Good evening, my Forestdale family!
I hope this finds you and your family healthy and well. Our students, families, and staff have been on my mind and in my heart while we’ve been apart.
Yesterday afternoon, a dream came true for me. Words cannot express what a privilege it has been to serve the Forestdale community as your assistant principal the past five years and how deeply humbled and honored I am by the opportunity to serve you in a new capacity as your principal.
Over the past sixteen years of my career as a teacher, leader, and central-office and school-based administrator, I have had the unique opportunity to support the staff and students in all of Fairfax County’s over 200 schools. And what I have learned is what I’ve said so many times… “There’s no place like Forestdale.” However, I never could put my finger on exactly what it is driving the greatness. I know what it is now. It’s love. Love for children… evident in the eyes of staff and students each morning as kiddos run in and embrace their teachers, in person or virtually. Love for each other… seen all around us as staff check in on and support one another constantly, both personally and professionally. Love for your children and a commitment to their school community… which radiates through our building as we come together to celebrate and honor our individual uniqueness at International Night or rolled up our sleeves together to plant flowers to beautify our school home.
As an educator and as a mother, I know the great privilege and responsibility you give us each day when you place your trust in us and send your children into our care. When I send my daughters off to school, I want to know that they are safe, they are learning, they are happy, and they are loved. And I expect the same thing for my Forestdale children. This school is my heart. Your babies are my babies. This amazing staff is my family. I live in this community and know what a powerful and wonderful place it is. As your principal, I am committed to honoring the greatness of this school as we continue to grow and achieve together.
As I reflect on this new leadership role, three core values that I hold dear come to mind. Those three simple things are building relationships, building capacity in one another, and fostering joy in our work. I see these values in action every day in our school, now more than ever, and I look forward to continuing to be a part of a team that is committed to deepening our work around those three things every day for the Forestdale community.
There’s a statue on my college campus that I used to walk by each day, and on it were inscribed the words of Winston Churchill. He said, “To think that in such a place, I led such a life.” No truer words have been spoken that encapsulate how honored I feel to have had the unbelievable privilege of serving this community the past five years and how overcome with joy I am to continue to serve you in this new capacity.
I look forward to learning with and from you and to working together to continue to grow and achieve as a community. It is my sincere goal that together, by deepening relationships, building capacity as teachers, leaders, and families, and fostering joy into our work every day… that we can make Churchill’s words true for every child and adult who steps through our doors. As your principal, I vow to continue to put my heart and soul into this school community and to ensuring that at Forestdale, every Falcon has lived such a life.
Respectfully yours,
Jenny Cunneen
Principal
Forestdale Elementary School
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