Colleen (all other NR defenders) - I assure you, all that KingsParkRams74 writes, and then some, is true. You can continue to believe it's "rumor and innuendo" so that it makes the time you spend with Nick a little easier.

You also spoke the truth when you said "No wonder our brightest and best avoid careers in education like the plague." because it is clear Nick Rousos is neither one of the brightest nor best. Leslie Butz has done her best to keep him in his position, but continuing to move him from school to school is not going to work for much longer. At some point enough people, the right people, will know of his complete incompetence and it will come down to her job or his. Let's see what happens then.

At max - he has only one more year to try and further destroy Laurel Ridge, as next year the Principal Survey will be taken. Good luck defending the illustrious Nick Rousos that you seem to hold in such high esteem after that.

Even under the assumption that your claims are all completely true (yeah right), they are still stupid and petty.

If you want exactly what you want put your kids in private school or homeschool them. Otherwise stop bitching.

Onthegoreader, I understand your points but I guess that the people reading this thread who don't work with him or interact with him on a daily basis have a hard time understanding why you're all so up in arms over him. The examples given tend to be complaining about pointless things (he doesn't wear a specific t-shirt to school when I'd imagine dress code for him is either a button-down or polo; that he doesn't spend enough time at afterschool activities; that he uses his phone too often; that his secretary sends out emails with misspellings). You all may have real issues with him, and I imagine you do if so many of you are this visibly unhappy, but on our end, when we read the thread it sounds like all these moms are gleefully jumping on the gang-mentality bully train by complaining about petty issues. It's hard, for me at least, to be sympathetic to your plight because I just can't figure out why you all want him fired so badly.

One word to describe your narrative ...Wow .... very well said and nicely done.

First time posting ... I did not realize that a reply on a message would not attach to the message. Therefore this eft my original message out of proper context.

My message was in response to 'GrownUp' and the hard working role modeling staff at Laurel Ridge.

Original Post ... with context.
One word to describe your narrative ...Wow .... very well said and nicely done.

People reading this forum who know the deal for real, please contact Leslie Butz before it is too late.
You can make an anonymous call by dialing *67 571 423 1160
Facts only and nothing about his appearance unless it directly effects his professionalism or job performance. If you are a teacher or employee at Laurel Ridge or previous school where Mr. Rousos worked we really need your input. Please be brave and take a stand. Mr. Rousos should find a job doing something he is good at and it is definitely not being a principal.

Hellikop - you could not be more right! NR has been a problem at his previous schools. His moral conduct is not what anyone would want in a school principal. As if that is not enough, he has proven over and over again at Laurel Ridge that he is not a leader or team player. He uses bullying and intimidation on a regular basis. Parents and staff alike know the deal. Make a call or send an email. Leslie Butz and Megan McLaughlin need to hear from you!

Hellikop Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> People reading this forum who know the deal for
> real, please contact Leslie Butz before it is too
> late.
> You can make an anonymous call by dialing *67 571
> 423 1160
> Facts only and nothing about his appearance unless
> it directly effects his professionalism or job
> performance. If you are a teacher or employee at
> Laurel Ridge or previous school where Mr. Rousos
> worked we really need your input. Please be brave
> and take a stand. Mr. Rousos should find a job
> doing something he is good at and it is definitely
> not being a principal.

onthegoreader Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Colleen (all other NR defenders) - I assure you,
> all that KingsParkRams74 writes, and then some, is
> true. You can continue to believe it's "rumor and
> innuendo" so that it makes the time you spend with
> Nick a little easier.
>
> You also spoke the truth when you said "No wonder
> our brightest and best avoid careers in education
> like the plague." because it is clear Nick Rousos
> is neither one of the brightest nor best. Leslie
> Butz has done her best to keep him in his
> position, but continuing to move him from school
> to school is not going to work for much longer.
> At some point enough people, the right people,
> will know of his complete incompetence and it will
> come down to her job or his. Let's see what
> happens then.
>
> At max - he has only one more year to try and
> further destroy Laurel Ridge, as next year the
> Principal Survey will be taken. Good luck
> defending the illustrious Nick Rousos that you
> seem to hold in such high esteem after that.



Irrespective, it seems the point went over your head. From my post, it's clear that I am not surprised at all if someone in education isn't all that bright. That's because the best and the brightest don't want to deal with the yawn-worthy bitties in the neighborhood whose lives are so limited that the highlight of their year is gossiping about a grade school priniciple.

Secondly, you may believe everything you hear during your stroller/doggie walks with the rest of the stay-at-home bitties with little else going on, but, as the great Marvin Gaye says: Believe half of what you see; some and none of what you hear.

I don't repeat anything about another simply based on what I heard about them from someone else (thankfully our justice system doesn't even allow that sort of thing in court). The ONLY time I repeat anything even close to what you posted, I have to know them to be facts - first hand knowledge - not just hearsay and hearsay twice and third and maybe even fourth removed.

It works for me. Your mileage may differ.

Hey Rousos, aka Colleen, ya mis-spelled principal in your post!

Thetruth Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Hey Rousos, aka Colleen, ya mis-spelled principal
> in your post!

Good catch. The only name I use on this site is Colleen, which, of course, is not even close to my actual name. And, someone would have to pay me a hell of a lot more than I currently make even to consider working in a public school. Oh, hell no!

I also misquoted the great Marvin Gaye; it's "Believe some of what you see, son, and none of what you hear."

Thanks.

I realize that during summer, school may not be the issue most present on our minds. Still, please continue to voice your concerns about Nick Rousos’s ineffective leadership, ineffective communication, and ineffective dealings and interactions with your children to each of the following individuals. Please contact Leslie Butz, cluster superintendent at 571-423-1160, Dr. Karen Garza, new superintendent of schools at 571-423-1010, deputy superintendent Dr. Richard Moniuszko at 571-423-1020, and Braddock District School Board Representative Megan McLaughlin at 571-423-1088. Time is limited, please act!

I just got the keep in touch telling me about the latest group of teachers to jump ship on Mr. Rousos watch. If this continues there will be no experienced teachers left at Laurel Ridge! Definitely using the above numbers!

Oh look the gossipy helicopter parents are back. Let me guess kids away at summer camp and you have nothing else better to do?

katiesmith Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Oh look the gossipy helicopter parents are back.
> Let me guess kids away at summer camp and you have
> nothing else better to do?


For once I'm going to have to agree with Katiesmith. I'm surprised "adults" act like children, but that appears to be the case with regards to this.

KingsParkRams74 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I realize that during summer, school may not be
> the issue most present on our minds. Still,
> please continue to voice your concerns about Nick
> Rousos’s ineffective leadership, ineffective
> communication, and ineffective dealings and
> interactions with your children to each of the
> following individuals. Please contact Leslie
> Butz, cluster superintendent at 571-423-1160, Dr.
> Karen Garza, new superintendent of schools at
> 571-423-1010, deputy superintendent Dr. Richard
> Moniuszko at 571-423-1020, and Braddock District
> School Board Representative Megan McLaughlin at
> 571-423-1088. Time is limited, please act!


I have no concerns. You do, based on gossip. Grow up.

If you read the KIT from Mr. Rousos about the teachers that are leaving, you would realize that almost all of them are women who are leaving because their husbands got new jobs in other parts of the country. The teachers who are leaving to other FCPS schools are either furthering their careers for other experiences, or moving to be closer to home because they have very small children and the commute is causing family stress, especially since school hours changed last year. Another teacher is returning to LRES.

I would like to point out that under Mr. Rousos' and the APs' watch, the special education students at LRES continue to flourish, while at other schools this is not the case.

If you absolutely can't find anything better to do than make unsubstantiated comments, consider homeschooling.

Dear Staff, Students, and Families of Laurel Ridge Elementary,

It has been my honor and pleasure to be part of the Laurel Ridge family for the past two years. Over this time we have been involved in many changes, and have always asked “what is best for our students?” From implementing standards based progress reports to our new bell schedule, from the integration of the Learning Lab for reading success to offering accelerated math in Spanish for fifth grade Immersion students, our focus has always been on student success and growth. Over this time the measureable gains in standardized test scores and other measures of student academic success have been paralleled by the advances in citizenship and community participation through the growth of our PAWS and Positive Behavior Intervention Support programs. I am extremely proud of the work of the staff, the efforts of the students, and the support of the parents; thank you all.
Among the benefits of working for a large school system are the opportunities for professional growth and varied experiences made available to employees. After seven years as an elementary school principal I will miss the relationships and experiences of the day-to-day operations of a school, however, I am writing to share exciting news. I will be transitioning to the Department of Instructional Services as a Special Projects Administrator responsible for leading the evolution of the Summer Extended Learning Time (SELT) program. This work will allow me to interface with multiple departments in Fairfax County Public Schools, and afford me a system-wide perspective on program implementation and evolution. By so doing we will continue to answer the question “what is best for students” at a larger scale.

I will start my new position on July 29, 2013. Mrs. Lora Adams has been assigned as the interim principal during the 6-week transition time that it will take for the school system to select a new principal for Laurel Ridge. The Cluster 6 assistant superintendent and the specialist in administrative employment in the Department of Human Resources will be contacting the staff and community in August to explain the principal selection process and to solicit your input.
As always I am only an email away so please feel free to contact me to share the great things the LRES family is accomplishing. I wish you the best in the upcoming school year.

Sincerely,
Nick Rousos

Laura Adams is a gift for this school. She is so sincerely empathetic to our students' needs, and she is clearly the most competent candidate in the bunch... GO LAURA! WE LOVE YOU!!

Yes. Married, cheating with married staff member/parent

And what would those needs be? What does the average helicopter parent want that would make them love this person so?


adamsforprincipal Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Laura Adams is a gift for this school. She is so
> sincerely empathetic to our students' needs, and
> she is clearly the most competent candidate in the
> bunch... GO LAURA! WE LOVE YOU!!

KingsParkRams74 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I'm very concerned about the goings on at Laurel
> Ridge Elementary School. What on earth is
> happening there? The teachers seem to be
> generally dissatisfied. My question is this: how
> is it that a Principal who has a record of
> sleeping with with employees at other schools get
> to be principal of our children's school and run
> it into the ground?
>
> Mr.Larry Burke was a lot of things. While I did
> not know him well (I admit I also do not know Mr.
> Nick Rousos well) there was not doubt he was a
> career educator. He certainly had a flair for the
> dramatic and I remember him ruffling some feathers
> of 6th grade parents about his forbidding the term
> "graduation" in favor of "promotion." Still, the
> staff was always upbeat and never the despondent
> mess that I see grumbling the halls of Laurel
> Ridge today.
>
> Mr. Rousus rarely goes to PTA events. He is
> certainly not a part of the community. While I
> understand separating one's career from their
> social life, an elementary school principal has
> certain social responsibilities to the community.
> Pardon my candor but surely he could at least try
> to humor the community while he's chasing tail on
> the clock?
>
> I'm wondering if anyone else has noticed the
> abysmal state of Laurel Ridge lately. If I'm
> wrong in my hypothesis about Mr. Rousos, so be it.
> There seems to be a lot left over from a great
> school in terms of teachers but the leader strikes
> me as a self serving, sweet talking, womanizing
> dud.

PARTY

Nick wasn't perfect, but I can tell you that morale has sunk to an all-time low at LRES this year among the teaching staff.

The students are out of control in the hallways, cafeteria and coming and going from school, and there is no discipline coming from admin at all. Teachers refer students for extreme behaviors and there is no follow-through.

Experienced teachers who are well thought of by colleagues are being harrassed by an administrator and are being marked "ineffective" on evaluations. Teachers are horrified at what is happening to their fellow teammates. Teachers being evaluated have to spend literally hours and hours putting together their "data points" to prove they have met all seven standards. Nobody has that kind of time to waste on this.

Literally two to three hours of grade level meeting times in each grade have been spent on discussing professional rules of conduct, although there are no teachers with conduct issues that anyone can point to. We have a lot better things to do with our limited planning time.

Class sizes are huge, yet pupil placed students are still approved. Now we are adding a quad trailer out back for next year. Who knows which grade will be stuck out there?

The same handful of teachers attend tons of meetings about running the school, but nobody outside the meetings has any idea of what was talked about. How can that be beneficial? Part of the meetings involve playing little games to learn to "trust" each other. This is what we are paying subs for?

I would take Nick back in a minute.