Principal's Message

Welcome to the 2026–2027 school year! We are so excited to kick off a new school year and welcome our students and families back to Sunset Park Elementary School! I am incredibly excited for the year ahead and all of the opportunities we have planned for our students. At Sunset Park, we are committed to creating a warm, inclusive, and inspiring environment where every student feels valued, supported, and empowered to thrive.

This year, we are continuing our school-wide adventure with a new theme that will shape our classrooms, hallways, and learning experiences:

 Destination: In Every Biome – Learn, Love, and Lead the Way! 

Our students will journey through different biomes throughout the school year, with each grade-level pod uniquely decorated to represent a different environment. From the forest and ocean to the rainforest, grasslands, safari, and desert, our school will become a destination filled with opportunities to explore, discover, learn, and grow.

Our theme represents so much of what we believe at Sunset Park. We will LEARN by challenging ourselves and growing our knowledge. We will LOVE by building relationships, caring for one another, and celebrating what makes each of us unique. And we will LEAD by using our strengths, making positive choices, and becoming leaders in our school and community.

 Welcoming Our New Dean of Students

I am also excited to introduce Melissa Jones as our Dean of Students for the 2026–2027 school year! Melissa has been an important part of our third-grade team for several years, so she is certainly no stranger to the Sunset Park family.

Melissa also brings valuable leadership experience to her new role. Prior to joining Sunset Park, she served in administration in her previous district, including as a principal and Interim Superintendent of the Wiley School District. Her experience, leadership, and knowledge of education will be an incredible addition to our administrative team.

We are so excited to welcome Melissa into this new role and look forward to working alongside her as we continue to grow, support our students and staff, and make Sunset Park an amazing place to learn, love, and lead!

To stay connected with our families, we will continue to use SchoolStatus as our primary schoolwide communication tool. SchoolStatus allows families to privately message teachers and receive important updates about classrooms, events, and school news. It is imperative that you are able to log in and stay connected to what is happening at school and in your child's classroom.

Your SchoolStatus login is the email address we have on file in our office. If you have not used SchoolStatus before, simply select “Forgot Password” to set up your account. Gmail users may also log in using their Google account.

I am honored to lead such an incredible school community, and I am grateful for the continued support and partnership of our Sunset Park families. Together, we are going to make the 2026–2027 school year an amazing adventure!

So, Yearlings, pack your bags, get ready to explore, and remember:

Destination: In Every Biome, Learn, Love, and Lead the Way! 

 

With gratitude,

Amber Hertneky
Principal, Sunset Park Elementary School