Letter from the Principal - September 2023

September 7, 2023

Dear Parents, Guardians, Students, Staff and Friends,

Welcome back to CDH!  We extend a special welcome to all the new parents, guardians, students, and staff.  We are particularly blessed by the leadership of our new interim president, Teri McCloughan. If you didn’t meet her at Back to School Night, you will have many other opportunities to greet her at future school events. 

I am happy to report that we are off to a strong start. We attribute much of our success to our current student body. The school culture among the students is one of the best we have experienced in recent years. Our students are respectful, engaged, and positive.  

We also instituted some new orientation events this year, including some minor tweaks to our business days for all students. The initiative with the greatest impact was the addition of our ninth-grade culture day. This is the first year we invited our 9th graders to spend their first day of school in the building without the older students. It was an effective way to introduce them to important information about CDH, including technology, CASA, available student support services, ways to get involved, etc. They also learned their way around the building, how to navigate our lunch program, how to wear the uniforms, and even how to open their lockers. Our faculty and staff enjoyed this opportunity to spend this time with our newest Raiders. 

Many of you had an opportunity to meet our tremendous faculty at Back to School Night. We kicked off the year together at faculty and staff workshops led entirely by our talented CDH staff. We focused on DEI, Multiple Intelligences and Learning Styles (MILS), our seven school Values, our new portrait of a graduate, and our leadership curriculum.  Of course, we also provided time to prepare for the year, to pray together, and to socialize. We will continue with these initiatives and our Professional Learning Communities during our faculty meetings and workshops throughout the year. 

Thank you for trusting us during this sacred time in your students’ lives. Our work here involves so much more than developing minds through academics. We partner with you in developing their character, attending to their emotional growth, and

most importantly, deepening their faith. The faculty and staff feel privileged to witness and influence the lives of these young people as they grow from adolescence into adulthood. 

I wish you and your students a year filled with opportunities, growth, and time together to establish meaningful and lifelong relationships.

Go Raiders! 

Mona Passman, Principal