Bobcat Tales

Mark Your Calendar

Open now:TK/Kindergarten Registration Open Now

Feb. 6th: Spring Picture Day

Feb. 14th: Intent to Return Form due

Feb. 17th-21st February Break

Feb. 25th, 27th: SLVE Steam Expo

A Message from Principal Ponza

It's been an eventful couple of weeks at SLVE. Students have been working hard while also enjoying some fun activities like the Talent Show, PBIS Kindness Assembly, and 5th Grade Science Camp.

SLVE Talent Show

The SLVE Talent Show was a huge success. We had almost 70 students participate this year. I'm so impressed with not only the talent that was shared but also the confidence that students exhibited while performing. I was also so happy to see how supportive and empathetic our student audiences were in cheering their classmates on during each performance. Thank you to Ms.Gale our Talent Show coordinator, and Annie Stepka one of our 5th grade parents, who assisted Ms.Gale throughout. We could not have had such a wonderful event for our students without their help.

5th Grade Science Camp

Our 5th Graders spent the week at Science Camp at Camp Campbell. Students participated in hikes, archery, the habitat house, skits, group meal time and so much more. I was able to visit them for a bit on Thursday and clearly they and their teachers were having an amazing time. The weather was cold but sunny which made the week even better.

Santa Cruz County Spelling Bee this Saturday

We are very excited and proud to congratulate our SLVE amazing spellers, Calvin Hill and Ellie Varillon who will be participating in this year's Santa Cruz County Spelling Bee on Saturday. We wish them good luck!!!

PBIS News

The SLVE students had a fantastic time at the Bobcat Assembly about kindness. Ms. Brick’s class brought history to life with a play about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and his profound impact on the Civil Rights Movement. Ms. O’Donnell’s class shared a moving poem and Ms. Smith’s class presented an art piece in honor of MLK’s legacy. In the primary grades, students learned about kindness from Ms. Jane’s Kindergarten class, who shared inspiring examples of how we can be kind every day. The assembly also featured a video highlighting the incredible power of kind words. A big congratulations to Mrs. Lasher’s 5th grade class for winning the Golden Ticket, awarded for their outstanding behavior for being safe, respectful, and responsible while working with their substitute!

Intent to Return for the 2025-2026 School Year

We are excited to get started on the 25/26 school year planning. Please complete this

Intent to Return Form for each child in your family. We are so excited to have you back next year. Please note that this is just for incoming students Kindergarten-4th grade. 5th-grade students will register with the middle school.

*Please complete the Intent to Return Form by Friday 2/14.

SLVE TK/Kindergarten Registration

1. Prepare for Registration. SLVE TK and Kindergarten student registration is now open. Please review the registration page here to determine if your child is eligible for TK or Kindergarten and all the documents needed to complete the Enrollment Process.

2. Plan to attend our TK/Kindergarten Meet and Greet: As we move into Spring, we will announce a date for our Annual Meet and Greet for incoming students . It’s an opportunity for adults to meet the Principal, the teachers, inquire about our Transportation and Nutrition Programs, and get to know more about our school and our TK/Kindergarten program.

SLVE STEAM Expo February 25 and 27, 2025. Register Here!

Do you love science experiments? Inventing things? Engineering to solve a problem?

If so, this is for you! Any student can participate, TK-5th grade. In addition to traditional projects that follow the scientific method or engineering design process, the STEAM Expo invites projects that are demonstrations or inventions/creations that do not necessarily include testing or evaluating for effectiveness. The STEAM Expo enables students to explore their interests and talents by offering different project types and categories from which students can choose, many of which are directly tied to categories represented in California Science and Engineering Fair (CSEF), the International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) and the Invention Convention. Find more information on the SLVE webpage.

Cafeteria News- San Lorenzo Elementary

We're thrilled to share that we've received a grant as part of the Bulk Milk program from @ChefAnnFnd. Starting January 2025 bulk organic 1% white milk will be served during breakfast meal service.

We look forward to reducing packaging and, milk waste while serving fresher, better-tasting milk! Until we transition to bulk milk for SLE Lunch service, we will be serving 1% White Milk and Fat Free White milk cartons at lunch.

Attendance Matters

We continue to emphasize the importance of daily attendance for your student. Absences do add up!

We know people get sick, people get injured, and there can be family or life responsibilities and other issues that are reasonable and excused. But if your student can attend, they need to be in school.

If your student is out for three or more consecutive days, we may request a doctor’s note to continue excusing the absences. Students who miss 3-5 days will receive a Chronic Absence letter. We will then meet with those families to attempt to support the student attending school. On the second Chronic Absence Letter, families may be required to meet at the District Office to put a plan in place for the student’s attendance. On the third Chronic Absence Letter, families may be required to meet with the County Office Student Attendance Review Board for truancy. Our goal is that no family ever gets that far along with truancy. We are here to help and support, but it does start at home with the expectation that your student will attend school regularly.

Please remember that students who are absent 3 days or more should complete an independent study contract. Lisa Ghelardi, at lblairghelardi@slvusd.org our SLVE Registrar, will work with families to get the paperwork and the missed classwork assignments needed to complete the contract.

Bobcat Club News

Family Game Night is Friday, February 7th from 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. This will be a Bring-Your-Own-Game night. Families can sit at a table in the MU and play games together, have fun, and build friendships through games. Please volunteer to help setup/cleanup and sell food HERE!

SLVE NIght at the Santa Cruz Warriors - Saturday, February 8

We have 17 tickets left to the game! Come join us and cheer our kiddos on when they sing the National Anthem! Buy tickets here: https://www.zeffy.com/ticketing/bbfb9874-d478-43c3-8c77-42fa10245d14

Trivia Night at Aroma - February 12 - Stay tuned for more details.

Family Art Night scheduled for March 21 needs volunteers or will be canceled! Please get in touch with Sarah if you are interested at sarahmargaretarmstrong@gmail.com

• March 11: Bobcat Club Meeting - Superintendent Schiermyer will present on LCAP.
• March 21: Family Art Night
• March 27: Fun Run
• April 24: Open House
• April 25: Bobcat Bash (Spring Auction)
• May 5-9: Staff Appreciation Week
• May 13: Bobcat Club Meeting

Learning Websites~IReady and Lexia

Your student can access Lexia Core5 (phonics/reading support) or i-Ready (math & reading) from home using their Google login information or their Classlink QuickCard (QR Code). Teachers will be sending home IReady/Lexia log in information (also linked below) and QR codes with students by Friday, October 4th.

You can access these applications from a personal computer (Mac or Windows), a personal Chromebook, a school-issued Chromebook, or an iPad. See the instructions for how to access them below:

How to Access Lexia/i-Ready from Home (Slideshow with all options)-SLVE

How to access Lexia/i-Ready from Home (School-Issued Chromebook)--SLVE

How to access Lexia/i-Ready from Home (iPads)--SLVE

How to access Lexia/i-Readyy from Home (Computers/Personal Chromebook)--SLVE

Updated Student Illness Protocols

For suggestions to help with knowing when to keep your child home when they are not feeling well please click on this Illness Protocol Link. Contact a health care provider if your child needs medical care. A doctor’s note is generally not required to return to school or child care. For more information, please visit the CDPH guidance page.

Cradle to Career

Cradle to Career Santa Cruz County (C2C) is a family advocacy organization and community connector that strives to uplift all families. C2C has expanded into SLVUSD and has developed free programming, including recreation activities, parent workshops, and advocacy opportunities for families. Register with C2C for more information about upcoming yoga classes, and more! Contact Claudia Oblea, SLVUSD's Community Organizer, for more information about C2C, questions, or resource support.

To Register with C2C visit: https://share.hsforms.com/1PECJBXBRREmsdHAUyGb4Ggdl8zs

Claudia's Contact information:

Email - Coblea@c2cscc.org

Phone: 916-270-5237

Triple P Parenting Classes

Triple P Positive Parenting topical workshop flyers for January are attached. Información sobre programas en español disponibles en el sitio web.

Each flyer has its own unique link to register for each class, or go to https://www.first5scc.org/triple-p-classes and register on the website. All of these classes are on Zoom!

Workshops are all free, and grant funded by First Five of Santa Cruz.

Individual sessions are also available for free or sliding scale. If you are interested in a 1:1 session, please contact First Five of Santa Cruz at First 5 Santa Cruz County at (831) 465-2217 or

The "Community Opportunities" website link is provided as a courtesy to parents and students, by the San Lorenzo Valley Unified School District, to enable you to receive information of current local events and opportunities for adults and/or children.

Perimeter Fence Update

Our perimeter fence is almost complete. We are just awaiting a couple of small panels. The fence is a nice addition to our campus as it helps to prevent balls and other recess items from rolling into the parking lot. It also provides a very clear and visual boundary to our campus which helps to keep students safely inside.

Beginning on Tuesday, January 7th, we will be opening the gates at 7:50 am and closing them at 8:30 am. The gates will be reopened forTK dismissal and then remain closed until 2:00 for afternoon student dismissal. All volunteers will need to enter through the SLVE front office to check in and get a volunteer badge.

Please remember that school remains in session from 2:15-3:00 for our 4th and 5th grades. During this time, the SLVE playground is closed unless being used by SLVE PE classes and their teachers, or the after school ELOP program and their leaders. As a reminder, Kindergarten-3rd grade students should NOT be playing on the playground between the hours of 2:15 pm-3:00 pm. We appreciate your help in supporting this school protocol.

Student Drop Off and Pick Up at SLVE

It is VERY important that all cars have the student placard in the front windshield when picking up your student. It allows staff on duty to see the name and call the student so they can be standing and ready to get in your car quickly. Thank you for following this very important pick up protocol.

We are really needing to focus on safety during our pick up time each day. As a reminder, the far right lane is the ONLY lane that you may idle in to pick up your student. The middle lane is a drive thru lane only for parents who are driving up to park. If cars stop in the middle lane, buses CANNOT get up the hill to pass without going into the far left lane which is the exiting lane. There have been some close calls and unsafe situations where cars are stopped in the middle lane when buses are making the wide turn to go down the driveway to head out onto Highway 9. We would also like to remind you that the parking lot in front of the school office is reserved for teachers/staff only. Please do not stop there to drop off or pick up your student. We appreciate your role in helping to ensure the safety of our SLVE students and families.

Bus and School Lunch Information

We will continue to provide free lunch to all students this year. We do ask that you complete the application on the district webpage. It is very important that ALL families complete this form, as it helps us with funding in several different areas.

If your child will be riding the bus this year and will need a bus pass, please make sure you purchase your bus pass online here. Once you log in to LinqConnect you will see "School Store" on the bottom right hand corn. Click that to buy your pass. Any questions contact the Transportation department at 831-336-2223

Please complete the Transportation Registration Form for all students riding the bus. Should there be a school bus breakdown, closed route or a route delay, School Messenger will not contact you unless your student(s) are registered.If you do not have your student registered by Thursday, 08/29/24 your student will be left at the school and sent to the office. For more information please call the Transportation office at 831-336-2223 or email Heidie at hoconnor@slvusd.org.

Thank you for your understanding.

-Transportation Department