Welcome to Taft Elementary!

 

Principal: Connie P. Smith

Enrollment: 600

Grades: OCPT Preschool, Transitional Kindergarten, K-6

School Colors: Red and White

School Mission: Taft School staff is dedicated to fostering a safe, collaborative learning environment, setting high expectations for all students, and providing personalized instruction.  Our emphasis is on developing strong communication skills and sound decision making abilities.

Principal's Message:
Welcome to another school year!  I am the proud principal of Taft Elementary School, home of the Terrific Taft Tigers.  I am a lifelong learner and education has always been my passion. My personal goal is to make memorable moments happen each and every day.  My professional goal is to inspire and motivate learners of all ages in a safe and well-organized environment.

I have a bachelor’s degree from the University of Redlands and a master’s degree from California State University Fullerton.  My experience includes classroom teacher, mentor teacher, IBM education consultant, site administrator and district curriculum coordinator.  My professional associations and accomplishments include: former Association of California School Administrators (ACSA) Region 17 Elementary Administrator Representative; Adjunct Professor at Concordia University; member of the Tustin Public Schools Foundation Board of Directors; and Orange Unified School District’s 2010-2011 Administrator of the Year.  I also share my administrative expertise by serving as an assessor for the Orange County Department of Education in their Developing the 21st Century Principal program.

I was born and raised in Orange County.  I have been married to Phillip Smith since 1993 and we have two sons. Garrett is a United States Marine and Grant is a student at the University of San Francisco. 

I am excited to begin another year in education.  I knew as a student in 2nd grade that I wanted to be an educator.  I thoroughly enjoy working with students, teachers, and the community.  Our home-school-community partnership is critical to our students’ success.  None of our efforts are as good as all of our efforts combined. Together, I know we can make school and learning meaningful and fun. 

As your principal, you can expect that I will be visible and accessible.  I will reach out and ask for your support, ideas, suggestions, and involvement.  I will encourage you to join our team, our “school family” so to speak, where preparing children for the 21st century and the future is our number one priority.  Through team work, open communication, and a dedication to continuous improvement, we can make Taft Elementary a place where children love to learn.

I look forward to working together this year as partners in learning - Go Taft Tigers!!!

Connie Smith
Principal