Dear Parents and Community,

Welcome to our St. John-Endicott Cooperative School Districts' website. I am thrilled to be a part of such a strong team of educators. Our efforts will be to continue the type of service you are accustom to and increase the opportunities for those who desire more. We hope for your involvement and positive working relationship.

We often hear that it takes an entire community effort to raise our children. I like what Mike Eruzione of the 1980 U.S. Hockey team, had to say on the topic of teamwork. "We all came together six months before the 1980 Winter Olympics with different styles of hockey and different ethnic beliefs…but we made ourselves a team. Individually, we could not have done it."

In order to continue to provide a safe and productive learning environment for our children we feel it important to adapt to today's educational needs. We hope you will help us in the charge to best educate our children in this ever-changing environment.

Gates wrote, "There will never be a time when there is less change in our lives than there is today." What is important is that we are able to adapt to and embrace change. This requires viewing changes as wonderful opportunities for growth and learning rather than additional unwanted burdens.

"New faces bring new ideas stemming from varied experiences and differing points of view. This should be exciting, not excruciating. Adapting to and being a part of positive change requires open minds, open hearts and open arms. We should welcome fresh new ideas and new opportunities for mutual growth and learning." - Terry Munther Superintendent, ESD 101

Former President Bill Clinton sums up the message very well with these words, "The urgent question of our time is whether we can make change our friend and not our enemy."

We want to promote responsible owners and managers of their own learning process. Such individuals have the skills to access and process the information they need for a specific purpose. Self-directed learning integrates self-management with self-monitoring. It is important to note that being a self-directed learner is a trait of disposition we want students to develop, rather than list of observable behaviors we wish students to exhibit.

Rick Winters