Superintendent's Office

Welcome to 2022-2023 School Year

August 1, 2022

As we prepare for the start of the 2022-2023 school year, we hope that you and your family have had a safe and relaxing summer. We are so proud of all we accomplished as a community last year. The challenges of the past two years have made us more resilient as a district and community. With the hard work and dedication of our entire staff, we are poised to have another successful year inside and outside of the classroom. We look forward to developing 21st century learners through the five essential skills of communication, collaboration, creativity, critical thinking and community as we continue to focus on opening the door to every child's future.

We were fortunate to be able to offer an expanded summer school which included an unprecedented access to enrichment opportunities at each of our campuses. As we get set to open the 22-23 school year we will be focusing on four key areas. Our first priority is the relaunch of our focus on Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS). This comprehensive framework ensures that our exceptional teaching and learning is fluid, dynamic and responsive. This work includes additional resources to support students academically, behaviorally, socially and emotionally. To support that work we have hired additional staff which means that each of our schools will have a full time school social worker. We have also hired academic advisors as an added layer of support for our middle schools. 

To enrich the educational experiences of our students, another area of emphasis for this upcoming school year is the expansion of our Broad Course of Study plan. Our goal is to provide our students with more robust enrichment opportunities in art and music. We envision this initiative being yet another way in which we develop well-rounded students. 

We will be expanding our efforts to expand and empower our students’ voices and provide more access to leadership opportunities throughout the District. One way we are doing this is by appointing the district’s first ever Student Board Member, Jacob Sanabria, a 7th Grader from EWMS. A few of his responsibilities will be to attend Board Meetings in order to provide a student perspective as well as serve as the lead ambassador for the Student Advisory Committee. We are also forming a Student Leadership Committee, which will expand the number of students who will be able to develop leadership skills beyond Student Council and ASB. 

We will also continue to strengthen our partnerships with local Whittier businesses and organizations. We also look forward to forming new relationships that can lead to additional resources that will ultimately benefit the student learning experience.

With all the positive things happening throughout our district, we couldn't be more excited to welcome back all 8100 of our students this fall. Through the collaboration of our teachers, staff, administrators and Board of Education, we will continue to uphold the district’s high standards and achieve our vision of “Opening the Door to Every Child’s Future.” 

Sincerely,

Marc Patterson

Superintendent