Prairie Hills Elementary

I hope you had a wonderful summer. I'm sure that the children are ready for a truly enjoyable school year. I am delighted to be your principal and I am looking forward to a year of learning that is both challenging and engaging.

I would like to share some information with you about my personal and professional background. My career began in Florida. I received my Bachelor of Science degree at Florida Southern College in Lakeland and my Masters in Elementary Curriculum at the University of South Florida in Tampa. I taught kindergarten through grade six in Lakeland, and I was a language arts resource specialist and a Special Education staffing coordinator for several years in St. Petersburg, Florida.

My family moved to Colorado because we fell in love with the state on a camping trip at Estes Park. Upon settling in Colorado, I taught kindergarten at McElwain Elementary. What other grade would a reading specialist want to teach? I acquired a Reading Endorsement (K-12) and Administrative License at the University of Colorado in Boulder. A few years later, I helped open Hunters Glen Elementary as a Staff Development/Gifted and Talented coordinator. Soon after, I became the assistant principal at Hunters Glen, Tarver, Skyview, and North Star Elementary schools before returning to Hunters Glen as the principal.

My husband and son work at MKS/HPS, a technology firm in Boulder. We like to read, hike, camp, bike, ski, and just spend time together as a family. We have two cats that have us well trained. My son and daughter-in-law have given us three wonderful grandsons. My daughter works at McKesson Pharmaceutical company in Boulder.

I am looking forward to working with the families and community members of Prairie Hills Elementary. I highly value my participation with the School Improvement Team and the PTO. You can count on me to have an open door policy so that you always feel welcome to visit, communicate, volunteer, and participate in our many family opportunities we have at our school.

Prairie Hills Elementary will be your best neighbor and your best ally in educating your child. We will work with you, as a team, to provide every child with the optimal environment to become a successful learner. This can be accomplished through a commitment by all of us (staff, families, students, and community) to work together, listen to each other, and focus on our most precious resource: our children. Thank-you for joining with me in this exciting challenge, for there is nothing more important on this earth than to commit our time and efforts to our youth.

Kathryn V. Hastings
Principal