Dear Shoemaker Families and Community Members,
It is with great pleasure that I greet you as the new Principal of Shoemaker Elementary School. I am honored to lead this wonderful community; to support our home-school partnerships, as well as our staff in all that they do to provide a top-notch education for our students. I look forward to an exciting 2022-23 school year as we continue to transform teaching and learning to meet the needs of our students.
I would like to take this opportunity to tell you a little bit about myself and my background. My wife and I live in Orefield with our two sons and our dog. I am originally from the Quakertown area, but relocated to the Lehigh Valley in 2004. My wife (Jena) is a former elementary school teacher of 15 years, but most recently has transitioned to working with school districts around social emotional learning initiatives. She is a proud East Penn alumni having also attended Shoemaker Elementary as a child. Our two boys (Cole and Silas) are 8 and 6 years old respectively and are entering the 3rd and 1st grade at Schnecksville Elementary in the Parkland School District. Our entire Radcliffe family is extremely excited to join the Shoemaker and East Penn community and look forward to many years of this continued relationship!
My first nineteen years in education were spent as a teacher and principal in the Allentown School District. I taught Health and Physical Education at a few different schools K-12, with most of my teaching tenure occurring at Sheridan Elementary School. I hold a Bachelor’s degree from Lock Haven University in K-12 Health and Physical Education, a Master’s degree from Wilkes University in Development and Strategies of Education and a Master’s degree from Lehigh University in Educational Leadership with a Principal’s certification. I have two years of service as an assistant principal at Ritter and Mosser Elementary, seven years as a principal at Lincoln/Jackson Early Childhood Center and one year as the Principal at Luis A. Ramos Elementary. I look forward to this next step in my journey and am thrilled to begin my tenure at Shoemaker Elementary and the East Penn School District!
Shoemaker Elementary School’s teachers and staff will encourage all students to reach their full potential by providing a learning environment that is caring, safe, nurturing, positive, and respectful. We will provide innovative and differentiated learning opportunities that meet the needs of ALL of our students. We are proud to collaborate with our families and community on all that enriches student learning.
I am committed to supporting Shoemaker’s collaborative learning community with consistent, honest, and open communication with all stakeholders. Building relationships with our students, staff and families is extremely important to me. Please do not hesitate to stop by, call (610.965.1626), or e-mail me (jradcliffe@eastpennsd.org) at any time.
Best regards,
Joshua Radcliffe
Principal