Weekly Newsletter
06/01/2020
Dear Highland Park Staff,
Well, that's a wrap! Perhaps the strangest and most stressful ending to a school year in quite some time, if not ever. I won’t bore you with my repetitive line of how thankful I am for your resilience, your flexibility, your kindness and your grace, although I am very thankful.
As I walked the hallways of our empty campus early this morning, I thought about how grateful I am to work alongside such a phenomenal team. I want to ask you to take a moment to realize how amazing you are. Whether you are a teacher, assistant, office staff, counselor, admin, or other supporting role, you are amazing. If this difficult time did anything, it reminded the world that WE are essential.
It is pretty crazy to think that on a daily basis we run a school of over 80 staff members and over 750 students, and although we have hiccups, we make it work, and we make it work well! We are often our own worst critics, but I take that as a compliment to our desire to keep improving, and growing in all ways.
There is no doubt that we work hard to be a grade A campus - the best of the best. We have grown to expect it, and our kids, parents, and community deserve it. I look forward to an opportunity to reunite with each and every one of you in August (hopefully in our building) and start our work again. We make a difference to our kids and to our community. Thank you for being a part of this Bulldog family.
Many of you have questions in regards to what 2020-2021 will look like for us. Right now we have more questions than answers, but I can assure you that as TEA provides us with guidance I will relay that information to you and whatever that may look like, we will tackle it together as a team.
I hope you have a safe, restful, and relaxing summer break, whatever that may look like. Take time with friends and family, but most importantly take time for yourself. The school year is a merciless time for educators. We pour our hearts, souls, resources, time, and talents into each and every student, each and every day. Due to the nature of our busy lives, taking a break to look after ourselves might sometimes feel like a luxury. However without self care, we cannot function at our best. So take your shoes off, put your comfy clothes on, and relax your mind and body, for now, your work for 2019-2020 is done...
As always take care of yourself and keep yourself and your family healthy and safe. Enjoy your summer break. Don't hesitate to call, email or text if you need anything at all.
Warm Regards,
Lizbeth Ruiz