Dear Parents:

We are coming to the end of another school year and I want to thank you for making Varnett your school of choice.

I could not be more pleased with your participation in a variety of activities, ranging from Parent Night to the just-completed Cinco de Mayo celebration, which attracted 2,200 parents and students. In between, we’ve seen your commitment to participate in the annual rodeo, Grandparents Day, Dad’s Day, winter holiday programs and, more recently, our Mother’s Day breakfast. And don’t forget about our district-wide Field Day coming up on Friday, May 30, at the Southwest Campus.

Our students have been immersed in a broad range of outside activities, including providing food, clothing and toys to the needy, bringing gifts to residents at nursing homes and raising and donating $4,500 to Texas Southern University for scholarships.

I strongly believe that it is important for our children to become involved in the community and to gain a clear understanding of people who may have different needs than we do. The act of giving and taking part in the community is the perfect complement  to our in-class learning.

Meanwhile, my staff and I are excited about the upcoming graduation ceremonies for our PreK-4 and 5th grade students June 3. You have worked hard with your children to reach this point. Our PreK-4 students will be ready for the challenges of kindergarten and beyond and our 5th grade students will be in a strong academic position to excel in junior high school. In the past, many parents of our 5th grade graduates have praised Varnett and our teachers for establishing the foundation for their children to strive as they reach the upper grade levels.  In addition, many graduating students come back to visit our teachers because they have established such a connection with Varnett and those who taught them. We hope you come back for a visit, too.

For those who will remain with us, we thank you in advance. We will continue to present the latest technology available for the 2014-2015 school year that starts August 25. This year, we purchased two Promethean tables for this campus, one for  5th grade and one for Special Education students. We expect the excitement our students have exhibited in working the tables will carry over to next year.  These tables are amazing. They are “smart tables” with a multi-touch, collaborative interactive surface display designed for student interactive surface display..

We are keeping pace with technological advancement in other ways, too. Kindergarten and 1st grade students will be using Amazon.com’s Kindle e-book reader in the classrooms. These students will join the 2nd through 5th graders who already use laptops in school.

During the summer, please encourage your children to read, practice math problems and take them to a museum or any other fun activities that may enhance their classroom learning.

If you are pleased with the quality of education your children received this year, please tell your friends about us.  Tell them about our quality teachers, clean environment, family-oriented programs and challenging curriculum. We would not be here without you.

Sincerely,

Dr. M. Annette Cluff

Superintendent/Southwest Campus Director