Dear Parents/Guardians,

One of the best parts of my job is attending graduations. As we prepare to bestow diplomas and certificates on more than 2,200 graduates this month, I am reminded of how all of our work is centered on this goal. These celebrations are possible because of the dedication of every SRVUSD staff member, and I want to personally thank each of them for their important work.

As I reflect on the 2012-13 school year, I am reminded of our many successes. Our students and staff members have been recognized for their excellence locally and nationally. We have five Distinguished Middle Schools and four of our high schools are recognized in the top 200 high schools in the nation, two of them in the top 100 high schools. Our students have won countless titles, awards and scholarships, too numerous to mention. Last November our community again recognized the importance of excellent school facilities by passing Measure D, a bond to support construction and modernization of our schools.

Our Academic Performance Index, at 928 out a possible 1000 points, is up again this year and the area of teaching and learning, clearly the focus of our strategic plan, saw renewed vigor in the implementation of Common Core Standards. Thanks to our parents, more and more of our classrooms are equipped with technology and teachers are getting vital professional development to enable them to use technology strategically.

We have many measures of success, and these are just a few. Yet, as I shake the graduates' hands this year, I know that their parents and teachers are seeing the changes that defy measurement: growth in confidence, self-worth, integrity and personal voice. I hope each of you takes the time to notice the subtle growth that happens each year in each child and to celebrate it.

I hope you have a summer of rest and relaxation, enjoy the many blessings of extra time with your family, and don't forget (and don't let your children forget!) to READ!

Mary C. Shelton

P.S. If you have not already done so, please create your portal account and update any demographic information that may need to be changed. For middle and high school students, final report cards will be available electronically, but only to those who have created their parent portal account. For instructions on how to create your parent portal account, please go to the District website at:

www.srvusd.net/parent_portal.