We are pleased to announce that Belinda Averill has been named Principal for South Lake Middle School. After an extensive recruitment process, which included staff and community input, Belinda was selected, from a talented candidate pool, as the best fit for South Lake. She is a recognized leader in IUSD and is familiar with learning programs at South Lake and the transitions that students there make to high school in our district. Her start date is July 1, 2015. Belinda will transition from her current role as Assistant Principal at Woodbridge High School, where she has served with a collaborative team of teachers and staff. Belinda is highly student centered, responsive to the diverse needs of her stakeholder groups, and has extensive knowledge in the development of curriculum and instruction that meet the learning needs of all students. She has been with IUSD since 2010 and has served in a variety of roles as a special education teacher, summer school principal, and assistant principal. Prior to joining IUSD, Belinda worked as a Special Day Teacher (9-12) and Resource Teacher (K-8). She resides in Irvine with her husband Steve and two children. Belinda is looking forward to bringing her skills and experience to South Lake to have a positive impact on student learning and to forming collaborative relationships with staff, students, parents and the community. As a Woodbridge graduate and long-time Irvine resident, Belinda understands the Irvine community and IUSD culture from a unique perspective. She is experienced working with a diverse student body, high academic achievement and a broad range of extracurricular programs for students. Belinda will continue as assistant principal at Woodbridge until the end of June, but will spend time in the interim meeting with staff, students and the parent community.