8.14.2023
Dear Patterson Families,
This year marks my 28th year in education and my 22nd in Jefferson County Public Schools. I always wanted to be a teacher, from my time as a child lining up my dolls and teddy bears to teach class. I did not plan to become a Principal, I enjoyed the connections and the magic of learning as a teacher greatly and remember the students who had an unmistakable impact on me. However, in my time as a mother, teacher, coach and Assistant Principal my core values about education have inspired me to lead and I am both humbled and excited to be starting my first year with you as Principal at Patterson International.
I believe in relationships. It is important to me that I get to know each of our students by name, strength and need. Our students deserve an extraordinary education and we are committed to providing that for them. They should all have a champion, a trusted adult and feel that they belong. I am committed to removing any barriers and providing bridges to ensure they leave prepared for middle and high school. My goal is to fulfill our vision of developing them to their full potential and our mission of “a diverse community where learning is relevant, problem solving through inquiry and collaboration is encouraged, and learners take action as global citizens”. I am also committed to getting to know each of your children as individuals and look to honor your expertise and support your goals as parents/guardians.
I believe in shared leadership – I believe in building capacity and know that there is a strong foundation of instructional excellence at Patterson. Our collective vision and focus on student growth is critical. I believe every role within an organization is important, from the classified staff, to the students, teachers, parents and community volunteers. I will work hard to establish trust and respect with all stakeholders and I will pay attention to your concerns and questions. I will model for our students what it means to work together, to share ideas, to make decisions, to reach consensus and at times, respectfully disagree. More than ever, teaching is about strong collaboration and working together to achieve our goals.
I believe in collaborative learning and data literacy – I know I am not always the expert and it takes multiple talents to grow our students. I am committed to the growth of people, and want to create a school culture of collective learning and efficacy. I will commit to giving our staff the time, structures, support and space so they feel supported and can be their best for students. We need to become experts in our data, tell the story of that data and know how to use it to inform and improve instruction for all of our students. Our theme of “Dive Deep” this year will allow us to look at data deeply to meet individual student needs.
I am so honored to be at Patterson and excited to learn from each of your children and to support our staff with the tools needed to excel for the benefit of our students. Together I know that we will make a difference in the lives of the students we serve and I know that we are going to have a fantastic year! Go Panthers! I am so excited to have been chosen to lead this amazing IB School.
Lorrie Joseph.
Patterson International Principal