Principal's 
Page

Principal's Message

  

August 2009

Dear Duffy Parents, Guardians and Friends,

Greetings and welcome to Duffy School! As we begin a brand new school year, the Duffy staff is excited to commence the learning process once again. The teachers are the backbone of the excellent instruction that your child is assured to experience. Please welcome Rob DeVeau as the new PE teacher and Liz Schott as the new Art teacher at Duffy. I would also like to introduce Becky Pauluk who will be teaching 4th grade along with Cathy Fagan who will be moving to grade four. Kate Betterini will be moving from a second grade special education position to a first grade teacher in a newly created space. We have added a few new part-time specials teachers to assist with Duffy’s growing numbers. Our population is currently at 587 students including 103new kindergarteners. Despite a challenging budget year, we have been able to secure two new sections for a total of 28, making our class size very comfortable for the most part.

Duffy’s focus will continue to be on Student Achievement, especially in reading and in math. After many years of trying to secure support for math, I am pleased to share that we will hired a math tutor from a CREC grant I applied for at the close of school last year. We will maintain our efforts to integrate technology into the curriculum, and with support from the PTO, I hope that we can complete the initiative to secure an interactive white board in every classroom. As we add classrooms, the challenge increases! Staff will continue to receive professional development on Wednesdays to learn to use technology in the most effective ways and to sharpen their instructional strategies to improve student achievement. We are moving forward with Data Teams and training for teachers to use data to improve learning for all students.

You will find current information about Duffy in the "Happenings" section of the Duffy Webpage including all Duffy Datelines that will be posted for the year so you can reference both new and old information. Communication and open dialogue are the keys to making this year another excellent year at Duffy. We are here to serve you!

Sincerely,

Kathleen Tracy, Principal

and the Duffy Team

 

 


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