South Portland’s new superintendent of schools sent a letter to the community on Monday outlining his expectations for the academic year ahead and beyond.

Teachers, custodians and other school employees have been working to ready the city’s eight schools for the return of 3,000 students, Ken Kunin said in a letter emailed to local newspapers. Grades 1 through 9 return Sept. 8, followed by kindergarten and grades 10 through 12 on Sept. 9.

After four years at the American Overseas School of Rome, Kunin said he’s thrilled to be back in Maine, where he previously served as an elementary and high school principal in Portland.

Kunin said he plans to learn all he can about the opportunities and challenges facing South Portland schools by reading reports, action plans and news articles, talking with staff members, students and community members, and observing the schools in action.

“After collecting and analyzing mountains of information, I will strive to communicate themes and trends to all with a stake in our schools to help us to move forward in meeting our mission: enriching lives through quality learning for all,” Kunin wrote.

Kunin said South Portland schools should be proud of the generations of students who have been educated in the past and of the work being done to promote proficiency-based learning that ensures all students succeed in the future.

“We look forward to giving you an ever more detailed picture of this work as the year unfolds,” Kunin wrote. “Of course, what we most look forward to is seeing our students strive, succeed, sometimes stumble, but always learn. Whether in the classroom or the band room, on the field or in the studio, we celebrate the efforts of our students, and all who help them, to build a better tomorrow.”