Principal's Message
My name is Ian Penton and have been the principal at Judkins Middle School for the last fifteen years. This is my 25th year with Lucia Mar. I am a K-12 product of the district and have deep roots in our community. I spent ten years working at Arroyo Grande High School as a teacher, coach, and administrator. My experience at the high school level helps me better prepare our students for the rigorous expectations at the next level.
Middle school is a unique period of time. There are massive changes in schooling, social life, hormones, and more that happen in a very quick two year period of time. We try to understand the complexities of this age group and seek to help our students and families transition successfully to high school. Teachers focus on quality instruction and creating rigorous classes that are also engaging. We strive to create the perfect academic fit for each student and meet them at their appropriate instructional level. When students are behind in reading and math, we provide the support needed. When a student is advanced, we challenge them to go even higher.
Our goal is to partner with parents and guardians to foster the growth of our students. We want to make school a safe and fun place to be. There are multiple opportunities for students and families to connect to our campus. We encourage all students to get involved in some kind of extra-curricular activity to either extend their learning or connect to the campus.