Caouette, Pleasant Valley's New Principal, Ready For Start of School Year

It’s been quite a summer for Tiffany Caouette.

Indeed, Caouette (nee Violette) was named the principal of Pleasant Valley Elementary School, a post she assumed on July 1, and then subsequently got married.

“That’s enough for me for now,” Caouette said with a laugh during a telephone interview Monday.

Still, despite the busy summer, Caouette said that she is ready for the school year to begin at Pleasant Valley, which has 360 students enrolled in grades K through 5.

“I just wish everybody would come back to school,” she said. “School is a lonely place without students in the summer.”

While that enthusiasm for school's reopening may make her unpopular among children ages 6 - 11, it’s what makes her such an effective educator.

Caouette spent five years as assistant principal at South Windsor High School and was named the state’s 2012 Assistant Principal of the Year by the Connecticut Association of Schools.

By being named principal of Pleasant Valley, Caouette returns to the elementary level, at which she spent 12 years in Hartford serving in various roles, including teacher and literacy facilitator.

“I’m excited and I’m looking forward to returning to the elementary level,” she said. “I’m looking forward to driving the initiatives of the [South Windsor] school district forward. I’m happy to remain in the district.”

In gearing up for the new school year, Caouette has been combing through data, including CMT scores, looking for who needs interventions and also pulling out success stories. She mentioned one third-grader who scored at goal in math and reading after scoring below basic three years prior.

“That’s phenomenal for a student who came in below basic three years ago,” she said.

Among the challenges that Caouette said she is facing is learning the curriculum and getting up to speed on what are the best practices, which are constantly changing.

But she and other school officials are confident that she will adapt quickly and be a success in her new role.

“[Caouette] is an outstanding educational leader and I am pleased that the Connecticut Association of Schools honored Tiffany by naming her the 2012 High School Assistant Principal of the Year,” said South Windsor Superintendent of Schools Kate Carter said in an e-mail. “I am confident that Tiffany will transfer the skills that she developed at South Windsor High School to her new role as the principal of Pleasant Valley Elementary School.

“Tiffany balances her sense of humor with a seriousness of purpose. Parents and staff members appreciate that she is as approachable as she is knowledgeable.”