Since the summer of 2000, I have had the honor of being employed by our school district. I had 16 fantastic years as a classroom teacher and am currently in my eighth year as principal. Every new school year brings challenges, exciting opportunities, welcomed changes, and challenges that are beyond the district's control. This year, we have returned to all our fantastic opportunities for our students since the worldwide pandemic put us to a screeching halt. We are fortunate to be fully staffed again despite our state teacher shortage. We are lucky to have found replacements who are doing a fantastic job and are now part of the Raider family.

We have added additional resources to support the Science of Reading and are exploring new math resources to keep students engaged in learning. Our MTSS is back to total capacity, and extra scaffolding and support is being provided to students who have fallen behind with their skills. 

Education has changed drastically in the last 25 years, but our mission remains the same: “Provide and ensure a safe and positive learning environment for all learners. Our goal is to help students become productive citizens and a commitment to life-long learning.” It is more vital than ever to work in tandem with families to ensure our mission is accomplished.

If you have not done so, please download the TeacherEase app to track your child's academic progress and receive notifications from the district and individual teachers. Also, our Facebook page has been rejuvenated. Make sure you are following the page so you will be up on all the latest around our district. 

If you ever have any questions, please feel free to give me a call or send me an email at dhuffman@cumberland.k12.il.us. Together we will make this your child’s best school year ever!