Principal


7/20/23

Dear parents and guardians of GES students,

Welcome to the 2023-2024 school year!  It is an honor to introduce myself as the new principal of Goodview Elementary School and to join this extraordinary school community. I hope that this note finds you enjoying the summer and that you and your children are looking forward to beginning a wonderful school year together in August. I can assure you that I share in this school community’s commitment to caring for your children each and every day while providing them an outstanding learning environment.

I arrived at Goodview after 11 years as a teacher spent both in special education and general education classrooms in grades 2-6, 10 years as an assistant principal, and most recently as a building principal at Big Island Elementary, where I’ve spent the last 9 years.  I love my job as an educator, but view myself first and foremost a father and husband.

In August, my daughter Lauren begins 7th grade, my son Kyle begins 10th grade, my son Connor continues his classes at CVCC and my eldest, Justin starts his new job!  All while my wife of 26 years, Kristy, will be starting her 22nd year as a professor of Biology at Randolph College. I look forward to introducing my family to the many wonderful people that call Goodview “home” in the near future.

Although I have always felt at home in the classroom, it is in my position as an elementary principal that I feel I have made the most positive impact on students.  It provides me the chance to work collaboratively with teachers on a daily basis, while also remaining connected to young students learning and growing in the classroom. I firmly believe that every child can excel and that the partnership between home and school builds confidence in students that they can use to build on for future success, both in school and in life.

I am committed to always exploring new ways to meet the needs of all students and to more effectively communicate with parents and community members. Therefore, I will be hosting “Parent Advisory” nights once a month at GES.  These meetings will allow me to share information on certain topics that parents/guardians often have questions about, listen to parent concerns, and answer any questions you may have.  These meetings are open to any parent/guardian and no “sign ups” ahead of time are necessary.  Just feel free to drop in if you wish.  I will be holding the first meeting on August 22nd in the library at 6 pm and look forward to seeing some of you there at that time.

To our students, I cannot wait to meet you all! I hope that you are excited for this coming school year and that you are out this summer playing and reading tons of books with your family and friends. It is going to be a fun year learning together. 


In closing, please know that my door is always open to you. I welcome your input throughout this year. Let us always keep our students the primary focus of our work. I look forward to celebrating our collective successes during this upcoming school year.

Enjoy the remaining days of summer!

In the meantime, if you have any questions about this, or anything else related to your child’s experience at GES please feel free to reach out to me anytime.  I’m looking forward to seeing all of our GES students and families soon!

Sincerely,

Andrew Bliss--Principal