The 2013-14 School Year Was a Perfect Partnership

It is hard to believe that we are completing the 2013-14 school year. Throughout this school year our children and staff have benefited tremendously from the incredible support that was demonstrated by our parents. We were able to create dynamic learning opportunities through our talented staff and through the investments of our parents who sponsored activities, donated their time, attended fundraisers and were proactive in supporting the daily instruction of our students.

As Superintendent I am extremely grateful to work side by side with an outstanding staff and a tremendous parental support community. Having the opportunity to visit our five schools, Santa Cruz Gardens, Soquel Elementary, Main Street, Opal Cliffs and New Brighton Middle School throughout this year was definitely my highpoint. In summarizing the 2013-14 school year, here is a view of some of the highlights at each of our five schools.

Main Street School

Main Street School has created a dynamic Life Lab Program that is parallel to the philosophy of the Life Lab program at UCSC. A significant number of parent volunteers have worked endlessly throughout the school year to provide all of their K-5 students with opportunities in the area of Science, Nutrition, Math, Art and Music. Giving students the chance to engage in real life learning experiences is a perfect blend for academic rigor and relevance in our curriculum. Students learn lifelong skills and are important members of a collaborative project that prepares them for their future.

New Brighton Middle School

Ms. Jo-Ann Panzardi, Engineering Department Chair and Instructor for Cabrillo College, assisted in implementing an exciting and engaging Engineering Club at New Brighton Middle School. Ms. Panzardi, with at least eight of her students from the engineering department at Cabrillo College, helped to generate an Engineering Club on Friday afternoons. The enthusiasm and excitement of this club was exactly the perfect preparation for our students to engage in academic rigor and relevance in the areas of Mathematics and Engineering. The Engineering Club provided an environment where higher-level thinking skills were required and created opportunities in a team approach to build successful projects.

Opal Cliffs School

The transitional kindergarten program at Opal Cliffs School this year was truly amazing. It gave our children the perfect creative and active learning environment with a focus on preparing them for a traditional academic kindergarten program. Our transitional kindergarten students were constantly engaged in exciting curriculum and entertaining playtime. The huge success of our transitional kindergarten was directly aligned with the special educators of this program and the incredible parent volunteers who actively participated on a daily basis to bring rich curricula to these students.

Santa Cruz Gardens

Our children at Santa Cruz Gardens explored a unique marine biology experience on the O’Neill Sea Odyssey (OSO) field trip. OSO is a wonderful platform that provides students with the chance to engage in hands-on lessons about marine habitat and the importance of the relationship between our living sea and our environment. This program blended academic rigor and hands-on exploration in a mini lab approach. Our children went out to sea to learn about marine biology, ecology and navigation. As our students explored ocean waters, they received a biology lesson of life cycles and their role in the food web. The OSO program is exactly the educational program that will prepare our students for their educational future.

Soquel Elementary

The richness of music and the passion to provide every student at Soquel Elementary with an appreciation for music has been achieved. Our students participated in music at each and every grade level, and were highly engaged in building their skills in expanding their knowledge of music under the direction of our incredible music teacher, Ms. Diane Bock. On Friday mornings before school, over 80 students participated in a wonderful chorus program. One of the highlights of this chorus program was our students getting the opportunity to perform throughout our county at different venues showcasing their musical talents. We are very fortunate to have such an outstanding music program at Soquel Elementary.

As we begin to plan for the next school year, the excitement that we have built from the 2013-14 school year will enable us to expand our efforts in creating an environment of exploration learning that is academically challenging and fun for our students.