Welcome to the Sun Valley Community of Schools and the first issue of our newsletter. Following Superintendent Beutner’s vision to personalize services and supports for families and schools and make District offices more accessible to the local community, I am excited to announce that we have launched the Sun Valley Community of Schools Office. The office is located at the Local District Northeast Office on the Byrd Middle School campus and is open from 7:30 to 4:30 daily.

I feel very fortunate to have been given the opportunity to serve as the Community of Schools Administrator for Sun Valley and I am looking forward to building a sense of community around the network of 23 schools that this office will support.

I have 6 years of experience working as a Director in the Sun Valley, Arleta and Pacoima area and I have had the privilege of working with nearly every school in our Community of Schools at some time in the past. Before becoming a Director at the Local District office, I served as a principal for 9 years at Vintage Magnet School in North Hills and before that an assistant principal and teacher at many different locations around the San Fernando Valley.

As we look to open this year, the Coronavirus has created unprecedented circumstances for schools. I know that families are facing many hardships due the pandemic and that schools remaining closed only adds to the challenges that parents face as they juggle their own need to work and provide childcare for their children. In order to ensure that our community is healthy and safe, we must follow the guidance of health officials to determine when we can resume a normal routine.

Despite this uncertainty, I am committed to providing you, parents, students and staff, with the best customer service and support possible as we navigate the challenges together this semester. I want to hear from you and help in any way that I can. Please feel free to reach out me directly through email at john.rome@lausd.net or call the Local District at 818-252-5400 and ask to speak with Sun Valley Community of Schools Office.

I am excited about the possibilities lie ahead and I am eager to begin building a vision that is unique to the Sun Valley community and supports all students to graduate, college and career ready.

Please look for this newsletter twice a month for the latest updates on the Sun Valley Community of Schools.

I am your Parent Education Support Assistant (PESA). I previously worked for 4.5 years as Community Representative at Arminta Elementary School, assisting students and parents in every step of their educational needs with many resources in the Parent Center. I am also the proud parent of an LAUSD student. I am excited to continue my commitment to the families in our Sun Valley Communities of Schools by serving as your PESA.

I am your Lead Director and I am proud to support all schools in the Sun Valley Community of Schools. I previously worked as bilingual teacher, coordinator, and assistant principal (briefly serving in several Sun Valley elementary schools). Most recently, I served 8.5 years as the principal of Hazeltine Elementary in Van Nuys. I live in the East Valley and I have two children in LAUSD schools.

I believe that ALL children can achieve great things when they are supported by the adults in their lives. I look forward to supporting our school communities so that Sun Valley COS students can find their place in the sun!

I have been with Local District northeast for 6 years now and 8 with operations. As Operations Coordinator, my main responsibility is to ensure the safety of everyone in our community.

I was a teacher at Belmont HS for 16 years, an assistant principal at Berendo MS for 8 years, and an assistant principal at Wilson HS for 1 year.

I am a National Board Certified Teacher serving as Instructional Specialist for our Community of Schools. I have over 16 years of experience in supporting teachers with instruction in STEAM, Instructional Technology, Math, and Literacy.

I am the restorative justice advisor for the Sun Valley COS. In my 30 plus years with the District I have worked in all the local districts as classroom teacher, instructional coach, administrator and now advisor. Additionally, I have worked in each grade span - elementary, middle and high school. I look forward to working with the diverse school communities in the Sun Valley COS to support building empathy and giving more students a voice.

I attended UC Berkeley for my bachelor's degree and Cal State Northridge for my master's degree. I have worked for LAUSD for the past twenty years as a teacher, coordinator, and coach. For the past four years, I have had the honor of working for the Local District Northeast PACE Unit supporting parent engagement.

Most importantly, I am a proud mother of three and grandmother of two! I enjoy spending time with my family and exploring the world.

My educational background includes experience as a non-public school, special day program, and Resource teacher. I have worked as a Program Specialist and Least Restrictive Environment Specialist in many parts of LAUSD. This is my 6^th year as an LRE Specialist in LD Northeast. My experiences have instilled in me a deep appreciation of the abilities and unlimited potential of students with IEPs.

I have been an educator for over 20 years, most of which have been within LAUSD. Collaborating with my colleagues, parents, and other stakeholders, I strive to assist in creating environments for students with special needs that promote inclusiveness and that encourage the creation of learning opportunities for students to grow, to thrive and to reach their greatest potentials. Each child is unique and has unique needs that must be met. I look forward to working with Sun Valley COS this year, and I am excited to see what the future holds.