Principal's Welcome

It is hard to believe I am sitting here writing the welcome back to school letter. Summer seems to pass in the blink of an eye!

First, let me introduce myself. My name is Kristy Ellis and I will be your interim principal for the 2022-2023 school year. For those of you who do not know me, I’m a tenured educator with 25 years of experience serving families and staff in the Northeast Kingdom. After retiring from a decade of administration at the Jay/Westfield Joint Elementary School I was fortunate to join the CVS team as a literacy teacher and coach. Given the complexities of a school construction project and the impact of COVID on teaching and learning, including staff shortages and delayed social emotional development, the board asked me to serve for a year as the CVS principal. I’m honored by the opportunity and will certainly do my best to ease the transition for students, staff and families.

My immediate and future leadership goals at CVS are developing student leadership and raising literacy outcomes for all students. I’ve been observing the middle school interactions over the last two years and recognize that a shift is necessary. Developing student leadership is an effective way to increase rigor, relevance, and responsibility in a community of learners. I have had the pleasure of teaching two of our middle school groups and I know these amazing, passionate, intelligent young people will welcome the opportunity to lead.

Literacy Equity is my passion and purpose. I believe that literacy proficiency is a right, not a privilege. I am grateful to be leading this critical reform initiative to improve literacy outcomes for students with such a talented and dedicated community of educators. We will be hosting a literacy night early this fall to explain our strategic plan and describe how it will impact teaching and learning. We will also provide information so families can help us develop critical literacy skills. Keep a lookout for more dates and details!

I have been an administrator long enough to understand how important this role is to the well being of students and staff. This said, I will do my best to be present, available and realistically optimistic. I will be careful of the email vortex and extensive “to do” lists which can consume all of an administrator’s time. Please note I will be checking emails Monday-Friday, two or three times a day, between the hours of 9:00-4:00. This will allow me to spend time with students and staff at the critical points of transition throughout the day. If you have an urgent issue please do not hesitate to call us and we will find a time to meet.

I look forward to a productive year of joyful learning!