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Bivitch principal presents school vision focused on welcoming entrances and inclusive support
Summary
Allison Petrella, principal at Bivitch Elementary, presented a summer-developed vision emphasizing adult presence at building entrances and broader staff responsibility for applied skills students.
Allison Petrella, principal of Bivitch Elementary School, presented a vision story to the Lake Central School Board on Monday that emphasized two priorities: increasing adult presence at the school entrance to welcome students and expanding staff responsibility for students in applied skills classes.
Petrella said the vision exercise was assigned by Director of Primary Education Dr. Bracey over the summer and asked principals to picture the main entrance and identify two areas for focused improvement. "At the front entrance, I see a crowd of adults welcoming students and talking together as students arrive," she said, and added that she wants "only a couple adults welcoming students more throughout the building" so that students clearly feel the adults’ focus is on them.
On the second priority, Petrella said she wants all adults to respond to applied skills students' needs, rather than assuming specialized paraprofessionals will handle every interaction. She credited Assistant Principal Ashley Mitchell with creating a para schedule that places paraprofessionals in classrooms and mixes general-education paras with applied-skills paras to increase opportunities for inclusive support. Petrella described the plan as an "area of opportunity" for staff practice rather than a criticism of existing work.
Petrella’s presentation was part of a broader district exercise asking elementary principals to craft and share vision stories this school year; Dr. Bracey told the board more principals will present in future meetings. The item was informational; no board action was required.
