Principal's Message

It is my honor and a pleasure to welcome you to the 2023 – 2024 school year! I hope you all have had a relaxing and fun summer break. I am extremely proud to serve as the long-time Principal of this amazing learning community and to continue to support the students and staff of North Godwin Elementary! The dedicated staff at North has been working tirelessly to finalize classroom details and schedules, engage in professional learning opportunities, and update our instructional models, class routines, and expectations, all with the goal of fostering academic success and a true sense of connectedness and belonging for our students. North Godwin's outstanding 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade educators create the foundation for your child’s academic success, and we do it with tremendous pride and dedication.

In addition to what we can do every day in the classroom, further student success is attributed to active and engaged parents. Please make time to talk with your students about their school day, encourage positive social interactions, read our weekly newsletter about happenings in our building, and ensure that your student/s are going over important paperwork with you that comes home in their backpacks. Together we can build a strong bridge between home life and school life.

North Godwin actively promotes a school-wide P.B.I.S. (Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports) system. PBIS is an evidence-based three-tiered framework to improve and integrate all of the data, systems, and practices affecting student outcomes every day. Tier 1 practices and systems establish a foundation of regular, proactive support while preventing unwanted behaviors. Schools provide these universal supports to all students, school-wide. Tier 2 practices and systems support students who are at risk for developing more serious problem behaviors before those behaviors start. These supports help students develop the skills they need to benefit from core programs at the school. At Tier 3, students receive more intensive, individualized support to improve their behavioral and academic outcomes. At this level, our school relies on formal assessments to determine a student’s needs. PBIS emphasizes five interrelated elements: equity, systems, data, practices, and outcomes. Our implementation of a PBIS system, instilled through Godwin PRIDE, has been tremendously beneficial district-wide. At Godwin Heights we believe that all students possess the ability to learn, to experience personal success, and to be productive citizens.

In the climate we live in, school safety is an issue that we take very seriously. Godwin Heights Public Schools maintains the highest level of focus on the safety of our students. We ensure that all students and staff participate in the required safety drills and safety education each and every year. Our building is equipped with security cameras, security doors, a district Department of Security, and a strong partnership with local authorities and the Wyoming Police Department. We work diligently to ensure student safety throughout the school day, and ask for the understanding and cooperation of parents when we enforce building safety measures that help us to protect all students.

I look forward to the start of the new school year and to continuing our collaboration of providing your children with an effective and engaging educational experience. As always, we will look to our families to be positive partners in their children’s educational journey.

In closing, please know that my door is always open to you. I heartily welcome your conversation and positive input throughout this year. Let us always keep our students the primary focus of our work. I look forward to celebrating our collective successes during the 2023-2024 school year.

Sincerely,

Steve Minard

Principal

North Godwin Elementary

(3rd, 4th, and 5th grade building)