Beating the Odds - Clovis Unified School District

Transcription

PAID
FRESNO, CA
PERMIT NO. 398
NON-PROFIT ORG.
U.S. POSTAGE
March 2016
Clovis Unified School District — WHERE CHARACTER COUNTS!
follow us on
Volume 18, No. 8
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Did you
know?
STUDENTS OF PROMISE
Beating the Odds
CUSD Today
➤ If you go:
■ What: 2016 Students of
Promise Recognition
■ When: March 16 starting at
6 p.m.
■ Where: Clovis Veterans
Memorial District, 808
4th Street, Clovis, CA.
■ Tickets: https://studentsof
promise.eventbrite.com
Photo special to CUSD Today by Ron Webb.
Buchanan High’s Hannah Vizcarra is one of 16 Students of Promise recipients to be honored this year by Foundation for Clovis Schools.
■
Sixteen CUSD juniors honored
as 2016 Students of Promise
By Charity Susnick
CUSD Today
While the awards season in Hollywood is coming
to a close, the Foundation for Clovis Schools is
gearing up for its own Oscar-style gala to honor
some very special students. On March 16, 16 dynamic
Clovis Unified juniors will walk the
red carpet to be celebrated as a Student of Promise for their daily triumphs and successes despite circumstances that would leave many unable
to function on a day to day basis.
Chronic medical conditions, overcoming addictions, burdening home environments, abuse and
neglect are merely a hint of the many hindrances
these students have faced to this point in their young
lives. Despite these circumstances, they have learned
to do more than simply get by. They have learned to
thrive and succeed in their school environments.
Read on to become acquainted with a few of these
unsung heroes, representing the six high schools in
CUSD.
An imprisoned father and a mother working
multiple jobs to provide for five children along with
a language barrier left one Student of Promise feeling
like an outcast in elementary school. Although the
family was unable to afford school trips, birthday
parties and other social events, this student channeled
energy into athletics and academics, which led to
being honored as Athlete of the Year in intermediate
school. In high school this student
has excelled in four co-curricular
sports and has thrived academically
as part of the Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) program. As a result, this student has plans to be the
first in their family to complete college.
Alongside a diagnosis of depression and anxiety
in intermediate school that left one student unable
to function on an integrated campus until high
school, this Student of Promise was also faced with
the unexpected death of a parent just over a year
ago. Despite these trials, the student has chosen to
➤ Please see Promise, Page 14
Gateway High student Jesse Ray will
be among those receiving an award
for his can-do attitude on March 16.
In a Northern California
legal battle, the California
Department of Education
has been ordered by the
court to turn over some student data as far back as 2008.
Parents can notify the
court of their objection to
releasing individual student
data, but must do so by
April 1.
The Morgan Hill court
case has been underway for
the past five years, and in a
recent ruling, the California
Department of Education
was ordered to turn over
some student data dating
back to 2008.
Parents who may be affected by this, and who could
submit an objection to the
Courts, include:
■ Parents and guardians
of a child with disabilities.
■ Parents and guardians
of a student who is attending
or attended a California
school at any time since Jan.
1, 2008.
■ Anyone over the age
of 18 who is currently attending a California school
or attended a California
school since Jan. 1, 2008.
While Clovis Unified is
not involved in this case,
the court’s decision does
have some potential impact
on all of California’s students. The CDE has placed
a notice online so that parents are aware of the ruling
and have time to properly
object to disclosure of information.
On Feb. 29, a U.S. Federal
Court judge denied a request
to stay the order, but did
amended the instructions
with respect to the CDE’s
main student database, the
California Longitudinal Pu➤ Please see Know, Page 13
Wildcat Watch launched
at Valley Oak Elementary
■ Program brings positive
influence of father figures
onto school campus
By Carole Grosch
Special to CUSD Today
New faces are showing up on Valley
Oak Elementary’s campus, and teachers
and students couldn’t be happier.
Beginning this school year, a new program called Wildcat Watch was launched
that allows fathers and men who qualify
as father figures – such as grandfathers,
uncles and others – to have the opportunity to spend time with their student at
the school and be part of a typical school
day.
The program is a school initiative to
bring male role models into classrooms
and onto the campus to make a positive
impact in the lives of Valley Oak students.
On a recent February morning, volunteer dads could be seen giving students
“high-fives” and pats on the back as the
kids walked to classrooms. The dads sat
among the students on the multipurpose
room floor during a rally, and one even
got up on stage, joining in a silly danceoff contest with visiting Fresno Grizzlies
mascot Parker.
The men joined students at study stations and in the library to give kids indi➤ Please see Wildcat, Page 13
Photo special to CUSD Today.
Wildcat Watch dad Michael Clayborn goes over flash cards with a Valley Oak Elementary student
as part of his volunteer day on campus. The new program brings positive male role models to school.
Migrant Education Program helps sharpen skills, academics
■ Parent Literacy Class
provides support for
parenting success
By Tam Tran and Bob Kampf
CUSD Department of Supplemental Services
In classrooms across Clovis Unified School
District, when students hear the bell ring at
2:30 p.m., it signals the end of the school
day and for many, the start of an afternoon
with the CUSD Migrant Afternoon Tutorial
INSIDE:
Program.
Clark Intermediate’s Room E2 is a safe
and supervised environment filled with academically enriched activities, assistance
with homework or targeted intervention for
those in attendance. Healthy snacks are provided, caring and supportive teachers are
present for students and parents alike. The
Migrant Education Program, or MEP, supplements the regular school program by
helping migrant students sharpen their academic skills, assists students in becoming
proficient in the core content areas, and
provides students with an opportunity to
participate in enrichment programs that
otherwise would be unavailable. Services include academic assistance, tutoring, after
school programs, dropout prevention,
parent/teacher consultations, monitoring of
student grades and attendance, a library for
checking out books and materials for students
and parents.
CUSD Migrant Education Programs support high-quality and comprehensive educational programs for migratory children
to address disruptions in schooling and
other problems that result from repeated
moves. States use funds to ensure that migratory children are provided with appropriate
educational services (including support services) that address their special needs in a
coordinated and efficient manner. The program also ensures that migratory children
have the opportunity to meet the same challenging state-content standards and student
performance standards that all children are
expected to meet. It is designed to help mi➤ Please see Migrant Page 10
ANNOUNCEMENTS
SPORTS
VISION
CUSD holiday break
23 CUSD athletes sign to play in college
Mind, Body and Spirit not just words
Clovis Unified schools will be closed for Spring
Break March 21through 28. The district office will
remain open during this time.
Twenty-three senior student-athletes signed
Letters of Intent committing to playing on athletic
teams with colleges across the nation. Page 3
Our district’s core values, expressed in key words
and phrases we call “Doc’isms,” aren’t just empty
words. Page 5
Page 2
CUSD Today
March 2016
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March 2016
CUSD Today
Page 3
23 CUSD athletes sign to play in college
Twenty-three senior student-athletes in Clovis Unified schools signed Letters
of Intent the first week in
February committing to playing on athletic teams with
colleges across the nation.
Included among them were
Clovis West’s football standout Caleb Kelly signing with
Oklahoma, and Clovis High
wrestler and state champion
A.J. Nevills headed to Penn
State.
At festive signing ceremonies throughout the district, students penned their
names while wearing their
new school’s apparel as family
members, friends and coaches cheered them on. Similar
ceremonies were held in November when 28 senior athletes signed their letters of
intent.
Kelly, who was a top-20
recruit and winner of the
prestigious Butkus Award,
revealed his choice at a signing ceremony at his former
elementary school, Lincoln
Elementary. The Golden Eagle, who played in the U.S.
Army All-American Bowl in
January, had been actively
pursued by top teams around
the nation. His final choices
were between Notre Dame,
Oklahoma and Oregon.
Nevills gave his verbal
commitment to Penn State
earlier this year and made it
official Feb. 3. He will be
joining his brother, former
Clovis High standout wrestler
Nick Nevills, as a Nittany
Lion.
The following lists those
who signed in February:
Buchanan
■ Durbin Lloren, Wrestling, Utah Valley University
■ Bryson Young, Football,
Oregon University
■ Ben Parker, Football,
Cal Poly SLO
■ Chibuikem Dunu, Football, Cal Poly SLO
■ Thomas Vandiver, Water
Polo, UC Irvine
■ Alyssa Kincade, Soccer,
Fresno Pacific University
Clovis High
■ Josh Hokit, Wrestling,
Drexel University
■ Cassidy Crouch, Water
Polo, UC Davis
Clovis North
■ Sarah Ballinger, Softball,
Whitworth University
■ Katrina Thompson, Women’s Soccer, CSU Monterey
Bay
■ Riana Castaneda, Women’s Soccer, Fresno Pacific
University
■ Jayson Lee, Football,
California Polytechnic State
University
Clovis West
■ Kylie Campama, Soccer,
Fresno Pacific University
■ Tyler Dunn, Football,
Pacific University
■ Dalton Garver, Football,
Wesleyan University
■ Caleb Kelly, Football,
Oklahoma
■ Johnny Rojas, Football,
Fresno State
■ Sean Kuenzinger, Football, Minot State University
■ Jassiem “J.J.” Wills, FootClovis East
ball, University of Idaho
■ Gabriela Gutierrez, Ten■ Alyssa Ruiz, Softball,
nis, Arizona Christian
York College in Nebraska
■ A.J. Nevills, Wrestling,
■ Christina Tran, Women’s
Penn State
Volleyball, Cal State East Bay
Clovis High Cougar athletes put pen to paper as they commit to play at schools from Penn
State to University of Idaho to UC Davis.
Student athletes at Clovis West High celebrate together after a signing ceremony where they
committed to play their sport at colleges across the nation.
Page 4
CUSD Today
qê~å=ëáÖåÉÇ ➤ SPORTS BRIEFS
íç=`~ä=pí~íÉ Winter sports league champions
Clovis Unified’s hundreds of student-athletes comb~ëí=_~ó pleted
the winter sports season in February that included wrestling, basketball, soccer and gymnastics.
High School
Tri-River Athletic Conference, or TRAC, conference
winners for varsity high school sports were Buchanan
High, wrestling; Clovis North and Central High, cochampions, boys basketball; Clovis West, girls basketball; Central, boys soccer; and Clovis East, girls
soccer.
Intermediate
Clovis East High’s Christina Tran
commits to play women’s volleyball at Cal State East Bay during
a ceremony held in the school
gym, complete with the inflatable
Timberwolf mascot.
In the Clovis Intermediate Athletic League, or
CIAL, top varsity team finishers were Kastner, seventh-grade boys basketball; Reyburn, eight-grade
boys basketball; Kastner, seventh-grade girls basketball;
Granite Ridge, eighth-grade girls basketball; Granite
Ridge, seventh-grade boys soccer; Reyburn, eightgrade boys soccer; Alta Sierra, seventh-grade girls
soccer; Granite Ridge, eighth-grade girls soccer; Clark,
wrestling; and Granite Ridge, gymnastics.
Elementary
The Clovis Unified Elementary Championships
featured top-season finishers from the different school
areas. Championships went to Riverview for girls
basketball, Fugman for boys basketball and Red Bank
for wrestling.
March 2016
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March 2016
CUSD Today
Page 5
‘Be the best you can be in Mind, Body and Spirit’ not just words in CUSD
By Janet Young, Ed.D.
that are based on discoveries they
made about themselves, their interests, skills and passions during
their middle school years.
URING my nearly four
Our goal is to raise students
decade career in
who are equipped with the knowledge, the strength of spirit and the
Clovis Unified,
healthiness of body to achieve their
I have seen time
greatest aspirations, which is why
and again that
the phrase “Be the best you can be
our district’s
in mind, body and spirit,” means
core values, exso much to us. Accomplishments
pressed in key
by our students and schools illuswords
and
trate that this philosophy is alive
phrases we call
and well in Clovis Unified, and I’m
“ D o c ’ i s m s ,”
proud to share just a few of their
Janet Young,
aren’t just emprecent recognitions.
Ed.D.
ty words. InMind
stead, they are closely held beliefs
In early February, our Clovis
that drive our actions and deciNorth High Mock Trial team was
sion-making on behalf of kids.
awarded the championships for
One of our core values encourFresno County in this annual conages our students to be the best
test. Students from Clovis North
that they can be in “Mind, Body
High’s team won on a slim margin
and Spirit.” This core value celeover the other Fresno County fibrates the importance of developing
nalist, our Clovis West team.
intelligence, health and strength,
District-wide, hundreds of stuand character in our students. It’s
dents participate in this competitive
about finding kids’ passion and
game that gives them a taste of
creating opportunities to try somewhat a career in the field of law
thing that they might otherwise
looks like. The students will now
never have a chance to experience.
represent Fresno County at the
As an organization, we dedicate
our resources to serving our students and finding ways that we can
help them to excel. Every student
is different, and their interests are
different. Whether it becomes their
vocation or an avocation, we want
our students to graduate from Clovis Unified having been given the
opportunity to experiment across
a broad spectrum of learning and
activities to find the things that
spark their passion.
On Feb. 25, I traveled to Sacramento, where Reyburn Intermediate
School was recognized as a National
School to Watch. Each of our five
intermediate schools holds this distinction, and each has gone through
the process of being re-designated
(once awarded, a school must regularly demonstrate that it continues
to meet the program’s high standards).
At the awards event, one of the
speakers made an important point
that affirms our philosophy. She
told the audience about her three
children, all three of whom have
distinct and different interests. Today, all three are successful individuals, whose careers are in very
different fields. However, they also
have one thing in common. Each
of the three have followed careers
Superintendent
D
state mock trial championship in
Sacramento March 17 to 20.
In 2004, Clovis Unified began
fielding student teams in robotics
competitions that test students’
abilities in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). Since
bringing robotics to the Central
Valley more than 12 years ago, the
program has grown exponentially.
During last year’s season, the
Buchanan High robotics team was
recognized as world champions,
and teams across the district are
now gearing up for another competition season in the coming
months.
In late February, Buchanan
High’s robotics team, the Bird
Brains, unveiled “Doc 12” their
twelfth robot. There are close to
100 students on the Bird Brains
alone, and you can check out their
work on Facebook at Buchanan
FIRST Team 1671 or their website,
www.team1671.com.
Also in February, Clovis East
High’s Women’s Chorale and Clark
Intermediate’s Sotto Voce choirs
performed at the California’s All
State Music Education Conference,
and then at the Western Division
American Choral Directors Association Conference. These prestigious invitation-only performances
came as the result of their outstanding reputation and our district’s high quality and comprehensive K-12 music program.
Body
In February and March students
around the district are completing
their annual physical fitness testing.
Each year, students across the state
are assessed on whether or not they
are able to achieve healthy physical
fitness targets in areas such as upper
body strength, endurance, abdominal strength and endurance, flexibility and aerobic capacity.
Every year, the results for our
Clovis Unified kids far exceed the
state and county averages, and in
many areas are close to 90 percent
meeting or exceeding the healthy
fitness range. I fully anticipate that
this year we will see similarly high
results because of the emphasis our
schools place on physical activity
and overall health.
Student athletes in Clovis Unified
have also excelled this school year.
With a full season of sports still
“What
sculpture is
to a block of
marble,
education is
to a human
soul.”
JOSEPH ADDISON
ENGLISH ESSAYIST, POET
Photo special to CUSD Today
by Ron Webb.
remaining, Clovis Unified teams
have already brought home 14
League Championships and six Valley Championships this year. With
a total of 16 League and 13 Valley
Championships already decided
this year, our Clovis Unified students
are competing at the highest level
possible.
Spirit
The third element of a wellrounded educational program supports the development of character.
We believe that a student’s education
doesn’t stop at academic learning,
or the development of physical
health, but also encompasses the
building of character through the
spirit.
This year, 11 of our elementary
schools have been selected as finalists
for the Bonner Award for Character
and Civic Education. This recognition is bestowed on schools who
have demonstrated a commitment
to promoting character education
and educating students on what it
means to be a good citizen in the
United States of America. Winners
of this award will be announced in
March.
Just recently, we also learned
that Clovis East High School’s Jr.
ROTC program received an “Exceeds Standards” rating in their
first review. The Jr. ROTC is a program offered to high schools that
teaches students character education, student achievement, wellness
and leadership. According to the
evaluation team, it is extraordinarily
rare for this new of a program to
receive such a high evaluation.
Also this spring, we have learned
that 21 of our elementary schools
are finalists for the state’s highest
school recognition, the California
Gold Ribbon School award. We expect that following the validation
process, all 21 will receive this recognition for proving themselves to
be outstanding educational environments for students.
This is just a partial list of accomplishments of our students,
and many others are listed in the
pages of CUSD Today this (and
every) month. I commend our students for the dedication, commitment and effort that went into their
accomplishments, and from the
bottom of my heart, I thank our
employee and parent community
for caring deeply about the success
of our students. You care, and it
shows.
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Part 2 of 2
CUSD Today
Twenty-six exceptional Clovis Unified employees were
named recipients of the 2015 Crystal Awards. This unique
employee recognition program honors employees whose
passion, innovation, dedication and dynamic work ethic
far surpasses their job description. These are people who
in tangible, measurable ways help students reach their full
potential in mind, body and spirit.
The recipients were celebrated Feb. 17 at ceremony that
included video presentations, orchestra music and a walk
down a red carpet.
This year’s Crystal Award winners are each, in their
own way, inspiring and a testament to the exceptional
work employees are doing across the district on a daily
basis. The following is a small look into what makes these
employees recipients of Clovis Unified’s highest award.
In the previous edition of CUSD Today, 14 recipients
were profiled in alphabetical order. In this issue, the
remaining recipients are profiled. More information and a
complete listing of winners can be found online at
www.cusd.com/crystalawards.
Lisa J. Matson
Garfield Elementary Special Education Teacher Lisa J.
Matson serves the entire Clovis Unified population of deaf
and hard-of-hearing students and their families from birth
to kindergarten. Her goal is to make sure her students can
be fully mainstreamed by first grade. Matson doesn’t
surround herself within a special education bubble – her
classroom is located in the hustle and bustle of life on
campus along with general education
students. Her commitment to intermingling the two is evidenced by her
team-teaching approach with a unique
mainstreaming program with her deaf
and hard-of-hearing students and a
general ed kindergarten class. Matson
participates regularly in workshops,
classes and conferences to learn new
ways of working with children with
hearing loss. She works with parents
and little ones as soon as they are diagnosed with a hearing
deficiency, and has been known to accompany families to
audiologist appointments to ease the transition. Matson
also serves as Garfield’s athletic director, co-drama director,
Academic Senate representative and grade-level chairwoman
for kindergarten. She was voted 2015 California Educators
of the Deaf “Educator of the Year.”
Rhonda Moser
“Help me, Rhonda, help, help me, Rhonda” is a common
refrain at the CUSD Special Education
Department where Rhonda Moser is
Special Education Information Systems
Administrative Secretary II. She regularly communicates with more than
370 special ed program users and persistently looks for effective ways to
help colleagues, teachers and administrators. Moser works with every special education teacher in the district
and provides monthly mini in-service
training to the special education administration team re-
garding best practices. She regularly takes home projects to
build databases and systems to support program specialists.
In her role she has worked to increase efficiency and
succeeds by developing trusting relationships. She regularly
attends workshops to improve her expertise. Moser doesn’t
seek credit for her positive outcomes, but often when
there’s a room full of special education teachers and she is
introduced, she is met with thunderous applause of appreciation and an occasional standing ovation.
Kerince Nguyen
Clovis North Educational Center head counselor Kerince
Nguyen is described as a “counseling
diva.” She is known as extremely hardworking, driven to help students succeed and ensuring her staff has followed
through with their commitments to
students. In addition to heading up
the counseling center, she is said to
“mother” her counseling team and
maintains the center as a place of high
morale. Nguyen makes sure the counseling center is the center of every student’s educational experience, giving
students the opportunity to earn college credits in any way
they can. She implemented the Uni-Track program through
Fresno State to help students get on the fast track to college.
She also created Student Success Teams as a way to find solutions to students’ problems, providing resources and intervention. She worked to get a College and Career Center
➤
Please see Crystal Awards, Page 6
— ^_lrq rp —
CUSD Today, Clovis Unified’s good news publication, is sent directly to the homes of all CUSD
parents and staff, as well as District supporters. In
an effort to unify the CUSD community, the newspaper highlights the achievements of Clovis Unified
students and staff; profiles new and updated Governing Board policies; and shares general news and
information happening within the District.
Circulation: 31,000.
Funding: All costs associated with producing,
printing and mailing CUSD Today are entirely
funded by our advertisers. To show your appreciation
of their support, we ask you to consider patronizing
these businesses and services as the need arises.
Story submissions: Please submit all ideas to
the Site Coordinator at your school. Please contact
your school to find out who your Site Coordinator
is. Editorial deadlines are two weeks before the
publication date. We do our best to include as
many submissions in each issue as our editorial
space will allow.
CUSD Governing Board
`rpa=qçÇ~ó=pí~ÑÑ
Publishing & Editorial
Clovis Unified School District
1450 Herndon Avenue
Clovis, CA 93611
Telephone (559) 327-9094
Fax (559) 327-2957
cusdtoday@cusd.com
Kelly Avants, APR
Chief Communication Officer
327-9092
Patti J. Lippert
Managing Editor
327-9094
Charity Susnick
Advertising
327-9095
Verna Garcia
Graphic Designer
224-9711
Christopher Casado
Sandra A. Bengel
Jim Van Volkinburg, D.D.S.
President
908-9953
Vice-President
432-4995
Clerk
299-8994
Brian D. Heryford Ginny L. Hovsepian Richard Lake, C.P.A. Elizabeth J. Sandoval
299-4586
323-9000
434-8272
291-7564
CUSD Administration
Janet Young, Ed.D.
Superintendent
327-9100
Norm Anderson
Associate Superintendent,
School Leadership
327-9350
Carlo Prandini, Ph.D.
Deputy Superintendent
327-9106
Barry Jager
Michael Johnston
Human Resources and
Employee Relations
327-9308
Administrative Services
327-9110
Page 6
CUSD Today
March 2016
Crystal Awards: `ÉêÉãçåó=ï~ë=ÜÉäÇ=çå=cÉÄK=NT
FROM PAGE 5
all students and staff are learning “Career Cruising” in
grades 7 through 12. Her efforts and her incredible work
ethic paid off. Clovis North now has the highest number of
students taking AP courses.
Dava L. Parks
Kastner Intermediate School Speical Day Class Functional
Life Skills Teacher Dava Parks is seen
as “a role model for change.” That’s because four years ago she set out to
change the thinking and acceptance
level of all students at Kastner toward
students with disabilities. In just one
year, she established the Collaborative
Mentoring program, a course that pairs
eighth-grade mentors with students
with disabilities. In the process, barriers
have been broken down and the entire
campus culture has changed. The program doesn’t just
focus on the needs of special ed students; it helps address
the honest fears and questions of general education kids. It
is a system that Dava designed based on awareness, education,
relationships and bonds. One parent wrote how her daughter’s
passion for kids with special challenges has grown as she
has been paired with four different students in the sixweek rotation. This program is in addition to Parks’ normal
duties of teaching special needs students. In her classroom,
she teaches students to achieve confidence and independence.
She inspires many classroom aides and student teachers to
become special education teachers themselves.
Leslie Bernardi Phillips
Blackburn with time sheets and scheduling substitute
teachers. She manages the school calendar and is known
for her exemplary school budgets. Rodgers often comes in
after hours to serve spaghetti at Back to School Night, distribute cookie dough and fundraiser prizes or volunteer at
movie nights.
A school office manager can make the key difference in
how a school runs and is perceived.
Temperance-Kutner
Elementary
School’s Sandi Rodgers is one such “go
to” office supervisor. No task is too
large for Rodgers, and she rises to each
challenge with a gentle spirit and a
kind smile. T-K, as the school is known,
has the highest number of elementary
students riding buses to school in
CUSD m making it no small feat for
Rodgers to help oversee implementation
of the school’s pilot Bus Connect program,. Due in part to
her effort, implementation of the program was a smooth
success. Rodgers took over the school’s website, even taking
a Web design class after her work day to make sure the
website was better than ever. She assists Principal Kathy
Marvin Smith
Reagan Elementary Plant Supervisor Marvin Smith has
dressed up as Superman, Honey BooBoo
and an alien at school rallies, awards
Reagan Elementary Library Technician Kyla Rose is deprograms and other events. He will do
scribed by Principal Janet Samuelian
whatever it takes to get Reagan kids
as “larger than life,” making everything
motivated! As plant supervisor, he is
she touches extra special. Rose makes
dedicated to making sure the campus
sure every student has district-approved
is always picked up, the lawn and trees
textbooks and is helping to plan, set
are tended to and everything is shipup and install the school’s first computer
shape. He gives the same attention to
lab. She is a coach of cheer, girls voldetail in training custodians to clean
leyball, girls basketball and golf. She
has led individual Destination Imagi- and manage equipment and furniture. Smith is an integral
nation teams to state and national/global part of making sure the annual school carnival is a success.
finals. And she started a Community He also coaches every season on the courts, fields and
Cleat Closet to provide athletic equipment to students who track. Coaching has allowed him to develop deeper relacouldn’t afford it. Rose, a former events planner, has chaired tionships with students, driving home his message of
the annual carnival, making it a success each year. She has integrity and character. This past season he coached football
created a child-friendly library, and often a “comfort zone” and assisted a new coach with girls volleyball. Often he
for those who need a break from the hectic campus. She buys athletic equipment for students with his own money,
developed the Outstanding T-Wolf Award, given to a student and every year he sponsors one or two student athletes for
who represents the core district values of mind, body and the Sierra Outdoor School.
spirit. And once a week, Rose turns up her music on Pete van der Paardt
speakers in front of the library and holds a dance party
For the last decade, Reagan Elementary Music Teacher
with up to 75 students singing and dancing with her.
Pete van der Paardt has not only been
teaching performing arts, but he’s also
Kasey Schwartz
been imparting character and responWalk into the classroom of Fugman Elementary Language
sibility. Very few students at Reagan
and Speech Specialist Kasey Schwartz
have been untouched by his exciting
and you’ll find a group of noisily enand fun music lessons (once he dressed
gaged students. She makes learning fun
up as Ringo Starr, another time he
and works tirelessly to help all students
came as Star Trek’s Spock). Students
achieve, never limiting herself to speech
have been known to want to go to
and language students. In fact, Schwartz
school on “music lesson day” even
heads up the Fugman pep and cheer
though they are sick. Every pupil who
program. She is seen as the go-to person,
signs
up
to
play
an
instrument
or sing is held accountable
the first person the staff consults when
to
the
standards
“Mr.
V”
sets,
called
BIPP or Behavior, Inat a roadblock with a student. She is a
volvement,
Practice
and
Performance.
And his efforts have
source of wisdom for behavioral and
paid
off
–
his
bands,
choirs,
orchestras
and drama groups
social needs of students. Schwartz is a master teacher who
consistently
receive
high
ratings
in
competitions.
He knows
is frequently assigned student teachers seeking to enter the
how
to
get
the
most
out
of
students
and
to
even
improve
speech pathology profession. She is known as a first-class
their
GPAs.
No
slacking
in
math
or
English
is
allowed
for
collaborator with other parents and teachers, “frontloading”
his
students.
Van
der
Paardt
founded
the
Harmonica
Club,
them with useful information to ensure each student’s
success. She is always willing to help students not on her where he donates his time and provides instruments for
caseload and willingly gives up breaks to make herself ac- students in need. One parent thrilled with the program decessible. When Schwartz was the only returning special ed- scribed Mr. V’s efforts as “wow,” “breathtaking” and “no
ucation staff member last year, she developed Professional words.”
Kyla Rose
Kindergarten teacher extraordinaire. Innovator. A teacher
with 38 years of experience who continually looks to the future. These accolades describe Leslie Bernardi Phillips,
Maple Creek Elementary School kindergarten teacher. Her creed is “teaching
only exists where learning is evidenced,”
and she is seldom satisfied with even
the best results. If 96 percent of students
reach kindergarten mastery, she obsesses
over how the other 4 percent could
have done better. As a grade-level leader,
Phillips oversees her team, openly sharing instructional
data and plans to provide the highest-quality education.
Her expertise in analyzing formative data and student
learning helps her Professional Learning Community members revise their classroom strategies. Phillips started the
KISS (Kindergarten Intense Skills Support) club, providing
extra support. She also implemented the “10 for the Team”
program to provide an extra 10 minutes of targeted support
for the 10 lowest students in kindergarten each day. Phillips Learning Community time with her new team to promote
improved student learning by introducing iPads to provide a shared learning environment and educate them on the
immediate feedback, and she was able to procure SMART school’s culture.
boards for both her and her teacher partner.
Sandi Rodgers
the school. She runs the Sunshine Club, getting flowers,
gifts and cards for staff members. And she insists on
preparing food herself for meetings that include refreshments
or lunch. Smith makes it all look effortless.
CynDee Smith
Alta Sierra Intermediate School Office Supervisor CynDee
Smith takes care of the school. Any
time there’s a need, Smith fills it. As
one admirer put it, she defines the
phrase “above and beyond.” It’s not
just the students, it’s not just the staff
she supports -- she supports the entire
Alta Sierra community. Smith, who
manages the school budget and provides
spreadsheets to staff members, is always
praised for her fiscal management come
budget review time. She is quick to respond to emergencies,
making sure the campus of 1,300 students is supervised
and stepping in as a supervisor as the need arrives. She regularly gives of her own time during summer vacations,
holidays, evenings and weekends. She volunteered to run
the after-school snack bar during home games, and the
money raised helped buy a state-of-the-art marquee for
Carlos C. Zuniga
Carlos C. Zuniga is a teacher with a heart – and then
some. Colleagues and students describe
his first response as always, “How can I
help?” This academic block and peer
counseling teacher at the Clovis North
Educational Center cares about every
student and strives to include them in
activities that benefit them. For example,
he started a Movie Club for students
to have a safe place to hang out during
lunch. He never cancels a Movie Club
to go out with fellow teachers to lunch. In addition to his
duties as a teacher, counselor and club advisor, he is a
sophomore class advisor, and a basketball, track/field and
soccer coach. Zuniga is also known for the St. Baldrick’s
Head Shave Event, a yearly school fundraiser for the St.
Baldrick’s Foundation that supports cancer research. Students
sell shamrocks and some even shave their heads in a competition to see which class can raise the most money. Zuniga
helped develop the New Student Matrix, which helps new
students transition through contact with peer counselors,
ice breaker activities and a campus orientation.
2015 Crystal Awards
March 2016
CUSD Today
Page 7
Board names six new elementary school principals
■ Update given
on governor’s
proposed
budget, impact
on CUSD
By Kelly Avants
Chief Communication Officer
Feb. 24, 2016
At the Feb. 24 meeting,
the Governing Board announced six elementary
school principal appointments. The new principals
will assume their roles from
current administrators who
have recently been appointed
to new roles in the district
or who are retiring at the
conclusion of the school year.
All six appointments are effective July 1.
Approved to new positions
as elementary school principals are:
■ Matt Lucas, currently a
learning
director at
the Reagan
Educational
Center, to
the position
of
principal
Matt Lucas
at Cedarwood Elementary.
■ Brion
Wa r r e n ,
currently a
learning
director at
the Reagan
Educational
Center, to
Brion Warren the position
of
principal at Century Elementary.
■ Erin
Parker, currently
Deputy
Principal at
the Reagan
Educational Center,
Erin Parker
to the position of
Principal at Fancher Creek
Elementary.
■
Jennifer Thomas, currently a
learning
director at
Clark Inter m e di ate, to the
position of
principal
at Fugman
Jennifeer
ElemenThomas
tary.
■ Jennifer Bump, currently a learning director at Buchanan
High, to
the position
of
principal
Jennifer Bump at Garfield
Elementary.
■ Kacey Gibson, currently
a learning
director at
the Reagan Educational
Center, to
the position of
principal
Kacey Gibson at Reagan
Elementary.
Later in the meeting, the
Governing Board heard a
budget update presented by
members of the district’s
Business Office. The governor’s proposed 2016-17
budget includes:
■ An increase of $2.8 billion toward implementation
of the state’s partially funded
Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) which would
result in approximately $14.8
million for CUSD and a small
cost of living increase applied
to the LCFF,
■ One-time discretionary
funding for prior years’ mandated cost reimbursement
claims resulting in approximately $8.5 million to Clovis
Unified,
■ On-going adult education funds in the form of
the Adult Education Block
Grant which will provide
$1.8 million annually to Clovis Adult School,
■ A small cost of living
increase to categorical programs resulting in approxi-
➤ BOARD BRIEFS
mately $100,000 for the District’s Special Education program, and
■ $1.6 billion for an Early
Education Block Grant that
would have no additional
funding impact for Clovis
Unified.
The governor’s proposed
budget would allow the district to offset existing deficit
spending, and fund increased
costs due to additional state
retirement system requirements, California’s new minimum wage, rising special
education costs, and other
on-going operational expenses. Recommendations for remaining resources available
to the district will be developed through the Local Control Accountability Planning
(LCAP) process and through
various employee committees. The governor’s budget
proposal will be updated in
May prior to final consideration by members of the
state legislature in June. Clovis Unified will develop its
budget for the board’s consideration and action in June
as well.
In other action, the board:
■ Approved plans for
more than 29 deferred maintenance projects for the 201617 school year and authorized the Superintendent to
call for bids on these projects.
■ Appointed Darden Architects to complete design
services for the Mercedes Edwards Theatre/Clark Choir
Room modernization project.
■ Awarded bids on office
supplies for central warehouse stock and paper.
■ Adopted the annual resolution related to the nonreelection of temporary certificated employees pursuant
to Education Code Section
44954.
■ Authorized the placement of two Special Education students in non-public
schools as recommended in
their Individualized Educa-
tion Plans.
■ Accepted the second
quarter report noting that
the district has received zero
complaints under the Williams Act.
■ Authorized the sale or
disposal of surplus equipment through a local public
auction on eBay.
Feb. 10, 2016
Following recent Board
action to fill open administrative positions, newly appointed administrators were
present to be introduced to
the Governing Board at the
Feb. 10 meeting. Included in
the introductions were:
■ Teresa Barber, newly
appointed principal of Clark
Intermediate.
■ Gary Comstock, director of Program Evaluation,
■ Ruth DiSanto, director
of Career Technical Education.
■ Corrine Folmer, assistant superintendent of the
Clovis East Area.
■ Allison Hernandez, administrator of Assessment
and Accountability.
■ Kevin Kerney, principal
of the Reagan Educational
Center.
■ Janet Samuelian, director of Child Development.
Before greeting these recently appointed leaders, the
board announced the appointment of current Fugman Elementary Principal
Tami Graham to the position
of Deputy Principal at Clovis
North Educational Center
effective July 1. Graham assumes the role that will be
va cated by the move of
DiSanto.
In other action, the board:
■ Received an update on
California Governor Jerry
Brown’s proposed 2016 state
budget. The state’s proposed
budget is used to begin the
development of Clovis Unified’s 2016-17 district budget,
which will be finalized after
the state adopts its budget
later this year.
■ Received information
about the most recent Citizens’ Oversight Committee
2004 and 2012 Bond Measure
Audit Report. The audit report included no findings
and was reviewed by members of the Citizens’ Oversight
Committee at their Jan. 21,
meeting.
■ Adopted a new art history textbook for use in advanced placement classes for
the 2015-16 school year.
■ Authorized the submission of a Disclosure of Collective Bargaining Agreement
to the Fresno County Superintendent of Schools for
CSEA Chapter 250 for the
current school year.
■ Ratified the submission
of a grant application for a
two-year Family Engagement
grant from First 5 Fresno
County.
■ Entered into construction management, multiple
prime agreements for construction projects to be completed in the 2016-17 school
year.
■ Appointed SIM Architects for design services for
the second floor of the District’s Technology Services
Center building, and Darden
Architects for design services
at Clovis North High School.
➤ Copies of all agendas and minutes of board meetings are available online at http://agendapublic.cusd.com/. The next
meetings of the Governing
Board will be at 6:30 p.m. March
9 and 30 in the Governing Boardroom, 1680 David E. Cook Way,
Clovis.
`k=ÜÉ~Çë=íç=ëí~íÉ=ãçÅâ=íêá~ä
The Clovis North Mock Trial team won the Fresno County Office of Education Mock Trial
competition Feb. 4 against Clovis West. The Bronco’s team will advance to the state competition to be held in March in Sacramento. The month-long competition included four
rounds in January with the semi-finals and finals in February. Fourteen teams participated
in the event where a simulation of a criminal court case was presented with high school
students playing the courtroom roles.
bjmilvbb `lkkb`qflk
Page 8
CUSD Today
March 2016
Three Clovis Unified employees nominated
for Fresno County’s annual awards
By Patti J. Lippert
CUSD Today
Three Clovis Unified employees have
been nominated for the Fresno County
Office of Education’s annual recognition
awards. The FCOE publicly recognizes outstanding achievements of Fresno County
teachers, school administrators and employees through its Fresno County Educatior
of the Year Program.
Selection committees chose the following
to represent Clovis Unified as nominees:
■ Teacher of the Year – Ken Dias, agriculture teacher and FFA advisor, McFarlane-Coffman Ag Center at Reagan Educational Center.
■ School Employee of the Year – Monica
“MoMo” Brewer, instructional aide, Nelson
Elementary.
■ Administrator of the Year – Bob
Kampf, director, Supplemental Services.
Each nominee was surprised with the
news of their nomination by CUSD Superintendent Janet Young, Ed.D. and their
department supervisors.
During an early morning staff meeting
at Nelson Elementary, Brewer learned she
was the focus of the gathering and was left
speechless. The long-time instructional aide
has mentored and encouraged hundreds
of students. She is known for attending
not just Nelson events, but also following
“her” students to Kastner Intermediate and
Clovis West High and attending those events
as well. “You’ve been an angel in the lives
of so many people,” Young said.
Dias, who was out by the livestock pens
at Clovis East High, returned to his class-
Teacher of the Year nominee Ken Dias – an
ag teacher at Reagan Educational Center –
celebrates his nomination with his students
who helped surprise him with the news.
Superintendent Janet Young, Ed.D., announces to a shocked Monica Brewer she is
the Employee of the Year nominee. Brewer is
an instructional aide at Nelson Elementary.
Administrator of the Year nominee Bob
Kampf, director of Clovis Unified’s Supplemental Services, thanks his team and gives
them credit for the work he is able to do.
room where he was greeted by a gathering
of students, family and administrators as
news of his nomination was announced.
He said he was shocked and gave credit to
the entire ag team at Clovis East as the
reason for the program’s many successes.
“I am so lucky because my hobby is my
job,” he said.
Kampf was surprised during a department meeting where he was described as
someone who gives from his heart, day in
and day out. “He is the ultimate advocate
for kids and families,” Young said of the
director who has initiated several programs
to assist students and their families.
A subcommittee of Classified Unit Business Support (CUBS) Senators was charged
with selecting a classified employee as its
nominee for 2016 School Employee of the
Year. Faculty Senate also created a committee
to choose a certificated employee as CUSD’s
nominee for 2015 Teacher of the Year. In
addition, members of CUSD’s leadership
team selected their nominee for 2016 Administrator of the Year.
On April 7, three finalists for each award
category will be announced by the FCOE.
All nominees will be presented and winners
of each award will be announced at the
FCOE’s Educator of the Year Program
Awards Ceremony to be held Oct. 27 at the
William Saroyan Theatre. The ceremony is
open to the public to attend.
Ulrich receives Fresno
Compact business award
➤
EMPLOYEE BRIEFS
CUSD Today
Clovis Unified Assistant
Superintendent of Facility
Services Don Ulrich, Ed.D,
received the Dr. Harold Haak
Award March 2 at the Fresno
Compact Business-School
Partnership Awards Luncheon.
The award recognizes
those educators who have
made a significant contribution to building effective relationships between the
worlds of business and
schools. Ulrich, with more
than 34 years in education,
has developed an understanding of the need for career technical partnerships.
As a former principal, he
strives to build a connection
between local businesses and
schools. His work in CUSD’s
construction and facility program has provided him opportunities to partner the
local construction, architecture and engineering community and encourage their
support of Career Technical
Education.
Ulrich also served as an
administrator on special assignment in the mid-1990s
as he worked to develop the
Center for Advanced Research and Technology, or
CART. He helped identify 11
curriculum development
committees that included a
wide representation from the
area business community.
He led a similar effort at
Clovis Unified’s Classified Unit Business Support held a workshop that provided classified
employees information about professional development and career advancement.
Classified Career Workshop
The first Classified Career Workshop
Don Ulrich, Ed.D., Clovis Unified Assistant Superintendent
sponsored
by the Classified Unit Business
of Facility Services won the Dr. Harold Haak award.
Support (CUBS) and the district adminisBuchanan High when he was efforts on preparing students tration was held in late January. The workprincipal there, working to for the increasing demands shop was designed to provide classified emdevelop the school’s Alter- of society and the workplace. ployees support and guidance. Trainings
native Energy Academy.
Other businesses honored were offered as were informational sessions
The award is named after at the event for their support regarding professional development and
former California State Uni- of schools and education career advancement. Workshops and trainversity, Fresno, President were Gonzalez Architects, ings in the following topics were offered;
Harold Haak, who was the Hardin-Davidson Engineer- application procedures, interview preparafirst executive director of ing, Kiwanis Club of Old tion, classified career pathways. Classified
Fresno Compact.
Town Clovis, KSEE 24, Mari- team members from all departments
Fresno Compact is a coali- copa Orchards, Resource throughout the district attended, including
tion of business and com- Lenders, Inc., Sanger Rotary, food services, grounds and maintenance
munity leaders and the area’s The Wonderful Co., Valley and instructional assistants. Because of the
school systems. Its mission Unique Electric, Inc. and success of the event, it is anticipated that
these workshops will be held again.
is to focus community-wide Zumwalt Construction.
CUSD looks for
new employees
On Jan. 29, CUSD held a Job Fair for
teachers looking to join the Clovis Unified
team. Principals and administrators interviewed 250 teachers at the job fair. Throughout the day, 70 administrators met with
educators to discuss opportunities within
the district.
Substitutes, job postings
Clovis Unified is continually adding substitutes to its team. Those interested in
being a substitute teacher can visit www.cusd.
com, click on “human resources,” and then
“substitutes.” All information is specified
on the district website. Current jobs for
Clovis Unified are posted throughout the
year on www.edjoin.org.
^olrka qeb afpqof`q
March 2016
CUSD Today
Page 9
paid tribute to the military at “From Sea to
Shining Sea” on Feb. 18 in the school’s multipurpose room. The evening performance
featured the more than 125 students celebrating all things patriotic. They sang songs
that showed their love for America and the
people who fight to protect it.
During the performance there were video
clips where several students expressed what
the military and being free means to them.
The responses were heartwarming as to how
today’s youth love and appreciate this country.
“We are celebrating the month of February, where we honor our founding fathers,
practice what it means to be good citizens
(Character Counts Pillar), and learn facts
about our amazing United States of America,”
said Principal Suzi Erickson. “There is an
incredible tribute to the military, and it’s
just the best darn show I’ve seen in a long
time,” she said.
Garfield Elementary third-graders are ready
to launch the hot air balloon they created after
studying air, weather, engineering and design.
Garfield: Up, up and away!
Third-graders at Garfield Elementary
launched hot air balloons Feb. 18 that they
had made during science rotations. They
had been studying air, weather, engineering
and design.
Third-grade classes at Garfield rotate
groups on Tuesdays and Thursdays for LEAD
– Learning, Explore, Achieve and Discover.
Students rotate through breakout groups
taught by the third-grade teaching team.
Science is taught by Rhonda Finfrock, math
Susan Hoffman, technology Tracy Cottle,
and social studies from Michelle Blount.
AVID gets certificate of merit
The Clovis West AVID program has been
recognized as a Highly Certified AVID program site and was awarded a certificate of
merit. AVID is a program designed to help
underachieving students with high academic
potential prepare for entrance to college. To
receive the certificate, a school must meet
all 11 AVID essentials, have been certified
for at least two consecutive years and implementing the AVID program for a minimum of four years.
Broncos make All-State
Honor Bands
Clovis Community Day School students recently won the top three Young Entrepreneurs
awards. Pictured, from left, are teacher/advisor Chris Gee, and students Yaneli Bautista,
Cody Wilson and Tyson Hilliard.
CCDS students sweep Young
Entrepreneurs competition
Three students from Clovis Community Day School (CCDS) placed first, second, and third in the Young Entrepreneurs
Program competition held at Fresno City
Hall Dec. 8. Cody Wilson, junior, took
home first place for his proposal “Pet
Pillows”; Tyson Hilliard, freshman, second-place for “The Daily Scoop”; and
Yaneli Bautista, senior, third place for
“Decorative Tamales.”
This was the second straight year that
the CCDS students have swept the top
awards. During the 10-week program,
students met once a week with local business owners, Fresno Chamber of Commerce members and Matt Rosenfeld, vice
president and general manager of
KSEE24/CBS47 news stations.
The students were required to come
up with a viable business idea, then
Clovis North High’s band ranked in the
top 15 schools for number of students
earning chairs in the California Band Directors Association State Honor Bands.
Michael Neufeld was named to the State
Honor Jazz Band, playing the trombone.
Named to the All-State Honor Band are
Yervand Boyajyan, clarinet; Michael
Coppedge, clarinet; Noah Blevins, bass clarinet; Eric Bird, alto sax; and Bryan Shaddy, of Education.
tuba. Jesse Fang earned a spot on the InterClovis award recipients are listed by catmediate School All-State Honor Band, playing egory, name and school: Elementary Best
the trumpet.
of Show, Ciabel Lane, Woods Elementary;
Kastner art students brighten Elementary Runner Up, Zoe Pritchard, Fort
Washington Elementary; Secondary Best of
Grace Place with murals
Show, Angel Lesnikowski, Buchanan High;
Kastner Intermediate’s advanced art class and Secondary Runner Up, Amanda Kimparticipated in a themed mural competition mons, Buchanan High.
– sky, land and water – sponsored by Grace‘s
Place Children’s Center. Two Kastner students
won the honor of painting “water” murals
on a 4-foot-by-8-foot sheets of plywood.
Student Jacob Garcia painted a mermaid
mural and student Jacob Conriquez painted
a bubbles mural. Their teacher is Robert
Lowder.
The murals were to be hung on the walls
of the Grace’s Place Children’s Center playground for children living at the facility.
They were judged on creativity, positive
image for children and provision of interPhoto special to CUSD Today.
action by children and art, and artistic abilNu Vang, the 2016 Fresno Center for New
ity.
Americans’ Miss United, speaks with students
Grace’s Place is on the Mental Health
at Reagan Educational Center during the
Systems Hacienda Campus, which is a resiAsian Student Success Conference.
dence for women and their children who
are making their way back into the com- Asian Student Success
munity.
MLK art contest awards
Several Clovis Unified students were honored at the Martin Luther King Art Reception
and Program held at the Clovis Veterans
Memorial Building in February. The event
was sponsored by the Fresno County Office
develop and present a business plan to
local community business leaders in the
hope of making it to the final competition
at Fresno City Hall.
CCDS teacher and business team adviser Chris Gee helped students with coordinating, organizing, and finalizing
their business plans. The program culminated with the top three students from
two Fresno Unified area schools and those
from CCDS competing for a chance at
more than $2,500 in money and prizes.
“The students presented with professionalism, confidence and determination,”
said Gee. The winners received a cash
prize and all finalists were awarded business suits, shirts and ties from the Fresno
Suit Outlet; the women finalists were
awarded professional attire from other
local businesses.
five area high schools. There were remarks,
presentations, breakout sessions (topics were
“Mentors,” “Scholarships,” and “Interactive
Activity”), and a career informational fair.
The keynote speaker was Brian Koichi
Mizushima from Sacramento. Guests at the
informational fair included dentists, police
officers, professors, health care workers,
business owners, career counselors, and scientists.
Several students joined in performances
put on by their high schools. They included:
Chinese Lion Dance (Clovis West and
Buchanan), Ntxhais Ntxim Siab (Clovis
East), Qeej Performance (Clovis East), Paj
Hnub Hli (Clovis North), Chinese Fan
Dancers (Buchanan), Ntxhais Nplaim Txuj
(Buchanan) and Cougar Bhangra Dancers
(Clovis).
Recent Clovis West graduate Christiaan
Morales’s ceramic artwork is being shown at
a conference in Kansas City, Missouri.
CW work on
exhibition
A current Clovis West
student and two Clovis West
graduates will have their ceramic artwork showcased at
the National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts
(NCECA)
conference
Patrick Zhang
held
in
Kansas City, Missouri. Their
work was selected from more
than 1,400 entries of ceramics from students from
throughout the United States.
The students are current senior Patrick Zhang, and recent
graduates Christiaan MoClaire
rales
and Claire Imperial.
Imperial
Oraze Elementary students Brandon Thomas
and Carter Lewis enjoy lunch with their
grandparents Tim and Lisa Turner at the “All
American Luncheon.”
Celebrating grandparents
Oraze Elementary students honored their
grandparents at the “All American Luncheon”
held Feb. 19. The cafeteria was transformed
into a patriotic theme with the American
flag and the colors red, white and blue
throughout the building. Students shared
hamburgers, smiles and laughter with their
visiting guests, who are viewed as an important part of the Oraze community.
Building interest at TK
All second-grade students at Temperance-Kutner Elementary recently built Lego
versions of Venus fly traps, using Bricks 4
Kidz. The kits are designed for students in
second grade and up, and they provide an
educational platform to teach collaboration,
problem solving, content learning and voPhoto special to CUSD Today.
Conference held Feb. 19
Oraze Elementary third-graders sing patriotic cabulary. Judy and Dave Bower, current and
“Ignite your passion, find your calling!” songs and tell what being free means to them former CUSD employees, made this opporwas the theme of Clovis Unified’s Asian during “From Sea to Shining Sea,” a perform- tunity possible. The administration also provided each student with a mini-version of a
Student Success Conference held Feb. 19 at ance honoring the military.
Venus fly trap kit for students to take home
Reagan Educational Center. Close to 600
Oraze patriotism
and assemble as a souvenir from this unique
students – the largest attendance yet for this
Third-grade students at Oraze Elementary and challenging activity.
annual event – participated from CUSD’s
Page 10
CUSD Today
March 2016
Third-grade racer wins Triple Crown in racing
■ Girl quickly
excels in Quarter
Midget Racing
By Carole Grosch
Special to CUSD Today
Third-grader Jade Avedisian has definitely found a
sport that she loves.
Quarter Midget Racing
(QMR) is a family-oriented
sport, which is how Jade was
first introduced to it. “My
dad has always been involved
in motorsports” she said. “He
has been taking me to the
races since I was born.”
Among Jade’s many Lincoln Elementary students cheered on their classmate Jade Avedisian as last year the third-grader won three National Chamachievements is the distinc- pionships in Quarter Midget Racing.
tion of being the first QMR
Each event draws over
The Avedisian family at- has given her confidence and tures are full roll cages, mulracer to be recognized by
ti-point seat harnesses and
Honda Motorsports as a 250 cars from all over the tends every event as QMR I love that.”
United States and Canada. races are put on and worked
Her classmates through- full face helmets.
“triple crown” recipient.
The car is a scaled-down
A special trophy was pre- Avedisian was the only U.S. by the parents of the kids out the past year at Lincoln
Elementary have cheered Jade version of the full size midget
sented to her at the Silver driver to bring home a Grand who are racing.
Older sister, Ashley, is one on and enjoyed hearing racer and built around a tuState Winter Nationals cere- National Championship
of Jade’s biggest fans and about her progress.
bular frame. The fiberglass
mony in Las Vegas in recog- from each event.
It doesn't stop there. Jade younger sister, Kenzie, 7, will
“They are extremely im- body and frame is fully susnition of her winning three
National Championships in was recently crowned the start racing this season in the pressed with Jade’s racing pended with springs or tortalents and success,” said sion bars and shocks. Surone year – West in San Jose, 2015 California Monza Jr. Novice division.
“It is a little nerve wrack- teacher Carol Whitney. “Jade rounding the driver is a
where she set the track record Honda Champion, 2015 Calin Junior Animal with a ifornia Monza Jr. Animal ing to watch her sometimes,” is a super citizen. She is in- chrome-moly roll cage and
6.380-second lap; East in Wall Champion and 2015 Cali- said mom, Kim, “but we love dustrious, brave, even-tem- nerf bars.
The engines are single
Township, N.J., where she fornia Monza Jr. Rookie of it. Racing is a family sport. I pered, athletic, trustworthy,
love that it keeps us together fun-loving, genuine…and cylinder; in the motors stock
ran a track-record 6.919 in the Year.
Locally, she was recog- as a family. Jade has always humble with a capital H!”
configuration they produce
Junior Stock; and Dirt in
QMR involves racing in between 2.5 & 4 horse power.
Terre Haute, Ind., where, dur- nized at the Fresno Athletic been somewhat timid, but
ing her first race on dirt, she Hall of Fame Enshrinement when she is at the races, she specially prepared cars for Modifications in the upper
broke a 10-year-old record Dinner for her three National is in her element and has children aged 5 to 16 years classes allow these engines
come a long way socially. It old. Among the safety fea- to reach several times the
in Junior Stock with a 7.569. Championship wins.
stock horse power.
Races are held on oval
tracks approximately 1/20 of
a mile. The cars, rules and
safety procedures are designed specifically for the
young racers. Many of the
events are held out of state.
As she gets older, Jade will
qualify for new age-related
divisions and challenges.
“This season I was given
the opportunity to race the
Holland Family Jr. Sprint,
then we will move into 600
Micro Sprints,” she said.
“Eventually, I would love to
race sprint cars and then
Nascar. My goal is to race in
the Knoxville Nationals!”
With ambitious goals,
Jade’s family made the decision at the end of February
to switch Jade to a more flexible, home-school setting to
accommodate her busy racing schedule.
“Principal [Matt] Verhalen
and the staff at Lincoln have
always acknowledged Jade’s
awards and recognized her
accomplishments,” Kim Avedisian said. “They bent over
backwards to help Jade be
successful, and I am forever
grateful.”
Jade’s upcoming events
are posted on AvedRacing
on Facebook.
A local schedule can be
found at www.goodtimesqm.com.
Migrant: Program helps migratory students with academic, cultural and language barriers
FROM PAGE ONE
gratory children overcome
academic, cultural and language barriers, social isolation, health-related problems,
and other factors that hinder
academic achievement, and
to prepare such children to
make a successful transition
to postsecondary education
or employment.
The program ensures that
migratory children benefit
from state and local systemic
reforms.
The after-school program
is open to all migrant students and their parents to
ensure that our children will
have access to academically
enriching activities and targeted support.
Across the hall is the Parent Literacy Class, a course
designed for parents who
want to increase English proficiency and conversation
skills that will support the
academic and personal success of their children.
Parents not only improve
their English skills, but also
gain techniques to support
their child’s education enabling them to play a larger
role in the education of their
children. This past semester,
Teacher on Special Assignment Mai Yia Moua, taught
a weekly course for parents
on improving English proficiency.
Each week, the concept
changed based on parent requests. Topics included items
such as how to access my
child’s school, who do I ask
for what reason, the importance of a healthy balanced
diet for a child’s education,
and how parents can take
easy steps to communicate
while at the grocery store.
Rosa Mendoza said, “I
have been attending the Clark
Parent Literacy Class and I
am learning to be able to
speak English to my children
and help them to understand
the English language. I can
help them with their homework now.”
During this course, parents, students and staff held
a Thanksgiving feast utilizing
some of the healthy lifestyle,
etiquette table setting skills
and practiced new vocabulary
to assist their children at
home.
During the traditional
“thank you” segment of the
Thanksgiving dinner, many
of the parents shared how
thankful they were for gathering vocabulary and skills
that allow them to better
support and provide opportunities for their children.
Students in attendance read
their essay, “I am thankful
for…” to the parents and
staff in attendance. Their
messages were very special
and proved to be a very well
written piece of work.
It’s believed that these
partnerships between school,
families and communities
can dramatically contribute
to improved student achievement and higher performance for schools. Effectively
engaging families and communities with afterschool
student programs and parent
literacy classes can lead to
increased reading and writing
skills for all.
For more information or
assistance, call the CUSD Department of Supplemental
Services at 327-9554 or the
Migrant Education Spanish
Liaison Ana Macias at 3279564, or Migrant Education
Hmong Liaison Mary Vang
at 327-9560.
CUSD Today
Page 11
HI
GH
WA
Y
16
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FR
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EW
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AY
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TO
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.
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E
RD
.
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726 MEDICAL CENTER DR. E.
TOLLHOUSE RD.
March 2016
MEDICAL CENTER DR. E.
N. TEMPERANCE AVE.
MEDICAL CENTER DR. W.
PARKING
FIR AVE.
Affiliated with
MEDICAL CENTER DR. W.
MEDICAL
CENTER
DR. E.
School of Medicine
Fresno Medical Education Program
HERNDON AVE.
COVENTRY AVE.
Page 12
➤
CUSD Today
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Calling all artists
Clovis Unified students, from kindergartners to high school seniors, are invited
to enter the annual CUSD Budget Cover
Art Contest for a chance to win a $250 gift
card and have his or her artwork become
the cover of Clovis Unified’s 2016-17 budget
book. A committee will select the top five
entries. In addition to the first place winner,
there will be four runners up selected who
will receive $50 gift cards and have their
artwork displayed on subsections within
the budget. All five will be recognized with
a special plaque and introduced to the
CUSD Governing Board in April.
The contest is sponsored by the Xerox
Corporation.
Artwork must include illustrations of
students. Artwork may be in color, black
and white, and/or be computer generated.
The page layout is landscape format, and
the paper size is 11-inches by 8 1/2- inches.
A completed entry form must be taped to
the back of the artwork. Entries may be
mailed to Business Services, Budget Cover
Contest, 1450 Herndon Ave., Clovis CA
93611. The deadline for submissions is 5
p.m. April 1. Entry forms are available
through teachers at individual school sites
or are available by emailing Toni Grossi at
tonigrossi@cusd.com.
Clovis West to perform
“The Music Man”
The Mercedes Edwards
Theatre will be alive with
music as Clovis West performs its production of “The
Music Man.” Showtime will
be 7:30 p.m. and performances will be held March 10
to 12, and 17 to 19.
“The Music Man,” is the quintessential
American musical, about a small town in
Iowa that is brought to life through the
promises made by the music salesman
Howard Hill. Hill wakes up River City, plus
brings love to the town’s librarian Marian
and hope to her younger brother Winthrop.
“The Music Man” has such hits as “76 Trombones,” “Till There Was You,” and “Shipoopi.”
Tickets are $10 for students and seniors;
$12 for adults.
Clovis High to perform
“Zombie Prom”
Clovis High will present the musical
“Zombie Prom” in the Dan Pessano Theatre
at 7:30 p.m. March 31, April 1, 2 and 7 to 9.
“Zombie Prom” is a musical blast from
the past with the best of the ’50s; rock ‘n’
roll, campy horror films, zombies and high
school – all in one kooky, creepy, hilarious,
feel good romp. In this
off-beat “girl-lovesghoul” romance, Toffee
is a pretty high school
senior who falls for Jonny, the rebel with a cause. Family pressure
forces Toffee to end the courtship, so Jonny
charges off on his motorcycle to the nuclear
waste dump, only to return as a green
zombie, determined to reclaim Toffee’s heart
and take her to the prom. Tickets are $10
for students and seniors; $10 for adults.
State testing dates nearing
Clovis Unified students will be taking
the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP) tests
from March 8 through June 7. Students in
grades 3 through 8 and grade 11 will be
taking the Smarter Balanced (SBAC) English
Language Arts and Math tests and students
in grades 5, 8 and 10 will be taking the
science test. Students in Special Education,
who have been designated, will be taking
the California Alternative Assessment (CAA)
in the same grade levels as SBAC.
More information on the exact dates of
testing is available through individual school
sites. California law gives parents the right
to exempt their child from CAASPP testing
(CCR Title 5 Sec. 852b). For more information on this, parents can contact their
child’s school.
SPECIAL EDUCATION
Parent workshop
A free, special education parent workshop
entitled “Parenting is not easy! How can we
help?” will be held 9:30 to 11 a.m. March 9
in the CUSD Professional Development
Building, 1680 David E. Cook Way, Clovis.
A panel of Clovis Unified psychologists will
discuss positive solutions for difficult behavior. To register, visit Eventbrite at http://tinyurl.com/parenting3-9-16 or call the
Family Resource Center at 327-8455.
The public is also invited to attend the
Community Advisory Committee meeting
immediately following from 11:30 to 1 p.m.
Wills, conservatorship and more
Clovis Unified’s Special Education Department will host “Wills, Trusts, Conservatorship & Power of Attorney,” an informative workshop, from 6:30 to 8 p.m. March
15 at CUSD’s Professional Development
Building. The workshop will look at the
basics parents will need to know about
wills, trusts, conservatorship and power of
attorney for their student with an IEP. Advisors from Wells Fargo Investment will be
on hand to discuss these topics. The workshop is free. To register, visit Eventbrite at
http://tinyurl.com/wills-trusts-3-15 or call
the Family Resource Center at 327-8455.
March 2016
March 2016
CUSD Today
Page 13
Wildcat: Students enjoy having dads on campus
Changes coming online
to lunch menu postings
Starting in August at the beginning of the new school
year, Clovis Unified’s Campus Catering Department
will introduce a new web-based menu program. Students
and parents can use their computer or an app on their
smart phone to view photos of each menu item, see the
nutrition information, and get detailed description of
each item.
The food service staff creates innovative and healthy
school lunch menus for all students, from a five-ounce
salmon filet to a hearty chicken drumstick from Tyson
with mashed potatoes and a whole grain biscuit. Campus
Catering works with local companies in order to provide
fresh ingredients and foods that students recognize and
make sure they receive a balanced, nutritious and
delicious meal.
A demonstration of the new menu feature coming
this fall can be viewed at the Nutrislice Demo
site: http://demo.nutrislice.com/menu/lincoln-elem
entary/lunch/.
FROM PAGE ONE
individual help and instruction as needed, all the while
providing enthusiasm and
encouragement.
The students are great fans
of the program.
“There’s a ‘wow’ factor
when dads come in,” said
Valley Oak Guidance Instructional Specialist Stacey Firpo.
“The kids love it and the
dads have found it to be eyeopening and fun. They’ve
found a new appreciation of
teachers and what goes on
in the classroom. The feedback has been fantastic.”
At least 35 father figures
have volunteered and more
volunteers are welcome. “We
would like to have the entire
school year covered,” Firpo
said.
One day a month, for a
whole or half day, the men
volunteer to participate as a
presence on campus. Schedules are flexible and multiple
dads can volunteer for the
same day. Sign ups are easy
to do online.
“We’re in the classroom
part of the time and then
outside part of the time,”
said Wildcat Watch volunteer
Richard Aharonian. “This is
appealing to fathers,” he said.
“It lets fathers be involved.”
The men can choose the
area in which they wish to
participate. Activities include
monitoring the school entrance, assisting with unloading and loading of cars, monitoring the lunch room, walking the perimeter of the
school and facilitating games
and activities on the playground. They can also help
in the classroom with a
teacher’s guidance by working
with small groups of students
on homework, flashcards,
reading and more, plus enjoy
lunch and interact with their
child.
The day begins when fathers check in at the school
office, get their customized
schedule and don their special
vest with their name on the
front and "Wildcat Watch"
on the back.
Richard Aharonian believes Valley Oak’s Wildcat Watch pro“I like having the vest,” gram is a great way for fathers to get involved and bring a possaid Aharonian, whose itive influence to all students at the school.
daughter, Audrey, is a student
at Valley Oak. “It lets people
For those dads that have partnership is formed beknow my name and why I’m more than one child enrolled tween staff, students, families
here.”
at Valley Oak, their campus and the community.
His daughter likes having schedule allows for activities
“This is a cool program,”
dad on campus. “It’s exciting with each child.
Aharonian said. "We get to
to have volunteers in class,”
Wildcat Watch is designed see what a typical school day
the second-grader said.
to make a positive impact is like and what kids do each
on the lives of the Valley Oak day. More schools should
students. Firpo said the pro- have this."
gram is not only providing
Firpo agreed. “This rea positive male role model minds me so much of ‘Doc’
for students and demonstrat- [Buchanan]. It’s like family
ing by the dads’ presence that taking care of each other.”
education is important, but
Valley Oak fathers interalso allows for extra sets of ested in joining Wildcat
eyes and ears on campus. Watch can visit http://valSchool security is enhanced, leyoak.cusd.com/news/wildbullying is reduced and a cat-watch/ or call 327-8200.
Know:
FROM PAGE ONE
pil Achievement Data System
(CALPADS). No data from
the CALPADs database will
be transferred; rather, the
plaintiffs will be allowed to
make queries for specific
data.
Additionally, the judge
clarified that parent-filed objections are not opt outs, but
did note the large volume of
objections being filed.
March 21-25
from
9 a.m.-12 p.m.
Monday-Friday
We will paint 4 16x20
paintings and 2 air dry
clay sculptures.
Join us for
Sign up online,
$150 per artist
6 years old
and up.
ALL SUPPLIES
Birthday
INCLUDED.
Party Fun!
register online at:
www.theartistinme.us
Located at First & Herndon, near TGIFridays
The judge reiterated the
previous ruling’s requirement
that no data can be transferred unless and until the
plaintiffs meet the security
requirements contained in
the protocol developed for
the case.
For more information or
to learn how to file an objection with the court, visit
http://www.cde.ca.gov/re/di/
ws/morganhillcase.asp.
Page 14
CUSD Today
March 2016
Promise:
FROM PAGE ONE
get involved in clubs on campus, works part-time after
school and is in the application process for a summer
exchange program abroad.
This student is known on
campus to be the one to rally
other students, assisting one
class in winning a pizza party
for bringing the most canned
goods at Thanksgiving.
An unstable family life
caused this Student of Promise to endure 28 moves across
nine states and 19 schools
all the while dealing with
Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome, ADHD and Auditory
Processing Disorder. This resilient student is on track to
graduate and desires to pursue a career in social work
to help other teenagers in
crisis.
Functioning with a chronic medical condition since
birth, this student must take
additional steps and substantial amounts of extra time
to complete actions that most
would consider basic. Despite
this condition, this Student
of Promise has balanced advanced placement and honors
courses earning a 4.0 GPA
while participating on the
speech and debate team and
volunteering in the community.
The oldest of five children,
this Student of Promise was
in an environment of drugs,
prostitution, police raids, alcohol, neglect and violence.
The student was permanently
separated from three siblings
and navigated the foster care
system with one sibling for
four years until family members were able to locate them.
In the face of these circumstances, the student is on
track to attend a four-year
university, is involved in
school activities, has lettered
in two varsity sports and has
been extremely involved in
community service.
Since 2002, more than 225
students have been honored
as a Students of Promise, receiving a $1,500 scholarship
upon graduation from high
school for use in post-sec-
How to get
involved
Since 2001, more than
$335,000 has been awarded
to Students of Promise recipients. The Foundation
for Clovis Schools invites
you to consider supporting
CUSD students through
this program or to contact
the Foundation office at
327-9095 to learn about
additional opportunities
through the Foundation.
ondary education or trade
school.
Nominated by a teacher
or counselor, Students of
Promise are honored in their
junior year to encourage
them to finish high school
strong, knowing they have
financial support waiting for
them as they begin a new
chapter of life.
“Students of Promise validates a student’s effort to
improve their lives,” said
Buchanan counselor Denae
Hansen. “The award inspired
[one recipient] to have selfworth instead of selfloathing, confidence instead
of doubt, a bright and productive future ahead instead
of dread for what’s next.”
Clovis High counselor
Jennifer Pritchard called
those students honored as
“champions in life” who are
very deserving. “I am incredibly thankful to the Foundation not only for their generosity in awarding scholarships, but also for their understanding that success
might not always mean a
student earns the title of valedictorian, AP scholar or win
the championship games.”
“These students’ stories
tug at our hearts,” said Foundation for Clovis Schools
Chairperson Michael Fennacy. “They have persevered
through very challenging adversities, and we want them
to know that we believe in
them, that we know they can
have bright futures ahead.
The Foundation is proud to
Robert J. Belmontes, Jr.
Clovis North High School
Corryn Brechmann
Clovis West High School
Carlene Christensen
Clovis High School
Jerome “JD” Davis
Buchanan High School
Sherrie DeBarr
Clovis East High School
McKay Duran
Isack Espana
Clovis West High School
Grace Felder
Anna Lolinco
Lauren Martin
Dhruv Mistry
Jesse Ray
Gateway High School
Keon Sanaie
Hevenn Vanhelsdingen
Hannah Vizcarra
Jennifer Yue
award these scholarships, and
we are grateful for the support of sponsors and donors
in the community who make
that possible.”
Granville’s Home of Hope
has been a primary sponsor
of Students of Promise since
2006. Dollars generated from
ticket sales to win a new
Granville home are distributed to 10 local non-profits
to provide food, shelter,
healthcare and education in
the communities of Fresno
and Clovis.

Beating the Odds - Clovis Unified School District

Transcription

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