Principal’s Corner

Dear Taggart Families:

It is my pleasure and honor to introduce myself as principal of Taggart Elementary School. I am extremely proud and excited to join the Taggart school community and to support our students and their families. I look forward to meeting all of you and working alongside the community. I am excited to lead such a diverse school with so many points of pride. This is the start of my 24th year in education. My career began in Garland, Texas where I was first a high school Spanish teacher, then a bilingual first grade teacher and finally, an Assistant Principal. I then accepted a job for the School District of Philadelphia (SDP) in 2009 as the Director of Multilingual Programs. After working at the Central Office in the SDP, I transitioned to the role of Principal. Beginning this year as Principal of Taggart will be my 13th year serving as a principal in the SDP. As Taggart’s Principal, I am dedicated to continuing our students’ successes and will strive to continue the positive relationships, rigorous learning, and the child-centered environment that encourages our students to celebrate their unique strengths. We will also focus on our student’s safety as well as their social and emotional well-being and development. Together, we will continue to provide experiences that are meaningful, relevant and with relationships based on trust to prepare them for their future endeavors. As your new principal, it is important to me to greet everyone who enters the school with the utmost respect. I have an open door policy and value every stakeholder’s opinion. Please feel free to contact me at sstover@philasd.org to discuss any concerns you may have or any points of pride you would like to share. I look forward to our work together in the years to come and establishing a team committed to the Taggart community. The first day for students this year will be Monday, August 29. I will send additional information regarding school opening the week of August 15. Thank you!

Sincerely,

Mrs. McKenna

Principal

Parent Portal/Student Portal:

It is our goal that all Taggart parents, guardians and students have online access to Parent Portal and Student Portal. This is the easiest way to make sure you are receiving the latest updates from us here at Taggart and from the School District. Please contact your child’s teacher via email which can be found at our Taggart Website, https://taggart.philasd.org/

Daily Schedules:

Establishing routines and schedules for your student will ensure their overall success. Your child’s teacher will be reaching out to you in the beginning of the school year to introduce themselves and provide resources to support your child’s success in their classroom(s). We understand that every family will have unique scheduling needs due to parent work hours, etc.

Students will be required to be engaged in learning in-person with their teacher as well as on various learning platforms for the full day, starting at 9:00 AM and ending at 3:39 PM. For the first few days, we will pay particular attention to the social and emotional needs of our students, building strong relationships in this new environment and ensuring their comfort as an online learner. Additionally, you will soon be receiving information on the process to log-in and connect to Class Dojo on the first day of school.

Technology Distribution:

We understand starting school in an online environment may create challenges for some of our families if there is not adequate technology in the home. If your family does not have consistent access to a computer or internet, please visit the Taggart Website for further information.

In order to participate in Virtual Instruction, internet access/WiFi will be required. We are aware that some families may not have sufficient internet access at home to support remote learning. There are a few affordable options that families can consider for adding Internet or WiFi in their homes listed on the district’s website. If you have concerns about internet access and the resources provided on the district’s website, please contact us and we will try to resolve these challenges for you.

School Supplies:

Your student’s teachers will let them know what school supplies are needed for each class when virtual learning begins. We do not want to add any additional burden to our families at this time concerning supplies. Please expect to receive additional communication in the days ahead about the start of school. We appreciate you all for your patience and support during this unprecedented time.

What I want to continue to ask you is for patience as we move into week one of virtual learning. Things are not going to be perfect next week, but that is okay! We will continue to be flexible and adaptable to all the challenges that come our way.

Remember, we are all in this new online learning adventure together and we can’t wait to connect with your family to begin our school year!

Sincerely,

Nelson R. Reyes, Principal

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