AV UNIFIED NEWS
Reminder: After School Program begins Tuesday (not Monday), and requires that your child has been registered for the 2025-26 ASP Program. Paperwork for registration is available at both schools’ offices.
Kristin Larson Balliet, Superintendent
AV Unfied School District
High School Principal Heath McNerney:
Dear Students and Families,
We are at the wonderful start of a new year: a time for new experiences and opportunities, a time to celebrate firsts days and new schools, a time to think about next steps and applying to those options, a time to reflect on how far we have come and to set goals for a new achievements, a time to beam with panther pride and enjoy the nervousness and excitement of a new year. Teachers and students alike all feel these things and are looking forward to being back together soon. I am excited to be able to share another year with everyone here at Anderson Valley.
We made many strides last year and also dealt with some difficult times but we did it together. It took all of us working together to see these improvements and growth.
Last year we saw a decrease in our chronic absenteeism rate by nearly 5%, with decreases over almost all major subgroups. (Chronic absenteeism is defined as a student missing 10% or 18 days of the year.) This is a thing to celebrate but also an area for growth as we can still strive to decrease that rate even more.
Introductory data shows some improvement in our test scores and are now adding math intervention classes to help improve those levels and push students to increase their testing score levels.
We will start this year without major impacts from construction!
These things are just a few of the great strides we made and could not have been achieved without the efforts of our students, the support of our parents and the major efforts of our staff to always strive for growth. Thank you for all of your support and let’s keep working together to keep moving forward.
We have modified our bell schedule very slightly for next year and we will be sending a digital copy of that out to everyone and have paper copies available in the office as you pick up your packets on these dates:
August 11th for 7th and 8th grade from 9 am to 1 pm.
August 12th for 9th-12th grades from 9 am to 1 pm.
If you have any questions or concerns please call the office at (707) 895-3496 or swing by starting August 4th.
Elementary School Principal Jenny Bailey:
Orientation:
We will host Orientation on Friday, August 15th at 3:30pm! Come find out what class your student is in this year and visit the classroom. Teachers may or may not be available to meet at this time, but it is a great opportunity to ensure your children know where their classes will be to alleviate some of those first day of school jitters.
School Hours:
School hours will continue to be 8:20 am to 3:00 pm for all students 1st grade through 6th grade. Our short day will continue to be on Tuesday; school is dismissed at 1:20pm for all students.
Transitional Kindergarten and Kindergarten have special hours because they are our youngest learners.
TK starts at 8:20am and goes to 12:00pm. Students can be enrolled in TK ASP from noon to 3:00pm.
Kindergarten starts at 8:20am and ends at 1:20pm. Students can be enrolled in Kinder ASP from 1:20 pm to 3:00pm.
A full schedule is included in the letter for your convenience.
After School Program:
ASP always starts on the second day of school - this year, August 19.
Charlotte Triplett will be supporting our After School Program to ensure that it offers our students an enriching experience. We’ve included the registration form with your letter this year. Please fill out at your earliest convenience and return to the AVES office.
Regular student attendance is VERY important. We know that students who miss more than 2 days of school a month are less likely to be successful and not be ready for the next year of school. Parents and families will get regular calls and letters if their student misses too much school.
Back-to-School Night:
Back-to-School Night will be on Thursday, September 18th at 5:30 pm. This is a great opportunity to visit your student’s classroom and learn about what they will be learning this year from their classroom teacher.
AV WINEGROWERS ASSOCIATION:
As harvest approaches, our farmers are gearing up for long days, early mornings, and the kind of hands-on work that makes Anderson Valley wine so special.
Today, we’re highlighting one of the valley’s most respected growers: Norman Kobler.
The son of Hans and Theresia Kobler, Swiss immigrants who founded Lazy Creek Vineyards in the early 1970s, Norman was raised among the vines. Today, he and his wife Colleen oversee vineyard operations across several sites in Anderson Valley, including the renowned Ferrington Vineyard.
With decades of experience and a year spent farming in Malans, Switzerland, Norman brings precision, intuition, and deep respect for the land to everything he does. He’s also a commercial fisherman.
This harvest, we raise a glass to Norman and the many growers like him who help define our region with quiet dedication and generational care. Good luck with the upcoming harvest!
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