April 1, 2004

Graystone Principal Jerri Kazmierczak to retire at end of school year

By Lorraine Gabbert
Staff Writer

After 11 years, Graystone Elementary School will be bidding a fond farewell to its principal, Jerri Kazmierczak. “She has shaped the lives of thousands of children in Almaden, and made Graystone the school that it is,” notes parent Allison Johnson.

“I try putting myself in the children’s place, and imagine what they would want and feel comfortable with, and that’s what I try to do,” says Kazmierczak. “My mother has said that since I was 2, I wanted to be a teacher. I would line my dolls up, and direct the group. My brother taught me how to read at an early age, and I was leading a reading group when I was 6-years-old, and it carried on from there.”

“She makes school fun,” says Johnson, “and not just about achievement and test scores. There’s ice cream Fridays, and every child has an opportunity to participate in ‘Brag Time’ with the principal, and say what they’re proud of. It may be that they’re well behaved in class, or they can throw a baseball 75 feet, or they know how to handle a snake. She just wants to see the pride on their faces. It’s what gives her joy in her day; knowing they feel good about themselves and are comfortable being who they are.”

Developing a close relationship with her students is essential to Kazmierczak. In this pursuit, besides sharing “Blue Slip” lunches each week with groups of children, she also works the school’s hot-lunch line on a daily basis. “She told me that it’s the only way she can learn the names of all the kids—there are about 800 here at Graystone—and if she didn’t do that, she would only know a small fraction of them,” says parent Alison van Diggelen.

Kazmierczak’s record as principal speaks for itself. Besides providing the building blocks to improve students’ self-esteem and character development through programs like “Roots and Wings,” and “Cornerstone,” the school also offers science, music and art, and computer-based programs like Accelerated Reader, Accelerated Math, Accelerated Spelling and Grammar. In addition, Graystone’s API scores topped the San Jose Unified School District list this year.

Parent Denise Aitken appreciates Kazmierczak’s open-door policy with parents. “On several occasions, I have dropped in unannounced, and she made time for me to address a concern I might have about my child, or the school,” says Aitken. “She has taken a personal interest in my children, and has made a point of trying to match them to the teachers that would best meet their needs.”

Kazmierczak’s illustrious teaching career spans 37 years and three states. She received her undergraduate degree from the State University of New York at Buffalo, and her master’s from Pepperdine University in Southern California. She also holds teaching credentials from New York, Massachusetts, and California. Within the San Jose Unified School District, she has taught at Allen, Almaden, Williams, Los Alamitos, Olinder, and Graystone elementary schools.

Amazingly, after teaching for just one year at Graystone, she became assistant principal at both Allen and Graystone schools. “I wanted to make more of an impact with children, and work with more than just the 30 I had in my class,” she says. She also enjoys seeing her students grow up. “I have a first grade teacher here who was in my first grade class, and a parent with three little girls who was in my kindergarten class when I taught at Williams,” she reflects.

Assistant Principal Juan Correa sees Kazmierczak’s tenure with the school as the key to her pro-active, rather than reactive, approach with the students. “She builds character assets as a result of knowing the students, and is able to create special programs like ‘Roots and Wings,’ ‘Cornerstone,’ and ‘Peace Builders,’” he notes. “Kindergarten students are encouraged to go into her office every morning to get a sticker and a charm by presenting their reading log. This makes the principal’s office a safe place to go, and that starts in kindergarten. I’ve seen middle school students come back, and she knows them by name, and they give her a big hug and they say, ‘Can I have a charm?’ and she says, ‘Have you been reading?’ and they say, ‘Yes.’ So you can see, there’s genuine love there.” Correa also feels that Kazmierczak is an effective leader, and appreciates how she empowers her staff.

“Her philosophy is, ‘This is what needs to be done, here are your options, you choose. Let me know which option you want to do.’ They see her as their educational leader, their boss, and their friend.”

To develop a rapport with her teachers when she was new to the school, Kazmierczak kept a jar of M&M’s in her office. “It was a great way for me to get to know them,” she recalls. She also wanted a way to get to know the children, and hit upon “Brag Time.” “It’s a time for them to tell me about something they’re good at; it might be a sport they play, or helping mom with the baby at home. Every child has something unique about them—even the child that has a smile on his face every day gets to come to ‘Brag Time.’ My goal is that by the end of the year, every child will have the chance to come.”

Third graders also had the opportunity to bond with their principal at a school sleepover party. “Michele Taylor, our early literacy event coordinator, came up with the idea, and I said, ‘OK, I’ll do it with you,’” enthuses Kazmierczak. To qualify, the students had to read the five award-winning books, do a book report on three of them, and write an original poem. Besides enjoying movies and popcorn, reading books, and writing about their experience, the 31 children were excited to explore the playground by night with flashlights. “One child said that ‘this is something she’ll always remember,’” shares Kazmierczak. “Michele and I enjoyed it as much as the kids did. I told her I’d come back if she did it again next year.”

Graystone’s Home and School Club treasurer, Kim Carey, recalls Kazmierczak’s family-oriented approach to fund-raising. “We were suggesting having a fancy affair off-site with a big auction,” says Carey, “but Jerri preferred having a spaghetti dinner with people in the kitchen cooking and kids running around outside. She’s a real proponent of creating a family atmosphere at the school, and we’re really sorry to see her go.”

“She has a warm touch with students, staff, and parents, caring for all their needs,” says school secretary Rita Maczka. “She makes coming to school a fun experience. She doesn’t want the children to fear her if they’re called to the principal’s office [so she has created several occasions for them to come for fun]. They’re encouraged to come to school on time, because if we call their name, they come to the principal’s office for a prize. She’s a big advocate for reading, so if the kindergarten students read 15 books, they get a sticker and a book charm. When they come back again, they get another charm, to make a book charm necklace.”

Kazmierczak also has the students practice for their “50-in-a-minute” timed math test, so they won’t be nervous during the real test, says Maczka. She corrects all of these papers herself to see how the children are progressing, and awards prizes to the children who pass. She also rewards the children for good behavior, and good citizenship with “Blue Slips.” “They save up these ‘Blue Slips’ and it’s a real hot item, because if they have 25, they can have lunch with the principal,” notes Maczka. “They come into her office if it’s a small group, and talk about their day or sports, and she’s no longer a principal, she’s a friend.” The children also receive a balloon and a book, and the older kids have a pizza party, and according to Kazmierczak, they also want a balloon.

“When we’re busy in here, she rolls up her sleeves and lends a hand,” comments Maczka. “No job is too small for her. The other thing I’ll really miss about her is that she brings a sense of family to the staff [and the school]. When you come in our door, it’s like you’re coming into our home, and we greet you and treat you like family. She’s a principal for all students, a real teacher to all her staff, and a great friend and leader to all who work for her.”

Kindergarten teacher and tech support Sue Gutierrez agrees. “It’s been wonderful working with her. She’s always been supportive and has a hands-on approach,” Gutierrez says. “She’s been totally involved with getting to know the kindergarten students, as well as the other grade levels. She’ll come into the room when we’re doing sharing, and try to guess what the sharing is. She’s very dedicated and puts in the extra time and effort. She makes sure that every child who turns in a word search for “Peace Builders” gets a certificate, and she prints them out herself on her own computer—and there are hundreds of them each month. She spends a lot of her own time making things successful.”

“She has such a wonderful relationship with the teachers, and the children adore her,” says Vice Mayor Pat Dando. “Jerri and I have had a chance to work together on so many issues, like helping the school get a homework center and attaining a $3,000 grant for their library media center.” Dando also fondly recalls joining Kazmierczak one
Saturday morning for the school’s walk-a-thon. “I got out there with Jerri, and we thought we’d lead the way. We started out at full speed, but in a matter of minutes we were being passed,” she laughs, “so we thought that our place was to follow up the lead.” The Vice-Mayor considers Kazmierczak an integral part of the community. “I’m not sure what we’re going to do with her gone. She will be missed,” she notes.

“My goal when I started out as principal, was to build a community,” remarks Kazmierczak. “I wanted a place that was for the children, and had a real family-type feeling, and I think I accomplished that. Everybody helps everybody else, and we worked together to get where we are. We couldn’t be a Blue Ribbon school without the teachers’, the students’, and the parents’ support. I will miss my Graystone family.”