Dear Friends,
You may have noticed, but summertime is almost over! We all eagerly awaited the return of teachers and students to launch the 2014-2015 school year.
Learning did not take a summer break in Sunnyvale School District. I have been so pleased to see hundreds of Sunnyvale students engaged in learning activities in our schools during July. Our enriched summer school offerings are among the absolute best in the Bay Area. Students participated in several programs provided by our school district and partners, including:
- Elementary and middle school academic programs with Stanford University at Bishop Elementary and Columbia Middle School
- Introduction to Mandarin and Chinese culture at Columbia Middle School in partnership with the California World Language Project of Stanford University
- Stretch to Kindergarten Program for incoming kindergarten students with Foothill College Family Engagement Institute at San Miguel Elementary School
- Summer Learning Program serving Lakewood School students with the Silicon Valley YMCA, and
- Summer enrichment camp provided by the Northwest YMCA at Bishop School.
As I toured these programs this summer it was wonderful to see the students engaged with challenging curriculum and enrichment supported by the high quality and intentional instruction provided by our teachers and partners.
So what does 2014-2015 hold in store for us? It will be a positive year as Sunnyvale School District will continue to refine our focus on doing what matters most for our students. This means continuing to be guided by the Effective Schools Correlates by offering high quality instruction, rich curriculum opportunities, support of the whole child, with high expectation school cultures throughout our schools. And, of course we will continue to monitor student progress frequently to guide our practice.
My warmest wishes to each or you for wonderful year ahead,
Benjamin H. Picard, Ed. D.
Superintendent of Schools
