Superintendent's Message for August 2021

Greetings Timberwolf Families, 

It is with great excitement that I welcome you back to our new school year!  I am hoping the summer of 2021 provided you with the opportunity to make wonderful memories with your families and friends.

We are excited to get the new year started off great!  Students return to school on August 23. The 2020-2021 school year provided us with some unique challenges, but in the end, the Wolfpack family rose to the challenges and made it the best year for our kids.  While we will still be aware of the ongoing challenges, our school will be open not only for our students but completely open for the public as well.  We are excited to reconnect with our communities and having you interact with our students and staff.

The administration team met in June and reviewed data and our previous goals.  We have established three new goals for the 2021-2022 school year. 

1. Academic Achievement - Increase student proficiency by 10% of the average in reading and math.  K-8 will use our IReady data to monitor and the high school with use the STAR program. 
2. Community Engagement - Each building, with the participation of all educational staff and students, will develop and execute a community service project or partnership during the school year.
3. Improving Culture & Attendance - Improve the culture and climate by implementing the Nurtured Heart Approach with fidelity and further reducing student referrals and chronic absenteeism.

In mid-August, we will release the updated Return to Learn plan to everyone.  The plan has been reduced to one page.  Online learning will no longer be offered at Southwest Valley schools unless a medical condition requires this access.  There will be no mask mandates but if your son/daughter feels more comfortable wearing a mask, they are welcome to do so.  We will have hand sanitizer stations available and we will continue to fumigate the buildings daily.  We may continue to live stream selected events if we have volunteers to operate the camera and there is continued interest to watch online.

As we kick off this year and begin activities and clubs at the school, please consider being a volunteer for our many activities. The Southwest Valley Activities Booster club is looking for new members and provides a great opportunity to give back to the school.  Helping in the concession stand or volunteering at events provides satisfaction while supporting the community.  The Music Booster club is also looking for new members and encourages you to join and participate in their fun activities.  Another important group in our communities is the youth sports program.  These groups seek coaches and volunteers to start building our future athletic teams.

Southwest Valley School’s mission is “To provide each student with the educational skills and knowledge necessary to become a lifelong learner and productive member of society”.  All of these programs provide an opportunity for your child to learn skills such as teamwork, commitment, and working through challenges.  We need our communities to step up, take charge, and encourage and support our student body by volunteering.  One of the greatest gifts you can give is your time!  Together we can do anything!

Stay positive, work hard, and make it happen!!  We are excited and ready for the 2021-2022 school year!