About

Principal's Message

It is with great pleasure that I welcome you to Evergreen Elementary School, where we are committed to making learning meaningful, engaging, and joyful. As principal of this extraordinary school, I am honored to work alongside our students, staff, and families as we begin another exciting year of learning and growth together.

At Evergreen, we believe education is about much more than academic achievement—it is about developing the whole child. Our dedicated team of educators is committed to providing a safe, nurturing, and inclusive environment where every student can grow academically, socially, and emotionally while developing the confidence and skills needed to become an increasingly independent learner.

Over the past several years, our teachers have invested significant time and thoughtful collaboration into strengthening instruction across our campus. An important part of this work has been identifying and implementing Essential Standards—the critical knowledge and skills we believe every student should master at each grade level. By focusing deeply on what is most essential, our teachers can provide strong core instruction while also identifying when students need additional support, enrichment, or opportunities to extend their learning.

Equally important is our schoolwide focus on Executive Functioning. Our staff has dedicated considerable professional learning, collaboration, and planning to understanding how these skills influence a child's ability to learn and thrive in school. Executive Functioning includes the skills students use to focus attention, organize materials and ideas, manage their time, plan and begin tasks, regulate emotions, persist when something is difficult, and reflect on their own learning. These skills can be explicitly taught, modeled, practiced, and strengthened over time.

Throughout our campus, teachers are intentionally incorporating strategies, routines, and common language that help students develop these skills. Our goal is not simply to help children be successful in today's classroom, but to equip them with tools they can increasingly use on their own. We want our students to become capable learners who know what to do when learning becomes challenging, how to organize themselves for success, and how to persevere, problem-solve, and advocate for what they need.

This work connects beautifully with our belief that educating a child is a partnership between school and home. Family involvement is a powerful contributor to a child's success in school, and that involvement can take many forms. First and foremost, it means ensuring children attend school every day and arrive on time, ready to learn. Reading to or with your child each evening is also invaluable—not only for building vocabulary, fluency, and a love of reading, but for the meaningful time you spend together. Providing a quiet place for learning, monitoring homework and projects, encouraging independence and organization, and staying informed about your child's progress all reinforce the skills and habits we are building at school.

Evergreen Elementary School is known throughout the district for the strong partnership between home and school. Our parents and guardians are tremendously supportive of their children, our teachers, and our school community. I encourage you to become involved in whatever way is feasible for your family. Join the PTA, participate in school events, volunteer when you are able, attend school activities, and stay connected with your child's classroom. Through these actions, our children see that their education, growth, and well-being are priorities shared by all of us.

As we begin this exciting new school year, I am thrilled to introduce our schoolwide theme:

TAKE FLIGHT
Together, We Help Every Eagle Soar
Building Wings. Growing Independence.

Our theme reflects both who we are as Evergreen Eagles and the work we are doing to develop Executive Functioning skills in every student. Just as young birds need opportunities to strengthen their wings before they can soar independently, children need adults who provide structure, model strategies, encourage perseverance, and gradually give them greater ownership of their learning.

We build the nest. We strengthen their wings. We give them opportunities to practice. And then—we let them soar.

This year, as we TAKE FLIGHT together, we look forward to continuing our partnership with you—providing every child with a strong academic foundation through our Essential Standards while building the Executive Functioning skills, confidence, and independence that will help them succeed in school and beyond.

Here's to a wonderful year of learning, growing, and soaring together!

Warmly,

Principal Diana Nakano