Letter from the Superintendent
Dear Teachers, Students and Families,
Welcome to the state of Arkansas’s leading producer of education! I hope the following information expresses how proud we are of our school district and community. Over the last three years, our goal was to become the school of choice where students have hope, success, and a sense of accomplishment. We have worked to develop a portfolio of learning options in order to differentiate our instruction, to allow students to become the central focus of the learning environment, and to assist students in developing in the 21st as collaboration, communication, creativity, and critical thinking will now become the focus which drives Pea Ridge’s K-12 curriculum in preparing our students for the future.
Our belief system is based on our passion for education and our desire to provide lifelong learning opportunities not only for students, but also for teachers. We will seek continued improvement in professional development for teachers and administrators with an emphasis placed on STEM education and Project-Based Learning. Through our Professional Learning Communities, we will continue to support our Master Teachers while they support classroom teachers with new, engaging instructional strategies and effective resources.
The success of our district comes from outstanding instruction in quality programs. The Pea Ridge School District is recognized regionally and nationally as a highperforming school district with exceptional test scores, quality Advanced Placement courses, and Career and Technical Education programs. This fall, our district opens its cutting-edge Pea Ridge Business and Manu- facturing Academy. This conversion-charter format will merge education, business, and independent learning to meet the needs of the local and regional workforce, while providing students with college credits toward a degree. We currently have 90 students enrolled ready to participate in this life-changing opportunity.
As we all know, there are many challenges with each new school year. Our challenge to teachers and staff will be in not just meeting expectations, but in exceeding them. This will be accomplished by MAINTAINING the quality programs and initiatives we have in place. We plan on IMPLEMENTING new teaching strategies to equip the 21st students through effective teaching that focuses on each child’s learning style and pace. Finally, we plan to ELIMINATE the barriers to learning that many students face by continually touching students through Bright Futures.
The school and community commitment to Bright Futures Pea Ridge in the first year of its inception has provided love, stability, and resources to many students in need. This initiative has brought our community together to help raise the children of Pea Ridge collaboratively in hopes of breaking down barriers to their success along the way. Our greatest endeavour should always be to do our best to meet the needs of each and every student.
The continued building of our partnerships with our District’s families and our community stakeholders is vital to a successful school setting. We are here to serve our students, and we look forward to “Working Together For All Students” during the 2014-2015 school year. With extraordinary enthusiasm and excitement, I welcome you to a great school year! Respectfully, RICK NEAL