Principal's Message

Principal’s Message

 

Greetings Meadows Mustang Community,

It is a pleasure and honor to serve Meadows Elementary School, a recently recognized California Distinguished School!  I joined Meadows as principal in fall of 2024, and the upcoming school year brings my 27th in education.  I taught for 13 years at Taylor Middle School as a reading intervention and English teacher.  My passion for literacy and teacher development led me to various roles at the district and regional levels, including New Teacher Mentor and Instructional Coach, Curriculum and Assessment Coordinator, and Regional Director of the California Reading and Literature Project at UC Berkeley.  Most recently, I taught and supervised teaching credential candidates at Notre Dame de Namur University Graduate School of Education.  It has truly felt full circle to return to a school site in the District where I began my career, situated in the neighborhood in which I grew up! 

Here at Meadows, we emphasize the traits in Coach Wooden’s Pyramid of Success: hard work, friendship, loyalty, cooperation, enthusiasm, self-control, alertness, action, determination, fitness, skill, team spirit, poise, confidence, and personal best.  Building on these skills each month allows our Mustangs to feel pride in their growth and embody our motto: “Success is happiness in your heart because you know you made the effort, 100%, to do the right thing!”  

Each day, our staff provide rigorous and innovative lessons based on our District adopted curriculum and California Common Core State Standards.  Lessons are designed through the framework of Universal Design for Learning, which takes into account diverse student needs, guiding teachers to vary the way students receive new information, engage in their learning, and show their understanding.  Learning is assessed at various times throughout the year:  formally via end of unit assessments and district measures, and informally through daily and weekly checks for understanding.

It is impossible to talk about Meadows, without celebrating the strong sense of community that is felt when you set foot on our campus.  Our active Parent Teacher Organization, Millbrae Education Foundation, and countless volunteers enrich the Meadows experience at every level for our staff, students, and families.  I am again and again struck by the positivity and generosity of our community, the way in which staff and parents model school partnership in their interactions, and the amazing work of our volunteer groups.  

At Meadows, we strive daily to be safe, kind, and the best we can be!  

In partnership,

Julie Costantino

Principal, Meadows Elementary School

 

Please check this website’s school calendar, updated regularly, for school events!