Principal's Message

Hello amazing SLVE families! I am Kim Ponza and I am so thankful to be a part of the SLVE family and to be the new Principal of SLVE!   I look forward to working together this year to make this school year the best it can be for students, families, teachers and staff. I cannot wait to get started!

  For those who may not know me, I am married, have two grown sons and live in Scotts Valley.  I have been a teacher at SLVE for the past 13 years.  I have taught 3rd grade for eleven of those years.  I have had the opportunity to participate in many leadership roles during my time at SLVE, including as the Administrative Designee, as a New Teacher Peer Mentor, and as the Student Success Team Coordinator. Prior to coming to SLVE, I worked for eleven years as a teacher in the Los Altos Unified School District. Throughout my years in Los Altos, I taught 2nd, 3rd and 5th grade and  served as the Extended School Year (ESY) Principal. After teaching in Los Altos,  I took an extended leave of absence to be a stay at home mom to my sons.  I consider myself very fortunate to have made the return to full time teaching in the beautiful, unique, and supportive community of the San Lorenzo Valley.  Becoming a principal has been a lifelong dream of mine. I feel privileged to finally get this amazing opportunity at such an amazing school!

I truly believe change is good and this year provides us with an unparalleled opportunity for change. SLVE plans to continue to improve upon our successes, taking with us many valuable tools learned from the last few years while being open to new ideas and strategies for making our SLVE community even stronger. 

This year at SLVE~

• We will continue to put students’ happiness and social emotional health and well-being first
• We will work to assure that  all students can be successful in their academic learning and in life
• We will work to help our students grow up to be well-rounded, happy, productive citizens in our inter-connected world
• We believe all kids are special and deserve a high quality education

Keeping our core beliefs at the forefront of what we do can make any situation a positive experience for our youngest SLV community members. I believe with teamwork, communication and positive thinking we can continue to successfully  educate and support our SLVE students.  I look forward to working with all of you and to support the wonderful things that happen every day at SLVE!