Thank You, DAA Family, For the Time Spent with My Family
On Monday, May 19, I returned to my role as principal of DAA after an 8-week maternity leave. My son, Julian, joined his daddy, big sister Maeve, and me at a whopping 9 pounds, 10 ounces on March 21st! Although I am missing being at home with my babies so much, my return to DAA after maternity leave has shown me just another reason why DAA is such an amazing place.
On Monday, when I arrived at work, with excitement mixed with the inevitable sadness of leaving your baby for the first time, I was greeted with my office covered in handmade cards and huge welcome back signs. When the kids arrived, the smiles and huge hugs I received quickly reminded me of why I love working at DAA in the first place. I had really missed our kids. They quickly changed the feeling in my heart from a slight ache to bursting with love!
I had worked hard before I left in March to set up our team for success by completing projects that could be completed, but delegating other important jobs to our capable team. As my first week back went on, I was so happy and impressed to see how the DAA team stepped up to make sure that deadlines were met, systems and procedures remained intact, and our bar of excellence stayed sky high. Sure, there has been PLENTY of work for me to do upon my return, but I returned to a smooth ship.
What a testament to our team. Thank you so much to Kyle for taking on “principaling” in addition to the million other things you do. Thank you to Shyla, our EL school designer, for making sure that our Professional Development sessions stayed focused on our school work plan and our teachers got the support they needed. Thank you Jen, for being 9 months pregnant yourself and taking on our data analysis and Professional development. Thank you, Kimberly, for being our MAP expert. Thank you Anne, for making sure our Parent Nights were still as great as they have been. Thank you Danielle, for being our Kindergarten recruitment contact. Thank you Jessica, for keeping our art program strong. Thank you, Donie, for making sure lunch stayed smooth and covering staff at a moment’s notice. Thank you, Bianca, a DAA parent, for stepping up and helping in the office. Thank you Heather, for making sure our first graders learn more than we thought possible. Thank you, Vickie, for joining our team with such a positive attitude. Thank you everyone, for keeping classroom instruction strong. Thank you parents, for supporting your students in reaching their goals. Most of all, thank you DAA students for being so wonderful! I can’t begin to describe how much it means to me that you worked so hard to make sure I had a stress free maternity leave with my new baby.