Louann Carlomagno, Superintendent 17850 Railroad Avenue Sonoma, CA 95476 Ph 707.935.4246 Fx 707.939.

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Trustees: Salvador Picazo Chavez Gary DeSmet Nicole Abat Ducarroz Daniel Gustafson Helen Marsh

August 9, 2013 Dear Parents, Students and Community Members, On behalf of the Board of Trustees and staff, we extend a warm welcome to the 2013-14 school year! We look forward to our continued collaboration with you and our dedicated community organizations in offering an excellent educational program for all Sonoma Valley Unified School District (SVUSD) students. As many of you are aware, our district vision includes a focus on all students being college and career ready upon graduation from high school. We know that in order for students to reach this goal we start with our youngest learners. Our critical benchmarks along the way include: completing a 1-2 year quality pre-school experience reading at grade level by the end of third grade mastering English and math proficiency by the beginning of sixth grade readiness to successfully complete college prep course work by ninth grade

We are currently in the process of finalizing our strategic plan which, in part, addresses each of these benchmarks for the district. Schools start on August 21st and staff is eagerly waiting to see familiar faces as well as meet new students and families. Parents at our middle schools and high school will have already received our annual parent notifications handbook and elementary students will receive handbooks on the first day of school to bring home to parents. If you need additional assistance please contact your school office or call the district office (935-4246). You may also reach the district office via e-mail at ljuricich@sonomavly.k12.ca.us. Summer Activities and Accomplishments Thank you to the Sonoma Valley Education Foundation for assisting the district in securing funds from community members as well as The Vadasz Family Foundation, Impact 100, The Sonoma Valley Fund, an affiliate of the Community Foundation Sonoma County and The Todd Trust to assist with Summer School Learning Opportunities: JumpStart Kindergarten for our youngest learners who have not previously attended pre-school at our elementary school campuses Third Grade Reading Academy which was attended by 80 students focused on supporting students to read at grade level Transitions Summer School, an intervention and enrichment program for students transitioning from elementary to middle school and from middle to high school Algebra Boot Camp offered to any interested incoming 9th grade student Modeling what we do best teaching and learning a vast majority of SVUSD educators participated in numerous professional learning opportunities throughout the summer. Teachers learned more about Common Core State Standards (what children are expected to learn and know in each classroom), integrating science and language (The Exploratorium Project), Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) integration and much, much more! Educators are excited about sharing their new learning with both their students and colleagues.

Community Support The district continues to focus on our valued community partnerships in bringing the best possible educational opportunities to our students. The Sonoma Valley Education Foundation is providing tremendous support to our schools with a variety of effective programs including Teacher Support Network (community members supporting high school students and teachers by volunteering in classrooms, and assisting with Senior Projects), The Exploratorium Project (integrating science and language learning at all elementary schools) and Preschool for All (an expanding program for kindergarten readiness). In addition to serving our elementary and middle school level students, including the After School Education and Safety Program (at five of our schools), The Boys & Girls Clubs of Sonoma Valley will continue their focus on increasing the number of students in our community who apply to and gain entrance into college. 10,000 Degrees will have approximately 30 students in their program this year at SVHS with an overall program and scholarship commitment of over $700,000 from high school through college completion. The Sonoma Valley Mentoring Alliance is currently supporting over 450 students with mentors! We are also extremely fortunate to have continued strong relationships with the CommonBond Foundation, La Luz Center, Nuestra Voz, Plein Air, Sonoma Community Center, Sonoma Ecology Center, Sonoma Valley Museum of Art, Sonoma Valley Teen Services, The Sonoma Valley High School Development Trust and WillMar Family Grief and Healing Center. We are also excited about the opportunities which our service organizations have provided to the school district and are incredibly thankful for our Kiwanis Club of Sonoma Valley, Rotary Club of Sonoma Valley, and Soroptimist Club of Sonoma Valley, all whom donate generously to programs in our school district. School Funding For the first time since becoming superintendent in 2010, Im pleased to report that we are not in the process of making budget reductions in the coming school year. With the passage of Prop 30 last November as well as additional state funding, we are now in process of restoring specific services and programs which were reduced last year. This includes restoring reduced library hours as well as providing additional custodial support to campuses. We are excited about our work moving forward without the burden of budget reductions. Our Boards agendas and minutes can be found on our website at www.svusdca.org and we encourage you to give us input and attend Board meetings. Regular Board meetings are scheduled for the second Tuesday of each month at 6:30 PM at the Community Meeting Room located at 177 First Street West. The Board of Trustees and I always welcome phone calls, letters and e-mails. Please join us in the work ahead. We have dedicated staff, talented administrators, and a special community that supports our schools. Please remember that your individual and collective contributions to your school make an enormous difference and we thank you in advance for your participation! Sincerely,

Louann Carlomagno Superintendent

Dan Gustafson SVUSD Board President

Please join us at The Red and White Ball (a fundraiser for SVUSD schools) hosted by The SVEF on Saturday, August 24th! (www.svgreatschools.org)