Tuesday, October 14, 2014

Local Principal, Mary-Elaine Leake, 
Among America’s Best School leaders 
honored for sustaining strong schools during 
National Principals Month

ALEXANDRIA, VA–October 9, 2014–Mary-Elaine Leake is among 61
outstanding elementary and middle school principals from across the
nation and abroad who have been named as 2014 National Distinguished
Principals https://www.naesp.org/national-distinguished-principals-program (NDP)
by the National Association of Elementary School Principals
http://www.naesp.org/ (NAESP). 

Leake is principal of Astoria Lutheran School in Astoria, New York. 
The NDPs will be honored Oct. 17 at an awards banquet
 at the Capital Hilton Hotel in Washington, D.C.,
as part of a two-day program.
This year marks the 25th year that the program has been
generously funded by VALIC.
 U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan will deliver opening remarks.
Established in 1984, the program recognizes public and private school
principals who make superior contributions to their schools and communities. 

The distinguished principals are selected by
NAESP state affiliates, including the District of Columbia,
and by committees representing private and overseas schools.

NAESP Executive Director Gail Connelly congratulated the class of
outstanding principals, noting their significant role in successfully
leading students, schools, and communities through seismic shifts in
education. “These principals lead their school communities with courage
and compassion,” she said. “They represent the best and brightest of
the more than 65,000 elementary and middle-level principals who are
educating our nation’s children to their fullest potential.”
“VALIC is very proud of our 25 year partnership with the National
Distinguished Principals Award Program,” said Jana Greer, President and
CEO of VALIC. “We recognize the critical role education plays in the
lives of our nation’s children, and principals are the key to ensuring
the highest quality education.  On behalf of VALIC, I warmly
congratulate all 61 of this year’s National Distinguished Principals
and extend my deepest thanks for all that they do.”

October is a particularly fitting month to acknowledge the work of
principals, as a bill has been introduced in the House of
Representatives and another passed in the Senate declaring October 2014
National Principals Month http://www.principalsmonth.org/ (S. Res.
National Principals Month was established to recognize and honor the
contributions of school principals and assistant principals toward the
success of the nation’s students, and encourage awareness of their
significance.

NOTE: A list of the 2014 NDPs can be accessed at
http://www.naesp.org/2014-class-national-distinguished-principals>.

*****
Established in 1921, the National Association of Elementary School
Principals (NAESP) serves elementary and middle school principals in
the United States, Canada, and overseas. NAESP leads in the advocacy
and support for elementary and middle-level principals and other
education leaders in their commitment to all children.
For more than half a century, VALIC has served as a leading retirement
plan provider for K-12 schools and school districts, healthcare, higher
education, government and other not-for-profit institutions. As of June
30, 2014, VALIC has more than $88 billion in total customer assets
under management and manages plans for nearly 24,000 groups serving
more than 2 million plan participants. VALIC represents The Variable
Annuity Life Insurance Company and its subsidiaries,
VALIC Financial Advisors, Inc. and VALIC Retirement Services Company.

Friday, March 21, 2014

CONGRATULATIONS: to our UPK Team and all the other teachers, staff, and parents, who helped us to prepare for our ECERS inspection in January. The results have been released, and out of 256 UPKs that were inspected city-wide, our site received the highest score!!!

Tuesday, March 18, 2014

Hunger in NYC-City Harvest helps more than 1 million New Yorkers who face hunger! Please donate canned foods or make a donation to our school or at chapel time till the month of April! Thanks