Portola Valley School District 

News & Views
Eric Hartwig, Superintendent

In This Issue
Corte Madera Calendar4575 Alpine Road
Portola Valley, CA  94028
(650) 851-1777
Eric Hartwig
Superintendent

GOVERNING BOARD:

Karyn Bechtel
Trustee
 
Brooke Day
Trustee
 
Jeff Klugman
Clerk
 
Gulliver La Valle
President
 
Mike Maffia
Trustee


QUICK LINKS:






The
Portola Valley
Way

COLLABORATION
Working together to achieve common goals.

INTEGRITY
Being consistently honest and trustworthy.

RESPECT
Having regard and concern for yourself and others while accepting individual differences and the right of others to hold divergent views.


Tuesday, October 30, 2018
Dear PVSD Families,

Today I greet you with two very important messages: Please vote, and please give!

While many of you may have already filled out your ballot, remember it's not official until you drop your ballot in the mailbox or at the vote center at the historical school house at Town Center. Please do this before next Tuesday, November 6. While there are many important contests on the ballot, please don't forget the one at the very end, Measure Z, which concerns the future of our very own schools!

And, during this busy time of year, don't forget to make your contribution to the PV Schools Foundation's Annual Campaign. The Foundation's efforts supplement the District's public funds, enabling the kinds of programs and curriculum enhancements that prepare our students for success -- programs like art, learning specialists, and counselors. We rely on our entire community to help us reach our goals. Every family counts and any amount is appreciated. Please donate or pledge by this Friday, November 2nd. 

Have a great Halloween,
Eric
PVSD Test Scores Shine
The local papers recently featured stories about this year's statewide scores on academic testing, the CAASPP (California Assessment of Student Progress and Achievement) test. This test covers knowledge and skills in Mathematics and English/ Language Arts (ELA) in grades 3 through 8 and determines whether students have "Exceeded Standards," "Met Standards," "Nearly Met Standards," or "Not Met Standards." Since the local stories don't drill down to show PVSD results, I'll share some of our successes with you --
  • Overall, our 3rd graders were the highest of all local districts, with 92% of them meeting or exceeding standards in both subject areas.
  • In Math, we had the highest percent of students meeting or exceeding standards in all of San Mateo County.
  • All subgroups (English Learner, Special Education, Socio-Economically Disadvantaged) showed increases in the percent of students meeting or exceeding standards in both ELA and Math.
  • In Math, students in 3rd, 5th, 6th, and 7th grades all showed increases in the percent of students meeting or exceeding standards.
  • In ELA, students in 3rd, 4th 5th, and 7th grades had overall improvement in the percent of students meeting or exceeding standards.
For more details go to the California Department of Education CAASPP website and select San Mateo County, Portola Valley School District, and then one of our schools. The charts show the percentage of students who are performing at high levels.
Globe Day in 4th Grade

Tindra Eckstein, Phoebe Crouse, and Avery Hall Display their "Pumpkin Globes" in Ms. Rynewicz's Class. The closest globe highlights countries that have won a World Cup with a nifty soccer emblem...but that's North America facing us. Oh well.....

Ormondale Students Getting Into A Zone
From The Desk of Lynette Hovland, Principal

Prior to the school year beginning, all of our teachers participated in Professional Development. One of the offerings on our PD Day was a session on Mindfulness brought to us through our participation with the Sequoia Healthcare District Wellness Program.  The Ormondale staff has fully embraced the use of mindfulness practices with our TK-3 students. Each Monday at Morning Meeting we end our gathering by doing a Mindfulness Mantra - "Clear Mind, Open Heart, Ready to Start" followed by three power breaths. The students have taken to the practice in a most positive manner.

In every classroom you will find the Mindfulness Mantra posted and you will find teachers using many different mindful activities taken from Mindfulness Cards that were purchased with PVSF grant funds for our SEL Program. The life skill for October has been Self-Regulation and our school counselor, Mrs. Miller has been stressing mindfulness in her lessons with the children while using the book, "My Mouth is a Volcano," by Julia Cook, as an anchor for classroom discussions.  

And don't forget -- Our annual PTO Turkey Trot is being held this Saturday. The sign-up information is on the PTO website.

"Ormondale Families" will be decorating bags for the annual Second Harvest Food Drive that begins next week on November 5 and runs through Friday, November 9. Last year we received a Bronze Award from Second Harvest's Make Hunger History Awards for our contributions to the food bank during our fall drive.
PTO Helps 4th  and 5th Graders Attain New Heights!
Benjamin Perez, Jack Day, Peter Jasinskyi, Paxton Manning, Malakai Ali,
Madison Killen, Julio Gonzalez Cotorruelo Diez, and Adriel Chaves Valencia
Lift the Snake at the PTO Sponsored Assembly "Fur, Scales, and Tails." Yes, it's Alive!
Thank you, PTO!