Principal's Page

Welcome to Cherokee Elementary School!
 

Dear Cherokee families,

On June 6th, the Board of Education approved the recommended motion to appoint me to the position of principal at Cherokee Elementary. I am honored to have accepted the position. I am thrilled to have the opportunity to work with such an amazing community in the role of principal.  

It has been a privilege to serve the students and families of the Chippewa Valley community as a teacher and administrator for the last twenty years. I have had the opportunity to work at several elementary schools in Chippewa Valley during my career. I was hired at Shawnee when it opened back in 2002. As a teacher, I enjoyed collaborating with other staff members to work on school initiatives.  

The love of working together for the common good of the school led me to pursue my dream of becoming a school administrator.  I earned my Education Specialist degree in leadership from Oakland University in 2012. Shortly after earning my degree, I was given the opportunity to work with the Ojibwa Elementary community as an administrative intern from January 2013 until June 2014. Following my internship, I was hired as an Assistant Principal. For the last eight years I have been split between several different elementary schools as an Assistant Principal: Sequoyah and Cheyenne, Sequoyah and Ojibwa, Sequoyah and Shawnee, Shawnee and Fox and most recently Shawnee and Cherokee.   

Cherokee has always been a positive environment for students to learn and grow. It is my strongest desire to use my experiences to fuel the love of learning and promote success for all Cherokee students. I plan to continue the many wonderful traditions and methods of communication already in place at Cherokee. I am eager to continue getting to know the many wonderful students and families at Cherokee. I love interacting with students during the school day and at after school events. 

Please let me know if there is anything I can do to help make the school year a success for you and your child!    

Sincerely,  

Heather Batko 
Principal 
hbatko@cvs.k12.mi.us