Superintendent Alvin L. Crawley has announced the appointment of Rachael R.B. Dischner as the principal of the new pre-K center to be housed at John Adams Elementary School.
The City Council approved the funding for the pre-K Center in May 2016. Work will begin to modernize the facility and create suitable classroom space for 360 students opening in fall 2018.
We are very excited to have Ms. Dischner on board to work with us to plan the new pre-K Center. We firmly believe that children do better in the long term when they have been set up for success at school through pre-K. This is part of the ACPS 2020 vision to ensure every student has the opportunity to succeed,” said Dr. Crawley.
This is the first time the early childhood programs will have a principal in their own right. The Pre-K Center will include students from ACPS Virginia Preschool Initiative (VPI), The Campagna Center Head Start, ACPS Early Childhood Special Education (ECSE) and ACPS Preschoolers Learning Together (PLT).
I am delighted to be part of the ACPS pre-K team. I believe that every child is capable of learning and achieving when given the proper tools to meet individual needs and utilize strengths. I look forward to leading the new pre-K center,” said Dischner.
Dischner has been an Assistant Principal at Randolph Elementary School in Arlington Public Schools since 2013 and was a Special Education Coordinator for Child Find/pre-K in Arlington for two years before that.
She has a master’s degree in Educational Leadership from George Mason University and a Certificate in Special Education from California Lutheran University in Thousand Oaks, California. She is currently studying for the Statewide Communities of Practice for Excellence (SCOPE) Certificate with the University of Virginia.
Dischner has multiple Postgraduate Professional Licenses: Administration and Supervision Pre-K -12, Early Childhood Special Education, Emotional Disturbance K-12, Intellectual Disabilities K-12, Specific Learning Disabilities K-12.
She will start in the role on July 17.