission and vision of our school community.
• Decision making is a shared responsibility of all stakeholders in the educational program.
• Lifelong learning, high expectations, and personal reflections set the tone for all members’ personal and professional growth in our learning community.

What I am Proud of at Kent Lake:

• We are an NCA Accredited School.
• Kent Lake is a beautiful facility, which fosters an inviting, collaborative, and engaging learning environment.
• Our staff is committed to student achievement. Our staff is constantly participating in professional development workshops to learn about curriculum, assessment, and "Best Practices" instruction.
• Our PTO and CHEERS volunteer partner with our school to support student learning.
• Students practice respect and responsibility daily. Our students are cooperative and bus and playground conflicts are minimal.
• Our students use technology daily in their classrooms. We have Promethean Boards (interactive white boards) and Elmo document cameras in every classroom which are regularly incorporated into instruction to maximize student achievement. Four state of the art computers are also available in each classroom as well as a mini-lab in the library.
• We have a solid curriculum based on National and State of Michigan Benchmarks, which are based on research about what children should learn and at what age they should learn subject matter.

Favorite Links

Contact Information

Biographical Information
I grew up in Swartz Creek, Michigan, a small town west of Flint. My entire K-12 educational experience was spent in the Swartz Creek Community Schools. I earned my Bachelor of Science in Education degree from Central Michigan University. Immediately following graduation from CMU, I furthered my education by attending Oakland University. I completed a Master of Arts degree in Curriculum, Instruction, and Leadership from Oakland University.

This is my eighth year as the principal of Kent Lake Elementary. Before coming to Kent Lake, I served as the assistant principal of Centennial Middle School, also part of South Lyon Community Schools. Prior to that time, I taught Spanish at South Lyon High School, Rochester High School, and VanHoosen Middle School. My educational experiences are varied, but my focus has always been on providing an excellent learning environment, which focuses on increased academic achievement and developing responsible citizens.