Dear Friends,
I hope you have had a safe and reinvigorating summer and you are ready for a brand new school year. We know that our future arrives back in our schools each fall. They show up in our classrooms entrusted to us to be taught, inspired, enriched and supported in many different ways. It is our job to prepare all of our students to be life-long learners and to be fully prepared for success in their educational pursuits. That is our mission, to ensure our students receive the key to unlock any barrier to becoming all they can be as they move through our grades, into high school, and adulthood. The responsibility is daunting, but Sunnyvale School District has shown that it serves students well and we continually strive to improve. I have always said that Sunnyvale School District is a pocket of excellence and we can only achieve that excellence due to the efforts of all of our employees who contribute to the support and success of each and every student.
The 2013-2014 school year looks promising and bright!
- Funding for public schools has finally stabilized and the funding model has changed to focus financial support on students with greatest needs.
- We are embracing the Common Core State Educational Standards, which represent best practices in mathematics and provide literacy standards across the curriculum.
- We are launching the One-to-One: Technology to Support Learning Initiative, which is a three year plan to ensure access to all students in the new ways of receiving educational content.
- We will be asking our residents to vote on November 5th as we pursue a Bond Measure to maintain and improve District finances to support school facilities and instructional technology.
- We will be continuing our efforts to promote social-emotional well-being in our schools and classrooms as we recognize these skills can help overcome barriers to learning.
- We will be striving to improve student learning results with a focus on under achievement at all levels.
- And, I will be asking our community to increase and deepen their engagement with Sunnyvale School District with the “Our Kids ~ Our Community” movement supporting all of our students throughout our school district.
I know you join me in the desire to make the 2013-2014 the best year possible for our students.
Yours truly,
Benjamin H. Picard, Ed. D.
Superintendent of Schools
Sunnyvale School District
