A Message from the Superintendent
It is an honor to serve our children, parents, community, faculty, staff and Board of Education as the superintendent of this great school district. Peru Schools have an outstanding reputation for many reasons, the biggest being the dedication and commitment of an outstanding faculty, staff and leadership team. An organization is only as strong as the people who work there, and you will not find a more dedicated, caring and child-centered group of people than the 120 individuals who dedicate their lives to providing our children with an excellent education.
Our mission is to provide our students with a world class education. Nothing less will suffice. We work constantly to achieve this mission, as we not only have to prepare our students for high school, but also to compete in an increasingly competitive global workforce. This mission is supported by our beliefs as a school district, all of which form the basis for our current Strategic Plan. Please click here to review our beliefs, and click here to review our current Strategic Plan.
Things are changing very quickly in the world of education, particularly in our school district. Many of these changes are very good, but everyone needs to understand that going to school is not the same as what it was a few short years ago. We are rapidly evolving with utilizing technology to actively engage students in the teaching and learning process, which is why you see SmartBoards in classrooms and more iPads in the hands of students. The new Common Core Standards are being implemented across the school district, and this has major implications for what children learn and at what age. High stakes testing of our students' academic growth is going to a different level and will be based on much higher standards. All of this is taking place at a time when we are facing unprecedented financial challenges going forward.
The ultimate key in unlocking a child's academic potential cannot happen only at school. In fact, it must happen first at home. More than ever, we truly need the active and engaged involvement of parents in the educational process. Parents have always been, and always will be, their child's first teacher. Children who come from a home in which a nurturing, healthy environment rich with access to age-appropriate books and endless learning opportunities have exponentially greater odds of achieving both academic and financial success later in their lives. Education - at home and at school - is the greatest insurance against poverty, and is the greatest assurance of success.
As always, thank you for your support of our children and our schools.
Mark R. Cross, Superintendent
