There is but one Moon.
What does this mean?
It means that faculty, staff, administrators, school board members, parents, students, and the community must all be unified and pulling in the same direction.
It means that we are one district, not seven schools. And it means that, as a community, we are pursuing one wonderfully outlandish objective, not multiple agendas.
And what is that wonderfully outlandish objective?
It is to assure that every child achieves his or her full potential, and, in the process, move Moon from among the top 10 percent of Pennsylvania school districts to among the top one percent. And then, once there, remain among the top one percent.
Said differently, we, as a district, intend to achieve and then sustain greatness.
It is important that I stress that our agenda for greatness is not really about test scores. Yes, we will be measured by our performance in high stakes testing. Yes, we will be measured by a newly created and spectacularly complicated formula called the School Performance Profile, or SPP.
The reality is that school districts that focus their activity on achieving high scores are almost never successful.
Exceptional schools are exceptional in every way.
It goes to the depth and breadth of our course offerings. It goes to the strength of our co- and extra-curricular activities, including athletics, drama, music and the arts. It goes to how well our students succeed after they leave us.
Consequently, our focus must be on providing an extraordinary educational experience that positions each student to fulfill his/her dreams, no matter how ambitious.
And how do we do this?
The district's 10-point strategic plan – developed with input from more than 100 community members – lays the foundation for our journey to something truly remarkable.
Our journey toward greatness has already begun. Now is the time for our students, families, school board and community members to hop on board. We cannot do it alone or in isolation. We must come together as one district....for there is but one Moon.
PDF of the Strategic Plan (published January 2015)
2014-15 Balanced Score Card (published November 2015)