Parents of the Hamilton International School received this note from their principal today:
Dear Hamilton Families,
This afternoon I announced to the HIMS staff that I have been offered and accepted the position of Executive Director of Support Services at Singapore American School beginning July 2015. While I am excited about this new opportunity, please know I have a deep affection for our entire community and great pride and respect for the work of our faculty and staff at Hamilton International.
I will remain at Hamilton through the end of this school year and am committed to ensuring a smooth transition to a new school leader. Our Northwest Executive Director, Jon Halfaker, has expressed his desire to ensure Hamilton has a strong, thoughtful and innovative leader committed to the values of our community and dedicated to ensuring all students receive a rich and rigorous middle school experience. Beginning in January our Building Leadership Team (BLT) and PTSA leaders will work with Mr. Halfaker and other district leaders to ensure opportunities for authentic community engagement throughout the process.
Over the past two years I have been challenged, inspired, embraced and welcomed by this amazing community. Our leadership team, faculty and staff are some of the best in the business and they have made my work here the most rewarding of my career. Our students are smart, kind, compassionate, thoughtful humans – I’m moved by the way they learn, advocate, challenge and ultimately care for one another. Each of the 957 students who walk through our doors makes a positive impact on our school. Our families are supportive, collaborative and engaged – we could not ask for better partners in this work.
Hamilton International Middle School has a strong tradition of an exceptional staff, supportive and positive families and incredible students and I know this will continue. Saying goodbye to the Hamilton community is going to be really hard – I’m not looking forward to that day. Until then, we still have a lot to do this school year, a lot of time left together. I am excited and grateful to be part of it with each of you.
Fondly,
Cindy Watters, Principal
(Photo by Above the Rest Aerial Photography, from Seattle DJC.com)