Principal's Message

 “H   A   W   K”

Honoring Agency, Wonder and Knowledge

2022-2023 Message from the Principal

Welcome Harding families to the 2022 - 2023 school year!

The 22-23 school year presents us with a fresh start.  Remarkably, this is the first time since March of 2020 that there is a promise of a “normal school year”.  The year ahead brings a new opportunity to re-engage our students, to help teachers find or rediscover their purpose, and to cultivate learning environments where kids and teachers feel safe, connected, and excited to learn and grow.  Collectively as a school community, our children will need our full attention as the hardships of the COVID pandemic linger. We, parents and staff, are a strong team with systems in place to follow through on our commitment to meet every child’s individual needs. 

As we continue to grow in our mission to engage  students, we have revised our school vision and mission.  Our vision, which is the statement of what we intend to have each child leave Harding empowered to do, is: 

“Students at Harding take action to change the world.”

Our mission, which is the statement of what we do everyday to achieve our vision, is:

“Harding creates an environment where students are empowered to engineer solutions, express themselves creatively, and become agents of change.” 

We have completed a redesign of classrooms at HUPS.  On the Mountain side will be PK, TK, Kinder, 1st and 2nd grades, Tier 2 and 3 literacy support, music,  library and Special Education.  On the Gillespie side will be 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th grades, our GROW program, STEAM and our Psychologist and Counseling staff. Our IB Coordinator and Literacy Coach and our Assistant Principal both have their office at the entrance of the Gillespie side by the bridge.

We have some pretty significant construction on Gillespie replacing very old portables with two state of the art classrooms.  There is fencing which students will have to get used to, but it is safe and temporary.  The Outdoor Education space on Mountain is out to bid for a second round and we hope to begin this project as soon as possible.

In November, we will host our second International Baccalaureate visit to ensure that we are delivering the Enhanced Primary Years Program to fidelity.  We have hired a Spanish teacher to push into our classrooms as a co-teacher to bring a cultural lens to content while supporting all students in Spanish language acquisition.

Most importantly, parents are once again welcome on campus to support through attending our events and volunteering in and out of the classroom.  

Here are some “must-do’s” for you as a supportive parent:

  • Attendance Matters - Be an Attendance H.E.R.O. Here, Everyday, Ready & On time!  

  • Ask, “What did you learn today?” Teaching back is the best way to solidify knowledge.

  • Read with your child every day - to them, with them, and/or listening to them. Make this a special time.

  • Follow the IB Learner Profile - model and support being caring, knowledgeable, a thinker, open-minded, a risk-taker, balanced, reflective, principled, an inquirer and a good communicator!

Thank you for being a part of the Harding Learning Community!  It is going to be a GREAT year!

Warm regards,

Veronica Binkley, Principal

Veronica Binkley