Principal's Message

Welcome to the 2026-27 school year! My name is Ms. Baird, and I am the proud principal of Hayden Elementary School.  I am excited to continue this journey with Hayden’s families and staff. I’m looking forward to welcoming our students and partnering with families to provide the best educational experiences. I’m thrilled to share that we are continuing our commitment to AVID and our Digital Media & Communications specialty program. With an emphasis on developing strong communication skills, these programs provide students with the knowledge, skills, and confidence they need to thrive in an increasingly interconnected world. 

 

As we start this new school year, I always like to reflect on our school mission: It is our collective responsibility to educate and empower all students to pursue excellence through a distinctive, rigorous, and engaging academic experience. I’d like to share some of the ways we help our students grow and succeed. Our teachers will continue to meet regularly in Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) to analyze data, collaborate on student learning, and design engaging and meaningful lessons. We will use AVID strategies to equip our students with college and career ready skills to thrive in an interconnected world. We will continue to implement our Positive Behavior Intervention System (PBIS) to ensure that our school is a safe, positive place where kindness, respect, and responsibility are encouraged every day. All of these work together to give your child the best possible learning experience.

 

I believe that communication with parents/guardians is essential for our students to thrive academically, socially, and emotionally. Moreover, I will be sending out weekly emails titled, “Hayden Highlights”, with essential school information and opportunities. Although my emails may be lengthy, I appreciate you taking the time to carefully read through them to have a better understanding of school activities and opportunities for both students and parents/guardians. My emails will be sent through a ParentSquare, which is a parent and school communications app. To keep the most up to date, I encourage you to download the “ParentSquare” app (icon has 4 dots) to your phone or tablet. 

 

I also recommend that you visit the school’s website for policies, procedures, offerings, and school happenings. Our school activities calendar can also be found at our school website. Please regularly check the school calendar, and keep in mind that occasionally we have to adjust dates and times of events. We have a school instagram page as well as a school PTA instagram page. It is also essential that parents/guardians keep their information up-to-date in the Aeries Parent Portal. This is where you should keep your phone numbers, address, emails, and emergency contacts up-to-date. 

 

Our office staff is dedicated to assisting families, answering questions, and providing information. Please do not hesitate to reach out to them to answer any questions and provide clarification. We have two community liaisons, Spanish and Vietnamese, who provide translation and assistance to families. They also will connect you with resources if your family is in need. If your family is struggling financially, they can connect you with food banks and household items. 

I encourage you to be involved as much as possible and welcome feedback, questions, and ideas. There will be a variety of opportunities for parents/guardians to provide input and guide the direction of the school such as Parent Teacher Association (PTA), School Site Council (SSC), English Language Advisory Council (ELAC), Hayden Highlight Meetings with the Principal, and OC Grip Meetings. There will be opportunities for you to connect with your child’s teacher and myself at Parent Conferences, Back-to-School Night, Open House, and more. Lastly, there will be opportunities for you to connect and bond with your child at on-campus opportunities such as Lunch on the Lawns and Student Awards ceremonies. 

 

Once again, we are looking forward to the journey ahead and value our partnership with our families. If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to me.

 

With gratitude and excitement,

Wendy Baird