Welcome Back to School
Monday, August 04, 2025
Dear Parents and Guardians,
Later this month, you will have what we know will be the gut wrenching task of giving your children back to us for the
beginning of the 2025-2026 school year. If you have been following the news, then you know that our school system has
been undergoing some very swift changes. We have new leadership focused on resetting our overall school system culture,
prioritizing the varied needs of our students, and raising the bar on academic achievement.
It is with enthusiasm and promise that Mr. Hawkins and I will lead our staff into this new era in Prince George’s County
Public Schools. This time we have a few new dynamic educators on our team to help us achieve our goals for academic
excellence. We have a new charismatic duo on the 2nd Grade team composed of a veteran math enthusiast and an emerging
lover of teaching literacy. We welcome Ms. Elizabeth Hale and Ms. Jamie Reed, respectively.
You might say, “What happened to Ms. Mills and Dr. Virgil?” Worry not, they are still with us. The retirement of Mrs. Mudd
provided the opportunity for some shifts in our staffing lineup. The dynamic duo of Mills & Virgil have moved up to 3rd
Grade and boy are they excited! Last school year, we had a full time vacancy in our 2nd/3rd Grade TAG Math position. This
year, Dr. Parsons has gleefully chosen to change content and teach math, while Ms. McNeill has stepped up to the challenge
and will teach 2nd/3rd Grade TAG Reading & Language Arts.
But that’s not all of the changes. It is bittersweet, but we wish the best to Mrs. Coleman-Warren, who has chosen to move on
from Mattaponi and serve PGCPS in another capacity. We sincerely appreciate all that she brought to our school community.
And we want to thank Mr. Wardlaw for his stewardship of the Instrumental Music program. He has been reassigned and his
replacement has yet to be identified.
These moves create the opportunity to strategically recruit new talent and inject new energy on our staff. Having said that,
we welcome Mr. Blaize Gillard to Mattaponi Elementary as the 5th Grade team’s new Math, Science, & Health teacher. And,
I am pleased to share that we once again will have a certified Media Specialist in the form of Dr. Juliet Palisoc, who brings
with her a stellar reputation and passion for the Media Arts.
As we complete the final preparations for our students’ arrival, we greatly anticipate the continued partnership we will have
with our returning parents and the bonds that we will forge with our new parents in attaining success and enriching
experiences for all of our students. We look forward to meeting our new students at the New Student Orientation on
Monday, August 25, 2025 at 8:00 AM and receiving all students on Tuesday, August 26, 2025, the first day of school.
Mark your calendars for Back-to-School Night on Wednesday, September 10, 2025 at 6:00 PM.
With a focus on positive change and productive growth,
Stephen I. Green, Jr.
Mr. Stephen I. Green, Jr.