The Portola Valley School District board of trustees selected Kristen Shima as principal of Corte Madera School, effective July 1, during a Wednesday, April 15, meeting.
Shima, the school's current assistant principal, has worked for the district for 14 years, according to a Thursday, April 16, district press release. Shima has been assistant principal for the past four years; dean of students for five years; and a counselor for five years.
"We are fortunate to have been able to 'grow our own leader' in the Portola Valley School District," Superintendent Robert Zarea said in a statement, citing Shima's "strong leadership skills and proven track record," which will provide consistency as the district enters the construction phase of Measure Z.
"We are confident that Ms. Shima will also provide a successful transition back into school life after this current COVID-19 crisis," he said.
Shima will work with Corte Madera's current principal, Cyndi Maijala, to ensure a smooth transition, according to the press release. The district has also decided to eliminate the assistant principal position at Corte Madera, starting next school year.
"The decision to not fill the assistant principal role is a strategic change in direction, made to spend limited resources wisely with total confidence that the work can be done by one rather than two administrators with support from the rest of the staff that support school operations,” Zarea said in an email.
This school year, the school board and Zarea undertook a review of the district's organizational structure and saw potential overstaffing at the school for fourth through eighth graders.
Among Shima's accomplishments are her development of the district's Social Emotional Learning curriculum and student support systems, and coordination of district emergency preparedness plans, according to the press release. In 2015, she was named administrator of the year by the Association of California School Administrators.
"I look forward to continuing to provide a safe, supportive, and respectful school environment for our students, staff and families," Shima said. "I am passionate about nurturing students to be creative, resilient and independent thinkers that have the opportunity to explore their passions and interests, as well as maintaining high academic standards for all (Corte Madera) students and providing differentiated support models to meet individual student needs at Corte Madera School."
Shima lives in Menlo Park with her husband and two children. In her free time, she says she loves to travel, be outdoors and spend time with family and friends.
Before joining the district, she was a counselor and math teacher for seven years in Sunnyvale and Southern California. Shima has a master's degree in counseling from San Jose State University and a bachelor’s degree in environmental science from University of California at Berkeley.
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Comments
Woodside: other
on Apr 16, 2020 at 11:49 am
on Apr 16, 2020 at 11:49 am
PVSD couldn't have done better. Ms. Shima is a dyed-in-the-wool "school person" who gets kids, gets learning, and gets the community. She's smart and is a hard worker. Corte Madera is very lucky.
Portola Valley: Central Portola Valley
on Apr 16, 2020 at 1:18 pm
on Apr 16, 2020 at 1:18 pm
Finally! Should have promoted her years ago! Best decision I've seen PVSD make in a very long time.
Portola Valley: Portola Valley Ranch
on Apr 16, 2020 at 5:42 pm
on Apr 16, 2020 at 5:42 pm
Maybe fix the sentence containing "... and decided saw potential overstaffing at the school ..."
Portola Valley: Woodside Highlands
on Apr 17, 2020 at 12:16 pm
on Apr 17, 2020 at 12:16 pm
Finally! Kristen has been the one thing holding CMS together for the last 10 years. We are so relieved she finally has the position she deserves, to use to her intellect, compassion, and common sense (!!) to get CMS back on track.