Change starts with 'We'

Dear Friends,

As I have said before, we are all in this together. The late Mahatma Gandhi said, “We must be the change we want to see in the world.” We must be the change we want to see in the District. Giving a little bit of time, from mentoring a student to making sure our children are adequately prepared for learning, can go a long way to transforming our community.

Beneath the surface, there are a lot of amazing things happening around this District that impact the successes and gains we are seeing in student achievement. There are people and organizations in the community every day who dedicate their time, money and resources to improving our students' lives and ability to achieve. Their contribution to our efforts to have every student “Ready by Exit” is invaluable.

Last week, we had an opportunity to say thank you to some of our community partners. On October 5, the School-Community Partnership Program and Community and Government Relations put on the Annual Recognition Breakfast at the Mirage Hotel and Casino. Though I was not able to attend, I was truly humbled by the stories of our partners who have given back so much to our students. From organizations such as the Las Vegas Fremont Rotary Club that donated backpacks and supplies to students at Kermit R. Booker Sr. Empowerment Elementary School, to the Green Valley Kiwanis Club and its donation of 1,200 bicycles and helmets to students at Robert Taylor Elementary School, the outpouring of generosity makes a lasting difference in the lives of our students.

Our community partners also do amazing things for our hard-working teachers. I’m pleased to announce that City National Bank is offering a $500 grant to aid literacy efforts in our schools. Any teacher, librarian, administrator or media specialist with a creative idea to enhance literacy can apply for a 'Reading Is The Way Up' grant. For more information on the program, visit www.readingisthewayup.org. Applications are being accepted through November 30 and awards will be announced in the spring of 2013. This is a wonderful opportunity and I encourage each school to apply for a grant.

To our supporters in the community, I cannot thank you enough for the work you do in our schools and the support you give our staff.

If you have feedback, you can email me at dwight.jones@ccsd.net or on Twitter @dwightdjones.

Best,

Superintendent Dwight D. Jones