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Dear Parents, Students and Community members,
It is hard to believe another month has passed! Watching East Hamilton Middle/High School growing block by block is an incredible experience and a dream come true. . . .
As I said in my August Note, our focus for September is pre-registration of our students. I would strongly encourage you to take advantage of the opportunity to pre-register. It is an excellent way for your child to share interests and needs in both curriculum and extracurricular activities, including sports. We want to create a program that is based in part with input from our students instead of adults making all decisions. We believe student voice is valuable to us as we move forward. They must be a part as East Hamilton is their school. Again, forms are available online by clicking here or at the elementary schools in our zone (East Brainerd, Westview, and Apison). They may be returned directly to the schools listed or mailed to me at Apison.
Through meetings with the district office, our hiring has been confirmed to begin September 29th. We look forward to staffing East Hamilton with the best and brightest faculty possible. We plan to interview as soon as the list of candidates is made available to us. We will use both district numbers and our pre-registration to determine an appropriate number for the staff. If all goes as planned, the majority of the staff will be hired prior to the Winter break in December! Look for announcements as faculty members become official and on board.
This week we met with Gary Waters and Joye Lawson from Hamilton County to begin the selection process for our furniture for teachers, students, break rooms, offices, media center, and dining hall. We hope to have everything out to bid no later than December. It is exciting to know that it all becomes very real when you start filling areas with the choices!
Our Hurricane Party was a huge success! Many thanks to the committee for the hard work and planning that went into the evening. The auction was outstanding with such a variety of items – my only regret was that I could not bid for everything. As an administrator, it was an evening filled with fun, food, but most importantly, support for East Hamilton. We had an opportunity to meet new people, renew friendships with others, and come together for a common goal – East Hamilton Middle/High!
Later this month, we are meeting with Robert Denn and Kim McCormick of Chattanooga State. As you know, East Hamilton will offer dual enrollment for students meeting the criteria. Chattanooga State will be our partner school in this endeavor. Their success with other high schools in Hamilton County speaks well for the program and we are excited to offer it to our students.
The progress on the facility is amazing as it changes from week to week. Did you know that East Hamilton will be a “green” school? We will use geothermal technology to heat and cool the building. Last month we were assured the roof would start in 30 days. Due to the outstanding construction crew, the roof is already on in the kitchen area of our dining hall and preliminary work for other parts of the roof is in place. Walking through the halls again last week brought even more definition to classrooms and the layout of each. Our new stairwell to the second floor is complete as it leads up to window openings and a view of the surrounding area that is incredible. The computer labs are taking shape with windows overlooking the two story atrium hallway and two walking bridges joining the wings. I wandered to the back gymnasium area again, located just across from the high school gym is our weight room . . . .scattered throughout are coaches’ offices and equipment storage areas. The fine arts wing continues to progress with practice rooms, labs, and performance areas. The theatre with its’ sloped floor and stage area will be an excellent venue for student productions. The high ceiling in the dining hall and the brightness provided by the future glass walls will make lunch an experience for each of our students, more like a restaurant setting than a cafeteria. Outside, areas for future parking lots are being leveled and lighting bases are being installed. The brickwork on the exterior of the building is underway and is giving a distinct definition to the facility.
We will keep you up to date with current progress as we move toward the opening . . .did you know we are only 10 months away? East Hamilton will be a premier campus and one we will all be proud of as we build our community of learners. I hope you will join us in celebrating our commitment to excellence.
As always, if you have questions, comments, or concerns, please contact me at
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or at Apison Elementary, 236-4322.
Pam Dantzler
Principal
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