Message from Principal Mills
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Greetings! It has been such an honor and
pleasure serving the students as their new
Principal. I have met so many of you already, and
the kindness you have extended my family during
our transition has been deeply appreciated. My
thanks goes out to those who attended the
“Meet and Greet” before school started, and I
look forward to meeting the rest of the NHS
school family at our Open House set for Sept. 12
at 6:30. Coming from the outside the community,
I have a different perspective, and I can say
that you have wonderful children, and very hard
working and caring teachers dedicated to
serving your students to push them beyond their
limits, and help them learn how to succeed in the
future. I am very excited by the possibilities
that I see at New Harmony School.
I am sure all of you are as excited as I am in
hearing that NHS was named an “Exemplary
Progress” school by the State Department of
Education. We were given that honor because of
our school improvement efforts and the fact
that more than 90% of our students passed the
ISTEP last fall. You should be proud of your
students and their school. Please pass the word
so that everybody knows that NHS is “A Great
Place to Learn”.
There is a con to being rated so well - we are
now expected to work harder to continue to
show improvement. For that reason, we have
started several new programs. All 7 and 8 Grade
students have a study hall period that
alternates with ISTEP preparation and
remediation. We also have the period for some
High School students to help prepare them to
pass the Graduation Qualifying Exam (GQE). The
last program that I want to tell you about is our
after-school Jump Start program that is set to
kick off next Tuesday, Aug.29. The teachers at
NHS have volunteered their time after
school to help prepare your children by reviewing
for the ISTEP. This is a free program for
grades 3-12, and incentives will be given for
your child’s active participation in that program.
Staring on the 29 , teachers will stay after
school for three weeks every Tuesday,
Wednesday, and Thursday from 3:15 - 4:30 until
the ISTEP begins on Sept. 19. It is proven that
Jump Start activities can help improve your
student’s scores on the ISTEP. I
encourage you to fill out the form at the end of
this newsletter to sign your child up and send
the form to school on Monday. We will start the
program on Tuesday, and students can be picked
up promptly at 4:30.
I want this to be a successful and productive
year for your student. I think communication is
an important link to make this happen. If you
need to see me, I encourage you to email me to
set up an appointment or express your concerns.
Fell free to call, or stop in, and I will try to
meet/talk with you as soon as possible. You
should also feel free to email the teachers
about a concern. Teachers cannot often
immediately reply or answer the phone, but our
policy is to get back with you by the end of the
next school day. I truly believe that a majority
of problems that occur can be solved with an
open line of communication.
Once again, it has been a pleasure serving these
past two weeks as the new Principal of New
Harmony School, and with your support, I look
forward to continuing the tradition of academic
excellence for your children.
Douglas L. Mills
millsd@nharmony.k12.in.us
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