Principal's Message

Hello Trajan Community,

I am thrilled to introduce myself and welcome everyone to our 2024-2025 school year. Being new to our Trajan community provides many opportunities to be curious. As a trained cognitive coach, asking questions comes naturally to me. In my short time here, I have already found out so many amazing things about our Trajan community and I look forward to finding out even more as our school year moves forward. I invite you to contribute to my knowledge of our community too. Make an appointment, stop me on campus and introduce yourself, or send me an email. I would love to hear from you.

This year our site leadership team has decided to adopt the theme Connect. Contribute. Be Curious. This will help us focus our work around learning, growing, and belonging. Connecting can happen in many ways. Connecting classroom learning to our world around us is one of the most effective ways to spark childrens’ interest. Connecting previous learning to new learning supports deeper understanding. Connecting as human beings is essential to creating spaces where everyone feels welcome and experiences belonging. When children, families, and staff feel they belong, a strong and joyful community can thrive.  Contributing is important too. Whether contributing to our community through volunteering, joining our PTA, supporting our students inside and/or outside of our classrooms, or offering feedback and solutions, your contribution matters and in fact helps everyone learn and grow.  Finally, being curious comes naturally to children. However, sometimes our education systems are unintentionally set up to stifle curiosity. Let’s examine those systems together and create more space for curiosity to bloom! Curiosity can also replace judgment and reduce harmful assumptions. If we don’t understand something or someone, ask questions, learn more. 

I have been in education for twenty-seven years. I have worn many hats…elementary classroom teacher (all grades), enrichment specialist,  building and district literacy coach, and elementary school principal. In those twenty-seven years I have worked in Saint Paul Public Schools, Bellevue School District in Washington state, and at the American Overseas School in Rome, Italy. Through my varied experiences I strive to maintain my professional identity as an authentically child centered, creatively innovative, advocate for educational equity. 

It is an honor to begin a new chapter here at Trajan, within San Juan Unified. I look forward to working with everyone in our joyful, thriving school community where all staff, students, and families feel belonging…a place where we can Connect, Contribute, and Be Curious!

Sincerely,

Jennifer Mickelson
Principal