We are extremely pleased to announce that with the posting of our October 6, 2015 Board agenda (more information below), we are now using a new on-line agenda tracking system known as “BoardDocs.”  
 
Last year, in response to community input and inquiries, we greatly expanded the distribution of our Board agendas to include many more community members throughout Ross Valley.  Also last year, we significantly improved the formatting and content of our agendas.  But even with these improvements, we continued to hear some frustration over how best to access information from the on-line agenda tracking system the district had been using for several years.
 
Beginning with next Tuesday’s agenda, we are excited to share the new BoardDocs system, which we believe is much more intuitive to access and use.  When you point your browser to our BoardDocs page, you should see something that looks like this …

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Why has RVSD raised class sizes?  We hear this question a lot and the simple truth is, we haven't.  The chart above shows our total district enrollment as of the tenth day of school (September 10, 2015).  As the data indicates, our K-3rd class size averages are at 20.24 and our 4th-5th grade class size averages stand at 24.22.  This is in spite of the fact that RVSD is funded by the state of California, at 24:1 in K-3rd and 30:1 in 4th-5th.  Overall our K-5th enrollment averages 21.57, which is the best it has been in several years.

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Thanks to community approval of "Measure A" in 2010, another campus construction project was completed just before school opened on August 27th.

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Dear RVSD Community,

In his 1926 classic, “Winnie the Pooh,” A. A. Milne wrote, “Piglet noticed that even though he had a very small heart, it could hold a rather large amount of gratitude.” Our little pink friend was grateful for the abundance he had in his life; great friends, a warm place to sleep and a few tasty “haycorns” to eat.

As we conclude our third month of the 2014-15 school year and break for the Thanksgiving holiday, I want to take a moment to express my heartfelt gratitude to all who help make RVSD a great place to teach, learn and work. We are a community with many gifts and talents, which we share daily with one another and most important, our students. From the classroom, Board room, living room and all points in-between, our collective efforts to raise the whole child are filled with passion, commitment and a willingness to make decisions that may be hard in the present, but will have a positive and lasting influence in the future for all. 

On a personal note, I am particularly grateful to our Board of Trustees for their wisdom and leadership on behalf of all students and families in RVSD. You give selflessly of your time, skills and talents, so all students have opportunities to learn, grow and become all they dream of becoming.

I am also grateful to our District Leadership Team, teachers, staff, the YES Foundation and all who work daily in our schools and offices. You help make profound, positive and lasting differences in the lives of students, who will remember you with great fondness, respect and gratitude, long after they have grown and moved on.

Parents, of course, are such a critical part of all we hope to accomplish on behalf of our RVSD students.  I am grateful to you for masterfully doing what I know firsthand is the hardest, most rewarding and joyous job of all. Thank you for entrusting us with your most precious gift.

Finally, I am grateful to our wonderful, talented, creative, inquisitive, optimistic, resourceful and resilient students. Often they make us laugh, sometimes they make us cry, but always they make us think.  Most of all, they make us better.

In closing I want to share a little piece by an unknown author. It is entitled, “Be Thankful” and I think it captures the spirit of Thanksgiving and of being grateful throughout the year, for all that we have in our lives.

Be Thankful

Be thankful that you don’t already have everything you desire.

If you did, what would there be to look forward to?

Be thankful when you don’t know something,
for it gives you the opportunity to learn.

Be thankful for the difficult times.
During those times you grow.

Be thankful for your limitations,
because they give you opportunities for improvement.

Be thankful for each new challenge,
because it will build your strength and character.

Be thankful for your mistakes,
they will teach you valuable lessons.

Be thankful when you’re tired and weary,
because it means you’ve made a difference.

It is easy to be thankful for the good things.
A life of rich fulfillment comes to those who are
also thankful for the setbacks.

GRATITUDE can turn a negative into a positive.
Find a way to be thankful for your troubles
and they can become your blessings.

From my family to yours, I wish you all the very best this Thanksgiving, throughout the holidays and always.

In Gratitude,

Rick

Rick Bagley, Ed.D.

Superintendent of Schools

Ross Valley School District