PHOTO GALLERY: Panama-Buena Vista Welcomes Students to Brand New School

The new Mountain View TK-8 school in the Panama-Buena Vista Union School District (PBVUSD) opened its gates and doors for the first time this week, welcoming in a new generation of ‘Longhorns’ and their families for a year of fun and learning.

“It’s just a wonderful day,” exclaimed Principal Erica Rojas. “There’s a lot of emotions, excited, a little nervous, but so enthusiastic about being able to see all the students’ faces and so very excited.”

Mountain View will serve students from Transitional Kindergarten (TK) through eighth grade, starting this year as a TK-5 school with about 600 students, and adding a grade each year until reaching eighth grade. Special Education Teacher Melissa Dietrich-Sattler says this TK-8 format keeps the students at one school rather than breaking them up into elementary and middle schools, allowing kids to form a school identity and camaraderie with their fellow students.

“We get to keep our kiddos all the way through eighth grade,” Dietrich-Sattler said. “They will have the ability to stay in their home school and build an even greater sense of community.”

The new school will also feature PBVUSD’s first Dual Language Immersion (DLI) program, teaching students in English and Spanish in select classrooms, encouraging biliteracy and cross-cultural awareness. The classes will start with TK and Kindergarten this year and add DLI classes year by year. Rojas says, as an English learner herself, the DLI program is something near and dear to her heart, and something that parents have been asking for.

“I’m actually going to see that hard work in the classrooms, and I cannot wait to hear students speak in English and Spanish and communicate with each other in multiple languages,” she said.

Parents stopped for a photo at the school’s entrance, grabbed a bite to eat at the cafeteria, and settled their kids into their new classrooms before sharing a heartfelt goodbye with them as they embarked on their new educational journey.

“I’m looking forward to making sure that students have a wonderful experience,” Rojas said. “So far it’s been going great, and I’m excited for the whole year.”