Sunnyvale School District is proud to announce that San Miguel Elementary is a winner of the 2017 Glenn W. Hoffmann Awards!
The Hoffmann Awards are a 33-year tradition celebrating school programs that significantly impact student success in Santa Clara County.
The school will be recognized at a special awards ceremony alongside three other winners from the county in April. The awards are coordinated by the Santa Clara County School Boards Association.
San Miguel was recognized for its Community School Model, which works to close gaps for students while supporting families. San Miguel began developing a Community School Model in September of 2013. The Community School Model is an umbrella for the school’s three core tenants: 1. Positive School Culture 2. Strong Instructional Practice and 3. Home/School Connection. Woven throughout these core pillars, San Miguel School fully utilizes its community partnerships.
Approximately 35-40 partnerships and programs are in place within San Miguel’s Community School that extend past what a traditional school is able to provide. By providing these programs, the school is able to be a “one-stop shop” for its community. Many of its programs have spread to other schools within Sunnyvale School District, after San Miguel beta-tested as early implementers. Some examples include the school’s work around Social-Emotional Learning and a Food Distribution program.
The school is also proud to have been recognized for its work in “Building a Community School” with a California Gold Ribbon Award in the spring of 2016 and an Ashoka Changemaker School Award in the spring of 2014.
Recognizing that increasing parent involvement is critical for student learning, a focus on parent education at San Miguel strengthens the home and school connection. San Miguel’s efforts around building its positive school climate were evidenced by the 2016 California Healthy Kids Survey. Results showed that 100 percent of the students say that most or nearly most adults really care 
about all students, want all student to do their best, and believe every student can be a success.
The Hoffmann Awards honor Glenn W. Hoffmann, who served as the superintendent of Santa Clara County schools from 1967 to 1984, and believed that leadership was a key factor in educational reform.
A committee of school administrators and board members score entries from Santa Clara County school programs. Awards are given to only those programs that receive the highest scores. Fifteen programs from eight districts were submitted this year. Only four won. William Sheppard Middle School of Alum Rock Union School District, Gilroy High School of Gilroy Unified School District and Henry M. Gunn and Palo Alto High Schools of the Palo Alto Unified School District were also recognized.
Previous Hoffmann Award winners in the Sunnyvale School District include Columbia Middle School’s FLEX program in 2014, Cherry Chase’s Stretchers Art program in 1997, and Cumberland’s project-based learning and Fairwood’s parent participation programs in 2016.
Article by Sunnyvale School District Communications Coordinator Alia Wilson.
