Principal Jon Gollias

Marston 18/19 - 3yr update

Marston 17/18 - 2yr update

Dear Marston Families,principal gollias

I am honored and excited to be serving as the Principal of Marston Middle School. I want to take this opportunity to share my background and beliefs with you.

Decades ago, when I was a middle school student, many teachers invested in me and helped me overcome many challenges to become successful. My teachers taught me how to read, write, calculate, create, compete, think critically, be compassionate and treat others with respect. As I became cognizant of the impact that my teachers had on me, I became drawn to a career in education. For 16 years I have enjoyed coming to work every day, supporting a learning environment where every child experiences significant academic and social emotional growth. I am very anxious to meet the Marston Community and learn each person's story and dreams, and then using all of my energy to best support those dreams.

My education career consists of a large variety of experiences. I taught math and Spanish in multiple schools, grades 7-12. I started my administrative career in 2005 when I became an assistant principal for Vista Academy of Visual and Performing Arts, a K-8 magnet school in Vista Unified. There, we improved the culture of the school by creating more heterogeneous experiences for the students, including a very festive and inclusive lunchtime soccer league. We also managed to elevate our arts program despite many competing curricular and financial challenges. I later became an assistant principal at Rancho Buena Vista High School, a comprehensive high school with more than 3,000 students. There, our large staff rallied around our refined vision of the school and we experienced drastic gains in all areas. In my four years at RBVHS, we increased our API score by 37 points and decreased discipline infractions by 49%. For the past 3 school years I have been an assistant principal at San Marcos Middle School in San Marcos Unified. I was drawn to San Marcos Middle School because of their established success in educating all students.
In my 3 years there, we managed to raise the API and maintain our similar schools ranking of 10 (which is the highest possible ranking). Additionally, we decreased the number of students with at least one F by 45% and discipline infractions decreased by 50%.

My passion for supporting all students aligns well with the culture and structures in place at Marston. One of Marston's many impressive programs seems to be the Intervention and Exploratory Advisory Program. This program facilitates the timely monitoring of each student's effort and academic growth in each core class. Students who are meeting the learning targets participate in one of many student-selected exploration classes. Some examples of these unique exploration classes are Anime, iMovie, cooking, chess, yoga and water rockets. I am excited to start work each day with enrichment classes that are appealing to both the students and the staff. Students who do not meet the learning targets on their first attempt get the needed remediation and support via an assigned intervention class. In my first year at Marston, I plan to support this program as well as build relationships, evaluate our vision, improve communication and increase opportunities for positive reinforcement.

Aside from work, I enjoy spending time with my family. I am grateful for my loving wife who happens to be a product of Clairemont schools. We have 2 wonderful children and we enjoy participating in their performances, practices, schoolwork and hobbies. I also try a new hobby myself every year or so. I am currently enjoying mountain biking and playing ice hockey in a league. These experiences are not only enjoyable, but they help keep me connected with what it is like to struggle while learning and what strategies best facilitate my learning.

The success of Marston Middle School is dependent on our collective efforts as a school community. I believe that our efforts are optimized when our communication is frequent, objective, supportive and purposeful. Please communicate with me and our staff to reinforce effective strategies and inform us of any additional needs. I would like to hear from you about your experiences at Marston, whether they be positive or not. I know that with great teamwork we can maximize the potential of our school. I look forward to meeting you.

Sincerely,

Jon Gollias

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