Superintendent's Message

Greetings to the St. Francis School Community!

My name is John Thomsen and I am honored to serve as the Superintendent of Schools for the St. Francis School District.

The transition into the District has been an exciting one.  All District community members have been remarkably friendly, helpful and resourceful throughout the process.  For the past twenty years, I experienced the roles of mathematics teacher, coach, Assistant Principal and Principal at Greenfield High School; and most recently as, Assistant Superintendent for the Greenfield School District.  I feel privileged for this wonderful opportunity and look forward to a long and positive relationship with the District as we work together to set the conditions required for continuous improvement, achievement and excellence. 

I am married and have three children who attend the Elmbrook Public Schools.  I am an advocate and believe in public schools.  I am committed to working with our team to provide an educational experience that is meaningful, relevant and challenging for each and every one of our students.  I maintain high expectations for our School District team members, as well as, our students.  It is a huge privilege and responsibility to educate our children and I am grateful to the Board and the members of the interview team for the mindfulness they demonstrated in making this important decision.  I am appreciative for the faith they have placed in me and I look forward to working with the Board, team members, school / community leaders, and parents as we work to best prepare our students to be college and career ready in this globally competitive economy.

I have already learned a few things in my short time in St Francis.  First, this is a school community that honors and believes in the development of the whole child.   Students who are socially, emotionally, physically healthy, as well as, academically equipped are best prepared to contribute to our society and be successful.  We will strive to continue to help our students grow in these areas.  Secondly, I have learned that St. Francis values service, volunteering and giving back to the local community.  It is imperative that our students understand that thinking and acting positively outside of themselves only makes the world in which they live enhanced.  Finally, I have learned that St. Francis is involved in establishing a “learning community” that focuses on student growth over time and high achievement.  It is essential that we identify exactly what we want our students to know, determine whether or not they know it, provide timely interventions when they don’t know it, and extended learning for those students that already know it.  This approach will set the framework for our future professional development and initiatives.

I would like to thank former Superintendent Carol Topinka and the administrative team for their tremendous help and support over the past few months.  Carol and her team were generous of their time as they fielded many questions and helped me gain an understanding of practices within the District.

I look forward to the 2011-2012 school year and again, thank you for the opportunity to be here.

Sincerely,

 John W. Thomsen, Ed. D.