Dear Lane Middle School Families,

Welcome the 2019/20 school year! It is with great excitement and a deep sense of responsibility that I step into the role of building principal at Lane, after spending three years in the role of assistant principal here. We have been working hard, preparing the school, the classrooms and our staff to make this year the most positive, inviting and productive year for your students.

We have assembled a strong team of teachers and support staff, all of whom are committed to providing rigorous, student-centered instruction and support, in order to ensure that every student has a fun-filled year of learning and growth. Sarah Waltrip will be returning as our assistant principal, and we have added Carolyn Garciaguirre as student management specialist. She comes to us with deep skills in supporting teachers and students in building classroom community and leading us in positive, constructive responses to unexpected behaviors. Kathy Starlyn will be available to assist you in the office as our new school secretary. We have added other teaching staff as well: Will St. John will lead our Intensive Skills Classroom, Sarah Trapido is joining our Special Education team, Mary Lugg will teach 8th grade science, Allison Warren will teach 6th grade math and social studies, and Mario Gonzalez will teach Spanish. We are currently hiring a language arts teacher, replacing a teacher who recently transferred to another school. We have also added Hannah Abusneineh and Kristian Young to our student support team, and Fran Barth as our IT support.

This year we are shifting some of our staff resources to provide more support to students in language arts and math classes by having two teachers “co-teach” some sections of these classes, meaning that they will both be in the classroom at the same time, instructing students. We will also be providing our teachers with more time to collaborate on a weekly basis. We are confident that these shifts will ensure that all of our students achieve at high levels.

Students have picked up a new schedule on their first day of school, as we have made some changes to our course offerings and schedules. Changes to elective classes (band, choir, art, technology and leadership) will be allowed during the first full week of school, upon student request and pending administrator approval. Please remember that health and PE are both required courses in Oregon.

I am honored to be the principal of Lane Middle School and look forward to partnering with you for the benefit of your students. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or concerns, or if you just want to say hello. My secretary, Marnie Davis (mdavis5@pps.net) would be happy to schedule an appointment if you need more than a few minutes.

Go Quasars!

Michael Rowell, Principal
503-916-6355
mrowell@pps.net
Lane Middle School