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July 28, 2002 Dear Family and Friends of Point Dume Marine Science School (PDMSS), Ralph Ellison once wrote, "education is a matter of building bridges." I have spent the last four weeks meeting with teachers, staff, district leaders and PTA and Site Governance representatives. After this initial glimpse into the heart of our community, the people, I am honored to serve as the Principal of PDMSS. I am very excited about joining this community, and I wanted to take this time to introduce myself. I grew up in Southern California, but moved north in 1999, and for the last 3 years served as the Principal of Reed Elementary School in Tiburon. Last spring, Reed Elementary received the distinction of California Distinguished School for Academic Excellence, an honor bestowed upon a limited number of schools that have exemplary educational programs which meet the needs of the whole child. Prior to that, I was at Kelso Elementary School, a multi-track year round school in Inglewood, California for 9 years. I taught fifth and sixth grade students with my last 2 years serving as a teaching Assistant Principal. In addition, I worked as a UCLA team leader for graduate students pursuing a teaching credential and masters degree. Wonderful life happenings bring me back to Southern California and to PDMSS: love and family. I will be getting married on August 2, 2002. I join the PDMSS family with a new family of my own, my soon-to-be husband, JF Finn, architect, and stepdaughter, Madeleine Hope Finn, eighth grader. My role as principal is twofold: to be an instructional leader and to maintain a safe, secure and nurturing learning environment. Positive, constructive communication between school and home is the key to nurturing, teaching and inspiring our dynamic, talented students. Together, we will build the bridge that links our children's natural curiosity and creativity with our teachers' wisdom and talent to create a challenging program. In large ways and small, we all shape and form our community. Together, we will build the bridge that guides our children to make informed choices and become successful, productive citizens. I am looking forward to building many bridges with you and your child during the 2002-03 school year, a year of change, a year of growth, a year of joy. Warmest regards, Chi Kim Principal |