It is my honor and a pleasure to welcome you to the 2023 – 2024 school year! I hope you all have had a relaxing and fun summer break. I am extremely proud to serve as the Principal of this amazing learning community for the 9th year and to continue to support the students of Calahan! As we can all attest, the last few years have been challenging, but Calahan Elementary students and staff have emerged on the other side more resilient, more unified, and better equipped to handle an ever-changing landscape. This new school year brings the promise of a renewed dedication, focus, and energy to teaching and learning.

I would like to welcome all of our new families, whether you are joining us from another school in the district or have relocated from another city, state, or country. We are excited to share all that Calahan has to offer with you and believe you will soon feel as we do, that Calahan is a special place for all children. Our teachers, support staff, and families are ready to welcome you into the Cougar Family!

The dedicated staff at Calahan has been working tirelessly to finalize classes and schedules, fine-tune our instructional models, engage in professional learning opportunities, and update class routines and expectations, all with the goal of fostering academic success. In addition, many of the campus construction projects have been or are close to being completed, our newly surfaced playground and painted school are just some improvements that have been made. Our teachers are eager to meet their new students and begin this year’s journey with them. Our primary goal is to ensure student proficiency in core academic subjects, so we will continue to refine Tier I instruction, analyze data, conduct observations, and review classwork to guide instruction and intervention. We will work together to create a solid foundation for our students so that they have the opportunity to become self-directed learners, collaborative teammates, critical thinkers, and responsible citizens. We will continue to offer intervention services for neurodiverse learners through specialized programs, counseling when appropriate, and the implementation of Tier II and Tier III programs and learning strategies.

We will be holding our traditional, in-person Back-to-School Night presentations on Thursday, August 31st at 6:00 p.m. for all families. Transitional Kindergarten and Kindergarten parents will have an additional parent meeting on Saturday, August 12th from 9:00 a.m. -11:00 a.m. While in your child’s classroom, your child’s teacher will present an overview of the year’s instructional program, schedules, digital resources, and expectations for the coming year.

As I have always said, Calahan’s outstanding teachers create the foundation for your child’s academic success. I look forward to the start of the new school year and to continuing our collaboration of providing your children with an effective and engaging educational experience. As always, we will look to our families to be positive partners in this year’s journey. The Calahan staff has always made a priority of working together as a caring and compassionate learning community with professionalism, teamwork, action, and expertise. We will always put the best interests of our students at the center of our purpose. Join us in ensuring the success of all of Calahan’s students. Stay healthy, stay positive, and stay connected.

As always, my door is open and our team welcomes your input. Please feel free to contact me via email at the address below or call to make an appointment to speak with me to discuss any ideas you feel will make this the best year ever!

Michelle R. Wells

Proud Principal

[email protected]

18722 Knapp Street

Northridge, CA 91324

Phone: 818-886-4612

Fax: 818-886-0760