As La Ballona Lions, we share in your PRIDE!
Welcome to the 17-18 School Year!
Here we are again, at the beginning of another school year. For many years (40 to be exact), this has been my favorite day of the year. While the ending of summer vacation is always bittersweet, the transition away from long summer nights into school days was and remains a favorite time of year.
And so it will be tomorrow morning--the first day of school. La Ballona will be descended upon by more than 600 students. 600 pairs of wide eyes dreaming of all the possibilities the year has to offer. 600 wide smiles greeting our staff and reminding us all why we do what we do.
Depending on the age, grade, and personality of your child, you will spend these next few hours dealing with excitement and enthusiasm, anxiety and nerves, or both! Your child's weeks of leisurely mornings will give way to an early rise and you, if you're anything like my own family, will be shouting out morning commands in an effort to get out the door on time!
And, like me, you may be wondering, "How did we get here?" Time is so fleeting. Summer vacation seems already a distant memory. "How is it that my baby is already in..." Kindergarten. 2nd grade. 5th grade. 9th grade. College.
And so, tomorrow, you will bring your child to La Ballona--for the first time, or for your final first day of elementary school. You will entrust us with your most precious and valuable gift. And we thank you for that. We promise that we will do everything we can to make this year memorable. We promise to do everything we can to make this a year of learning--not just academics, but about the world...about how to exist in a community of diversity...about how to be a good citizen...about how to act in a variety of circumstances...about how to persevere...about how to simply be.
It is personal to us. Because so many of us at La Ballona can tell you that this school means enough to us, it is amazing enough, that we have sent or are sending our own children here. We believe in the work being done by our teachers and colleagues. And we expect the best. Not just for our own children, but for yours as well.
In my staff newsletter this week, I told my colleagues that I couldn't be more proud to be a part of the La Ballona professional team. Tonight, I extend that. As a La Ballona parent, I could not be more proud to be part of a parent community that is committed to excellence for their children, that supports our teachers and members of our community, and that celebrates all that we are and all that we hope to be.
I look forward to sharing in another school year with you, both as your child's Principal, and as a member of your/our community.
I wish you all a wonderful school year!
Ms. Slabbinck