Announcing James John’s New Principal Samantha Ragaisis October 2014 Dear James John Community, I am pleased to share some important news about your principal. As many of you know, Principal Beth Shelby went out on a medical leave starting Oct. 10. Her leave has created an opportunity to bring an excellent new principal to James John, a move that Principal Shelby agrees is a win for the school. Samantha Ragaisis, a seasoned principal from Keizer who is known for her ability to raise achievement and meet the needs of historically underserved students, will be James John’s new principal starting Tuesday, Oct. 14. On Monday, Oct. 13, a semi-retired veteran PPS principal, John Blanck, will oversee James John. Ms. Ragaisis has been serving as principal at Glencoe Elementary in Southeast Portland since August. Beth Shelby will become principal at Glencoe following her medical leave until her planned retirement in June. Ms. Ragaisis brings 28 years of experience to James John. She comes from Weddle Elementary School in Keizer, where all of the students qualified for free- or reduced price meals and many spoke Spanish as their first language. She led Weddle for 10 years, during which the school made dramatic gains in achievement. Ms. Ragaisis also served as assistant principal at South Salem High School, and house support specialist at Portland Public Schools’ Lane Middle School. Earlier, she was a physical education teacher and coach in Portland and Molalla. Ms. Ragaisis knows from experience that every student can achieve academic success when high expectations are set for both students and staff. She recognizes the importance of teamwork, collaborative teaching and learning, and empowering others to make the best decisions on behalf of their students. James John family members are welcome to join Principal Ragaisis on Tuesday, Oct. 13 for coffee at 8 am at the school. On Monday, Oct. 20, 6 pm to 7 pm, she invites James John families to a community meeting at the school where she’ll talk about her leadership style and aspirations and answer questions. Ms. Ragaisis is excited to meet you. She is thrilled to come to James John and bring to the students the commitment to success that she brought to Weddle Elementary in Keizer. Please join me in welcoming Samantha Ragaisis to James John and in thanking Beth Shelby for her outstanding service. Carole Smith Superintendent Portland Public Schools is an equal opportunity educator and employer. PPS Language Line Español (503) 916-3582 Si usted tiene alguna pregunta acerca de este o cualquier otro documento que usted reciba de las Escuelas Públicas de Portland, por favor comuníquese con la Línea de Lenguajes de PPS para recibir una explicación en su idioma. Tiếng Việt (503) 916-3584 Nếu quý vị có bất cứ thắc mắc gì về văn thư này hoặc về tài liệu nào nhận được từ Sở Học Chánh Portland, xin vui lòng liên lạc đường dây điện thoại ngôn ngữ “Language Line” để được giải thích bằng tiếng Việt. 中文 (503) 916-3585 假如您有任何疑問有關波特蘭公立學校寄給您的文件, 請聯略波特蘭公立學校的語言電話介時將有職員為您解答問題 Soomaaliga (503) 916-3586 Haddii aad hayso wax su’aalo ku saabsan tani ama wixii waraaqo ee aad ka hesho Dugsiyada Dadweynaha Portland, fadlan waxaad la xidhiidhaa khadka Luqadaha Dadweynaha Dadweynaha Portland si uu kuugu sharxo luqadaada. Русский (503) 916-3583 Ecли у вас есть какие-либо вопросы по этому или какому –либо другому документу, полученному из Портленского государственного школьного округа (PPS), пожалуйста, позвоните на русскую линию PPS, чтобы получить объяснение на вашем языке. October, 2014