Dear PHE Families,

Welcome to the 2026–27 school year! I am thrilled to begin my second year as your principal and even more excited to continue this journey alongside the incredible Portola Hills Elementary community.

This year, our school-wide theme is “Explorers Today, Leaders Tomorrow.” As Explorers, our students are encouraged to be curious, courageous, and open to new possibilities as they discover their strengths, explore new ideas, and grow as learners and leaders. Every day brings a new opportunity to explore, learn, grow, and take another step toward becoming the leaders of tomorrow.

Our theme aligns beautifully with the Saddleback Valley Unified School District’s focus on SV Elevates—“By empowering each and every student to achieve academic excellence and well-being through engaging and rigorous learning experiences that build on students’ strengths.” At PHE, we are committed to creating learning experiences that challenge and inspire our students while recognizing and building upon the unique strengths each child brings to our school community.

I am incredibly grateful for the partnership of our families, staff, and community. When we work together, we create a school where every student feels known, valued, supported, and empowered to reach their full potential.

As we begin this new school year, I hope our students remember that being an Explorer means being willing to wonder, try, discover, and grow. Being a leader means using what we discover to make a difference. Our students may be Explorers today, but with the support of their families, teachers, and community, they are already becoming the leaders they are meant to be.

Here’s to a year of big discoveries, meaningful connections, courageous learning, and countless moments to celebrate our students.

I can't wait to see where our PHE Explorers take us this year!

 

Alison Bruner

Principal
Portola Hills Elementary School