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 Principal's Corner |
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From the Principal, Bonnie Coffey-Smith I am extremely proud to be the principal of McKinley Elementary. It is indeed a privilege to be the instructional leader of this vibrant and caring community, working in partnership with our team of talented staff, dedicated parents, and promising students. Our philosophy is that every child can achieve, and our teachers and staff take responsibility for challenging every student to learn. I believe in both a strong academic and social development program. The instruction at McKinley includes a variety of methods and strategies to meet the needs of all students while encouraging a lifelong love of learning. I welcome you to visit our classrooms and school events. Bonnie Coffey-Smith is an educator with more than 30 years of teaching and administrative experience in the San Francisco Unified School District, including serving as a general education and science teacher at McKinley in the 1980s. She went on to spearhead a district-wide science education program. She became McKinley’s principal in 1998. Retirement Letter from Principal Bonnie Coffey-Smith
I have been very fortunate to be a part of SFUSD for 38 years, the most recent ten as the Principal of McKinley School. After much deliberation and soul searching, I have made the decision to retire from SFUSD. This was not an easy decision because I am dedicated to public education and to you and your children.
During the past 10 years, McKinley has emerged as a school that welcomes all, has high expectations and provides a rounded program for students. It has been an unforgettable journey to work, plan and implement quality instruction for our students. We truly have an exception al school with highly qualified staff, committed parents, and caring students. I feel confident that McKinley has solid infrastructures through the leadership of the SSC, PTA, and teachers to maintain values that the community supports. The new principal will inherit a vibrant community that will support his/her efforts to take McKinley into the future.
I can't begin to express my appreciation for the families that have given time and dollars to support initiatives that have now become a stable part of who we are. The principal's job has become very complex; however, I have always been able to turn to parents and staff to solve problems as well as provide the inspiration to provide more for our children.
Again, I thank you for 10 years of memories.
Bonnie Coffey-Smith
As we end the 2007/8 school year, we have much to celebrate. All of our staff implemented a comprehensive skills testing program so we could identify the Reading and Math needs of each student. Teachers met weekly to fine-tune our lessons, thus providing a well-designed, comprehensive Reading Program and Math Program for all students.
Due to the thorough planning of the SSC and staff, we were able to expand our music program through State Improvement Funds. Our orchestra teacher continued providing our 4th and 5th graders added opportunity to plan an instrument. We established a 4th and 5th Grade Performing Percussion Group. The group performed at several events, including the SFUSD PTA annual dinner. Our kindergarten through 3rd grade students participated in Percussion, Dance and Chorus classes. All students, kindergarten through 5th grade, performed in at least one stage performance. Mr. Wilkinson led a guitar troupe, and our kindergarten through 3rd grade visual artist, Mr. Dan, completed many new permanent pieces of art for our building. Our successful Spanish program continued for kindergarten through 2nd grade, and expanded into our 3rd grade classes. We again benefited from the partnership with the Health Champions Program from CPMC.
We received funding to send all of our students to the Marin Headlands—a $25,000 project. All of our classes attended San Francisco Symphony concerts at Davies Hall. All of our students experienced a variety of field trips, learning more about this wonderful city we all live in.
Our recruitment efforts this year yielded a record number of 146 requests—almost four times the number is 2002/3—and there is a waiting list for kindergarten for 2008/9. We had an incredible recruitment effort from parents and staff.
Our PTA planned and supported events for students such as:
The PTA also assisted in recruiting new students, establishing a website (www. Mckinleyschool.org), organizing fundraising events (e.g. car washes, Chevy’s Night, Books Inc.), supported teachers by volunteering in classrooms, organized a Saturday Open House and new family Welcome BBQ, and so much more. Two garden grants were funded, and one was completed. The front garden will be completed next year with the support from Lowe’s.
Our incredible staff of teachers and support personnel gave 200% in and out of the classroom working hundreds of overtime hours to plan daily lesson plans and special events for our students. Each teacher rose to leadership and had some part in organizing an event this year. What a professional group of teachers we have!
We end the year on such a positive note. In 2008/9 we will celebrate the completion of McKinley’s 100th year. The future looks bright and we have so many memories to carry us forward into the 2007/8 school year.
Bonnie Coffey-Smith
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