Coe Elementary’s new principal, Stacey Loftin (also known by her nickname Tate) is inviting the community to swing by and meet her at series of weekly drop-in socials the district is calling “Tuesdays with Tate.” Loftin is replacing Coe’s longtime head David Elliott, who is leaving to become the principal at the new Queen Anne Elementary this fall. Current and incoming Coe families are invited to stop by the school, located 2424 7th Ave. W., from 9 to 11:30 a.m. every Tuesday through August 3 to meet Tate. No RSVP is necessary.

Back in January the Seattle School District announced a number of principal changes around town affecting three schools in Queen Anne, John Hay Elementary, Coe Elementary and The Center School, which will all be getting new principals for the fall 2010 year. Yesterday, Wednesday, June 16 schools Superintendent Maria Goodloe-Johnson announced her pick for the new head of Coe, Stacey (Tate) Loftin.

In a letter to the Coe community yesterday, Goodloe-Johnson outlined Loftin’s experience and her reasoning for choosing her for the position:

Ms. Loftin comes to Coe Elementary from the Edmonds School District, where she worked as an Instructional Intervention Specialist. She served her principal internships at Maplewood K-8 in Edmonds and Dearborn Park Elementary School in Seattle, and also completed an administrative internship in the Edmonds School District.

We believe that Ms. Loftin’s extensive classroom experience – including time as an elementary teacher and physical education instructor in the Northshore School District — makes her an excellent match for the Coe Elementary learning community. She also has significant experience working with special-needs students, a desirable attribute that was identified by the Coe community for their principal.

Ms. Loftin’s professional preparation includes a Bachelor of Arts degree in Norwegian and a minor in Social Science from Pacific Lutheran University, and a Masters in Educational Administration from the University of Washington.

Coe’s outgoing principal, David Elliott, will continue to play an active role in the school district and Queen Anne community as the first head of Queen Anne Elementary, a new option school with a “technology enhanced” curriculum.