Summer Office Hours

Just a reminder that the Carrollton Elementary Main Office is open Monday through Thursday from 8 AM to 4 PM.  C'mon by and visit us!

Year End Thank You!

Carrollton Elementary Families,

As the school year comes to an end, I want to thank everybody for welcoming me to the school with such open arms.  It's a honor to serve as your principal.

As a CAES parent, I always thought Carrollton was a great school.  Now as the principal, I KNOW it's a great school.  We have such an enthusiastic and dedicated staff who care about children.  Our parent community never ceases to amaze me with your willingness to support us in helping your children.  

Most importantly, our students are incredible.  Their love for each other and thirst for knowledge is inspiring.  Not a day goes by that I don't stop and admire our children for their passion for life.  I never take for granted the many hugs, high-fives, and fist bumps that I receive from them.

We will begin summer hours on Monday, June 17th.  The CAES Main Office will be open Monday through Thursday from 8-4.  We return to "regular" Monday-Friday office hours on Monday, August 19th.

Once again, thank you for all that you do to make Carrollton Elementary the wonderful school that it is.  I look forward to working with you next year.

Kevin Goetz

Principal

kgoetz@iwcs.k12.va.us

Summer Camps and Apps!

Here are some great local camps for kids this summer, and also a website that will provide some creative summer apps for kids for those rainy days!

Click here for local Summer camps!

Click here for Summer Apps for Kids!

Reduction in Force (RIF) Cuts at CAES

Carrollton Elementary Families,

Many of you are aware that the Reduction in Force (RIF) cuts hit Carrollton Elementary School on Tuesday.  Five dedicated CAES teachers were notified that they would not be offered a contract for next year due to limited budget funding.  I have kept the staff keenly aware of the budget process and the ramifications of the budget. That did not make it any easier for us as a faculty when five of our friends and colleagues lost their jobs.  The IWCS RIF policy gives these teachers priority for any teaching position that opens up for 15 months so we are hopeful they will quickly regain a teaching position elsewhere.

While these cuts occurred throughout the school division this week, CAES was hit especially hard due to two facts.  We currently enjoy an extremely low average classroom size, with approximately 19.5 students per classroom.  This is well below the the state funding formula of 24 students per classroom.  In addition, only one CAES teacher had announced her intention to depart at the end of the school year.  These two factors resulted in the extensive RIF cuts at CAES.

While these decisions were incredibly difficult, I have been deliberating and analyzing these choices since February.  Not a day has gone by that I haven't considered options and evaluated information.  I am tasked with making the decisions that are best for Carrollton Elementary and our students.  That simple directive drives each and every decision that I make for our school.

There was a grading rubric developed by the IWCS leadership team to help schools make these decisions.  IWCS principals had input on the rubric and I personally felt very comfortable in the final rubric.  Components of the rubric included contract status, educational degrees earned, licensure/teaching endorsements, school leadership roles, extracurricular involvement, and job performance.  There were no directives to identify specific teachers or types of teachers.  Ultimately I want the best teachers at Carrollton Elementary and that is what drove my decision-making.  

Throughout this emotionally draining week, I kept looking forward.  Although we will miss our friends, I am convinced that that Carrollton Elementary will continue to thrive and improve.  Much of this conviction is based upon the incredible school community and parental support that we enjoy at CAES.  I have been humbled by the supportive conversations with parents and community members I've had since Tuesday. Your trust and confidence in me is reassuring and inspiring.

CAES will look different next year.  You can anticipate larger classroom sizes in the mid-20's.  But many of you know that CAES has had similar classroom sizes in the very recent past.  Research consistently dictates no matter the number of students in the classroom, the key determining factor in any successful learning environment is the teacher.  Knowing that, I am 100% convinced in the future success of our students.  CAES will continue to enjoy the most talented, dedicated, and skilled educators at any elementary school.  I will continue to do everything I can to support them.

I wanted to share this information with you since it directly impacts the most important part of your life- your children.  Although my 3rd grader is moving onto Westside, I have a son entering Kindergarten this fall and a daughter in another two years.  There is no other school I would rather for them to attend.  I can't wait for them to enjoy the love and support that is found throughout Carrollton Elementary.

Please let me know if you have any questions. 

Kevin 

Kevin Goetz, Ed.S.

Principal

Carrollton Elementary School

kgoetz@iwcs.k12.va.us