Balance, Educating EVERY Child, Educating the WHOLE Child

• Reality Check of our numerical measures, our classroom instruction, of “Educating Every Child”, of “Educating the Whole Child”, of modernization
• What are we doing and why? If can’t explain why, let it go and try something new.

What do we know...

• It’s not all about the test scores         • What happens in the classroom matters
• We value instructional time               • All students can succeed
• Collaboration time is valuable          • “Straining” what is not needed is liberating
• Continue to “polish the stone”          • There are may successes to be celebrated
• Monta Vista is committed to educating the whole child and every child

FEA President/CHS Social Science Teacher Tom Avvakumovits acknowledged some of the teachers who help make Monta Vista High School the outstanding school that it is ...
"Kerry Hosmer and Andrea Chin for their terrific work, organization, and dedication as the
        advisors for Monta Vista’s LINK Crew program. To give you an idea of the scope of
       MVHS Link Crew, there are 155 students involved in this program.
AP Biology Teachers Tim Krieger, Pam Tsai, and Debbie Frazier for being recognized
        by the College Board for having the top AP Biology program 'in the WORLD.'
Congratulations to the Monta Vista High School Dance Team, under the leadership of
        Lori Graham. Lori has taken the girls to another National Championship!
Megan Birdsong who provides excellent support and instruction for the teachers at
       Monta Vista as the Library Technology Teacher. Not only is she an LTT but Megan is
       also the school webmaster and has taken the MV website to a whole new level,
       providing easy access to a wealth of information.
The California Directors of Activities/California Association of Student Leaders
       presented the Outstanding Student Activities Program Award to Monta Vista. This is
       no surprise considering the fact that Melanie Walczak and Tim Krieger have
       expanded the Leadership program to new levels of expertise. Using strategies that help
       the student leaders to lead others at MVHS, Melanie and Tim have presented at
       numerous activities conferences and have published a book outlining their
       leadership program.
Carl Schmidt should be commended for his unparalleled work with the DECA and the
        FBLA programs. Under his leadership these student business organizations have not
       only excelled in competitions, but have gained a broader perspective of business leadership.
Amy Moore, Kerry Hosmer, Sharon Prefontaine and Debbie Vanni have taken
        exceptional leading roles in course-alike teams within the English department. With
       their guidance, the department is deeply examining the core readings, essay
       requirements, standards, and assignments.
John Galli, Jon Fey and Shari D’Epiro continue to awe and amaze with their creative
       musical performances. Most recently the band and choirs jointly performed excerpts
       from famous operas. It’s no wonder that Monta Vista is renowned for having one of the
       top music programs in the nation.
Carl Schmidt, Maria Coughlin, Sharon Prefontaine, Megan Birdsong, Tim Krieger and
        Bob Van Hoy were chosen by their peers as teacher-leaders. They are to be recognized
        and commended for their leadership and guidance as part of the Principal’s Leadership
       Advisory Committee.
Kathy Wang and I-Chu Chang for providing individual and personalized learning practices
        to the students studying Chinese language. Their ability to place students in the proper
        level takes time and effort. They are developing and preparing for providing Chinese AP
        next year to the students of MVHS."