Dear Families,

Welcome to Saratoga Elementary School, home of the Sea Turtles! Our school has the distinction of being the oldest school site in California as the Little Chocolate School House was built on this site in 1854. We work hard to honor our schools history while dedicating our efforts to providing our students with an exemplary education that will serve them well as global citizens of the twenty-first century.

At Saratoga our work is guided by our goal of Three-Dimensional Success for All Students. This goal recognizes the development of the whole child in the three areas of academic success, balanced curriculum, and caring, responsible citizens. Ongoing professional development aligned with our state standards and driven by our student data guides our instruction of the first dimension, Academic Success. Our teachers work on district and site teams to work on goals and curriculum planning and development.

The second dimension, a Balanced Curriculum, is achieved through the working partnership of our school district and parent community. The Saratoga Education Foundation, PTA, School Site Council, and the Saratoga Alumni Association are all organizations that provide support for our enrichment curriculum that includes hands-on science labs, fine arts and physical education instruction, library, centers for small group instruction, reading intervention programs, character education, and student support services. If you are a parent at our school, I encourage you to become involved in a way that is meaningful to you.

The third dimension is Building Caring, Responsible Citizens. Our school-wide character education and student safety programs include the Second Step character education classroom curriculum, Steps for Respect Training for all staff members, Noon League activities, Student Council, and student service and leadership projects.

I look forward to seeing you. I want to remind you about our upcoming Back-to-School nights on September 7th for K-2 and September 14th for Grades 3-5 where you have the opportunity to visit your childs teacher and classroom.

Sincerely,
Diane Smalley

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408-867-3476 ext. 234