Welcome to a new school year! We are thrilled to have you join us for the 2021-22 academic year and delighted to have our Falcons join us in person. We are not quite out of the woods yet with the COVID-19 Pandemic that has devastated and impacted so many, but we believe we have strong safety protocols in place to help keep everyone safe.

The first few days of school have been amazing! I've had the privilege of witnessing our kids happy, excited and eager to be on campus. Watching our students being able to interact with their peers brings a sense of normalcy too. Our youngest in TK and Kinder have been super brave and just a handful are still trying their best to get used to being away from home and their families. I'm confident in the coming days, all of our Falcons will feel right at home thanks to the amazing teachers and staff that support, nurture and educate all of your children.

Since this is our first newsletter of the school year, I believe it is important we share with you our academic goals for the year. As a whole, we will focus highly on language development and the use of language in all of our classrooms. Our teachers will be utilizing specific instructional strategies that are research based and highly effective for increasing all students' abilities in reading and writing. Some of our academic goals in TK-5th grade are to use the Sobrato Early Academic Language (SEAL) structures to increase our students abilities in the use of language, such as reading, writing, listening and speaking and learning how to make language their own. The structures are highly engaging and provide many opportunities to fully involve all of our students.

In our middle grades, our academic goal to increase language development will incorporate the use of both content and language objectives that support students in the four domains (reading, writing, listening and speaking), similarly to our elementary grades. The implementation of AVID strategies this year will assist our students in their academic achievement goals. Teachers will use a learning model to guide our students in comprehending concepts and articulating ideas in the areas of writing, inquiry, collaboration, organization and reading (WICOR Model of Avid).

Fortunately, for all of our students at Venetia Valley, the strategies and structures described above will benefit our students in their other academic areas, such as social studies, science and math. Language development exists in all content areas and we are working hard to help bridge the gap from the learning loss that has taken place over the last year and half due to the COVID-19 pandemic and school closure.

You will hear me say this frequently and I'll close with it again here... Thank you! Thank you on behalf of all our faculty and staff for choosing Venetia Valley and for having the faith and confidence in our brilliant educators to providing your child(ren) with a high quality educational experience.

Sincerely,

Principal Quesada

Week of August 30th - September 3rd:

• PTA Executive Board Team meeting at 6 PM
• Bilingual Citizenship Class begins this Wednesday, 9/1 from 5 to 7 PM in the MPR
• Early Release on Wednesday, 9/1 AND on Friday, 9/3. Dismissal for Gen Ed is at 12:50. Dismissal for our Special Day Classes is at 12:20. Students in LEAP are not affected.
• Virtual Back to School Night on Thursday, 9/2 from 5 - 7:15 PM (see details below)

Week of September 6th - 10th:

• No School on Monday, 9/6 in honor of Labor Day
• Rosh Hashanah begins on Monday, 9/6 and ends on Wednesday, 9/8
• Bilingual Citizenship Class on Wednesday, 9/8 from 5 to 7 PM in the MPR
  
• DELAC Meeting on Thursday, 9/9 at 6 PM via ZOOM

• Wednesday, 9/15 is the first day of National Hispanic Heritage Month
• Bilingual Citizenship Class on Wednesday, 9/15 from 5 to 7 PM in the MPR
• Yom Kippur begins on Wednesday, 9/15 and ends Thursday, 9/16
• School Site Council Meeting (SSC) on Thursday, 9/16 at 4:30 PM via Zoom

Week of September 20th - 24th:

• Bilingual Citizenship Class on Wednesday, 9/22 from 5 to 7 PM in the MPR

Week of September 27th - October 1st:

• Bilingual Citizenship Class on Wednesday, 9/29 from 5 to 7 PM in the MPR

• Do you want to spend more time with your children?
• Are you looking for a rewarding job where you have the ability to make a child's day?
• Tired of working weekends, evenings or late night shifts?

Join the Venetia Valley staff! We are currently hiring for the following positions. Some require no experience and we will provide you with the appropriate training and help you through the process. Please see the list of immediate vacancies below and click on the link to be directed to the EdJoin website where you can quickly apply and get more details about the position.

• Instructional Assistant / Campus Supervisor

• Secretary II
• Special Education Teacher - Self Contained Special Day Class for 6th - 8th Grade Students

You can also email Principal Quesada directly at aquesada@srcs.org or call at 415-492-3150.

We recognize how difficult parking is at Venetia Valley and on San Pedro Road, but please do not park in the Brandeis School or Jewish Community Center parking lots. They too are open and have families that need to park there. If you need to find a spot to park and are unable to find parking at the Venetia Valley parking areas, then please park in the Jury Lot and walk over to the school. Help us in being good neighbors and avoid having your vehicle towed.

Thank you,
Mr. Q

Hello Venetia Valley Families,

On behalf of the Family Center, we welcome you to a new school year. We hope you had a safe and wonderful summer. Please know that we are here to help and serve. If at any time of the year you need help, do not hesitate to contact us.

This year the Family Center will have its own entrance which will be through the new cafeteria. Our doors are open beginning at 8:30 am. Here is our information:

Family Center Hours

Monday to Friday from 8:30 am - 4:30 pm

Direct Line: 415-496-0226

Cell: 415-424-3778

Maria Gramajo- Family Advocate- mgramajo@srcs.org

Leslie Garcia- Family Advocate- lgarcia@srcs.org

Sheila Ramirez- Family Center Coordinator sramirez@srcs.org

What is happening in the Family Center / or in the community:

Family Center Open House

Join us on Wednesday 9/1/21 between the hours of 8:30 am to 5:00 pm (come at any time). Come meet the Family Center staff, learn about the resources we offer and how we can work together this year.

Community Fridge

Families, if you need food, remember that along with The Rodef Sholom Congregation and El Centro de Old Gallinas we have the community refrigerator. This refrigerator is open 24/7 for families to come and grab what they need. It is located in the parking lot of the congregation at 170 N San Pedro Rd, San Rafael, CA 94903

Citizenship Classes

This Wednesday 9/1/21 from 5 pm to 7 pm the citizenship classes will begin. If you need help with the application or studying the 100 questions, do not hesitate to attend the classes. For more information call the Family Center

Free Backpacks

We have some backpacks that were donated for our students in need. If your student needs a backpack please let us know, and we will bring the backpack to your student’s classroom.

Technological Support

This year the San Rafael School District is offering technical assistance in Spanish.

Tuesdays and Thursdays from 4 pm to 5 pm at San Rafael High School next to the gym. At 185 Mission Ave, San Rafael, CA 94901. In any case, remember that you are always welcome at the VV Family Center.

Follow us on social media: Facebook and Instagram @ventiavalleyTK8 and follow Mr. Quesada on Twitter @PrincipalPaulQ.

In partnership,

Family Center Staff