Dear Turk Families,
I am pleased to welcome you back to the 2020-2021 school year! I would like to extend a special welcome to all of the new families/students joining Sultan this year and welcome back all of our returning families/students as well! I am honored to serve all of you in my third year as your principal. Our goal at Sultan High School (SHS) is to work together to provide our students with a rich learning environment and empower them for life after graduation.
Student success is attributed to the partnership and the relationships we build within our community and this has never been more important. It truly does take a village and at SHS we value teamwork and collaboration! Education is a joint venture and Team Sultan greatly appreciates the support you provide for your children at home and at school to help them meet their learning goals.
We have high expectations of our students, and we have high expectations of ourselves to help all SHS students learn and grow into well-rounded citizens and critical thinkers. Sultan High School aims to develop leadership skills, social and emotional skills, and academic skills to prepare students for success not only in high school but also in college/career, relationships, and life-long learning.
Although this year looks different than any other year, we are dedicated to providing your child(ren) a memorable, interactive, engaging distance learning experience. Sultan High School students will be taught to view themselves as learners and to think about what it looks like to be a good learner and thinker. Critical thinking and problem-solving skills are as important as content knowledge. According to a recent Department of Labor report, 65% of students will be employed in jobs that do not yet exist, so it will be important for all students to acquire the analytical, evaluative, and creative skills to apply such thinking toward becoming successful in the jobs of the future.
To help your student be successful in high school, please help them understand what is required of them to be a good learner inside and outside of the classroom. Talk about qualities and learning behaviors such as: attendance, viewing errors as opportunities, working to recover from a mistake, giving and receiving feedback, asking questions, collaborating positively with peers, setting goals, planning with a purpose, and tracking their own progress. Students need both high challenge and high support to grow as learners, and we look forward to helping students maximize their growth at SHS and prepare them for their future endeavors.
We look forward to working with families to accomplish great things for our students! Please continue to visit our website for updates throughout the year. If you have questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact us. You can reach me at sarita.whitmire@sultan.k12.wa.us or 360-793-9860.
To all of my fellow Turks, let’s make it a great year! Please stay safe and enjoy the last week of summer!
See you ‘virtually’ very soon!