Good Afternoon Parents and Guardians -

 My name is Jennifer Leja and I am excited to be joining the Vestaburg Community School team as the new Middle/High School Principal. This email is to serve the purpose of briefly introducing myself as well as providing some insight into my leadership goals.

 My academic experience includes a Bachelor’s degree from Central Michigan University (Fire Up Chips!) with an emphasis in Secondary Education, a Master’s degree from The University of Arizona (Bear Down!) in Teaching and Teacher Education and I am currently in my last year of classes at Michigan State University (Go Green!) earning a Doctorate in Educational Leadership.

 I have been working in education for over 13 years. Of those 13 years, 10.5 years has been spent as a classroom educator, while the remaining time was spent developing curriculum and providing training to educators to implement that curriculum directly into their classroom. My education and professional experience have led me to be confident in leading a school to excellence.

 My goal as a principal is to facilitate a strong and healthy environment that has the student’s best interest as the core focus each day. These interests take the whole student into consideration. Therefore, my goal in our school is to maintain the strong values of academic integrity and success, as well as mental, emotional and physical safety and health.

 I believe in and strongly practice proactive communication and collaboration among our students, staff and the greater community. Therefore, I welcome any communication you deem necessary. This may be via phone (989.268.5343), email (jwarner-leja@vcs-k12.net), or when you see me at events I encourage you to approach me to introduce yourself.

 I am now in Vestaburg full time, as I have been making a slow transition since Thanksgiving. I am looking forward to a restful winter break and more importantly returning to a new year that I know will hold a high level of productivity and excitement for our students and staff.

 Please enjoy this time of year with your family and friends, be safe, and look forward to the new year!

Go Wolverines!

 Jennifer