• Picture of Principal Darby

    Greetings from Principal Darby,
     
    I am pleased to start my twenty-eighth year in education, my eighth year as an administrator and my second year as the proud principal of Deerfield Park Elementary. As I reflect on the accomplishments of the 2023-2024 school year, I want to thank the parents and the community for embracing the new administrative team, including myself as the principal and Ms. Stevens as the assistant principal. Thank you to the scholars and staff for their hard work and commitment to TEACHING & LEARNING.  Our 2023-2024 school year theme was TEAM - Together Everyone Achieves More. As a team of parents, staff, and scholars we encountered some changes (change is rarely easy) and challenges. As a team, we embraced the changes and worked through the challenges.  We established a culture that said TEACHING and LEARNING are our priorities outside of safety. This attention to TEACHING and LEARNING has yielded positive results. I say with great pleasure that Deerfield Park Elementary earned a school grade of "B" for the 23-24 school year. To add context, in the 22-23 school year, Deerfield Park Elementary earned a school grade of "D". The staff and I knew this grade did not reflect our scholars' ability. As a team, we decided to put away the excuses. We knew the road to increasing scholarly achievement would be difficult but not impossible. We did not focus on the difficult; we focused instead on the task of TEACHING and LEARNING. It's worth repeating and undoubtedly worth celebrating. Deerfield Park Elementary has earned a school grade of "B."
     
    Please note that as we embark on a new 2024 - 2025 school year, my staff and I are just as committed as we were during the 2023-2024 school year. Our theme of TEAM -Together Everyone Achieves More and focus on TEACHING and LEARNING remains the same. We are not chasing a letter grade of an "A" or "B." Instead, we will continue to focus on increasing scholar achievement through high-quality instruction and engaging lessons. This will result in many scholars meeting proficiency and thus earning the school a "B" or better grade. This goal to achieve academic success involves staff, scholars, and parents. As the principal, I will hold my staff accountable for
     
    • Providing high-quality instruction that meets the needs of all scholars
    • Be KIND to ALL scholars while serving as a role model
    • Communicate with parents and inform them about their child's academic performance and behavior concerns.
    As a valuable member of this team, I need your assistance with the following:
    • Scholars need rest—To maintain full engagement in daily activities, students need plenty of rest. Scholars should have a reasonable bedtime. Social media and text messages need to be monitored closely.
    • Scholars must arrive at school on time - The first bell rings at 9:00, and classroom instruction begins promptly at 9:05. At DPE, we value all instructional minutes. Allowing scholars to arrive late sends a message that school is not essential. Every minute counts! Every Scholar Matters!
    • Get involved in your scholar's learning - Ask your child specific content questions about their day. For example, what did you read about, who were the characters, and what math problems were you asked to solve? Answering these questions reinforces their knowledge.
    • Maintain constant communication with your child's teacher - The partnership between the parent/guardian and the teacher must be established early and continued throughout the school year. Research shows that classroom teacher and parental involvement impact student achievement the most. We need your support. Please speak to your child's teacher about Class DoJo.
    • Be a cheerleader for your child - As a parent/guardian, please understand the power of your words. Please remember to be a cheerleader for your child, especially when they are struggling. If they struggle, continue to reiterate that they can do it and seek ways in which you can assist. If you believe they can, they will also think they can.
    Remember, the preparation for success begins at home with you. I thank you for being a valuable member of the DPE team, and I look forward to working with you.
     
    Mr. Thomas Darby