I Would Like to Take This Opportunity to Introduce Myself

Parents / Students:

Hopefully, everyone enjoyed the summer break. I would like to take this opportunity to introduce myself. My name is Jason Naucke and I am the “new” Interim Principal at Windsor High School. Over the past seven years, I have served as the Assistant Principal / Activities Director at WHS. As you may be aware, our Principal, David Gilmore lost his battle with leukemia in July. I assumed his duties back in March. We have spent the last few months transitioning to provide a seamless start to the 2016-17 school year. As always, I am thrilled to be a part of the Windsor community and we are ready to have another great school year.

Windsor High School is a Missouri & National School of Character and has received numerous additional accolades for an ongoing commitment to rigorous academic curriculum and instruction, development of healthy decision-making skills, and the development of good character and school citizenship. We are very proud of our students’ academic achievement. We know for students to continue learning and growing it takes focused, relevant, and engaging instruction, and parental support. We strive to provide every opportunity for maximum student achievement by personalizing learning activities for our students. Some of us remember high school as some of the best years of our lives, others remember high school as one of the most challenging times. The same holds true for students today. For some - school comes easy, for others - not so. As a parent, you are your child's first and most important teacher. With this in mind, here are a few tips to help you as parents partner with us in the task of guiding your child to success. 1. Support, understanding and discipline - Students need all three to be successful. Every student has heard a teacher say "you're not in middle school anymore." This statement is grounded in the fact that high school is different and challenging. As parents, we walk a fine line of being supportive & understanding and at the same time providing discipline that a child needs to be successful. 2. Communication / Enthusiasm - Communicate with your child about school. Talking and showing enthusiasm about friends, activities, teachers, and assignments helps keep students involved. 3. Goal Setting / Be Positive - Set realistic goals for your child. Focus on one goal at a time, and reward attainment of those goals. In addition, discuss your child’s strengths in school. We are all made different. A focus on the positive encourages a positive attitude. 4. Organization - Help get your child organized. Break down large assignments into smaller parts. Set out completed assignments in an easy to find place to avoid last-minute rushing around in the morning. Use separate folders for each subject area to avoid “misplacing” assignments. 5. Study Space - Provide a quiet study area in your home complete with paper, pens/pencils, ruler, markers, etc. A minimum of 30 minutes per night (without distractions such as television, radio, computers, video games, phone calls etc.) is needed for success in high school. 6. Focus on learning and improvement – Instead of always focusing on a child’s test score or grade in a class, focus your child’s attention on what they have learned and what should be done to improve. Enjoy the rest of your summer – THIS WILL BE AN INCREDIBLE YEAR!!!

Jason Naucke, Interim Principal – Windsor High School