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At Sunol Glen School, we strive to achieve – and it shows.

Our staff remains dedicated to each and every student, whether it is in the classroom, in the garden or on the playground. We are constantly refining our approach, keeping us in step with the needs of our staff, students and families. Year after year, our excellence has shown through in many ways, including maintaining an above-state-average API score, developing our outdoor curriculum in an award-winning garden and recognizing our teachers for their endless efforts each year.

Photo provided by

SGUSD Facebook

Sunol Glen is a California Distinguished School

In 2014, Sunol Glen was honored to be the recipient of the California Distinguished School Award, presented by State Superintendent of Public Instruction, Tom Torlakson.

The 2014 California Distinguished Schools Program focuses on California's students' right to an equitable and rigorous education, and recognizes those schools that have made progress in narrowing the academic achievement gap.

 

To receive Distinguished School honors, schools must meet a variety of eligibility criteria, including accountability measures. Once a school is deemed eligible, the California Department of Education (CDE) invites them to apply to be recognized as a California Distinguished School. The process consists of a written application, which includes a comprehensive description of two of the school's signature practices, and a county-led site validation review focused on the implementation of those signature practices.

Sunol Glen has award-winning teachers

In 2013, 2/3 Teacher Melody Mayer (on left, closest left photo), was selected by Superintendent Molly Barnes as Teacher of the Year for SGUSD:

 

"My passion has always been teaching. Being at Sunol Glen these past years, I have had a chance to lead other teachers and put on events which I really enjoy doing. Most of all, I love working with these amazing kids each day. I am very lucky to work at such a supportive school."

– Melody Mayer, 2/3 Teacher

 

In 2014, Natalie Campbell (in red, furthest left photo), Sunol Glen's Art teacher, was selected by Superintendent Molly Barnes as Teacher of the Year for SGUSD:

 

"I'm enthusiastisc, I love what I do, I have a passion for what I do. I feel like, when kids are able to go out into the world and appreciate what's around them, it just makes their whole lives richer. It's the most wonderful feeling in the world to be the teacher that everyone wants to come to your class. I feel like I won the lottery."

– Natalie Campbell, Art Teacher

Sunol Glen maintains a rigorous API.

The Academic Performance Index (API) is a single number assigned to each school by the California Department of Education to measure overall school performance and improvement over time on statewide testing. The API ranges from 200 and 1000, with 800 as the state goal for all schools. Comparing the API Growth to the Base shows whether or not a school's test score performance improved between Spring 2012 and Spring 2013. 

The API Statewide Rank ranges from 1 to 10. A rank of 10, for example, means that the school’s API fell into the top 10% of all schools in the state with a comparable grade range. The 2012 rank is based on results from tests students took in Spring 2012.

Sunol Glen has maintained 900+ score for at least the past three years:

  • In 2011, API score was 939.

  • In 2012, API score was 936.

  • In 2013, API score was 937.

Graph provided by GreatSchools.org

Sunol Glen has an award-winning garden

To promote the benefits of native plants and foster the installation of naturalized gardens in schoolyards, Hansen's sponsored the 2009 Hansen's Natural and Native School Garden Grant, which provided three schools in the San Francisco Bay area with a garden kit consisting of a variety of native plants and gardening supplies valued at $1,500 – and Sunol Glen School was one of the recipients.

Native plants are natural tools for teaching kids about ecology, wildlife habitat, pollution, water conservation, and many other current issues. They have evolved and are well adapted to local conditions. Once they are established, native plants require little to no irrigation, fertilization, or pruning. Over time, they have also developed intricate relationships with other wildlife in the ecosystem. All these traits mean that native plants are excellent choices for drought-resistant, low-maintenance gardening and landscaping.

Photo by Alisa Dreyfus

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