ROW School Board President
Jane St. John

I am constantly gratified by the high level of community involvement with the Rim of the World schools.
Parental involvement is the number one factor in a child's success at school, and when it is combined
with good communication between parents and teacher the results can be truly rewarding.

What began as a dream was realized when the school board was able to initiate 20:1 for our primary children. The class size reduction has continued to 9th grade Math and English.

Our board and administration have worked hard to build facilities, improve programs and communication to make Rim schools the very best in the state of California. We have great, supportive parents, teachers, administrators and communities and I'm confident that we are on the right track.

One of the most rewarding aspects of my work on the Rim of the World School Board is the sense of being part of a caring, sharing community. The essence of any strong community lies in sharing — we share our resources, our skills and our labor to accomplish goals we could not accomplish alone.

An important part of this sharing spirit is our ability to communicate effectively. Just as children must learn to speak and listen to each other and their teachers before they can participate effectively in a classroom, so we as members of the community speak and listen to each other so we can work effectively as a whole.

During September, each of our schools held a "Back to School Night". This provided a great opportunity to begin the year with communication between parents and teaching staff. Many classes had sign-up sheets for volunteers. This is a wonderful way to help the students and teachers, but it also opens the door for parent-school communication and can be a great learning experience for the parent or community volunteer.

I personally was pleased to see everyone at Back to School Night throughout the Rim District. Let's keep the support going for our kids, and show them how a community works, so that they can do the same for their children and build a brighter tomorrow.

— Jane St. John

Ask Jane

I want to know what you think about the way your child is being educated. I am eager to hear your questions, your suggestions, and, sure, your complaints as well. No matter how small or large the problem, I am available to talk with you.

As President of the School Board, I am committed to keeping the lines of communication open. I invite any community member who would like to discuss education in our district to come to my home, Thursdays from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m., and Fridays from 8:00 to 9:30 a.m., during the month of October.

I will have a pot of coffee brewing and would love to have you drop in! Bob Gladwell, my fellow Lake Arrowhead representative will attend when his schedule allows. Please call 336-1143 for directions.

I've discovered that one of the best things about living in a small town is that I can personally chat with parents and teachers I see in the checkout line at Jensen's, Stater's and Goodwin's, and that anyone can look up most of the school board members' numbers in our local phone book, but if the internet is the place for you - please email me your thoughts...