Dear Pioneer Community,
My name is Rachana (Wretch-Na) Sidhu (Sid-Doo), and I’m the new principal for Pioneer Elementary. I’m really excited and honored to be here and will hopefully meet you all soon.
A little background on me: I’m East Indian (Punjabi), and I was raised in the Central Valley (Fresno). I went to undergrad at UC San Diego and majored in Biology. I became a high school biology teacher for six years, and I’ve been in San Francisco for the past 12 years. I’ve been a teacher coach at both an elementary and middle school, as well as an Assistant Principal at a high school, and an ELPAC coordinator for San Francisco Unified (testing 16,000 English Learners throughout San Francisco). During the pandemic, I was also fortunate enough to be the interim Principal of two great elementary schools in San Francisco: Jefferson and Garfield Elementary. I received my administrative credential/masters at UC Berkeley with a focus on English Learners. Outside of school, I’m an avid hiker, solo traveler (visited over 50+ countries), and an adventurer.
I’m looking forward to learning more about all of you and the Pioneer community. I truly believe in being visible and available throughout the hallways, classrooms, and outside on the yard, so I get to know the students and community in and out of the classroom. I want to help create a school that is challenging and meets the needs of every student and to help every student succeed to their potential. I will continue to “develop life-long learners who use education as a key to understanding” just like the mission of our school says. I strongly believe in open communication, so please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions or concerns. I look forward to meeting all of you soon!
Thank you,
Rachana Sidhu
Pioneer Principal