Welcome to Lakeland Elementary! I am honored to be joining such a caring and supportive community. I am looking forward to an exciting year of learning and growing with our student scholars and working with our staff and you, our parents, families and community members.

I come to Lakeland Elementary with a variety of educational experiences. I earned my bachelors of art degree with Elementary P-8 certificate and Special Education K-12 certificate from Western Washington University. After graduating I began my teaching career in the Federal Way School District at Kilo Middle School where I was a Special Education teacher for grades 6th, 7th, and 8th mainly in the reading, writing, study skills and social/emotional/behavioral skills. Following that, I transitioned to elementary school where I worked as the Dean of Students at Valhalla Elementary School. The Dean of Students position really opened my eyes to the very important and impactful role of principal. With that, I earned my administrative credentials and Masters in Education through the Danforth Educational Program at the University of Washington. Upon graduating I became the Assistant Principal at Valhalla Elementary School. Now, I am thrilled to be the new Principal at Lakeland Elementary School.

My passion is to ensure that every student scholar is provided the highest quality education possible in a safe and supportive learning environment. I understand the commitment that it takes for all student scholars to achieve their very best. I believe that every student scholar can and will succeed if provided the right supports and opportunities. Working together as a team with our staff and families is essential to achieving that goal. I see it as my responsibility as the principal to oversee this process, guiding the staff and allocating the resources and supports to make that happen.

I am excited to announce that our school will use the Independent Reading Level Assessment (IRLA) this coming year. IRLA will help us determine a reading level and power goal for every student at school. IRLA will help student scholars, teachers and families determine what student scholars are already able to do and what they need to learn in order to become stronger readers. In addition to IRLA, students in grades K-2 will use the Lucy Calkins Units of Study curriculum for core literacy instruction. Students in grades 3-5 will work from the Expeditionary Learning curriculum. Both curriculums are highly engaging, student centered and based on Common Core Standards. Much more information will be provided in the upcoming months.

In addition to the Self Manager Program, which promotes students learning about: Respect, Solving Problems and Making Good Decisions, we are energized to strengthen our Positive Behavior Intervention Systems (PBIS). This will include school-wide expectations and procedures for all staff, students and families to share, which ensures a safe, kind, and productive learning environment for everyone.

In partnership,

Ra’Jeanna Conerly, Principal