Dr. Betsy Poulsen

It is a privilege to be the principal of Bethel Manor Elementary School.  I am excited about serving the children and families of the Bethel Manor Community and I look forward to forming strong, supportive relationships with them. I believe that a strong bond between the home and school is a key ingredient in developing happy, well-educated children.

As I begin my eighth year as the principal of Bethel Manor, my 17th year as an elementary school principal, and my 29th year in education I feel more energized than ever about teaching children. I am lucky to work in a job I truly love and I am passionate about what I do every day! I thoroughly enjoy the daily challenges of working with others to help create the best environment for learning and teaching.  

Bethel Manor Elementary serves only military dependents; thus it our job to ensure the students feel welcome, safe, and secure, and that we set up school-wide and classroom practices that help students easily adjust to their new school.
Bethel Manor has successfully met state accreditation standards by passing all areas of the Virginia Standards of Learning assessments and has done so for the last eight years. It is now our challenge to not only have students meet the benchmarks for passing these tests, but to rise to even higher levels of achievement. In this age of accountability and testing, it is also our duty to be cognizant that education is much more than teaching standards and preparing students for tests.  More importantly, education is designed to develop students who can critically analyze and problem solve. We want our students to learn the skills necessary to apply and transfer their learning to new situations, both in and out of the classroom.

The staff at Bethel Manor Elementary is committed to providing a quality education to all students. With the support of parents and community we can help all of our children reach their full potential.