Superintendent

What a summer this has been.  As I write this the opening of school is two weeks away.  Days have been filled with planning for both our in-person and remote learning sessions.    The past several months have been a challenge for our students, teachers, staff and administration.  The world of school has totally flipped from a world of routine and certainty to a world that is unpredictable.  I know that families need and want the certainty of the traditions that school brings.  As I read comments on Facebook, talk to parents or answer emails the choices people have made are not easy.   For me personally as I start my thirty-fourth year in education, I never would have thought on my first day as a teacher that I would be a superintendent leading my staff and students during a pandemic. I just wanted to teach. I still do.  And in a way everything I learn about this pandemic and share, I am teaching. One of the great joys of my summer has been working with my administrative team and staff to plan for the unpredictable in the coming year.  While they probably had questions about all the unknowns, they put those aside to talk about teaching and learning, and I was fully in my element. They helped me to forget there was a pandemic for a little while.  After 33 years of doing this, I am a teacher who leads. Superintendent is the title of my position. And for a little while this summer,  the world felt normal. I am blessed to work with some amazing people and a staff that will do anything for their students to succeed! Year 34 will be different than any other, but how I start will not.  I begin each year thinking about our students and staff. This year  will be no different, but the magnitude of my thoughts are greater.  Every year I wish for our students and staff  to have a safe,  healthy and a successful year of teaching and learning. This year, I  want  everyone to be minimally impacted by this pandemic, healthy and well.

I also want to take time to thank all our community sponsors during this unprecedented time.  Without them this calendar would not be possible, and this is tradition that is important to our community.  I especially appreciate the support of Community Bus Service who helped to underwrite a large portion of this year’s calendar.  While the pages do not have the details like previous editions, we have tried to capture all the ways our community is #MadisonStrong.  The pictures, the celebrations, the students depicted capture what makes our community so special.  We will continue to reach out to the community through our Goods News email and our regular updates on the webpage.  We look forward to a different but productive year educating the students of Madison. 

 

Yours in Education

Angela M. Smith, Superintendent