Principal's Message

Mrs. Melanie Carmona

My name is Melanie Carmona, and I am honored to serve as principal of Valencia Park Elementary. Serving alongside me is Soraya Ramos, our assistant principal.

Our theme this year is The Heart of a Lion—because we believe that developing empathy and care for one another is at the heart of a thriving school community. We are all part of the Pride! At Valencia Park, every student, staff member, parent, guardian, and community partner belongs here. We are committed to helping our newest families feel connected from the very first day and deepening those bonds throughout the year.

To keep our Pride connected, we communicate regularly with families. Our weekly newsletter, The Pride, is sent by email and posted on our school’s Instagram and Facebook accounts. Teachers also share updates through their own weekly newsletters, email, Remind, Google Classroom, Seesaw, and phone calls. In addition, the red folder goes home every Wednesday and should be returned every Thursday—it contains important school and class communications. Please remember to check your child’s homework folder and backpack for other items as well. We also encourage you to join our amazing PTA, which organizes a variety of activities each year. Membership does not require volunteer hours, but it does ensure you are informed and involved.

In addition to keeping students physically safe, we strive to make our school an emotionally safe and positive environment through PBIS (Positive Behavior Intervention and Support) and our Valencia Park Way. Students pledge to be a LION—Lead Responsibly, Interact Respectfully, be Overly Ready, and Navigate Safely. We teach and reinforce these expectations throughout the year, recognizing students with Pride Cards they can use at our Student Store or for prize drawings every other week.

In teaching and learning, we are building on the strong foundation laid last year when all teachers were trained in IMSE (Institute for Multi-Sensory Education). This evidence-based approach supports all learners and has already produced incredible gains in reading proficiency. Our test scores rose significantly last year—and we’re confident we’ll continue climbing higher from here.