To the Orange Charter School Family:
I am thrilled and deeply honored to be joining you as the new principal of Orange Charter School. I am very thankful for the privilege of leading such an outstanding school in the community where I was reared and have lived for most of my life. I want to express my gratitude to the Board of Directors and others who made this opportunity possible.
To Orange Charter I bring over twenty years of experience in education including 12 years as a high school English teacher and nine years as a K-12 administrator. I have been principal of large public high schools as well as a small private, K-12 school for disabled children. I hold a Master of School Administration degree and a Ph.D. in curriculum and teaching from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Anchoring my life are Robin, my wife of 26 years, who works as a registered nurse at Durham Regional Hospital, and my children. My son, Matthew, is 21 and my daughter, Jennifer, is 19. I am sure you will be seeing them around!
I have learned that no school, small or large, can truly be a school of excellence without trust, dialogue, and sharing between the school and home. That is why, as one of my first acts as principal, I am reaching out to all parents and guardians to join me as we dedicate ourselves anew to the responsibility of providing the best education for our children. Building on the accomplishments of the past and recognizing the role many people have had in making those successes possible, I am asking that the entire Orange Charter family recommit to shaping our school into a learning community that has no equal in Orange County and beyond. Orange Charter School is already a terrific school, but I am confident that we can achieve much more. I will do all that I can to make parents, guardians, and visitors feel welcome at the school as a vital part of our team. As the school’s student body and need for facilities continue to grow, we need parent insight and feedback as we grapple with important issues and decisions. I pledge to keep you informed through the school website where I will post periodic letters from me to the school family. I will also work with the teachers this fall to open up our classrooms even more to parent involvement and input while preserving the teachers’ rights to make decisions based on their experience and professional judgment.
So that I can get to know the OCS family and plant the seeds of the dialogue that I know to be so pivotal to our success, I am planning several “Parent Coffees” between now and the beginning of school in the fall. The coffees will offer you the opportunity to meet me and share your thoughts about the school and what you are hoping to see in the future. At each coffee I will be asking parents/guardians to let us know about talents, business connections, and/or areas of expertise that the school can tap into. Contained in our parent community are largely untapped resources that the school could benefit from. The events will be casual and will be scheduled at various times on different days to try to accommodate different work schedules. The first coffee will be June 16 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. in the cafeteria downstairs. Please check the Orange Charter School website (http://orangecharterschool.org/) for times and dates of coffees coming up in June, July, and August. Once school begins the coffees will be held about twice per month. Also, during the school year, if I am in my office and not out in the classrooms, you will find my door open to everyone in the Orange Charter family. Come by, say “hello”, and let’s talk about our school!
With the Board of Directors, administration, faculty, staff, parents, and students all coming together, we will be poised to further a school culture that celebrates learning while exemplifying respect and concern for the greater school community.
I invite you to join us!
Sincerely,
Dr. David B. Temple
Principal
Orange Charter School