Welcome to Vine School and the 2008-2009 school year. It promises to be a very busy and rewarding year for us all. I am proud to announce that Vine has been named a 2008 National No Child Left Behind Blue Ribbon School! We were awarded this honor for “dramatically improving student performance in the state.” Only 320 schools were awarded this honor in the nation and in California only 32 schools, both public and private, received the distinction. We are all very proud of our accomplishment.

Vine’s staff is already busy working together to make each and every day meaningful and relevant to your children. While our Academic Performance Index (API) score dropped thirteen points to 843, we are still above the district and state target of 800. We are all confident that with hard work and a focus on the standards we will be able to recoup the thirteen points and add an additional ten to our score. We cannot, however, do it alone and we welcome our parents and community members to join our team. Volunteers are always welcome in our classrooms. Please feel free to come by to inquire about how you can become a part of our team.

This year, Vine is bringing character to the forefront. Our leadership team spent time over the summer compiling a list of core values for the Vine community. Our eight core values are:

• Respect
• Responsibility
• Courage
• Hope
• Compassion
• Fairness
• Honesty
• Trust

We appreciate your help in talking with your children regarding these core values. By working together I know we will ensure that all students have a very successful year. I look forward to seeing you throughout the year.

William Bertrand
Principal