The beginning of a school year is always an exciting time, and this year was no different! We kicked off the school year for staff on August 10th with a back-to-school meeting in our Performing Arts Center. The Tahlequah Chamber of Commerce celebrated our staff in style with area vendor presentations, door prizes and a lively game of Family Feud for the staff. We would like to thank the Chamber and the area business sponsors who put so much time, effort, and money into the welcome back event. A big thank you goes to Express RV Park, Express Stop, Northeastern Health System, Century 21 Wright Real Estate, Northeastern State University, Lift Coffee Bar, McDonalds, BancFirst, Armstrong Bank and many other area businesses! We would also like to thank the Tahlequah Public Schools Foundation for arranging for a fantastic food truck lunch for all our staff on opening day! Thank you Two Sisters Financial, Statewide Cleaning and American Fidelity for your donations. Over 500 employees enjoyed a great lunch together at THS. This day set a positive tone for the rest of the school year. We truly have the best community around!
On Monday, August 14th we welcomed our families back into our buildings for our open house events. Thousands of students and family members visited our seven sites. Parking lots were packed with cars and hallways were filled with people! 96% of the students at Sequoyah and 94% of the students at Cherokee attended open house. Greenwood visited with 361 families and Heritage visited with over 287 families. 590 middle school students, or 83%, visited on open house night. Over 2300 contacts were made throughout the classrooms or programs at THS and 55 visitors made it to the Central campus. We would like to thank our families for taking time out of their busy schedules to kick this year off right! The relationship between the school and our families is the most valuable. It truly takes all of us to help these students have the best learning experience possible.
On Wednesday, August 16th we welcomed back the 3600 plus students that were fully enrolled at TPS. We have seen growth in some grade levels and declines in others. Classrooms are full and school has started! All sites were busy the first few days of school forming positive relationships, reviewing expectations, and setting up the new school year for success. Student IDs, Chromebooks, textbooks, or other items have been handed out. Extra-curricular seasons have begun, and first games have been played on our new turf field. We believe we have the best students, faculty and families in the state, and we are ready to make this our best year yet!
Our goals for 2023-24 school year are once again to increase academic achievement for all students, to create a positive culture for all stakeholders, and to maintain a safe and secure environment for all. Every decision we make in every area of school will keep these three goals in mind. We made progress in all areas last year but know that there is always room for improvement. We have worked hard over the summer analyzing data and examining our practices to see even more growth this year. We are thankful for the people here that dedicate their life to serving others!
It is my honor to lead Tahlequah Public Schools. As always, if you have any comments, questions, or concerns, I am available. You may contact me by phone at 918.458.4100 or by email at jonest@tahlequahschools.org. Thank you and remember, “Once a Tiger, Always a Tiger!”
Written by Tanya Jones/Superintendent