July 2008 Archives

Dear Wedgwood Families,

I hope that this letter finds all of you enjoying your summer. I have spent a great deal of my summer thinking of all of you and I am so excited to have the opportunity to officially introduce myself and join the Wedgwood community as your principal.

First, I would like to share a little bit about my background and how I came to Wedgwood. Many of you have already met and worked with me: my name is Denise Espania, and I was your principal intern at Wedgwood from January through June. I have been and will continue to work closely with Mrs. Gallardo to ensure a smooth transition. I was born and raised in Honolulu, Hawaii, but moved to the Pacific Northwest to get my undergraduate degree at Gonzaga University. From there I received my masters in Special Education at the University of Hawaii—and just this past June I completed the UW Danforth Educational Administration Program. Currently I'm finishing up my doctorate in Education from UW. My areas of study are literacy instruction, teacher learning and leadership, and educational equity.

On a personal note, my husband Alejandro and I have two boys. Adonis, 6, will be in first grade at Bryant Elementary this fall; and Apollo, 4, goes to preschool. I truly believe that it takes a village to raise a child and I place great value in building family school relationships. To that, I welcome your input and suggestions.

As you know, Wedgwood is growing; so, if you are around this summer, you will notice an additional portable classroom being delivered and set up as we get ready for the start of the school year. It is really exciting to watch our school grow to incorporate even more families into this wonderful school community. I will be in touch with you as the school year approaches. For now, just know that there is a lot of work being done to prepare for what I know will be an enriching 2008-09 school year.

I look forward to see you all very soon. Until then, enjoy each other, the rest of summer, and—of course—a good book.

With great excitement and anticipation,

Denise Espania

This web site is undergoing some much-needed maintenance this summer. The biggest changes are all behind the scenes, but the look of the site is changing as well. It's still a work in progress, but feel free to let me know what you think. And if you have a picture you think would look good up in the header, send that along, too.

Brad Mohr
PTA Website Coordinator

The PTA is pleased to announce that Ms. Denise Espania has been selected as the new principal of Wedgwood Elementary School.  The Wedgwood community had the pleasure of working with Ms. Espania in the 2007-08 school year as a principal intern.  Please be sure to come to the Back-to-School BBQ on September 2 to welcome Ms. Espania or see her on the first day of school on September 3.