SANDPOINT — As the school year is set to begin next week, Tassia Hamer is ready to settle in as Washington Elementary's new principal.

Going into her 11th year as an educator, Hamer said her career began with teaching second-grade students. After teaching second grade for two years, she taught Sagle Elementary sixth-graders for two years and fifth-graders for three years. For the past three years, she has held the position of instructional coach for the Lake Pend Oreille School District.

"I am excited," Hamer told LPOSD trustees during the Aug. 14 meeting. "As an instructional coach, I worked mostly with teachers or with (administration), and I am excited to be back in a building with students, and with parents, with teachers ... I have been working a lot this summer, and I am ready to see the kids come back."

Hamer was chosen for the position following the retirement of former principal Dr. Sandy Maras. LPOSD Superintendent Shawn Woodward said Hamer brings a "wealth" of experience, both as a teacher and an instructional coach, to the role of principal.

"We are thrilled to have her as principal of Washington Elementary School," Woodward told the Daily Bee. "Tassia rose to the top after a thorough search and interview process. She has worked hard over the last four months to be prepared for students, teachers and families. I am confident she will be a stellar leader for the Washington community."

While she has several goals for the upcoming year as Washington Elementary's principal, Hamer said she plans to stay focused on a few of them. Two of her top three goals, she said, include creating a safe and supportive school, as well as building relationships and culture within the building with parents, teachers, students and stakeholders. With her experience as an instructional coach through the district's Teaching and Learning department, Hamer said her third goal is to "really focus" on teaching and learning within the building as well.

Hamer is married with a 4-year-old son named Avi, who she described as "funky and fun, and full of energy." She and her family "love" living in Sandpoint, she said, and can't imagine living anywhere else. They enjoy riding their bikes up Schweitzer, and in the winter time they enjoy the ski hill, she said.

"One little fun fact about me is I have had a season pass since I was 4 years old," Hamer said. "And I am really excited to work right in the heart of Sandpoint."

Mary Malone can be reached by email at [email protected] and follow her on Twitter @MaryDailyBee.