Welcome to 2018! I hope your year and the second semester of school are both off to a good start despite a few days of chilly weather. In case you haven't heard, we will not make up the two days we missed, since we have additional time built into our instructional calendar.

January is School Board Recognition Month, so I want to take this opportunity to thank these seven men and women who generously serve our district and our community. The theme this year is "Helping Kids Soar to Success," and our Board certainly does that! Pete Pape, Agustin Loredo III, Jessica Woods, Howard Sampson, Ricky Clem, Ben Pape and Al Richard spend many hours making decisions in the best interest of our students and schools as well as attending school district events and activities. The time and effort they devote to our district is a gift, and we thank them for caring about our students and our schools. We'd also like to thank all our schools for sending posters, in keeping with the theme, to decorate the Board Room in honor of our GCCISD Board members.

Thank you to those of you who took the time to express your opinions at our recent public forums about rezoning vs. a consolidated school. It is important for the Board of Trustees as well as district administrators to hear from our community. When hosting such forums, it is common to hear varying viewpoints from the community, which is healthy. Ultimately, the Board of Trustees, comprised of elected officials who represent their constituents, has the final say as members vote upon action items that they feel will move the school district forward.

When change occurs, it is not always favorable to all who may be impacted. In education, we have learned to adapt to federal and state mandates that do not always make sense to us. If I have learned anything from these experiences, it is that meeting these challenges in life head-on is often what builds our character and enables us to overcome all obstacles.

Switching gears, I had the opportunity to meet with the Superintendent's Campus Connection recently. It is truly a privilege to meet with these dynamic teachers, representing their campuses, to be able to get a pulse on the district. Our theme this year is "Creative Ways to Improve the Instructional Focus," and these teacher leaders bring experience, knowledge and creativity to the table as we share ideas about improving instruction. Please seek out your campus representative to learn more about our exciting campaign toward school improvement.

I challenge you to charge into the new year with a rejuvenated sense of purpose to provide the best education possible for the community we serve.