Principal's Message

September 19, 2018

2018-19 is off to a great start! There is a special excitement that comes with the beginning of a new school year, and this one was no different. As our new students got acclimated to their surroundings and our returning Spartans caught up with their old friends, you could feel a palpable buzz in the air no matter where you went on campus.

As always, our teachers have set high academic expectations for all of our students this year. And, already, we're seeing students rise to the challenge. Our faculty and staff also committed to a new mission statement for Stratford: "Committed to Learning. Working Together. Enriching Lives." This new statement of purpose perfectly encapsulates our promise to Every Child - that we will work collaboratively to ensure that all of our students learn the essential material that is required for success in the next course or in college, in order to enrich their lives in a significant way.

Notice that this commitment is not to teaching, but to learning. As such, I've challenged our faculty to meet our students where they are, experiment with innovative new teaching techniques, and to assess students multiple times until we are sure that they have truly mastered the content. My hope is that, as we look to meet the needs of every child, this mentality will help to make our campus even more student-centered and nurturing than it already was.

Outside of academics, our campus is also back into the full swing of Fall activities. Football, volleyball, cross country, and team tennis have already started their competition season with great results across the board. Our fine arts programs, including band, orchestra, choir, Spartanaires, and theater are rehearsing or performing every day. And, all of our clubs and organizations are getting back together to plan new activities for this school year.

Like I said, we're off to a great start! As always, thank you for sharing your children with us. If there is anything that we can do to better support your student on their road to success, please let me know.

With Spartan Pride,

Chad Crowson, Principal