Announcements 4/7/2025

BOONTLING CLASSIC 2025 COMING SOON

It’s that time of the year again for the Boontling Classic. The race will be held on Sunday, May 4, 2025,

Thank you!

Zane Colfax, Race Director

707-472-8217

The 40th Annual Boontling Classic 5k Footrace will be held on Sunday, May 4, 2025 at 10:00 am at the Anderson Valley Elementary School in Boonville!

Ribbons will be given to the top three placers in each of the ten age divisions, as well as plaques for the first man/woman/non-binary finishers. In addition, a post-race drawing will be held with awesome prizes generously donated by local Anderson Valley businesses!! All process will go to the Anderson Valley Foodbank in Boonville, CA. We are once again partnering with the AV SkateparkProject to create custom printed Boontling Classic t-shirts as a fundraising project for the skatepark.

You can sign up ahead of time by clicking this link, or register the morning of the race starting at 8:30 am. Please join us for an awesome day of running in scenic Anderson Valley!

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AV UNIFIED NEWS

Dear Anderson Valley USD Families,

I hope this letter finds you having a fantastic time with your children while they are on Spring Break! I will keep it short, but wanted to be sure to notify you of some important information, as well as upcoming events!

As a reminder, April 21st was reserved as a storm day and, barring any unexpected big storms that require the district to close for a day of school, it will be a “student-free” day. Please mark your calendars: No school on April 21st!

School Site Council / DELAC Meeting & Dinner Thursday, April 10 4:00-6:00

Thank you to members of these committees for your flexibility; we changed the date in order to combine the meetings and get a “whole district” perspective!

If you are on one the School Site Council or ELAC for either school, or on the DELAC for the district, we hope you can attend! (Those not on these committees are also welcome to attend to learn more and to provide feedback!)

We will be reviewing our successes and areas for growth, district-wide.

We’ll be making some decisions about supports for students in 25-26 and will be planning how to allocate our limited funds as we strive to do great things for kids in 25-26

The meeting will commence at 4:00 at the AVHS library and those who attend the meeting will be welcomed to a special dinner at 5:15 p.m. Childcare will be provided, if needed, by our awesome AVHS Student Leadership team.

Vacancy on the Board of Trustees

Saoirse Byrne has resigned from the Board due challenges around scheduling conflicts. We in AVUSD are deeply grateful to Saoirse for her leadership on the board. She has kept the importance of outdoor instruction and the building of creativity and free expression at the forefront of our conversations. Her passion for student learning and her fresh perspective have been a great benefit to the district.

If you or someone you know might be interested in joining the Board of Trustees, please review this Board of Trustees Vacancy document and let us know!

Thank You, Mr. Ramalia!

We are sad to share that Mr. Ramalia will be looking for a principalship closer to his home for 2025-26. He will be with us through the end of the school year and is “all in” until July 1. We are so grateful for his stepping in, in October, and for his kind spirit and calm demeanor. The district is already looking for the next principal and has several applications, and the interview process will start soon. Thank you, Mr. Ramalia for making that long drive this year and for always showing up with a smile and a kind word for everyone. You will be missed!

AVES Enjoyed the Student of the Month Awards Ceremony!

Congratulations to all the students who received awards and thank you to those parents who were able to attend!

Congratulations to these Students of the Month!

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Congratulations to these Panther Pride Certificate Recipients!

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Anderson Valley Education Foundation Opportunities for High Schoolers

Don’t miss these internship opportunities! For quick access, check out this Internship Job List. Deadlines are approaching so students who have not yet begun looking at these internships should do so ASAP.

Summer School will be June 23-July 22

8:30-12:30 / ASP 12:30-5:30 Transportation provided

(bus leaves for the day at 3:00 p.m.)

AVES will provide activities including sports, crafts, science, art, and field trips. Here is the AVES Summer School flier

AV Jr High will provide fun learning activities. (More info coming soon.)

Sr High School provide credit recovery opportunities. (More info coming soon.)

We Value all Our Families: Immigration Support and Updates

Please find links to additional information for families below:

Mendocino County Office of Education: Immigration Resource Page

Immigration and California Families: State Immigration Website

National Immigration Law Center: “Know Your Rights” (English | Spanish | Additional Languages)

If you would like to be more involved at school, please contact your school’s principal, Mr. Ramalia at AVES or Mr. McNerney at AV Jr/Sr High, or our district superintendent, Kristin Larson Balliet. We are deeply grateful for our AVUSD families.

With respect,

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FORMER AV SCHOOL SUPERINTENDENT LOUISE SIMSON, ALWAYS LOOKING FOR CREATIVE WAYS TO GET KIDS INTERESTED IN EDUCATION, WRITES:

My leadership class and some staff members signed it.

‘SEXY’ RED DYE NUMBER 2 WINS OVER MATH, READING ACHIEVEMENT?

by Louise Simson

I am an old lady and have been around the education block a few times. I came out of retirement to help a struggling school system decimated by lack of funding and systemic generational poverty. But at a lobbying appointment this past week, I heard it all. When I advocated for the restructuring of highly restricted ELOP (aka Expanded Learning Opportunities Program) funding to be used for math and reading intervention and core academic skills,

I was told by an Assemblymember it wasn’t ‘sexy’ and was instead placated with a pablum of an initiative the representative had moved forward for the restriction of Red Dye Number 2. Really? Granted, I’m old and not too wound up in the environmental swirl, but when I have only one in ten kids that can do math at grade level and only one in four that can read, I am not too overwhelmed about a red Starburst or a brightly colored Skittle. My thought: get a clue Assemblymember; you are a little out of touch with rural districts.

This legislative member flatly told me that reading and math achievement is not ‘sexy.’ What? Achievement is ‘sexy.’ Getting kids prepared for college and other career path learning is ‘sexy.’ I feel every day like I am in a ‘Saturday Night Live’ skit. Can we get real here? What the heck is going on?

I entreat you, Assembly members: get out to rural systems…take a look at the needs and the kids…don’t worry about your upscale voters…worry about your workforce of tomorrow.

It’s important: speak up folks. It’s time for focusing back to basics; reading, math, writing; being a good and kind person. Sacramento’s out of touch, but you can demand they get back to baselines.

Do you remember the story about the Emperor with no clothes? Speak truth to power. It should not come down to choosing between Red Dye Number 2 or can our kids read. Please help us advocate for a choice that is good for kids. Join our parents and staff in a CALL TO ACTION.

Please consider sending a message like the one below to our representatives:

On behalf of Mark Twain Union Elementary School District, the ELOP funding needs to be UNRESTRICTED to allow for academic remediation within the school day: not restricted to only before and/or after-school funding. Rural districts have the challenge of long bus routes, lack of staffing, and need to be able to offer remediation within the school day for math and reading.

Help us, help the kids! It is judicious and imperative for RURAL EQUITY to allow local control of those funds for rural small districts to provide core math and reading instruction.

It’s not ‘sexy,’ but it’s fundamental to success. I want to thank you again for your partnership. Be relentless, be bold, be expectant, and never forget that our kids deserve it.

Below are the email addresses to send your email communications along with phone numbers:

California District 9 Assembly Member Heath Flora, representing areas in Amador, Calaveras, Sacramento, San Joaquin, Stanislaus counties. Main office: (916) 319-2009; Email: assemblymember.flora@assembly.ca.gov

California District 8 Assemblymember David Tangipa, representing areas in Calaveras, Fresno, Inyo, Madera, Mariposa, Mono and Tuolumne counties. Main office: (916) 319-2008; Email: assemblymember.tangipa@assembly.ca.gov

California 4th Senate District Sen. Marie Alvarado-Gil. Main office: (916) 651-4004; Email: Senator.Alvarado-Gil@senate.ca.gov.

Governor Gavin Newsom. Main office (916) 445-2841; Email: gavin.newsom@gov.ca.gov.