Meet and Greet with Principal Blackman

There are some new faces at Abbett this year that are quickly becoming part of the Abbett family.  Parents had a chance to meet the new administration team during a coffee meet and greet in the library.  Mrs. Blackman shared some of her visions for Abbett and answered questions from parents.  

Abbett students also had some questions for Mrs. Blackman.  They submitted them to the librarian and the questions were then compiled together for Mrs. Blackman to respond. 

 

  • Is it hard to be a principal?  What part is the hardest? ~Mallory

Hi Mallory, I love being a principal!  The hardest part is not being able to be everywhere all at once!  I try to move around all day to stay on top of what students are learning in their classrooms, what teachers need for support, and talking to parents.  My favorite part of the job is spending time in classrooms with students, or getting to talk to students during lunch.  You guys make me so happy!

 

  • Why did we change the way we do dismissal? ~Luna and Holden
Hi Luna and Holden, there were a few reasons why we made adjustments to how we do dismissal.  For one, PikMyKid is a system that can sometimes be hard for us to use.  We had to get that process refined.  But I would say the biggest reason we changed dismissal is for safety.  Too many people were crowded in the front entrance.  It was good to have walkers mover to another area and parent pick-up stay at the front.  This alleviated a lot of congestion out front.
 
 
  • Would you rather be a teacher than a principal? ~ Eli

Hi Eli, I still am a teacher :-)  That is the core of who I am.  It just looks different now that I am a principal.  I may not have my own class, but now I have a whole school to help and support in their learning.
 

  • Why do we have to be quiet in the hallways and at dismissal? ~Lauren 

Great question, Lauren!  We are quiet in hallways so other students in their classrooms can learn without being distracted.  Many kids need a quiet space to concentrate, and we want to honor that.  You all are doing some hard work in your classrooms–I want to create the best environment for you to learn in.

We are quiet at dismissal so we can hear the names called over the walkie and so students know which car line to go to.

 

  • Can we have more recess time? ~J

Hi J, that would be a question for your teacher!  Many teachers do extra recess when the whole class has earned a certain amount of Dojo points or class compliments.

 

  • Do you have any pets? ~Sophia

Sophia, we have a ton of pets!!  We have my mom’s dog Annie–she is old so we call her Granny Annie.  Trooper is our German Shepherd.  And Jax is our overweight Yorkie.  We have two cats, Gabby (she likes to ‘talk’) and Cici (she was found in a Cici’s parking lot).  We also have two guinea pigs named Charlie and Bubbles.  We are definitely animal lovers!

 

  • Why did you want to be principal at Abbett?  ~Andrew

Andrew, I hear about what amazing kids are here, and how dedicated the teachers are.  I was at Armstrong last year and many of our Abbett families know Armstrong families.  It’s a fantastic school–I am so happy to be here with you!

 

  • What is your favorite sport? ~Emma

Emma, I watch any sport my kids are in, or that my husband watches on TV.  I do like the Dallas Cowboys!

 

  • Are we going to have clubs this year?  ~Kora

We will have Student Council, Robotics, and Honor Choir.  We have not explored any other clubs yet.  What are some of your ideas?

 

parents attend meet and greet with principal