Principal's Message
Dear Western families,
I am so excited to begin my first school year as the Principal of Western Middle School. The three months I spent as the interim principal this past spring confirmed that this is the role I was meant to have at Western. My ten prior years as the Assistant Principal have prepared me well for this new role and I can’t imagine working at any other school. I truly believe there is no better school in town because of the teachers, staff, students and families of Western. Many of you already know that my husband and I were one of the first to send our children to Western as magnet students, instead of sending them to our home middle school in town. I knew just how special Western was before most people in town discovered this secret and decided to send their own child as magnet students. It turned out to be the best decision my husband and I have made for our three daughters. To say that I am invested in Western and its success is an understatement.
As I openly share with anyone who will listen to me, Western Middle School has the best staff in town. They are the most dedicated, talented individuals I have ever worked with in my 28 years in education. They have chosen to work with middle school children, which we all know is a special age group that not everyone is equipped to handle. They have also chosen to work at Western, because the students and families hold a special place in their hearts. They believe that all students can perform at high levels and strive to provide a caring and nurturing environment while pushing our students to reach their full potential. Your children are in very good hands during their time at Western.
I want to take the time to share my thoughts on the importance of middle school. As a parent, as well as an administrator, I believe that the middle school years are three of the most important years in a student’s life. What they learn during the time will set them up to be successful in high school and beyond. There is nothing like watching middle school students grow and mature in their time with us. This is the time for your child to learn effective student habits, how to become a good friend, how to advocate for themselves and how to problem-solve situations that arise. We are here to support them with this. It is also a time where they will naturally start pulling away from their parents and want to be more independent, which is expected and what we actually want them to do. We are here to help you with this. Personally, I am lucky if I can get my three daughters to come out of their rooms long enough to give me a one-word description of how their day was or to find out what is going on in their lives. However, I feel better because I have watched them transition successfully to high school and handle the increased demands with independence. I know this is because they attended Western and were shaped into capable, responsible students who know how to manage their time and advocate for themselves. Our goal at Western is to send your child off to high school performing at their full potential with as much independence as possible. During their middle school years, your child will most likely make one or more bad choices, have a conflict with a friend, not hand in some assignments, do poorly on one or more assessments and experience a challenging situation in a class. They are expected to make mistakes and navigate challenging experiences during the middle school years, but learning from these mistakes and experiences in order to prevent similar situations in the future is what we hope they will accomplish while in middle school.
As we enter a new school year, the staff and I look forward to continuing our partnership with you to help both you and your child navigate the middle school years. We will take the ride together through all the ups and down. You know your child best and we need your involvement and collaboration to ensure that we are pushing your child to reach his or her full potential and learn from any mistakes they may make. I am always here if you have any questions or concerns.
Thank you.
Suzanne
Suzanne Coyne, Principal
suzanne_coyne@greenwich.k12.ct.us
(203) 413-8432
Western Middle School
#WestsideBestside