Hello Nipaquay Elementary School Community,
It is with great honor and enthusiasm that I introduce myself to you as a founding member and Principal of Nipaquay Elementary school. I am excited to work with you, our students, staff, and the larger community to make Nipaquay an exceptional place of learning for all. Like you, I am dedicated to the safety, success, and wellbeing of each of our students. I believe that each individual brings with them unique strengths and that through relevant, engaging learning experiences we can help students/staff discover and explore their passions and apply their genius in service of others.
I was born and raised here in San Diego and have always recognized, and valued the diversity that makes our region so special and rich in opportunity. Nipaquay Village was known to the Kumeyaay as a place of cultural, material, and information exchange. I am honored that our site has been named in recognition of current and past contributions of our indigenous peoples. I believe that by learning from our past, and recognizing the strengths in others, we can build a better future together.
I am a husband and father of two amazing and strong young girls. My eldest is going into grade four (2024/25) and my youngest is entering first grade. I understand how much each of you care about the future of your children and I am driven to provide the level of education for all children that I desire for my own. We will strive to foster the innate curiosity and love of learning all children possess while ensuring that each child develops the essential skills necessary for future success. I believe that learning persists when students apply their knowledge in real and meaningful ways.
At Nipaquay we have an opportunity to draw from best practices around the world and to demonstrate that through a thoughtful integrated project based approach to education, students can find both academic success and personal fulfillment. I believe my background has prepared me well to guide this work and realize these goals. I am a former science and engineering teacher, a state leader in STEAM (Science Technology, Engineering Arts Mathematics), and supported the California roll out of NGSS (CA Next Generation Science Standards). I was a founding team member of Qualcomm's Thinkabit Lab (2012), which was a shining example of what is possible when industry and K-12 education collaborate. I have since developed STEAM work based learning excursions with companies and nonprofits such as Raytheon, BioLabs San Diego, Illumina, LaunchBio, SeaWorld, and the USS Midway to name a few.
As a Director I have developed and managed K-12 STEAM programs and partnerships across San Diego Unified. Working with our STEAM team we have rolled out an integrated, project based STEAM program across 79 elementary sites. This wrap-around program is poised to be adopted as our district wide science curriculum and combines instructional resources, teacher/administrator professional learning, and ongoing support with the goal of empowering students to make change in our communities.
We still have much to do as our school continues to expand each year and I am so excited to be on this journey with you. I value your input, feedback and collaboration and know that together we will develop a community of learners (students, staff, parents, partners) that is dedicated to the success of each student and continuous growth for all.
In Service
Michael Goodbody
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