Robert “R.J.” Sammons will be the new principal at North Beach Elementary School (9018 24th Ave. NW). Sammons replaces Joanne Bowers, who was transferred to Green Lake Elementary.
From Seattle Public Schools:
He [Sammons] comes to Seattle Public Schools from the Bellevue School District, where he worked as an assistant principal/intern at Lake Hills Elementary School, as a program coordinator at Interlake High School and as a special education teacher. He also served as the dean of students at Leota Junior High School in the Northshore School District. His professional preparation includes a Bachelor of Arts in global studies from the University of Washington, and a master in teaching with a K-12 special education endorsement and P-12 principal certification from Seattle Pacific University.
curious to see how all the pta nazi moms react to this one.
I hope he stays for a while. NBE is a good school; it just needs a firm hand.
NB elementary is a dynamic local school and deserves a principal who will act as an advocate for the SCHOOL not for the district. Joanne Bowers made it clear time and time again that she works for the district and that is her first priority. She was always very clear on that priority and stated it numerous times at PTA meetings. And she summarily removed any teacher that supported top notch childrens' education over district priorities. I hope that she works out well for Greenwood.
Really? How did she remove a teacher?
pta = nazi? grow up kim.
maybe if you stayed in school you wouldn't have such a poor outlook on life.
While her use of words may be a little coarse, I know exactly what she's referring to when it comes to the mothers who rule Seattle schools. Unfortunately, they were spawned by the district; a direct result of poor leadership from the top down…
Mr. Sammons is a great choice – he will be a fine principal.
I am sure Principal Sammons will have a very positive impact on North Beach Elementary! As with each profession of leadership, support is key to success. Let's give him our support!
Greenwood? Don't you mean Green Lake?
I'd rather have parents around here running the schools than the SPS.
Kim, I agree. Some of the parents here are WAY too involved. Hope the kids can wipe thier own asses by 8th grade. I'm not saying those folks=PTA though, but may increase the liklihood.
Welcome, Mr. Sammons. Going to have to learn how to tell some folks when to back off, even if they have the best inentions.
Having worked with Mr. Sammons I can tell you he will do a great job! You are lucky to have him!
Well, we’ve only been at NB for a year, so my comments are limited, but Bowers was more interested in fund raising and looking friendly. She made dumb decisions about everyday issues. If parents are overly involved, it was because she left loose ends fraying everywhere. For example-the kindergarteners gave their very first performance for the holiday concert after what was most of their bedtimes, because the teacher performance and art program fundraising was more important. Those little guys had really worked hard, too. About 25% of us stood through it (grandparents, too) because no one thought to move the lunch tables into the hall and bring in extra chairs. I already like Mr. Sammons for clearly marking bus numbers on ground outside to better organize children who bus to school- it was always mahem and the teachers seemed stuck with double duties of getting kids to different places without good strategy in place. Also liked that we didn’t get pinned down for school office supplies- on top of class supplies right off the bat (Am I the only one who couldn’t find that odd sized roll of tape last year?)If he pays attention to all such details, a lot of things will simply run smoother. If his biggest concerns remain the excellent education and safety of our kids, he will be fantastic.
I understand though that your school is now one of the top schools in the district. Maybe the details that were paid attention too were the important ones. I am a parent of a student in SPS and it seems like most fundraising events are done by the PTA not the principal and our school asks for supplies too. Our principal doesn’t even attend the concerts so feel lucky about that one.