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Dear East High School Families,

I hope this letter finds you well. For the past 11 years, I have had the pleasure to serve the East High School community in our work to create a welcoming and inclusive learning environment promoting student achievement and enrichment. I have learned over the years East teachers and staff are the heart of the community, and truly make a difference in the lives of your children.

Each school year, we collaboratively make the changes we need to continue promoting growth and progress as a school community. Yesterday, you were informed of my assignment as Principal at East High School for the remainder of the school year. During my time as Assistant Principal, East has become my home, and it is truly an honor to continue to serve my community in this new capacity.

I know East is a place where strong connections are made between staff, students, and families. I take great pride in our commitment to East being a thriving school, full of academic opportunities, while also providing needed social-emotional and mental health supports. I look forward to visiting classrooms and speaking with students; working together with teachers in continuing to support learning opportunities for our scholars; and getting to know more of our Purgolder families.

Over the last few weeks, many of you have reached out to express your concern around student safety as a result of multiple student altercations, which have largely occurred during our open lunch period. I want you to know, East staff are working very diligently with the students involved in these incidents, along with their families, to address these issues, put a stop to this behavior, and determine consequences following our Behavior Education Plan.

A successful school safety plan involves all of us: students, teachers, staff, administrators, families, community members and partners. With many incidents occurring during open lunch and off school property, we encourage family conversations with students around their plan for lunch, appropriate behavior, making responsible choices, and the type of activity they participate in. By establishing a lunch plan, students can explore alternative options such as participating in the many enriching school-sponsored club activities occurring during the lunch period. For more information on student clubs, we invite you to visit this link.

As your Principal, I do not want to miss an opportunity to express my sincerest gratitude to all East families for collaborating and working in unity. Thank you for your trust in me, and the opportunity to be a part of your scholar's educational journey. I want you to know that I invite ongoing conversation with all of you. Please do not hesitate to reach out if you have questions, comments, or suggestions. We can be reached at (608) 204-1733.

I look forward to a successful school year.

Sincerely,

Mikki D. Smith
Principal