Bobcat Families,

Welcome to the 2023-24 School Year!!! I am excited to join your Broad Ford family as principal this year. First, I'd like to share a bit about myself, and then I'll share some goals for the upcoming school year.

I am joining you after working in Dorchester County, MD, for 15 years as a teacher, instructional mathematics coach, assistant principal, and most recently, the principal of Maple Elementary School for the past four years. My experience has been in Title I elementary schools, so I already feel at home at Broad Ford.

Personally, I am married and have two young children, Bentley and Aubrey, that I will be bringing to Broad Ford with me. I plan to make Broad Ford the absolute best school for all of our children to attend!!

As for my goals for the school year, I plan to prioritize:

• Enhancing the school climate and culture,
• Improving academic achievement,
• Increasing communication, and
• Ensuring safety for all students and staff.

Our motto for the school year is LEVEL UP because we will be taking Broad Ford Elementary to the next level!! To improve the school climate and culture, we will expand our PBIS program and introduce a HOUSE system! The purpose of the house system is to create an environment where students feel connected and safe in more places than just their classroom. Our goal is to foster authentic relationships between students and staff in all grade levels. We want students to feel like they are part of a team within our school family. We hope this system will improve student engagement and strengthen positive relationships within our school community.

We also plan to improve academic achievement for all by continuing to provide rigorous instruction and engaging lessons. We will be focusing on students LEVELING UP in iReady and ARC. We will encourage all grades 1-5 students to read for 30 minutes in school and at home each day.

I plan to send a weekly newsletter informing parents of upcoming events to increase communication. A monthly school calendar will also be sent home. I encourage you to follow us on Facebook as we will post photos and updates often! All our staff will also use the same communication form this year. More information regarding this will be sent home soon.

Finally, to address safety, we have reviewed all of our safety procedures for the school and will continue to follow our policies and procedures. We will also ensure that all of our mandated drills are complete. Parents dropping off students tardy after 8:25 a.m. or picking their child up early, before 2:55 p.m., will come to the front door, and a secretary will assist you. Any visitors entering our school will need to sign in to our system with their driver's license or state-issued ID.

I am so excited for this new year and look forward to taking Broad Ford to the NEXT LEVEL!!!

Please don't hesitate to contact me with any questions or concerns. I am looking forward to working with you all!!

Rachel Wise
Principal
Broad Ford Elementary