In this episode of Cool Coffee with Kansas Principals, host Rick Sola speaks with Jenny Steele, the principal of Manchester Park Elementary, about her journey from middle school to elementary education, the unique Spanish immersion program at her school, and the challenges and successes that come with it. They discuss the importance of community support, the enrollment process, and the transition of students to middle school, as well as the significance of mentorship and compassion in educational leadership.
Principal Jenny Steele
Manchester Park Elementary School
USD 233
"Is this a sitcom?" - CC#24: A Principal's Perspective from Jenny Steele (10/30/2024)
Email: jlsteele@olatheschools.org
Chapters (time stamps do not account for CC intro) (FULL TRANSCRIPT BELOW)
00:00 Introduction and Background
03:02 Journey to Principalship
05:49 Spanish Immersion Program Overview
09:11 Challenges in Implementation
11:49 Curriculum and Instructional Strategies
14:51 Student Enrollment and Lottery System
18:13 Performance and Assessment
20:52 Transitioning to Middle School
24:01 Community and Support
27:12 Advice and Reflections
29:57 Conclusion and Future Outlook
---------------------------------------
We want to hear from you--take 2 minutes (or less) and click HERE to contribute!
YOUR FEEDBACK ON COOL COFFEE IS APPRECIATED!
Leave show suggestions, guest recommendations, questions HERE!
Connect with Cool Coffee on...
Follow us on X: @KSPrincipals; @KPACoolCoffee
Facebook: KSPrincipals
Contact the host: @MrRickSola, rfsola@olatheschools.org, or KPACoolCoffee@gmail.com
The mission of the Kansas Principals Association, an organization committed to educational excellence and the lifelong success of all students, is to develop and support all principals through optimized learning, collaborative leadership, networking, and service.
Read more about the KPA HERE.
-------------------------------------------
Show Transcript (AI generated)
Rick Sola (00:01.646)
Hello and welcome to another edition of Cool Coffee with Kansas Principles. Today I am joined by Ms. Jenny Steele, Manchester Park Elementary Principal, home of the Timberwolves and USD 233 in Olathe, Kansas. Welcome, Jenny.
Jenny Steele (00:17.015)
Hello, Rick.
Rick Sola (00:18.798)
How's it going? How was your Friday? This is a Friday that we're recording. It's a Friday in the springtime. How'd it go today?
Jenny Steele (00:24.365)
Well, it's a Friday and you know, mid April, so it's good, you know.
Rick Sola (00:29.688)
So I'll just start with a little bit of full disclosure. Oftentimes, principals, I'm meeting often for the first time after some email conversation, but Jenny and I go way back to like 2011 when I was a brand new administrator and Jenny was my counterpart assistant principal at Prairie Trail Middle School. So, you know.
We'll stay professional and know, task at hand here, but we do go back a little bit. So it's good to see you again. And I actually was going to bring up, so I will just throw this out there. Jenny and I are both big Seinfeld fans. And so we always had fun with a little bit of just kind of banter back and forth and even still through text messaging. I was actually going to bring up
Jenny Steele (01:14.607)
Mm-hmm.
Rick Sola (01:25.39)
in a little bit, but I'll do it now since I'm there back in October and we did a principal perspective blitz through the, this KPA podcast. You submitted, a perspective called, this a sitcom? Which I will put in the show notes for people to easily find, but, I loved it because there's oftentimes it does feel like it can be a sitcom with what we do.
Jenny Steele (01:42.159)
Mm-hmm.
Rick Sola (01:53.92)
I was wondering if you've had any sitcom moments in recent memory.
Jenny Steele (02:01.559)
Well, yes, actually, and stuff that you, you know, you're not sure anybody would write. So I'm probably not going to share those here. Keep in mind, you know, we had our middle school days together. Now I'm in an elementary. And so I have so