Superintendent Mark Costello The Eau Claire Public Schools take great pride in working with our community for the benefit of all its citizens. We are lucky to have great support from the parents and family members for our schools. We are proud of the Eau Claire High School graduates who have gone on to become doctors, lawyers, teachers and community leaders in today’s society. Eau Claire has a tradition of “Academic Excellence”! Recently Lybrook Elementary School received an “A” grade from the Michigan Department of Education. However, we will always strive to do better on MEAP and MME testing. For all students to be successful, we will focus on five (5) system-wide goals. They are: Challenging classes will be essential to the success of all students. The students will need to learn advanced skills if they are to be successful in college and in the 21st century work place. Every student should take demanding classes in the core subjects of English, History, Science and Math. No student should ever get a watered-down course of study. Personal attention will be given to the student. Every teacher and staff member will get to know their students as individuals and to respond to their specific learning needs. Extra help for those who need it will always be a high priority for the school district. Eau Claire has a system in place to identify kids as soon as they start to struggle in reading, math or any core subject. We will always reserve time and resources for the immediate help of those students who need to stay on course. “Real World Experiences”  will be brought to all classrooms. Eau Claire schools will help students make the connection between book learning and the skills needed to be successful in life. As part of their class work, students will have opportunities to design independent projects, conduct experiments, solve open-ended problems and be involved in activities that connect school to the rest of the world. Finally,  family and community involvement is important. Students thrive when their school encourages positive learning relationships among families, educators, business, and other members of the community. Parents will have many chances to visit the school buildings, to talk with teachers and staff, voice concerns, share ideas, serve as volunteers, and suggest ways to improve the school. I am now entering my 40th year in education. Over the last several years with the Eau Claire Public Schools, I have been very proud of the improvements in student behavior and individual test scores. The School Board Members, teachers and administrators have worked extremely hard to assist all students in the educational process. It will be an exciting 2009-2010 school year. Also, it will be an honor to serve as your Superintendent of Schools for the coming school year. Sincerely, Mark Costello, Superintendent