Dear Harlan Families,

It is with honor and excitement that I introduce myself, Alex Agius, to you as the Interim Principal of Harlan Elementary School.  Some of you may already know me as I have served the Harlan community as the Assistant Principal at Derby Middle School since August of 2010.  Before my time at Derby, I was a 5^th grade teacher in the West Bloomfield School District for 7 years.  During both of these experiences, I was able to build my understanding for effective teaching strategies and build positive relationships with my students, families and community members.  At Harlan, I am confident that I can continue with both.

A bit about myself personally; I am a devoted husband to my wife Jess for the past 12 years and father to three wonderful children.  Ella is our inquisitive 10 year old daughter who is about to begin her journey as a middle school student (ironically, as I step away from mine).  Brayden is our 8 year old son who is entering 3^rd grade and loves everything about the outdoors.  Weston is our youngest, 5, who just completed kindergarten and has genuine excitement about life and loves to learn new things.  As a family, we live in the city of Novi and enjoy camping, traveling, and riding our bikes together.

Based upon my work with the Birmingham School District over the past 7 years and my interaction with Husky families, I know that Harlan is an amazing, high performing school with an emphasis on high academic standards and the building of students with high character.  I believe that my personal and professional beliefs align very well with the mission of Harlan.  I will work tirelessly with the staff at Harlan to continue to maintain a safe and welcoming environment for all of our students and parents where everyone feels comfortable and valued.  I strongly believe that as a school, we will continue to address the needs of the whole child; academically, socially, emotionally, and physically.  I am confident that if we address all of these, the children we encounter everyday will find joy in learning, have the ability to think critically, empathize with others, and become valuable citizens within our community. 

I am eager to get to know all children, teachers, staff, and families of the Harlan community over the next few months.  Please do not hesitate to take the time to introduce yourself to me or send me a note.  I am genuinely open to regular communication.  I look forward to meeting all of you and to working in partnership with you on this journey to give your children the best educational experience possible.

I hope that you all find time to enjoy some summer fun with your family and I look forward to meeting everyone in the fall.

Sincerely,

Alex Agius

Interim Principal

Harlan Elementary School