I went, toddler in tow, to visit Glen Oak at 9 a.m., and TJ at 10:30ish, to see two of our buildings in action and meet the kids (and parents, at Glen Oak) and the teachers.
Glen Oak, of course, is new and it’s BEAUTIFUL, so bright and so well-arranged for student learning, and when the whole park setting is finish it is just going to be gorgeous. It fits in the neighborhood really well. It’s a shame to see the older building go — I love the old architecture — but the new building is ADA compliant and has great student bathrooms and is just fantastic all around. It was busy at Glen Oak this morning with students who had not yet registered trying to register and get to their classrooms, but the staff was doing a great job helping students find their rooms in a new building and helping everyone get registered and sorted. (My toddler companion was very unhappy I wouldn’t let him go play in the Head Start rooms!)
Thomas Jefferson also looked great; the new LED lights make it so bright, with such a natural “sunshine” light. And the kids and I all agreed that the colored LED lights at the tops of the pillars in the hallway were, in a word, awesome. They were multicolored today; the principal told me they’ll be red-and-white (TJ’s colors) on many days, but that the janitor already has a blue-and-orange setup programmed for Mondays after Bears’ wins. We had a chance to see the severe-and-profound area, which is still getting set up, but was much brighter with the new lights and skylights, and to visit many classrooms and (since TJ is my neighborhood school) to see some kids we knew.
Exciting to see the new schools up and running, and exciting to see our kids back and ready to learn!
Thanks Laura I appreciate getting your feedback on schools you visit.