Hamilton Avenue principal to leave - Greenwich Time

Dr. Rau "checked out" on Hamilton Avenue School a couple of years ago. No love loss here. HAS deserves better.

Sorry, GPS Parent, completely disagree. Look where the kids used to be academically 5 years ago vs. where they are now. Major improvement due to lots of hard work by her, the staff and the community. She refused to accept the old belief that our kids will never be as smart as kids from more affluent parts of town. Did she ruffle some feathers (especially among the "old guard")? Heck yeah, but I am very pleased with our kids' growth under her leadership.

Dad wrote:

Sorry, GPS Parent, completely disagree. Look where the kids used to be academically 5 years ago vs. where they are now. Major improvement due to lots of hard work by her, the staff and the community. She refused to accept the old belief that our kids will never be as smart as kids from more affluent parts of town. Did she ruffle some feathers (especially among the "old guard")? Heck yeah, but I am very pleased with our kids' growth under her leadership.

Dear Dad - you are about to see what a real DEDICATED leader will bring to your school. Rau was out for Rau and no one else. Whatever made HER look good. She didn't ruffle feathers, she bullied the staff, use the kids for her own personal gain and tried to strong arm the administration. If she had her way, your school would have moved in April last year not February. Sorry but I agree with GPS parent! on with the new!

Maybe now the Anti-bullying program will actually make a difference since the biggest bully is leaving!

She started out great, making amazing improvements across the board. Unfortunately, once she was credited with the ConnCan and Lone Pine awards it all became about her and the accolades.

GPS Parent is right - she checked out when she lost the support of the majority of the parents.

Good luck and good-bye. Oh, good luck to her new district, too.

Very nicely articulated, Dad. I agree wholeheartedly. Thank you for posting.

The GPS Parent, Parent,& HAS Mom, probably don't understand how difficult it is now to meet the NCLB standards. Dr. Rau, staff, and children will have to work twice as hard as the year before to meet the "bar". HAS, NL, JC, etc.. can not be compared to the other ES's in Greenwich. I believe the children can rise to the level required. It's some of the parents that worry me.

Parent2 wrote:

The GPS Parent, Parent,& HAS Mom, probably don't understand how difficult it is now to meet the NCLB standards. Dr. Rau, staff, and children will have to work twice as hard as the year before to meet the "bar". HAS, NL, JC, etc.. can not be compared to the other ES's in Greenwich. I believe the children can rise to the level required. It's some of the parents that worry me.

Dear Parent2 - Not sure what you were reading, but nothing was mentioned about comparing HAS students to the others in town or about meeting the NCLB standards. Rau was a dictator and a flash in the pan with the test scores. She didn't want to leave the modular building because she could keep her EYES on the whole school. It was no secret that she wanted out. All you had to do was observe what she did and said (or not!) and it was obvious. We will be FAR better off as a school without her. The entire town of Greenwich wants the HAS to succeed. We don't need Dr. Rau to achieve success, I promise you.

How quickly they forget wrote:

Very nicely articulated, Dad. I agree wholeheartedly. Thank you for posting.

Forget what?

Dear Parent2

Don't you worry about our children. We, the parents and the wonderful staff at HAS, will make sure our children succeed. However, we will make sure they succeed by ENJOYING the process, not being afraid of it. We won't be the ones telling them that receiving a 2nd place award isn't good enough when they were the ONLY Greenwich school in the running, ever, like Rau did.

It will be wonderful to see them (students AND staff) smiling again and not being afraid to laugh for fear of bringing down the "Wrath of Rau" upon their heads.

It will be a benefit to have the parents united by a common goal as opposed to divided by a selfish woman who only wanted the accolades.

HAS Mom wrote:

Dear Parent2
Don't you worry about our children. We, the parents and the wonderful staff at HAS, will make sure our children succeed. However, we will make sure they succeed by ENJOYING the process, not being afraid of it. We won't be the ones telling them that receiving a 2nd place award isn't good enough when they were the ONLY Greenwich school in the running, ever, like Rau did.
It will be wonderful to see them (students AND staff) smiling again and not being afraid to laugh for fear of bringing down the "Wrath of Rau" upon their heads.
It will be a benefit to have the parents united by a common goal as opposed to divided by a selfish woman who only wanted the accolades.

RIGHT ON! Couldn't agree more!

If you have to ask, then you've forgotten...duh!. Criticism and negativity are so easy to effuse. Praise, appreciation, and positive thoughts are very hard to come by. I believe Dr. Rau did a superb job in trying to raise the education standards at a school where student performance is historically one of the lowest in the district. There is no denying that she accomplished it!

How quickly they forget wrote:

If you have to ask, then you've forgotten...duh!. Criticism and negativity are so easy to effuse. Praise, appreciation, and positive thoughts are very hard to come by. I believe Dr. Rau did a superb job in trying to raise the education standards at a school where student performance is historically one of the lowest in the district. There is no denying that she accomplished it!

No one is denying that she accomplished many great things while principal at Hamilton Avenue. She did, indeed, raise the educational standards. It was not any easy accomplishment. It was her methods in the last few years that became the issue. She used bully tactics to meet her personal goals and when finally exposed, completely checked out on everyone.

Having been there when she began at Ham Ave, and yes, being active at the school, her methods went from stellar and inclusive to underhanded, exclusive and abusive.

Had she continued the methods she started with five years ago, every parent would still be supporting her. Her ego got in the way.

Schools with a wide range of learning, income, and cultural levels are tough to keep everyone happy. I'm sure Dr Rau's only reason not to move in Feb was to give the teachers and children the best chance to do well on the CMT tests. After all the hard work during the year that seems like the right decision to most of us.
If pushing teachers to work more to ensure "ALL" children learn and pass the NCLB standards upsets some of you, oh well. I'm sure Dr Rau can live with that.
Dr Rau didn't create the 4 year construction mess, or the NCLB act. It's only going to get tougher. Greenwich and all other schools in America will not be allowed to fail disadvantaged children, then just move them on. Educators understand this and the pressure is high each day to meet the demands.
If you haven't walked in her shoes, and none of “THE BASHERS” could, you should stop the negative talk.
From the looks of her BIO on the Greenwich website, Greenwich has lost "Another Wise Latina Woman"

To HAS Mom, I disagree with you totally, and the negative statements serve no purpose whatsoever. I have been active in the school since Dr. Sarabun and the changes Dr. Rau made were stellar, at the very least.

How quickly they forget wrote:

To HAS Mom, I disagree with you totally, and the negative statements serve no purpose whatsoever. I have been active in the school since Dr. Sarabun and the changes Dr. Rau made were stellar, at the very least.

Then follow her to her new district.

Parent2 wrote:

Schools with a wide range of learning, income, and cultural levels are tough to keep everyone happy. I'm sure Dr Rau's only reason not to move in Feb was to give the teachers and children the best chance to do well on the CMT tests. After all the hard work during the year that seems like the right decision to most of us.
If pushing teachers to work more to ensure "ALL" children learn and pass the NCLB standards upsets some of you, oh well. I'm sure Dr Rau can live with that.
Dr Rau didn't create the 4 year construction mess, or the NCLB act. It's only going to get tougher. Greenwich and all other schools in America will not be allowed to fail disadvantaged children, then just move them on. Educators understand this and the pressure is high each day to meet the demands.
If you haven't walked in her shoes, and none of “THE BASHERS” could, you should stop the negative talk.
From the looks of her BIO on the Greenwich website, Greenwich has lost "Another Wise Latina Woman"

Great leaders motivate and inspire. Damaris stopped doing this because she wanted to move on to bigger and better things. No one blames her for wanting to advance her career, but be woman enough to leave when your heart is not into anymore which would have been two years ago from my experience as a parent in the school. When your teachers, parents and students are either afraid of you or dislike you, then there is a problem, wise latina woman or not. I lost all respect for her when she didn't want to move out of the modular building in February. Her letter to our community was a complete disgrace and selfish. My intention is not to bash. I am simply telling the truth.

It's New Haven.

Parent2 wrote:

Schools with a wide range of learning, income, and cultural levels are tough to keep everyone happy. I'm sure Dr Rau's only reason not to move in Feb was to give the teachers and children the best chance to do well on the CMT tests. After all the hard work during the year that seems like the right decision to most of us.
If pushing teachers to work more to ensure "ALL" children learn and pass the NCLB standards upsets some of you, oh well. I'm sure Dr Rau can live with that.
Dr Rau didn't create the 4 year construction mess, or the NCLB act. It's only going to get tougher. Greenwich and all other schools in America will not be allowed to fail disadvantaged children, then just move them on. Educators understand this and the pressure is high each day to meet the demands.
If you haven't walked in her shoes, and none of “THE BASHERS” could, you should stop the negative talk.
From the looks of her BIO on the Greenwich website, Greenwich has lost "Another Wise Latina Woman"

The HAS kids did very poorly (compared to 3 years ago) on the statewide CMTs.

Doesn't "teach" just have ALL the info! Wow!

Sounds to me like the ones that are the bullies are the ones that have alot to say with no substance, no wonder there had to be an anti-bulling program. The little bullies learned it at home from the big bullies that should know better and act their age. Sad so very sad :(