About The School

Welcome to Pleasant Valley Elementary. Our school community is comprised of an incredibly talented staff, a very strong and involved PTA, and a supportive community! Together, we provide an outstanding education for our students, Transitional Kindergarten through 5^th grade.

CAMPUS CULTURE

Built in 1965, Pleasant Valley has an enrollment of 374 students for the 2020-2021 school year. Our open campus is set in the beautiful rolling hills of northern Marin County, surrounded by peaceful residential neighborhoods. Beyond the school day our students enjoy after school enrichment programs organized by our PTA, recreational sports, clubs and various civic minded activities through Novato Parks and Recreation, Novato Little League North, San Marin Youth Football & Cheer,  Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, Swim, Lacross, Soccer, as well as many other sports and educational opportunities. 

Pleasant Valley is known for the close community that our strong parent and faculty collaboration creates. Most of our teachers and staff reside in Novato and many are lifelong residents with strong local connections. Our students benefit greatly from the “It takes a village” mentality that is active among all the families that come to our school. At PV, we work hard to cultivate an environment of personal responsibility, inclusivity, mutual respect, and empathy to ensure that every person feels welcomed, valued, and respected.

ACADEMICS

In terms of instruction, the Pleasant Valley curriculum follows the California Common Core State Standards, the Novato Unified School District Board Policies, and the district-adopted instructional programs. Students in TK-5 classrooms receive quality standards-based instruction in literacy, mathematics, science and social studies. PV teachers are innovative leaders in instruction, and 100% of the staff have received training in project-based learning (PBL).

Our focus for the 2021-22 school year is the development of the whole child, including the social-emotional, physical and academic well-being of ALL our students. Our 3rd, 4th and 5th graders participate in the district’s 1:World initiative and are responsible for personal Chromebooks. All students receive instruction in digital citizenship as well as grade level technology competency skills. PV teachers are leaders and coaches in the district wide implementation of Lucy Calkins Reading and Writing programs and are highly skilled in promoting outstanding readers and writers. Students also benefit from rigorous math instruction as reflected in recent CAASPP test scores. Several of our teachers are piloting a new science program called TWIG this year, and all students participate in project-based units in social studies and science.  NUSD’s Graduate Profile and the 6 C’s of collaboration, communication, critical thinking, character, conscientious learner and cultural competence are embedded into everything we do to ensure that ALL our students develop the skills necessary to be college and career ready.

PARENT INVOLVEMENT

So much of what we do at PV is supported by our powerful PTA. PTA funds essentially every aspect of our program, including Academic Specialists, technology, yard supervisors, social emotional programs, online learning subscriptions, PV in Motion, art programs with highly qualified instructors, field trips, classroom materials, library and classroom books, and more! We encourage all parents and guardians to support our PTA’s fundraising efforts with your time, talent and treasure.