[CabotCommunity] Message from the principal, and summer coffees

[auvpto at aol.com]

 Hello folks, we hope that you are enjoying time with your children and the summer.

Some of you got a chance to meet with Mr. Jim Swaim when he visited Cabot in May.  But everyone did not get a chance meet him, therefore, we thought it will be nice to introduce him to everyone one more time. We have included, and attached, a copy of the letter from Jim Swaim to the Cabot community.  Please join me in welcoming Jim to Cabot and we hope that he will enjoy his tenure at Cabot.

Also, he has been kind enough to offer to meet with parents in small groups to know the parents better and connect.  We are in the process of fixing time and hosts for three coffees.  The tentative dates are as follows:

 August 22: 8:00 - 9:00 AM; 
 August 27: 7:30 - 8:30 PM (for SPED parents only);
September 12: 7:30 - 8:30 PM.

Please mark your calendars and we will soon send you the time and place for each coffee.  Hope to see you soon.




 Archana Vahalia
Cabot PTO Co-President
auvpto at aol.com
617-244-1435

SAVE PAPER. Please don’t print this email unless necessary.




Greeting from Jim Swaim



 



Hello Everyone!  I am very excited about coming to Cabot as
the interim Principal.  I enjoyed my
visit with the parents in May and look forward to working with all of you. 



 



As part of my entry to Newton, I would like to
meet with as many interested parents as possible.  My goal is to do this by the middle of
September.  I know the summer should be a
time for you to refresh and reenergize so I don’t want to intrude.  However, if you have the time and the
inclination to meet, I would welcome the chance.  You can send me an e-mail
(jim_swaim at Newton.K12.ma.us) and we can schedule a time to talk.  I will return from my vacation on August 18th
and will be in the Cabot office from then on.  



 



Just to give our conversation
a bit of structure, I hope we can focus on the following questions:




Tell me about your experiences at Cabot- whatever
     you want or think I should know, particularly as it relates to your child
     or children.

What do you see as the most important needs in
     the school in the next year?

How can I as principal help meet those needs?




 



In the spirit of reciprocity,
here’s what I think you should know about me. 
I started teaching in 1969 right of college.  I came to Brookline in 1977 and was a “looping teacher”
of third and fourth grade until 2002.  I
was then Vice Principal of the Pierce School in Brookline for
two years and Principal of the Lawrence
 School for three.  Thanks to my Dad, I developed an obsession
for the Red Sox at an early age.  To
sustain this, I have had season ticket since 1977.  My wife, a literacy specialist at Devotion
and I raised two daughters who went to the Brookline Public Schools.  I have run two marathons and still try to
“jog” whenever my body allows me to.  On
weekdays, I get up at 5:00 am, read for an hour, and then go to school.  I am a morning person and subscribe to a
growth mindset.



 



Given the changes which have
occurred at Cabot, I think one of my main responsibilities would be to support
and sustain the school’s sense of efficacy. 
I know as a teacher what I appreciated most in my principal was the
creation of the conditions which allowed me to feel I could be a good and
effective teacher.  I also appreciated a
principal who was legitimately aware of the needs of students, staff and the school
and worked hard to meet them.  Given all
this, what I cherish the most as a Principal is being in classrooms, developing
relationships with students, teachers, and parents and talking to both about teaching
and learning in a meaningful and enhancing way. 
If I couldn’t do this, I don’t think I would stay in the job.



 







Best
wishes for a restful and satisfying vacation.                                                                                                                                                           





                                                                                                Sincerely,



 





Jim Swaim
Interim Principal
Cabot Elementary School





229
  Cabot Street,






Newtonville, MA 02460      




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