Welcome Back, Dragons!
Welcome back to another exciting school year at Grant Park Elementary School! I hope everyone had a wonderful summer and is ready for a great year. I am so excited to welcome our students back into the building. There is nothing quite like seeing the excitement on their faces as they walk through the doors on the first day of school, and I know we are going to have an amazing year together.
This year is especially exciting as we welcome our students and staff into our beautifully updated building. We have made some significant improvements that will provide our students and staff with a safer, more comfortable, and better learning environment.
A special thank you goes to Healy Bender Patton & Been Architects, who helped guide us through this project from beginning to end. Their expertise and support were instrumental in making these improvements possible. I also want to thank Reed Construction, our general contractor, for managing the project and coordinating all of the trades throughout the construction process. These projects are never easy, and we truly appreciate the hard work and dedication that went into making our updated building a reality.
While the new improvements to our building are exciting, what happens inside those walls is what matters most. Our focus will continue to be on providing a quality education EVERY DAY, in EVERY CLASSROOM, for EVERY CHILD. That is the Grant Park Way, and it will continue to guide us throughout the school year.
This year is also a very special one for me personally. It is my 34th year in education, all of which I have spent here at Grant Park, and it will be my final year as the Elementary School Principal. As I begin my retirement year, I know I will be looking at this school year through a different lens. I plan to savor every “last”—my last first day, last assemblies, last celebrations, last field trips, and all of the everyday moments that make being an educator and principal so special.
For 34 years, I have had the privilege of watching generations of Grant Park students grow, learn, and become incredible young people. Through all of those years, one thing has never changed and never will: kids come first. I will continue to put our students first every day, right up until my “last” day.
To our students: I want you to know how excited I am to see you and to watch all that you accomplish this year. To our families: thank you for trusting us with your children and for being such an important part of our school community. And to our staff: thank you for the dedication, heart, and commitment you bring to our students every single day.
I am looking forward to making this final year one to remember. Let's make it a year filled with learning, laughter, growth, and plenty of great memories.
Welcome back, Grant Park Dragons! I can't wait to see what this year brings.
With Dragon Pride,
Ms. Planeta
Principal, Grant Park Elementary School