Welcome to the 2018-19 School Year!
Message from the Principal
Dear Dalton Families,
John Maxwell once said, “Leadership is not about titles, positions, or flow charts. It is about one life influencing another.” It is in the spirit of these words that I enthusiastically begin my first year as the principal at Dalton Elementary School. As a resident of Dalton Gardens and current parent of two Dalton Dragons, I have a vested, long-term interest in the continued success of the school, and I am thrilled to join the strong Dalton Team!
Prior to becoming an administrator, I spent twelve-and-a-half years in the classroom, eleven of which were at Canfield Middle School teaching eighth-grade language arts. I began my teaching career in Buckeye, Arizona, teaching seventh-grade language arts. For the past four years, I have served as a vice principal at Ramsey Magnet School of Science (2014-15) and Canfield Middle School (2015-18). In both positions, I committed myself to stay long term—until Mr. Gray retired from Dalton! At both schools, I had the opportunity to grow under effective principals and develop my administrative skills. Three core values help me balance my instructional and organizational leadership: the fostering of relationships, a focus on teaching and learning, and a commitment to continual improvement.
Just as I did in the classroom as a teacher, I will lead Dalton with high expectations, warm rapport, consistent visibility, and regular communication. I hope to know all of our Dalton families. I also hope you partner with the Dalton staff and me to create fertile ground for your child to reach his/her fullest potential: a kind, hard-working, and strategic reader, thinker, and learner who has a growth mindset and shows some grit during challenging lessons. We cannot do it without you! As a staff, we will work hard to create a safe, positive learning environment. As a school leader, I will be visible often in classrooms, hallways, lunchroom, playground, and pick up lines to get to know our students and families, to ensure safety, and to assess learning and growth. I will also be a learner alongside our staff and students. I expect all of us—myself included—to continue to grow and develop.
2018-19 will be a most remarkable year as Dalton Elementary undergoes nearly a full remodel. We feel tremendous gratitude for the community support behind such a big endeavor! It is no wonder we had support. Dalton is often filled with our amazing families helping out in the classroom and during special school or grade-level events. Because of the strong partnership, we have excellent attendance rates and test scores. Again, we cannot do it without you!
I look forward to working with you during the 2018-19 school year. Together, let’s make it one worth celebrating in our brand new building. Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have questions, concerns, kudos, or ideas.
With gratitude,
Jody Hiltenbrand
Principal
Dalton Elementary School
jhiltenbrand@cdaschools.org
