Dear Santa Clara Unified Community,

Thank you for your continued support of Santa Clara Unified schools. We are proud of our accomplishments and our commitment to “Rising Above in Silicon Valley!”

As we come to the end of another school year, let’s reflect on the amazing work we as a community have accomplished. This year, our annual update includes updates on the accomplishments of our five-year strategic plan - the result of a yearlong process with our community, spotlights on student and teacher achievement, facilities updates, and more. 

The dedication of our new STEM lab at Santa Clara High School is only one example of our facilities staff going above and beyond to create something that will serve the District for many years to come. We also successfully opened the STEAM-focused Central Park Elementary School. It involved the reopening of an existing campus with the infusion of research on developing the creative mind through a purposeful environment. Classrooms were designed and equipment purchased based on groundbreaking research and in partnership with neuroscientist Dr. Melina Uncapher. Staff and students are thriving at Central Park!

Through program enhancements, we increased student support and involvement in our Health and Wellness, Physical Education, and Music programs. We have made great progress in implementing common core standards, including increases in the amount of project-based learning and greater use of technology to individualize learning. Additionally, the Educational Services and Information Technology departments have worked together to create a multi-year 1:1 technology device plan.

By introducing Andrew Lucia as Assistant Superintendent for School Support and District Development, we have centralized and, by doing so, improved the communication to our administrators from the District Office. Andrew is also the lead in communications to the community and in gathering ideas and input from the community. And, with the addition of a partnerships manager in the Public Relations department, we can now be more strategic in working to connect government agencies, businesses, and nonprofits to the District in meaningful ways. 

Two years into our Labor-Management Partnership, we have observed how classified, certificated, and management staff members have come together to effect decisions that will undoubtedly have positive impacts on our students for many years to come. This initiative is even more than that, though. Participating employees feel empowered to share in the decision-making process because they know their voices are heard, whatever their positions are in the District. This makes the Labor-Management Partnership an act of equity. Our students see us working together, and that modeling helps them learn what working together looks like. Ultimately, this helps make our students better citizens. All of us working together means better outcomes for our students.

With a growing district and an ever-changing world, we have much work to do in the years ahead. We have already come a long way as a community, and we have done it together — this makes us abundantly optimistic about the future! Thank you for your collaboration in the past, and we look forward to working together again as we continue to offer 21st Century education.

Sincerely,

 
Stan Rose, Ed.D.
Superintendent