Meet Principal Tanya Belsan

Welcome to Dewey School, a place to nurture and challenge students. I became an educational leader and principal because of my strong belief that all children should have access to good curriculum. Equally important to making students successful is giving them the kind of instruction tailored to meet their individual learning needs.

I bring to Dewey a lot of life experience and ideals. After graduating from San Diego State University, I began my career as a counselor in a residential treatment facility focusing on the mental health needs on adolescents. I returned to college to study education because my belief in equal access to good education was so strong I wanted to be part of making that happen. My first work in schools was in special education as a classroom teacher and then administrator.

At Dewey, my challenge has been to transform and innovate our special education program. I have concentrated on our English language learner program to give greater access to more youngsters to quality education. This year we're focusing on innovating our GATE program to give more opportunities for students identified in the Gifted and Talented Education Program. And as always, we work diligently to keep all students on track and thriving.

And one of my greatest thrills at Dewey is organizing our many, many dedicated and active volunteers into a formal Parent Teacher Organization, to help make school more rewarding and fun for our entire learning community. See our Jogathon, our Harvest Festival, our Coffee with the Principal and Military Family Coffees (a special thanks to Starbucks for its donations). With parents as our partners, that's the way we can provide the best opportunities for kids.