As the school year comes to an end, it is important to reflect on what has been accomplished. Upon my arrival to this remarkable community last fall, we embarked on a journey of listening and prioritizing to begin shaping a vision for the future of this District. While the path hasn’t always been smooth, our collective efforts have yielded significant progress. The Portrait of the Graduate initiative is an example of our community coming together to imagine the possibilities. It has been incredibly satisfying to hear directly from our students about their dreams for the future, underscoring the importance of our work in helping them get there. Our immediate next steps are to continue to address our budget issues by being fiscally responsible and ensuring our students get what they need to thrive. We need to ensure all of the required instructional minutes are provided and all students have access to electives and all their core content classes. We also need to remove structural and systemic barriers causing access, opportunity and support gaps. We want to address the “whole” child, build strong relationships and create a culture of belonging. And we will seek opportunities for innovation. My thanks to all of you who have been engaged partners throughout this school year. Your genuine patience, grace, and input have been invaluable.
Looking ahead to the 2024-2025 school year, we will be working on developing a strategic plan for our District. It will be our roadmap to our shared priorities and vision. We will continue to work with our educators and support staff with transparency and collaboration. Through continued dialogue and attentive listening, we’ll navigate decisions that align our resources with the outcomes we seek for our Sonoma Valley community. We look forward to creating more spaces for community engagement and input. We have a unified purpose and that is to positively impact the lives of our students.
In closing, I express my sincere gratitude to our Sonoma Valley Unified teachers, staff, and administrators for their dedication and hard work this year. To our graduating students and families, it has been our honor to serve you! Congratulations on reaching this significant milestone. We wish you continued success in your next endeavors! To all of our students and families, thank you for your partnership and may you enjoy a fun and restful summer break!!
Sincerely, Dr. Jeanette Rodriguez-Chien Superintendent
Watch a message from Superintendent Rodriguez-Chien.
Día del Niño at Flowery
The celebration of Día del Niño at Flowery Elementary showcased our students' talents and creativity. The annual festivity united the school community for an evening of performances and classroom presentations. This year's celebration included the debut of a 5th-grade talent show. From impressive piano performances to fun duets, the talent show highlighted the diverse interests and skills of the upper-grade students.
This celebration's success was made possible by the support of teachers, staff, volunteers, and parents who worked together to create an unforgettable experience for students and fostered a sense of pride and belonging within the school community. Looking ahead, Flowery is committed to building upon the success of this year's celebration and expanding its future recognitions of Día del Niño. By honoring diversity, promoting cultural awareness, and providing opportunities for students to showcase their talents, Flowery remains dedicated to fostering a vibrant and inclusive school community.
The Guiding Coalition and the Roadmap to Success
Rooted in Sonoma and ready for the world, Vision 2036 is a community-driven strategic plan designed to empower every Sonoma Valley Unified School District student. With these concepts in mind, over 40 community members, including district staff, families, partner agencies, and most importantly, students, participated in our Guiding Coalition held on May 3rd and 4th at Sassarini Elementary School. The team kicked off our strategic visioning and planning process by exploring what the future might hold so that we can prepare our young people to thrive in life and their careers. Learn more about our journey by visiting the Vision 2036 Strategic Planning Processwebsite.
Your input is very important. As we continue our district strategic planning process, we invite the community to participate in a survey to share their thoughts on the ideal future for our SVUSD graduates and what students, adults and the district need for their success. This survey is available in English and Spanish.
In this survey, we are asking the community to share what they think about:
What our young people need to know and be able to do to thrive in their lives and careers
What students need from the school district staff to help them (this applies to all adults working in the school district, not just classroom teachers)
What the district should stop doing
What you would like to see in the ideal future (10-15 years).
What positive actions are already happening in the district (green shoots that need to be nurtured), and what new ideas would you like to see (seeds to be planted). Our next Guiding Coalition event is September 13th and 14th. Watch this video with highlights of the May 3rd, 2024, Guiding Coalition meeting.
Attending College and Pursuing a Career
The College & Career Center at Sonoma Valley High School is buzzing with activity as our seniors finalize their plans for next year! Students are sharing acceptances on our college map in the CCC, visiting colleges, completing the FAFSA/Dream Act forms, applying for scholarships, weighing options, and pressing the “accept” button! We have students who will be attending great schools next year, including Stanford, UCLA, UC Berkeley, UC Santa Cruz, UC San Diego, UC Santa Barbara, Cal Poly SLO, Sacramento State, Chico State, University of Colorado, University of Oregon, Arizona State University, Carlton College, and Embry-Riddle, to name a few! Some of our students are attending trade schools or taking a gap year. Many of our seniors have attended one of the five SRJC registration sessions we’ve held this spring. They are now making their class selections for the fall.
Unfortunately, due to the FAFSA snafu this year, many of our students have to wait to find out their financial aid awards, which has resulted in many colleges pushing back their acceptance deadline until later in May. Consequently, our usual May 1st College Decision Day celebration was moved to May 15th. We invited all college-bound students (4-year, 2-year, and trade schools) to visit the CCC and take a photo in their college swag to add to our “Happy Wall.” A week later, on May 22nd, we hosted seniors, families, and community members for our “Senior Awards Night,” where students were awarded many university, local, and national scholarships through the generosity of our community.
We continue to encourage all students to explore their career paths. Last November, we hosted a Career Week. This year, we highlighted different career themes with monthly Dragon Time speakers. In February, we welcomed first responders. In April, we welcomed speakers to discuss medical careers. Over 20 professionals have spoken to students about a variety of career possibilities. Many local employers and students also attended our annual Job Fair in April. Thank you all for your participation!
State of the District
We held the first SVUSD State of the District event at Sonoma Valley High School! Joined by our Board of Education trustees and Superintendent, we recapped the academic year. We discussed what to expect in the future. We recognized achievements and awards and enjoyed performances by Quetzalen dancers and ViVO Youth Orchestras.
We recognized the Sassarini Makers Space Program, the SVHS Digital Media Program, the Adele Robotics Team, Poetry Out Loud Winner Riley O’Hara, Boys & Girls Club Northern CA Youth of the Year Esmeralda Tellez-Ferreyra, CA Mock Trial Top Defense Attorney Alina Castro, Noah Richards for Arts Showcase, and City of Sonoma Student Creative Artist Noa Malone.
The school district honored Maria Campos Orona as Classified Employee of the Year. Sonoma Chief of Police Brandon Cutting was also recognized as SVUSD’s “Partner of the Year.”
Senior Speaker Mario Alioto addressed the audience with a poem entitled “Together”. Thank you all who collaborated to make our first State of the District event a success!
Accessing Score Reports
As the CAASPP and ELPAC scores for the 23-24 assessments become available, we understand your eagerness to know how your child performed. It's important to note that these results are released in batches as scoring is completed, meaning not all families will receive their scores simultaneously. Additionally, different tests have varying release times. The good news is that the state now provides these test results electronically to families as soon as they're ready. You can access the reports through the parent portal in PowerSchool. For detailed instructions on accessing the test results of California Proficiency Assessments in both English and Spanish, please refer to this provided guide, How to Access Test Results of California Proficiency Assessments_Eng_Span.
Furthermore, in the coming Fall, we will offer a video score report to provide a more comprehensive understanding of the results. If you find yourself wanting more insights into interpreting your child's score report, exploring sample questions, taking practice tests, or accessing additional free resources to support your child's learning journey, we encourage you to visit Starting Smarter.
Your involvement in your child's education is invaluable, and we're here to support you every step of the way. Thank you for your continued partnership in your child's academic success.
Embrace Summer Learning with Free Resources!
This summer, let’s prioritize learning and growth with accessible resources. The Sonoma County Library Foundation operates 16 facilities, which are easily accessible through its website. The foundation offers books, workshops, and events, such as Gaming Day, Read to a Dog events, and many arts and crafts workshops.
Educational websites, such as the NASA website, can provide great learning experiences online. This website provides immersive experiences in space exploration, fostering curiosity and scientific understanding. Research indicates that summer learning reduces learning loss and nurtures a lifelong love for learning.
By utilizing these free resources, students can make the most of their summer by expanding their knowledge and preparing for the next school year. Let’s use summer as an opportunity for growth and learning using the many resources available to our SVUSD community!
SVUSD has a heart for kids, and we welcome new and returning students to the Sonoma Valley Unified School District.
Will this be your first time registering your child for school in our district? Do you know anyone new to the area looking to enroll a student in school?
We will offer Transitional Kindergarten (TK) this fall at our elementary schools. TK is free and open to students who turn 5 between September 2, 2024, and June 2, 2025.
We offer Dual Immersion programs and the Seal of Biliteracy at our high school. We are committed to building awareness of innovative instructional programs and courses ranging from robotics, STEM, visual and performing arts, and foreign languages.
Every student has a path to success at SVUSD, from preschool to kindergarten to high school. We understand the challenges that families face. At Sonoma Valley, we are committed to implementing the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, a federal legislation that ensures the educational rights and protections of children and youth experiencing homelessness. SVUSD connects students and families to essential resources.
Whether enrolling online or in-person, we work with families to provide them with access to our schools. Thank you for supporting our initiative to advance every student’s education!
Learn more about registration for new and returning students here.
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