Dear Harbor View Community,

Towards the end of August, I sat in the Harbor View Elementary multipurpose room to attend the community input forum for the new principal.  One of the things that impressed me most was the sense of pride that the parents, teachers, and staff members had in their school.  The energy, enthusiasm, and dedication was clearly evident as you shared not only the qualities you were looking for in a new principal, but also the areas you felt were most important to be addressed.  I left that meeting deeply impressed by the strong sense of community and the clear professionalism on display.  This was a school I wanted to be a part of!

I wanted to let you know how honored and humbled I am to have been chosen as your next principal.  Harbor View Elementary has established an incredible reputation for not only helping students learn at high levels but also for taking the time to build the ethical and moral character of the students who we are fortunate enough to teach.  There is a strong sense of teamwork and a willingness to challenge each other that is both refreshing and exciting.  I am looking forward to working with each of you to continue this tradition and build on those successes.

I would like to thank Mary Manos for doing such an amazing job in starting the school year off right!  I consider myself fortunate to get to work with her as we transition in the next week.  My first day will be Monday, October 15.  I encourage each of you to join us at our Flag Deck ceremony on Monday!  We will be having a “Meet the Principal” Night in the very near future.  More info on that to come soon!

Finally, a challenge for any new principal is to honor and respect the traditions of the past while looking to create some new ones.  I know that Ms. Metoyer ended many of her announcements with “Learn a lot, and ask really good questions.”  I respect that, and I think it is wonderful advice.  Yet, as we begin this new chapter, it is important to look forward as well.  When I was confirmed as the new principal by the Board of Trustees, I ended my remarks by saying that while I will never forget what it is like to be a Mustang (Costa Mesa’s mascot), I am thrilled to be a Viking.  Vikings were known for being courageous adventure seekers who conquered unknown worlds. Where others saw challenges, Vikings saw opportunity.   I would like to tap into this spirit of the Viking.  It is my hope that we all (principals, teachers, staff, parents, and especially students) can make learning our adventure.  So, as I embark on this new journey with you and learn a lot from you (as well as the students and staff members) about the culture and climate of Harbor View Elementary, I challenge you to continue to be lifelong learners with me!

Let’s Make Learning Our Adventure!

Sincerely,

Todd Schmidt

Principal