Important Dates:

5/2-13 - Advanced Placement Testing (gr. 11/12)
5/10- Board of Education Meeting, 7PM
5/13 - National Day of the Teacher
5/15-21 - Classified School Employee Week
5/9-13 - State of Emergency Action Week
5/17 - STAR Testing ends
5/24- Board of Education Meeting, 7PM
5/30 - Memorial Day Holiday (no school)

From the Superintendent

Greetings for the month of May,

It is hard to believe, but with the month of May is already here and the end of another school year is fast approaching. School years do pass quickly which reminds us why every day must be filled with the joy of learning, with the minutes viewed as precious opportunities never to be squandered or taken for granted. As in every school year, this year has had some unexpected twists and turns, but when all is said and done the year has gone well, with students being served in quality schools surrounded by caring teachers and staff committed to serving them to the best of their ability. We remain a “district of choice” because of the quality and dedication of our staff and the support of the community.

As we think about our teachers and support staff members, please note that May 11th is the National Day of the Teacher, and the week of May 16-20 is Classified Appreciation Week, which honors our support staff.  Because we are such a large district it is very difficult to organize an event to honor all of our teachers and classified staff, which is unfortunate. What you might want to do, however, is select a staff member or two and write a simple note of appreciation. It has been my experience that a personal note often means much more than some form of organized event. In fact, I know staff members who have kept such notes for their whole career, as they can be particularly helpful when they have a day that doesn’t go quite as planned, which we all have now and then.

It is somewhat ironic that at the same time we are recognizing the work of those in public education, we are struggling to maintain our schools and the programs that serve students because of the financial crisis that public education faces in California. I personally believe that what is at risk is far more than the immediate issues in the schools, but really the future of our state and the ability of our country to compete in a world that demands a highly educated workforce. Because of this crisis, parents, community members, and educators are coming together during the week of May 9th to the 13th from one end of the state to the other to raise awareness of the crisis at hand. If you want to learn more information please visit the San Ramon Valley Council of PTAs website at http://www.srvcouncilpta.org/Public/PortalHome.aspx.

Thank you as always for taking the time to read my letter and more importantly, thank you for your continuing support of our schools, the staff, and the wonderful students we are honored to serve.

Have a great month of May.

Sincerely,

Steven Enoch
Superintendent of Schools

Gale Ranch Middle School wins National Science Bowl!

For the second consecutive year, a five-student team from Gale Ranch Middle School in San Ramon won the 2011 U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) National Science Bowl at the National Building Museum in Washington D.C. Gale Ranch defeated Shahala Middle School from Vancouver, Washington in the middle school national championship match. Members of the winning middle school team are Saranesh Prembabu, Ayush Rath, Augustine Chemparathy, Rishi Krishnan, Ladislav Steffko and are coached by George Chemparathy.

One hundred ten teams from 44 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S.Virgin Islands competed in this weekend's national finals of the 21st annual DOE National

Science Bowl. Earlier this spring, more than 14,000 students from across the country participated in regional Science Bowls. Sixty-nine high school and 41 middle school regional Science Bowl champion teams received all-expense paid trips to compete in the National Finals in Washington, DC.

DOE created the National Science Bowl in 1991 to encourage students to excel in mathematics and science and to pursue careers in these fields. DOE supports mathematics and science meducation to help provide a technically trained and diverse workforce for the nation. More than 200,000 students have participated in the National Science Bowl throughout its 21 year history.

Registration still open for SRVUSD Summer Enrichment Program

The San Ramon Valley Unified School District is still accepting registrations for its annual Summer Enrichment classes. Courses are designed for students entering kindergarten through high school to enjoy an academic enrichment and/or a recreational experience. Our enrichment programs have no homework, no exams or grades but offer an enjoyable academic enrichment and enhance learning skills.

Although some of our enrichment classes will have some academic basis, they will not be structured to provide remediation of any academic area. Therefore, students with "F" grades will not be recommended for Enrichment Summer School as a means of remediation.

For more information and to register, visit: http://srvusd.net/district/summer_programs

Donna Kenyon among five semi-finalists for County Teacher of the Year

Donna Kenyon, the San Ramon Valley Unified School District’s 2011-12 Teacher of the Year has been selected as one of five semi-finalists in the Contra Costa County Teacher of the Year program. Kenyon teaches 4^th and 5^th grade at John Baldwin Elementary School in Danville. Each year all of the public school districts in the county select Teachers of the Year. An expert committee, with representatives from education and the community, then chooses one of these candidates to represent Contra Costa County in the State Teacher of the Year Program. 

Five SRVUSD students among 1,000 students nationwide named as "Corporate-sponsored" National Merit Scholarship winners

Congratulations to the following high school seniors who recently won “Corporate-Sponsored” National Merit Scholarship Awards. The awards are financed by about 200 corporations, company foundations and other business organizations around the United States. Scholars were selected from students who advanced to the Finalist level in the National Merit Scholarship competition and met criteria of their scholarship sponsors.

• Brian He, California High School, National Merit Chevron Corporation Scholarship
• Sharon Zhong, Dougherty Valley High School, National Merit Macy’s, Inc. Scholarship
• Jason Kim, Monte Vista High School, National Merit Omron Scholarship
• Alexander DeBoni, Monte Vista High School, National Merit Lockheed Martin Scholarship
• Louis Li, Monte Vista High School, National Merit Bayer Scholarship