Solvang School District

Staff Shoutout: Norma Flores 🫶🏼

One of our amazing Office Clerks at Solvang School! Norma brings a wonderful mix of warmth, energy, and dedication to her role every day. She is always willing to help and is a true problem-solver.

Coworkers appreciate how much she cares for the students and how she always goes the extra mile for her community.

A few fun facts about Norma:
Her favorite snack is nerds gummy clusters
Her go-to coffee order is a hazelnut truffle mocha (hot!) from Dutch Bros
In the past, she worked as a news reporter
Currently, she’s training in boxing classes!

We are so grateful to have Ms. Norma as part of our team, her positivity, enthusiasm, and can-do spirit brighten our campus and support our school community in countless ways.

Staff Feature: Ms. Lilly Position: Office Manager What She Loves About Solvang School: “Being a part of the Solvang School community where everyone is family. I love running into kids or parents outside of school—everyone says hello and shares a smile. I love our staff, my second family.” Favorite Snacks & Drinks: Donuts, Danish pastries, or conchas. For her favorite drink, Ms. Lilly loves a chai latte or English breakfast tea with milk. Fun Fact: Ms. Lilly loves to cook, bake, and travel! She even walked part of El Camino de Santiago in Spain—six days from Sarria to Santiago—just like in the movie The Way! 👣🇪🇸 We’re so grateful for you, Ms. Lilly! Your warmth and care make Solvang School shine.

Staff Shoutout Spotlight! We’re excited to kick off our new Staff Shoutouts, celebrating the amazing people who make Solvang School shine, from admin and aides to maintenance and office staff. Today, we’re thrilled to introduce Shannan Cocklin, our new Lower Campus Principal! Shannan is a caring and dedicated leader who goes above and beyond for students, staff, and families. Her kindness, energy, and commitment to building a positive school community make her a true gift to our campus. A little about Principal Cocklin: Loves iced blended mochas (and anything sweet!) Traveled to Scandinavia this summer Brings warmth, passion, and heart to Solvang every day Join us in giving her a big Solvang welcome. We’re so lucky to have her!

Carrie Padfield: MTSS Reading Teacher📚 Mrs. Padfield has been a dedicated educator for over 20 years, bringing her passion for reading and learning to Solvang School after 11 years of teaching in the Bay Area. This year, Carrie has the special privilege of supporting students from Kindergarten through fifth grade in their reading journeys. One of Carrie’s earliest lessons in resilience came from living around the world as a child while her father served in the Navy. Her favorite station was Spain, where she started Kindergarten in a Spanish-speaking school. “It was incredibly challenging to be in a classroom where I didn’t understand the language,” she recalls. “But by the end of the year, I had learned Spanish and I still use it today. That experience taught me that even when something feels very hard, I am capable of doing hard things.” What Carrie loves most about Solvang School is its strong sense of community. One of her favorite moments is seeing former students return to share memories of their time in her classroom. She is especially passionate about teaching reading and finds it rewarding to support students at every stage of their literacy development. Carrie enjoys crunchy, spicy snacks. The spicier, the better! 🌶️

Teacher Feature: Maria Zepeda, Kindergarten ❣️ Mrs. Zepeda grew up right here in the Santa Ynez Valley. She attended Jonata, graduated from Santa Ynez High School, and now has the joy of teaching in the very community that shaped her. Teaching at Solvang School feels incredibly special to her, not only because of her roots, but also because of the people who make this school such a wonderful place. She loves the supportive staff who always lift one another up, the fun and curious students who bring energy into the classroom each day, and the involved families who make such a big difference. “There’s a strong sense of community here that you can feel, and I’m grateful to be part of it,” she shares. Fun Facts ✨ She’s double-jointed in her pinkies! Favorites: Anything with chocolate, fresh fruit, and a cup of black coffee. Maria Zepeda is a kind, passionate, and dedicated educator who gives her all to her students. We’re so lucky to have her as part of the Solvang family! ❣️

Teacher Feature: Tiffany Farfán, Kindergarten DLI 🖍️ Maestra Farfán knew she wanted to be a teacher ever since she started tutoring her peers in her seventh grade math class. Now as a Kinder Dual Language Immersion teacher, she brings that same passion and encouragement to her students every day. What Tiffany loves most about Solvang School is the way it feels like a family. She appreciates how the community truly cares for one another and how those connections inspire kindness throughout the campus. ✨ Fun Facts about Maestra Farfán: 👂 She can wiggle her ears on command! 🍵 She loves tea, popcorn, sour gummies, and fresh fruit. We are so lucky to have Maestra Farfán bringing curiosity, care, and kindness to our Kindergarten DLI program! 💛

Teacher Feature: Tiffany Farfan, Kindergarten DLI 🖍️ Maestra Farfán knew she wanted to be a teacher ever since she started tutoring her peers in her seventh grade math class. Now as a Kinder Dual Language Immersion teacher, she brings that same passion and encouragement to her students every day. What Tiffany loves most about Solvang School is the way it feels like a family. She appreciates how the community truly cares for one another and how those connections inspire kindness throughout the campus. ✨ Fun Facts about Maestra Farfan: 👂 She can wiggle her ears on command! 🍵 She loves tea, popcorn, sour gummies, and fresh fruit. We are so lucky to have Maestra Farfán bringing curiosity, care, and kindness to our Kindergarten DLI program! 💛

Teacher Feature: Janeen Graciano, TK 🌟 Janeen Graciano recognizes the powerful role music plays in brain development and its many benefits for social-emotional and academic growth. In her TK classroom, music is an integral part of learning! She even writes her own silly songs for the ukulele, bringing joy and creativity into each school day. 🎶 Her favorite part of teaching TK is watching students’ natural love for learning shine through. Their curiosity and enthusiasm are contagious, making every day in the classroom fun and inspiring. She also appreciates the incredible support from Solvang staff and families, which makes the TK experience even more meaningful! ✨ Fun Facts about Mrs. Graciano: 🍪 Her ultimate weakness is chocolate chip cookies. ☕ Her favorite coffee is a plain latte We are so lucky to have Mrs. Graciano bringing music, joy, and creativity to our TK program! 💛

🌟 Teacher Feature: Ms. Janeen Graciano, TK 🌟

Mrs. Graciano recognizes the powerful role music plays in brain development and its many benefits for social-emotional and academic growth. In her TK classroom, music is an integral part of learning! She even writes her own silly songs for the ukulele, bringing joy and creativity into each school day. 🎶

Her favorite part of teaching TK is watching students’ natural love for learning shine through. Their curiosity and enthusiasm are contagious, making every day in the classroom fun and inspiring.

Mrs. Graciano also appreciates the incredible support from Solvang staff and families, which makes the TK experience even more meaningful.

✨ Fun Facts about Ms. Graciano:
Her ultimate weakness is chocolate chip cookies.
Her favorite coffee is a plain latte

We are so lucky to have Mrs. Graciano bringing music, joy, and creativity to our TK program! 💛

Solvang School staff is back and excited to start the 25-26 school year! All teachers gathered for professional learning before school began and the maintenance team is putting on the final touches to prepare the campus for students to return. We are looking forward to welcoming students in a few days. School begins at 8:30 am on Thursday, August 14, 2025. It is going to be a great year! Go Viking Warriors!

Solvang School's ELOP Summer of Learning offered students 3 weeks of academic support, enrichment opportunities, such as STEM and Culinary Arts, Library Field Trips, and of course water fun!

Thank you to our ELOP Team for providing our students an awesome Summer of Learning (SOL)!

Yesterday danced with bubbles and goodbyes. TK-1st graders laughter floating in the breeze, 5th grade pride shining through proud tears and tight hugs. Joy wrapped the day in smiles as we celebrated all our Vikings have become. One last day awaits us! Let's make it a beautiful ending to a year full of learning and growing together.

Field Day fun! 🎉 Our 2nd–5th graders wrapped up a year of hard work with a morning full of games, dancing, and nonstop smiles. A well-deserved celebration to start the summer right! ☀️

What a splash-tastic way to kick off summer! ☀️🚒 Big thanks to our local fire department for coming out to spray our students. With sunny skies, early release, and lots of laughter, it was the perfect way to end the day and look forward to start the summer fun! 2 more days!

Huge shoutout to Mrs. Spanier for creating such a special moment on campus yesterday! Her Creative Writing students had the amazing opportunity to read their original children’s books to TK–1st graders, and they loved every second of it. Their stories truly came to life!

Tonight was a beautiful night of warmth and hope at Solvang School as we celebrated our second DLI cohort’s promotion to the upper campus, honoring their dedication, biliteracy, and growth. We also proudly recognized our newly reclassified students. Thank you to our incredible community --from board members, administration, teachers, and guest speaker Fidencio, owner of Esfuerzo Wines -- for the love and support that uplifted every moment!

Solvang Spring Carnaval 2025! It's always such a beautiful sight seeing our community come together and enjoy a fun evening with friends, family and yummy treats from our very own culinary class!

We were thrilled to host an inspiring event with Ricky Robertson! His insights on trauma-informed practices and culturally responsive teaching captivated participants, sparking meaningful discussions about supporting students affected by Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs). The energy in the room was incredible, and attendees left motivated with actionable strategies. It was a powerful reminder of the importance of community in fostering resilience and understanding among our students.

The true magic of our Halloween Parade lies in the boundless creativity of our students! Their costumes are a tapestry of imagination, from whimsical creatures to classic characters. Thank you to everyone for bringing this festive celebration to life! 🎃✨