Sandpiper is delighted to announce that the official Sandpiper API test scores are in and Sandpiper has continued its upward trend, achieving 947 (of possible 1000), a 12 point increase over 2009! These scores not only are a reflection of our children, but of our outstanding teachers and administration, as well as the extraordinary parent involvement at our school. Academic Performance Index (API) scores, released on September 13, are one unit of measure to show whether or not schools meet state requirements under the Public Schools Accountability Act of 1999. With this score Sandpiper proudly accepts the title of the top performing school in the Belmont-Redwood Shores School District. Please join us in celebrating the success of our students in their performance on the test and our teachers for their dedication to providing rigorous instruction and results. API scores for all public California schools can be found at www.cde.ca.gov/ta/ac/ar/

Thanks to funding from School Force, the school board was able to revise the school district budget to include music and science in the elementary school program this year. These positions were cut last Spring in anticipation of budget shortfalls this year. Sandpiper Principal Linda McDaniel and school district administration conducted interviews for these positions in late summer — and we are so pleased that they have been able to hire two very qualified and experienced educators on such short notice! Sandpiper welcomes Christopher Della Pietra as our music specialist and Nicole LaCount as our science specialist.

We also welcome our new administrative assistant, Christine Klups. Mrs. Klups is excited to get to know our staff, students and community. She brings a wealth of experience to her new job and is looking forward to working at Sandpiper. Anne Ho, who was laid off last Spring due to the unfortunate budget cuts, will return to her position as office assistant at Sandpiper for four hours a day. We are fortunate to have the support from our superintendent, Dr. Emerita Orta-Camilleri, who recommended a reinstatement of Mrs. Ho’s hours. Sandpiper Elementary School continues to be the largest elementary school in the district with an enrollment of 497 students. The additional staffing support will ensure a prompt response to your telephone calls and providing service to our students, staff and community.

If you think you saw a children’s bike race early in the morning on September 29, it was just our third graders biking to school for the 3rd Grade Bike Rodeo! Sandpiper’s PTA Green Team and the third grade teachers joined together to educate students about bike safety, rules of the road and to help with helmet fitting and bicycle checks. They had a special visit from professional bike race Maryann Levenson for a special bike safety assembly!