By RANDY FULLER / Guest Columnist

I want to take an opportunity to personally welcome the students in all of our Shelby County communities back to school. This is always a very exciting time for students, parents and educators. Our school district has enjoyed a proud history of academic excellence and community spirit and we look forward to continuing those traditions this year. Our district leaders, school administrators and teachers are committed to providing the highest possible level of learning for every student, in every classroom at every school. Your partnership with our schools is an essential part of achieving that goal.

To our parents: Thank you for making learning a top priority in your home. You can best accomplish this by ensuring that your child attends school every day that he or she is able and by being engaged and knowledgeable about his or her progress in school. It makes a big difference and we are very grateful for your support. We will be using several tools to communicate important information to parents this year, including our district website, our Blackboard Connect voicemail and email communication system, our Twitter account and our new district Facebook page. I encourage you to like our new Facebook page at “Shelby County AL Schools” and follow us on Twitter at @shelbyedk12alus to receive timely updates as we post new information to these sites.

To our community partners: Your commitment to the students of Shelby County is deeply appreciated. From partnering to provide valuable experiences through our career academies to your generous support through our Shelby County Schools Education Foundation, you are making a significant and lasting impact. We are a community of stakeholders working together to ensure positive outcomes for the students of our school district, and we are grateful for your support.

Our district’s message, “Prepared for the Journey,” reiterates our commitment to providing the best education possible for the students of Shelby County. Through the efforts of our faculty, staff and administrative leaders, along with the support of our parents, government officials, business leaders and citizens, we are preparing the students of Shelby County for life-long learning and continued success in moving forward. Thank you for joining us on this journey.

On behalf of all of the employees of Shelby County Schools, we look forward to partnering with you for another successful school year. Welcome back!

Randy Fuller is the superintendent of the Shelby County School System.