Day Two:  Reality begins to set in; routines are established and practiced; expectations are in place.  Little things like conquering the pesky ketchup packets, opening milk cartons, and covering textbooks become easier.  Bigger things like homework assignments on certain days, checking out library books, forming guided reading groups, or creating passwords for software programs start to occur.  Morning arrival and afternoon dismissal procedures begin to gel . . . we even have fewer morning tardies and shave 15 minutes off the afternoon car line from the previous day!  These small yet highly significant celebrations make our day, but what do they have to do with a monster truck, you ask?

One of my favorite times of the school day is my “walk-about.”  Doctors call them “rounds” but as my office staff will tell you, I’m usually walking-all-about the campus (lucky for them my walkie-talkie is always with me, huh?!).  What is significant about this special time are the casual opportunities I have to interact with learners and their classroom leaders.  For example, in one classroom today, a child was meticulously drawing large shapes on a section of paper to begin a brief writing assignment.  This learner begins to tell me about the picture (monster trucks were involved) and how the family works on these trucks between races.  I will have always have a healthy respect for the power of knowledge involved in building and racing monster trucks as well as an instant connection now with this child as we begin to build a learning relationship this year.

These first few days are critical times in which your child’s teacher builds connections and nurtures a unique relationship with each learner.  This is the foundation for the year ahead.  When you take time to build the relationship, trust soon follows.  It is then easier to provide relevance and increase the rigor throughout the school year so the desired results and outcome occur.  I encourage you to nurture this relationship process from home.  Reach out and make a connection yourself.   Parents are the first teachers; you are our learning partners and participating members on this educational journey.  We need you!

We look forward to seeing you soon at parent meetings, volunteering in the classroom, or coming by to eat lunch with your child.  In the meantime, think about those monster trucks, but don’t let them roll over you this year!

There are those persons in our daily school life who make all the difference on an opening day . . . the children, parents, staff members, friends, and community helpers.  Then there are those whose very presence simply nurtures us.  The three ladies pictured here, Brenda Folsom, LaRue Miller (our school namesake), and Dolores McClatchey,  have been at every Miller opening since our first day in 2008.  These icons are all Midlothian ISD retirees and teaching legends.  Honestly, we couldn’t open the doors Day #1 without them.  While they like to brag “you’re helping us,” we know, in fact, they are the shoulders we stand upon as we educate the future generation.  Their gentle guidance with new parents, brilliant smiles, kind words, and calm presence set the tone for an amazing first day.  Yes, blessings continue to abound at Miller . . . the first day is always proof.  We look forward to an extraordinary year ahead!

Yes, we are blessed at LaRue Miller Elementary!  While I cannot begin to adequately pen each individual blessing in this short missive, you need to trust me on this personal observation.  The annual “blessing of the school” (thanks to all who attended) always reminds me of the daunting task ahead for the coming 177 instructional days . . . tasks for our learners, their classroom leaders, families, and our learning community.  On the night before the first day of school, there is great excitement, expectation, anticipation, anxiety, fear, wonderful smiles, and maybe some tears when thinking about the tasks ahead (and that’s just our Miller staff members).  I challenge us this year to focus more on each day; to capture the majestic moments of each task.  Look at it this way:  the only way to eat the six-tiered cake is one piece at a time.

In his serene wisdom, Ralph Waldo Emerson noted:  “What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.”  What lies within each learner, each leader, and each member of our LaRue Miller family are extraordinary possibilities; now is the time to experience them!  As we embark together this school year through our educational journey, may you and your learner be showered in profound blessings and majestic moments.  Count your blessings; we’ll see you on Monday!  🙂

Salutations!  My name is Beth Van Amburgh and I am honored to serve as princiPAL of LaRue Miller Elementary in Midlothian ISD, Midlothian, Texas.  For a twist this year, I accepted a challenge to blog about daily school life here at LME, thus this venue will be the fruits of my writing labor.  I endeavor to:

1. tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth;
2. share wit and wisdom from the learners and leaders of our learning community;
3. offer research-based thoughts on hot topics (well, if I’m telling the truth, then personal interjections may occasionally be somewhat biased); and
4. give hope during waves of educational change.

Please enJOY the attached portrait of me compliments of a learner sharing her artistic talents.

It’s time to ring the golden bell, LaRue Miller Elementary, on our 2011-2012 school year!  Welcome!