Greetings Mariposa Students and Families, My name is Laraissa Gill and it is with great pleasure that I introduce myself to you as the new Principal of Mariposa Elementary School.
I am humbled to have been appointed as administrator of such a fine school. I look forward to working with Mariposa’s dedicated staff and wonderful community. The 2021-2022 school year marks 20 years that I have worked in the field of education. My career began as an elementary teacher, and in this role, I taught 2nd – 5th grade for a number of years. Later, I served as an elementary math coach and had the opportunity to work with many teachers across the District in TK – 5th grade. In an administrative capacity, I served at the secondary level as an Assistant Principal of Redlands East Valley High School and recently, I served as Principal of Victoria Elementary School.
On a personal note, my husband and I have been married for over 20 years and are the proud parents of two amazing college students! It has been a great pleasure to watch our children grow up in this outstanding District, beginning in Kindergarten at Crafton Elementary and graduating from Redlands East Valley High School! It is important to know that I am passionate about being an instructional leader and administrator.
I believe that any task worth doing should be completed to the highest degree of excellence. I bring this same commitment, attitude, and energy with me to Mariposa Elementary School. I am excited about getting to work and look forward to meeting you and your family soon.
Please join me for an informal meet and greet on Monday, October 25, 2021, from 4:00 pm - 6:00 pm.
I am truly honored to be given this opportunity and am excited about the great things that lie ahead for our school!
Respectfully,
Laraissa Gill
Principal
Mariposa Elementary School
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Friday, October 22nd
Join the Fun!
Wait........
What Is “Mix It Up at Lunch”?:
For Kids Mix It Up at Lunch is a time to make new friends by sitting at a different lunch table. The friends you sit with at lunch may be pretty awesome, but your other classmates are fun and special in their own ways, too!
Mix It Up is an activity to help us break out of our “comfort zones”—our familiar, daily routines—and explore new ways of relating to and getting to know the people around us. Besides the excitement of Mix, there is another important reason to participate in this special day.
The reason many kids get teased, bullied or picked on is because they are somehow seen as different—in the way they look, dress or talk, or even the family they come from, for example. Sometimes it may feel scary to get to know a classmate who is different from you. But once you take the first step, you’ll see that there’s a lot to learn from making friends with people who may be different from you in some way. By making a new friend, you may find out some cool things you would never be able to if you always stuck with people who are just like you.
You may learn that you have many things in common with your new friend, too. Their family may come from a different country than yours, or their parents might not have the same genders as yours, for instance. But they may love all the same movies, books or TV shows that you do. And you’ll never find out unless you ask!
Including others and making new friends can be scary, but taking that big leap to talk to a new person may help them feel included, accepted, welcome and safe at school. And that is always worth a little bit of extra effort! Finally, there are lots of games you can play and conversations you can start to make Mix It Up at Lunch tons of fun.
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