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Welcome to the 2011-2012 school year! I hope that your children had a fun summer and that they are now enjoying another great year. As students return to school, I would like to briefly update parents on a few items, starting with hearty congratulations to students, families, and staff! · Test Scores – California standards test scores (CSTs) arrived in mid-August, and I am pleased to report that PYLUSD scores surpassed state and county averages in all areas. In fact, the district-wide Academic Performance Index (API) is anticipated to reach an all-time high of 858! This is an 80-point increase in eight years. Way to go! · New Preppy K Program - Initially, the district’s goal was to have three “Preppy K” (preparatory kindergarten) classes in the district. The launch of the Preppy K program this year has been highly successful and as a result there will be nine Preppy K classes at seven school sites. This program has attracted great attention from parents of students who normally would have enrolled their children in private school as well as students from other districts. Your interest made it a success! · Budget – California is back to yet another budget crisis with anticipated revenues again lower than projected. When the Governor and Legislature signed the budget, there was a stipulation for further cuts to education if revenues fell below $4 billion. Stay tuned! · Construction – Good news! Crews were busy at schools over the summer working on 24 projects at 16 schools. At Valencia, the portables at the front of the school are gone. A new two-story building is now on the campus and the school opened the year with a modernized office and a new entry/quad with additional shaded areas. These are a few of the many other improvements. Esperanza’s new administrative offices are also open and the band room is in the finishing stages. Kraemer students are enjoying their new high-tech library. Rio Vista and Van Buren schools each have a new permanent eight-classroom building that paved the way for removal of portables opening the black top area for children to enjoy more play space. El Camino’s long-awaited school-wide modernization is underway! The school will be in portable classrooms this year while construction is complete. View all of the improvements on the district’s bond page at http://www.pylusd.org/bond/index.asp. Thank you for your Measure A bond support! · PYLUSD 2011-2012 Goals –In August, the Board of Education adopted the district-wide goals for the 2011-2012 school year. These “areas of emphasis” are further refinements which build on the great work already taking place and establish a unified direction for the entire school district. For example, one of the areas of emphasis that has been in place and continues to remain a focus is writing. Results are evident in state testing reports. Kudos from the Board on already achieving great strides! See the full report at http://www.pylusd.org/board/boardgoals.asp. I am so encouraged by your dedication and achievements despite the many challenges facing our district. Families, students and staff never cease to amaze me! Throughout the year, I will continue to keep you apprised. For now, enjoy a great year and welcome back! Sincerely, Superintendent Dennis Smith, Ed.D. |
Wednesday, 22 February 2012
