Dr. Karen Reach, Principal
Fall 2023
Dear Woodland Families and Guests,
Welcome to our wonderful Woodland learning community. It is such an honor to serve our students, families, teachers, and support staff members. Together ~ we are Soaring with Greatness!
It is through our work together ~ that Woodland’s academic excellence is firmly centered upon high quality instruction for our students coupled with a strong partnership with you, our wonderful Woodland families, and the Johnson City community. We truly believe that it takes a village to educate our children and what an extraordinary village we have established within our learning community. In today’s world, we also know that being open to necessary refinements within our great school is very important as our students’ needs and logistical processes are ever changing. Please let us know if ever you should have concerns or suggestions for improvement.
And now ~ just a bit about my family and my work experiences…
I am blessed to be married to my best friend, David Winston Reach. David works for Aerojet-Rocketdyne in Jonesborough as a senior program manager. David loves cars and is a racing enthusiast. We often visit Bristol Motor Speedway for both the fall and spring races. My favorite pastimes include shopping, decorating, and exercising. David and I have one son, Chase Winston Reach, age 32. Chase is an outstanding artist and musician. I have several of his beautiful art projects displayed in my Woodland office. Chase inspires me every day to be creative and passionate in all my endeavors at home and at school. And finally, we have a precious little dog named Bella Jane. Bella is three years in age and loves to run! And oh my goodness – she is an amazing runner!
It has been my greatest privilege to serve as principal of Woodland since August 2013. Previous to my work at Woodland, I served as Assistant Principal at Liberty Bell Middle School under the leadership of Principal Tammy Pearce. Tammy is an outstanding school administrator who taught me so many important lessons about leading a successful learning community. Three years later, when our Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Richard Bales, asked me to assume the leadership position at Woodland ~ I was beyond elated. Thank you, Dr. Bales, for serving as an inspiration to so many! It is truly a JOY to work at Woodland each and every day. The smiles and excitement for learning permeate in every classroom. Our students and teachers are truly a blessing in my life, And what an honor to now serve under the leadership of Dr. Steve Barnett. He is another inspiration to all!
Previous to my work in Johnson City, I served as a classroom teacher at Avoca Elementary School in Bristol, Tennessee for 19 years. During my time at Avoca, I was privileged to teach second, third, and sixth grades. I learned so many things during my tenure at Avoca – it, too, is a wonderful place for learning. In addition to those experiences, I was privileged to serve as Curriculum Coordinator for Bristol Tennessee City Schools and also Lead Curriculum Specialist and Testing Coordinator at G. W. Vance Middle School. During my work in curriculum, it was an honor to serve teachers in grades K-12 with curriculum, professional development, and academic testing support. Moreover, it was an incredible experience to work under the tutelage of Dr. Rebecca Walters and Dr. Steve Dixon ~ two very special mentors in my educational career. Dr. Walters and Dr. Dixon taught me so many important lessons that I often reference in my work today.
In closing, it has often been said, in a multitude of ways, that teamwork makes an organization great. I could not agree more! With that spirit in mind, I have created a simple recipe in honor of our wonderful Woodland learning community ~
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Infuse the learning community with outstanding and inspirational teachers.
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Create caring, enriching, and engaging classroom environments.
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Provide high quality instruction centered upon our PK - 4 academic standards.
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Create a school-wide focus central to our essential life skills and The Seven Habits of Happy Kids.
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Establish and maintain partnerships with our families and community friends.
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Smile often ~ and celebrate success!
Please stop by to visit us ~ your continued support means the world to us at Woodland!
Wishing you a wonderful 2020/2021 academic year!
With kindest regards,
Dr. Karen Reach
Principal
Dr. Reach’s Contact Information
(423) 434-5267
reachk@jcschools.org
Follow me on Twitter @ twitter.com/DrKarenReach1
Last Updated: 9/1/2023