The new Suffield Public Schools Superintendent, Timothy Van Tasel, has been a Connecticut educator for over 20 years. He brings extensive leadership experience and a student-focused philosophy to our district, and he’s hit the ground running. He has already posted his “Theory of Action” on the Suffield Public Schools website at https://www.suffield.org/page.cfm?p=505. Aside from the expected references to the district, school, and students, the most common keywords he uses are “community,” “action,” “goals” and “leadership.” He very clearly states his “core beliefs are based on the key premise that all students can be successful.”
In addition, the Board of Education (BoE) and Superintendent Van Tasel have mapped and shared a set of goals for the district. A common, coherent set of goals provides a clear vision for all parties. Not surprisingly, the goals focus on community and town government outreach and collaboration, student success measured through meaningful data, professional learning aligned to needs, and curriculum revision and consistency. Future meetings will drive development of a five-year strategic plan that supports those goals. As the plan is established and actions are taken, students and staff will be honing their leadership skills by monitoring progress and presenting updates to the BoE.
Superintendent Van Tasel is very excited to be here. Coming from a small Connecticut hometown, he appreciates that familiar feeling of community and family. He knows the high value Suffield places on education and the success of our educators and students. Expect to see him around town and at local events as he works to build partnerships and collaborate on opportunities for improvement. He stresses that he is here to listen and serve, so don’t be shy with questions which can be directed to tvantasel@suffield.org. After all, we have the same desire – to provide our youth with the foundation needed for academic, social and emotional success through school and beyond.