Happy Summer!  

 

It is hard to believe that another school year has come and gone so quickly. As I ponder on our academic journey, my mind and heart is filled to the brim. It has truly been a great year! What a school! At Vanderlyn, a sense of community and pride is evident in everything that we do. You notice it immediately. You feel it as you walk through the halls or attend a school function: the quality, the tradition, the pride, and the history of being "family." Together we've learned so much and shared experiences that will remain with us for many years to come. The strength of our community and wholehearted passion to make our school a wonderful place of learning for our children primarily, but for all of us, makes Vanderlyn truly a special place.

 

Special thanks to all of you who have contributed in ways small, large and unimaginable! Copying for VIP Folders, filling those folders, working in the library or book room, chaperoning field trips, helping with school pictures, providing food and/or organizing lunches for teachers, serving as room parents, organizing and working at events, showing up to support your children, helping in the organic garden, helping during Lunch-Bunch, serving on committees, sharing your talents, helping with morning carpool, picking up trash and beautifying our campus, brainstorming the "what ifs"... supporting our work in countless ways and providing the resources to do what we dream and know is good for children. Thanks for getting your kids to school on time each day, for kind notes of encouragement that mean so much, for sending your kids with healthy lunches obviously packed with love, for making sure homework gets done... and turned in. Thank you for providing rich and engaging, well-rounded experiences for your children and knowing that education is about joy, wonder and fostering curiosity, along with the development of social skills so needed to succeed. For these, and a million other things, we are truly grateful.

 

At the close of the school year is a time to review all of the ways in which we have been successful, and a time to begin making plans to build on that success in new ways that will positively shape our future. As a result of the collaborative efforts of our teachers, parents and students, we boast the following achievements for the 2013-14 school year:

• Our school earned a 95.2 CCRPI (College Career Readiness Performance Index) score on the state's report card. CCRPI is a comprehensive school improvement, accountability, and communication platform for all educational stakeholders that will promote college and career readiness for all Georgia public school students.

• Our students continued to exceed district and state assessment benchmarks. 99.9% of 3rd grade students passed the CRCT in Reading. 100% of our 5th grade students passed the CRCT in Reading & Math.

• Vanderlyn continues to strengthen our STEM Initiative. Our second year of implementation has yielded a more sustainable and consistent framework. We have had visits from the DCSD STEM Department, as well as STEM representatives from the Georgia Department of Education, both of which have given us very positive feedback on our progress towards certification. Our goal is to apply for STEM certification in the Fall.

• To promote the technology aspect of STEM and with the help of our PTA Annual Fund, we have added several upgrades (iPads, students laptops, student desktops), and we received an Activ Table as a part of a STEM grant.

• We hosted our very first STEM Career Day! We engaged our parent stakeholders who shared their STEM expertise with our students by providing informative and stimulating presentations. In addition, we also hosted STEM Math and Science Nights. Our parents and students enjoyed fun, hands-on STEM challenges and engineering activities.

• To strengthen our literacy curriculum and promote robust vocabulary, Vanderlyn implemented Principal's Book of the Month (PBOM) and hosted our very first vocabulary parade. A parade of creative costumes and robust vocabulary words marched across the campus while parent and community spectators cheered us on!

• Our faculty continues to thrive as a PLC (Professional Learning Community). Teachers are a part of a continuous learning environment that is designed for teachers by teachers. Through our PTA Annual Fund, we also attended various professional development workshops and conferences. These experiences increase pedagogical knowledge and improve teaching practices that directly impact student achievement. As a result of our initiative, I have been asked by the district to present our PLC model at the DCSD Summer Leadership Conference in July for the second year in a row.

• Our academic teams came in first place in every competition that they participated in this year! Our students were 1st place winners in the Helen Ruffin Reading Bowl, Science and Math Olympiad, Kittredge Math Tournament and Academic Bowl. We also did very well in the Reflections Contest and Chess Competition! This is a testament to the high levels of rigor that our students are exposed to by our awesome teachers!

• Vanderlyn celebrated Awards Day by recognizing the achievements of all students. In addition, we also gave our 5th grade students a HUGE celebration with all the pomp and circumstance!

• In an effort to increase operational efficiency, we opened up a second carpool lane. As a result, student tardiness has decreased and traffic flow has increased.

• Our parental involvement continues to be extremely high. The culture of our school is positive, as is the morale.

As you can see, Vanderlyn is a very special place to teach and learn. We have been extremely busy all year making this a premier learning environment for our students. Our success is built on the hard work of dedicated teachers, involved parents and wonderful students. I am very proud of all we are able to accomplish together. I appreciate all of your support through PTA Annual Fund and through your relentless volunteer efforts. As a result, you have made this another amazing year of "firsts."  I look forward to an even better 2014-15 school year!

 

To those of you who are leaving us for new places and adventures, we wish you all the best. Congratulations to our awesome 5th graders who are onto a new stage in their academic career! And, well-wishes, albeit with saddened hearts, to Ms. Hendrickson, Ms. Brodnax, Ms. James, Ms. Savage, Ms. Whitfield, Ms. Tunt, Ms. Smith, Ms. Teyf, Ms. Carroll, Ms. Wilbur and Dr. Hayes as they move to new positions, explore new opportunities, experience stay-at-home motherhood and enjoy retirement. Special congratulations go to Assistant Principal Lamback who has been promoted to principal of Westside Elementary in the Marietta City School District. She has been a gift to us this year and will undoubtedly be a great asset to her new school.

 

For your calendaring pleasure, the first day of school begins on August 11. Until then, enjoy a restful and replenishing summer with your families filled with play, exploration, and lots of time spent outdoors. This is a great way to learn and we live in an amazing place for it, don't we?!

 

With Viking Pride,

Mrs. Crenshaw

To My Dearest Vanderlyn Family,

It is with mixed emotions that I share with you the next chapter in my

professional career.  On July 1, I will be starting a new position as

Principal at Westside Elementary Talented and Gifted Academy in Marietta

City School System.  This is an exciting opportunity for me and I look

forward to the new challenges it has to offer.

A special thanks to Mrs. Crenshaw for her continued support, outstanding

leadership, and exceptional guidance.  It has been truly an honor to

work alongside one of the best Principals in the county and a distinct

pleasure of serving you as your assistant principal.  This school

community is an incredible place and an absolute highlight to my

career. 

I will embrace the opportunities for our paths to cross again.   

With love,