Giving thanks

During this time of giving thanks, we all have a great deal for which to be thankful. We live in a community that gives generously to our schools; we have educators who regularly go above and beyond to meet the needs of their students and families; we have parents who donate their time and expertise helping regularly in our classrooms; and we have the Sonoma Valley Education Foundation (SVEF) whose sole purpose is to support and sustain excellent programs for all of our students.

With the district’s focus on Common Core State Standards (CCSS) implementation, teachers have been meeting regularly to refine their instructional practices to align with the CCSS. Teacher leaders at all grade levels and in all subject areas are dedicating their time and expertise in supporting their colleagues during this transition.

Since the beginning of this school year we have had many exciting developments, including:

• We have close to 40 elementary teachers participating in the Exploratorium Project – integrating science and English-language development – thanks to our federal Investing in Innovations grant and the support of both the Vadasz Family Foundation and SVEF.

• We are in year two of our Schools of Hope tutoring program at all elementary schools, tutoring first-grade students who need additional learning time.

• Our AVANCE parent education and support program is going strong with more than 45 families participating.

• We are very thankful to Plein Air, which hosted yet another successful week-long event, from which the proceeds are used to fund art programs across the district.

• In partnership with SVEF, we have received close to $350,000 (WOW!) from the Sonoma Harvest Wine Auction, that is earmarked for supporting all students to read at grade level by the end of third grade – another SVUSD Strategic Plan critical benchmark.

The Sonoma Valley Education Foundation continues to be a champion at fundraising for district programs. In addition to its support of the Schools of Hope and AVANCE programs, its ongoing community outreach has funded the district’s afternoon preschool class at El Verano, and both a morning and afternoon preschool class at Flowery. The foundation was also the recipient of a $100,000 Impact100 grant, and we are in the process of opening a new preschool at Sassarini. We are getting close to achieving our Strategic Plan critical benchmark of “Preschool for All.”

Our middle schools continue to receive strong support in the community and our high school programs, including Freshman Teams and the Engineering, Design and Technology Linked Learning Pathway, as well as our College and Career Center, continue to receive very positive community support and attention.

Our community partners and parents are very supportive of our school district and the direction it is heading; otherwise, they simply would not be contributing. We should all be very thankful and grateful for their commitment toward public education.

On a personal note, I continue to be thankful for the deep dedication and talent of our teachers, administrators and staff members. Their work, day in and day out, and their joy in educating the youth in Sonoma Valley, is inspiring and motivating.

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Louann Carlomagno is superintendent of the Sonoma Valley Unified School District.