Superintendent’s Corner Column

Boundless Potential

“Greatness is not a function of circumstance. Greatness, it turns out, is largely a matter of conscious choice, and discipline.” Jim Collins

January 22, 2023

 

We are delighted to share the many accomplishments and dedication of our students, teachers, and staff. There is much to be proud of and it is evident that our successes are the result of people working together. As a community of learners, we continue to commit ourselves to providing a high quality education for our students to achieve their potential with a constant focus on improving our programs and services.

We had another great week with our students and staff as we moved one step closer to achieving our goals. We had an opportunity to meet with our student representatives in our monthly Superintendent’s Student Government Advisory Council meeting. Our time together included insightful conversations where our students provided updates on the happenings at Hills and Ramapo, with a space to hear their thoughts on wellness weeks and quarterly exams. Their voices are reflected in our actions and we have included our students’ perspectives that are embedded in the development of our new strategic plan.

January marked the beginning of a new year with the continuation of our strategic planning agenda efforts with staff and parents that has been in motion for nearly a year. February will provide time to finalize recommendations by our highly dedicated Strategic Planning Steering Committee. We intend to share our new community-developed Strategic Plan with our Board of Education and the public in late winter/early spring.

This past week, we continued with our Joint Cabinet administrative meetings to advance our goals and initiatives, progress monitoring to support our faculty and staff, budget planning sessions in preparation for the development and approval of the annual school budget, and the coordination of Board committee meeting agendas that recommend the course of action to best support our students and staff. We remain focused on the important work that we are called to do.

Good to Great, written and popularized by author and management consultant Jim Collins, was published in 2001. The lessons still ring true today for organizations who aspire to attain greatness and achieve their fullest potential. The concept refers to the key idea that organizations can make a significant leap in performance with a commitment and focus on a set of strategies, habits, and practices. Collins identifies several characteristics to achieve, highlighted in a clear and compelling purpose, having a strong and effective faculty and leadership team, and a focus on disciplined execution of key strategies. Organizations that achieve also possess a culture of innovation and experimentation, as well as being able to effectively manage and leverage change.

Our school district possesses incredible potential with opportunities to serve the best interests of our students and staff. We will continue to pave the way forward to establish a culture of learning that is purposeful and rooted in the idea that with hard work, good strategies, and perseverance, Ramapo Indian Hills Regional will achieve greatness. With a highly committed school district and community, we can ensure that all students and staff become successful. When we do all of this well in a constructive and productive fashion, the results speak for themselves.

 

All my best,

 

Dr. Rui Dionisio

Superintendent of Schools

 

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