Dear Parents of Goodrich Elementary and Middle School Students,

Greetings to each of you! I hope the New Year finds our Goodrich families well. I have been with the district for the past 6 months and I am enjoying my work here. We certainly have a wonderful community and school system!

The purpose of this letter is to inform you of an administrative change made yesterday afternoon. Due to conditions in her personal life, Oaktree Principal, Mrs. Wallberg has requested a return to the classroom. Mrs. Wallberg would like to continue to serve students within Goodrich Area Schools, but in a different capacity. I am granting her request and she will be given the opportunity to return to the high school teaching staff on February 1, 2010. I would like to publicly thank her for the dedication and commitment to our district as principal at Oaktree. I wish her well in the classroom.

Middle School Principal, Mr. Paul Minns will be reassigned as the Building Principal for Oaktree Elementary and the Middle School. He will be responsible for providing the educational leadership direction in both buildings. This single leadership position will enable us to develop and maintain a cohesive 3 - 8 educational environment. He will maintain an office and work schedule within each building.

Mrs. Stephanie O’Dea will work under his direction as Associate Principal. She will assist him in the daily management and oversight of the two buildings. They will work together, with the assistance of Mrs. Wallberg, to develop that schedule. It will be a work in progress as we make the transition.

On Friday, January 8^th, Mrs. O’Dea will begin shadowing Mrs. Wallberg and Mr. Minns. Mr. Minns will also be spending time within the Oaktree building to gain an understanding to the building protocol, staff alignment, parents, etc. The transition is to be a collaboration of effort between all parties. Mrs. Wallberg will continue as Oaktree principal through January 28^th. This change will be fully implemented on February 1^st. Mr. Minns will be sending out additional information later this month.

I am asking for your support and trust in this administrative decision. I believe that this adjustment in our alignment will benefit the educational environment, our staff members and our students. I am confident that this is going to be a positive step forward for our district. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to speak with me. Thank you for your patience, understanding and support.

Respectfully,

John Fazer