Hello Fiddyment Farm Families,

I hope you all have enjoyed a wonderful summer, and it is my pleasure to officially welcome you all back to school for the 2017/2018 school year.  I am so excited and it is such an honor to be chosen as the new principal of Fiddyment Farm Elementary. I feel so lucky to follow in the footsteps of an amazing administrator, Meghan Baichtal, who along with such a passionate and dedicated staff, have built Fiddyment Farm from the ground up, creating awesome programs, traditions, and a sense of close knit family and community for our students and parents here at “The Farm”.

Since this is will be my first year as principal here at Fiddyment, I wanted to reach out and fully introduce myself to the families here at Fiddyment. Here is a little background and history on me, just so you have a more clear picture of my experience and the road that led me to Fiddyment Farm.

• I began my teaching career in Tracy, California in 2006 as a 2nd grade teacher, where I taught for 2 years, before my wife and I decided in 2008 to make the move up to the Sacramento area to be closer to family.  
• Having the opportunity to teach in the Roseville City School District has been absolutely amazing.  From my first assignment as a Kindergarten teacher at Gates (hired by Mrs. Baichtal…small world) to teaching 4th and 5th graders at Junction, where I got to know so many West Park/Fiddyment families, to moving on to the Middle School level at Chilton, teaching 6-8 graders, has given me some invaluable experiences and relationships with students and families.
• Earning my Administrative Credential and Masters in Educational Leadership from Sac State in 2010, allowed me to achieve my goal of becoming a school administrator in Roseville.  Being the Vice Principal at both Chilton and Junction, two schools that I taught at previously, made my journey extra special, as I got to expand my supportive role to many of the staff, students, and families I already had built relationships and had experiences with.  And now, 2 years later, after 8 years of elementary and middle school teaching, and 2 years of being a Vice Principal in the district, I was able to earn an opportunity to become a site principal, and I just happened to be chosen at the same time that Mrs. Baichtal was continuing her education career to the district office, and here I am at Fiddyment!  I couldn’t be more excited to continue to be a part of this West Park/Fiddyment community! I am familiar with many of our Fiddyment families, and looking forward to meeting all the new ones, having such a wonderful and enthusiastic staff that love kids and want to do the very best for ALL students, wow, I could not imagine a more perfect fit for me, than here at Fiddyment Farm!

In my personal time, I enjoy spending time with my amazing family, my wife Andrea, and my 16 month daughter, Ella, our first child, who fills us with joy, laughter, and craziness every single day!!!  I also enjoy spending time with close friends, hiking, movies, and sports of all kinds – go Niners and A’s!

Fiddyment Farm is indeed a special place for students and families!  Our school is committed to addressing the needs and skills of ALL of our students.  We pride ourselves on consistently working to improve student performance and teacher instruction, as well as instilling perseverance in our students to acquire the knowledge needed to face challenges and embrace enrichment, and in doing so, becoming a FORCE in our ever changing society.  Beyond the common core standards, our students will participate in our school programs including art, music, physical education, technology, and character building, working each day to grow into outstanding young scholars and leaders, ready for the next grade level, middle school, and beyond!

With great partnerships from our community of families, Fiddyment Farm continues to be a special place for children to learn.  From our community of volunteers in the classroom for everyday support, and our amazing art docents and room parents, to our phenomenal PTC board and members, they help foster a student experience at Fiddyment second to none.  Their support for our students during school, our after school enrichment programs, and our community events, make our school a truly amazing place to be!

Please take the time to visit the PTC/Volunteer link on the website, and help to contribute this tradition of community support.  I cannot encourage you enough to get involved in your child’s school and learning. It truly is an awesome story to tell, and we want you to hear it and for you to be a part of it.  You can follow us on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. We also have a “Remind.com” account that you can sign up for to receive text message reminders from us about important dates and events!

I wish all of our wonderful Fiddyment Farm FORCE students and families, the best school year to come.  I know it will be amazing for everyone. I look forward to the learning, growing, and most importantly, to the fun we will all have together this school year!

Best Regards,

Ryan Poulsen
Principal