Welcome to Allen's New Principal
Dr. Charles Chalfant
June 10, 2019
Dear friends of the Allen community, it is with great excitement that I greet you as the new Principal of John Allen Elementary School. I am humbled by the opportunity to officially join the Ann Arbor family, and I cannot wait to meet each and every one of you, and to begin building strong relationships across our community. Ann Arbor symbolizes the start of my work in education--it’s where it all began. I received a master’s in education at the University of Michigan and it’s now my forever home.
I have spent the last school year leading positive change as a school principal in Flat Rock, MI, focusing on accelerating student achievement through innovation and collaboration. Before that, I spent my entire career in education with D.C. Public Schools at one of the top-performing elementary schools in Washington, D.C. (out of 115 total schools). I spent time teaching both kindergarten and 5th grade and in school leadership, as an Instructional Coach and Dean of Students. In March, I successfully defended my dissertation and earned a doctorate in Educational Leadership at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, VA. I researched effective reading strategies and studied the implementation of a new reading program at my school, while examining the positive changes in student achievement.
I am originally from Norfolk, VA, where I both attended Old Dominion University and spent three years in law enforcement. I have also coached wrestling for nearly 15 years. Through it all, I’ve learned that leadership is a behavior, not a role, and it begins with relationships. I look forward to building and fostering relationships with each of you in the coming days, months, and years.
My family, including my wife, Rachel, our 2.5-year-old son, Landon, and our 4-month old twins, Carter and Ella, live in the Allen neighborhood and we look forward to becoming part of the school community. I also look forward to honoring and enhancing your current culture and traditions by focusing on how to make our systems more efficient. Let’s work smarter, not harder.
Anyone who knows me understands that the foundation of who I am is children. In school, it’s my belief that we need to have an unconditional positive regard for children. Our decisions need to be made while looking through the lens of taking care of children. This means looking out for the best interest of students at all times. Our students deserve to be challenged and engaged in meaningful work that will spark their interest and to have their social and emotional needs met through engaging and personalized instruction.
In all, it’s about us working together to ensure all of our Eagles achieve at high levels. To do this, we will focus on: acceleration through innovation and collaboration.
In unity,
Dr. Charles Chalfant
Dr. Charles Chalfant Principal John Allen Elementary
School Twitter: @Dr_Chalfant #WeAreA2Allen
Welcome to Allen Elementary
where we strive to engage, value, and collaborate with all students, parents, and community members in the learning process.
Allen Elementary School is filled with dedicated and professional staff who strive to create the optimal learning environment for students. All students, staff and parents are valued members of the Allen community.
We take pride in...
- Providing a research-based curriculum: Everyday Math and Balanced Literacy
- Ongoing professional development of staff: literacy, math and science education, social and emotional development.
- Our on-site staff who provide specialized knowledge and skills to support children and teachers.
- The shared commitment between school and home: Parent Council, School Improvement Team, Spring Open House, Country Fair, Book Fairs, Performances, Chaperones, and Room parents.
Please come to visit us at Allen. We would love to meet you and show you around our school.
2017 NATIONAL BLUE RIBBON AWARD WINNER!!
Allen Elementary School was named a 2017 National Blue Ribbon School. Please click on the link below to see the video of the award being given in Washington D.C.
National Blue Ribbon Ceremony
If you would like to see the video of Allen Elementary School celebrating the acceptance of the National Blue Ribbon, please click on the link below.
National Blue Ribbon Assembly
The link below will show you just some highlights of our assembly.
National Blue Ribbon Assembly Highlights
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