Dear Parents,
I hope this letter finds you enjoying the wonderful, fall weather that’s moved into our area. A cool breeze, the smell of hot chocolate in Donoho Joe, and falling leaves have made their way to our campus. It’s truly a wonderful time at Donoho.
We are transitioning into an important time of the year, as we roll out our Annual Fund. Our Annual Fund is an essential part of our yearly budget. These funds are the difference between what we bring in with tuition dollars and our actual operating budget. Most independent schools depend on these annual pledges to continue to operate while working diligently to keep costs to parents as low as possible; Donoho is no exception. We are continuing to look for ways to expand our programs while not raising costs. As in our households and businesses, costs are increasing. I hope you will support our beloved school.
During the next several weeks many faculty members will be attending area and regional conferences. Carol Howell and Kendall Howell will be joining upper school faculty, Anna Taylor, Megan Williams, and Jennifer Senter at the National Council of Teachers of Math (NCTM) Regional Conference in Virginia. Thereafter, these teachers will attend an off campus retreat and begin to write our math standards. Donna Plunkett will be participating in the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) Virtual Conference to learn more about implementing Next Generation Science Standards. Tonia Bodiford and Donna Plunkett will be participating in the iSTEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math) Conference at UAB for lessons, experiments, apps and MAKER ideas. Allison Garrett, Ben Cunningham and Jean Jaudon will be attending JSU’s CORE workshop focusing on Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) technology programs. Russ Connell and Jean Jaudon will be representing Donoho at the Southern Association of Independent Schools (SAIS) Annual Conference in Atlanta.
Other points of emphasis:
- The school has started morning and afternoon bus routes in the Talladega and Pell City area. Please spread the word to other potential students in these areas.
- I hope you found the first forum beneficial. Please plan to attend these monthly.
- I applaud the Donoho Parents Association (DPA) for its ongoing support of the school. It recently funded new fencing at the stadium and a new bus, as well as future funding of the building of a new multi-purpose field for all students to use. Thanks DPA!!!!!
- The football and volleyball teams are having amazing seasons. Plan to attend a game and see our Falcons dominate.
My office door is always open.
Warm regards,
James
