The Sunnyvale School District is pleased to announce the appointment of two new assistant principals for the coming school year.
Jane Chen has been selected as the new assistant principal at Sunnyvale Middle School. Prior to this position, she was an Instructional Coach for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education in Sunnyvale School District for four years, and a sixth-grade teacher at SMS for 10 years. In her 14 years as an educator, she has had the opportunity to serve as a mentor teacher, department chair, curriculum developer, professional development developer, strategic planner for California Next Generation Science Standards and Common Core Math.
“I’m excited to have the opportunity to serve as Sunnyvale Middle School’s Assistant Principal because I get a chance to do what I love, supporting teachers, interacting with students, and leading change in education at a systems level,” Chen said. “I look forward to getting reacquainted with the SMS community.”
Jane completed her master’s degree and credential in educational administration as part of the Santa Clara University program in June. She replaces Ron Gantvoort who retired this past spring.
Tara Lubrano has been selected as the new assistant principal at Bishop School. Mrs. Lubrano has been in the Sunnyvale School District community for the last four years. She first started at Vargas Elementary where she taught 5th-grade for two years. Immediately following her first year in Sunnyvale, she taught summer school in the districts Summer Exploration Program. Within this program she not only taught students from the district, she mentored Stanford students that were in the process of earning their teaching credential. For the last two years, she has been an instructional coach focusing on early literacy throughout the district. She has provided multiple professional developments that have enabled teachers and paraprofessionals to increase their depth of knowledge in literacy. Mrs. Lubrano began her teaching career in Houston, Texas, and Louisiana before moving to California.
“I am excited to be a part of the Bishop Family,” Lubrano said. “I believe that all students have the ability to succeed. I am passionate about students and families and I love being a part of student learning!”
Like Jane, Tara completed her master’s degree and credential in educational administration in June as part of the Santa Clara University program. Tara replaces Becky Schmidt who has accepted a principal position in the Franklin McKinley School District.
Congratulations to both Jane and Tara on their promotions, and congratulations to SMS and Bishop for selecting two strong, well-prepared, instructional leaders to join their communities.
