TIME TO SHINE!

Greetings and welcome back to classrooms, OCPS!

On the first day of school, I was so happy to see the excitement on the faces of our students and teachers. With schools back in session, we get to do what we do best.

I want to extend a special ‘welcome home’ to Riverdale Elementary, a community returning to their own school this year. For 10 months, their campus was closed for a major renovation project due to the heartbreaking damage caused by Hurricane Ian. And this year, Water Spring Middle School is also settling into their brand-new campus.

We are so lucky to have such a spirit of collaboration in our district. East River High School hosted Riverdale during renovations, with the guiding motto of “Two Rivers, One Family.” And Horizon High School made Water Spring Middle an integral part of their campus for two years. I appreciate all the ways we step up to support each other in OCPS.

What has encouraged me the most as I have visited schools during these first few weeks is seeing every adult on our campuses back together. Our teachers have worked so hard, spending time over the summer preparing and fine-tuning for the year. Our custodians, facilities, maintenance and grounds employees pushed hard through the blazing hot summer to make sure all of our campuses would be looking their best. I love the high energy I’ve seen from all of you, despite changes this year that have been difficult for us to maneuver.

I’m confident that our new administrative structure will provide more support to schools, and we are optimistic that our new cell phone policy will reduce bullying and increase connections between our students. I look forward to continuing to connect with you through Town Halls, ThoughtExchange and Mondays with Maria. Please keep up with our latest news at theslice.ocps.net and on social media.

Have a wonderful year, and thank you for everything you do to help our students succeed.

Maria F. Vazquez, Ed.D. Superintendent