Bellflower Unified High Schools - the Bellflower Unified School District

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June 2016
Superintendent’s Message
June brought a wealth of triumphs as Bellflower Unified celebrated our high
school graduates, kindergarteners on the path to biliteracy, the strength of our
after­school programs and our classified employee of the year.
As always, high school graduation was a momentous occasion, marking one of
life’s most significant milestones. We cheered on 848 graduates from Bellflower
and Mayfair High Schools and another 150 from Somerset High School as they
prepared for the next stage of their college and career journeys. It is equally important to take a
moment to thank the dedicated and talented teachers who helped them reach their goals, and who
inspired new ones for the years to come.
At the other end of the spectrum, we celebrated as 48 kindergarteners received the first Pathway to
Biliteracy Awards given by the District. Students were required to demonstrate proficiency in grade­level
skills in English and Spanish to earn the honors, which will encourage them to continue their biliteracy
journeys into high school.
Another first for June came from the state, which awarded its first­ever honors for after­school programs
that promote healthy living through curriculum, activities and healthy nutrition. Bellflower’s Project
APPLE program snagged awards for each of its seven campus programs.
Bellflower also benefitted once again from the generosity of our community when the Rotary Club of
Bellflower sponsored a visit to Baxter Elementary School from a mobile optometry clinic. Eighty­nine
students received eyeglasses thanks to the visit – the third at a BUSD campus in just over a year.
We also honored one of our staff members – Classified Employee of the Year Eileen Jones. For 18 years,
Eileen has been a foundation of our staff’s strengths. In addition to her basic responsibilities, she serves
in a number of capacities to help connect Bellflower Unified with our community.
Now, as summer begins and our students take a well­deserved break, our team of educators will turn
their attention to preparations for 2016­17’s achievements. But not until they too take a much earned
summer to rejuvenate for an even stronger school year in the fall.
Superintendent Dr. Brian Jacobs
Bellflower Unified High Schools
Bellflower Unified High Schools
Celebrate Graduations
850 students graduated from Bellflower Unified’s two comprehensive
high schools in ceremonies on June 15 and 16
Nearly 80 students at Bellflower and Mayfair High Schools earned California’s Seal of Biliteracy on their
diplomas, indicating proficiency in at least two languages, and 205 received Golden State Seal Merit
Diplomas, indicating mastery of core curriculum subjects in school and state exams. In all, 354 students
graduated from Bellflower High and 494 graduated from Mayfair.
Students will attend a host of top U.S. universities, including UC Berkeley, UCLA, USC, Brigham Young
University, University of Washington, Chapman University, Texas A & M University, as well as other UC
and Cal State campuses.
Bellflower High School valedictorian Anika Flores has been a Bellflower Unified student since she was 4
years old. She has taken nine Advanced Placement classes, including five in her junior year, when she
attained the No. 1 rank in her class.
Bellflower High salutatorian Andrea Medina played flute and marimba in the school marching band and
worked with the Roots and Shoots Club to educate her peers on the environment. In addition to club
leadership roles, she served as a yearlong volunteer at a local Kaiser Permanente Hospital and a six­year
member of a mariachi group at her local parish.
Mayfair High valedictorian Patricia Cuarenta balanced 13 Advanced Placement courses with campus
involvement as a co­founder of the Model United Nations club, president of the National Honor Society
and student representative on the School Site Council.
Mayfair High salutatorian Jocelyne Vasquez completed 13 Advanced Placement and honors courses, and
played varsity girls volleyball. Vasquez was a member of the Spanish Club, Link Crew, National Honor
Society and California Scholarship Federation.
Bellflower Unified After­School Program
Recognized for Promoting Healthy Living
Bellflower Unified 2015 Teacher of the Year Cathy Fong is a teacher's teacher – quite literally.
As head of the District's Beginning Teacher Support and Assessment (BTSA) program, Fong is charged
with guiding BUSD's newest classroom leaders during their first two years on the job. She trains a team
of mentor teachers, meets regularly with her charges and even substitutes in classrooms to keep up­to­
date on the latest tools and techniques.
"Cathy Fong is one of our most extraordinary teachers," said Bellflower Unified Superintendent Dr. Brian
Jacobs. "She has an innate grasp of the challenges of running a classroom, and ensuring students have
the support they need to succeed. She possesses wonderful teaching practices/skills that she is able to
pass along and ensure our new teachers receive the support they need as they master these same skills."
Support for new teachers is critical for California public schools, which typically lose more than 10
percent of new teachers after their second year and nearly a quarter by their fourth year.
Fong joined Bellflower Unified in 1997 as an English teacher at Bellflower Middle and High School.
Immediately after completing her time as a mentored teacher in the BTSA program, she became a
mentor. In 2008, she took over coordination of the program as a teacher on special assignment – and
immediately began transforming it.
Fong automated much of the paperwork that dogs similar programs, helped train teachers from area
private schools when BUSD hiring slowed during the recession, and constantly seeks ways to streamline
the program and boost its focus on practical tools for teachers.
"My role is to be the mentor to the mentors," Fong said. "They are the heart and soul of the program. If
we develop good mentors, then our new teachers are going to be successful. And when you develop
good teachers, then it's the students who benefit. That's where our ultimate focus is."
48 Bellflower Unified Kindergarteners
Honored for Progress toward Biliteracy
Kindergarteners from one of two dual­language immersion classes at Bellflower Unified’s Intensive Learning Center
pose with teacher Rachel Rockway after receiving ribbons on June 6 recognizing their progress toward biliteracy in
English and Spanish. Below: Two kindergarteners from Bellflower Unified’s Intensive Learning Center’s dual­
language immersion program stand by a row of ribbons prior to the ceremony.
The sounds of laughter and applause mixed with excited chatter in English and Spanish on June 6, as
48 kindergarteners at Bellflower Unified’s Intensive Learning Center collected ribbons marking their
progress toward biliteracy.
The first­ever Pathway to Biliteracy Awards
recognized students from two dual­language
immersion classes for being able to count,
respond to literature and perform other
academic tasks in English and Spanish.
In addition to the kindergarteners, about
100 family members and school leaders
attended the evening event. Children were
called one by one to receive ribbons; their
families received certificates and were invited
to take photos with their children and school
representatives.
“These awards are a wonderful recognition
as our students begin to attain vital skills for
their education and future careers,”
Superintendent Dr. Brian Jacobs said.
“Biliterate students not only excel in school,
but they provide a critical resource in our
increasingly global marketplace.”
Bellflower Unified launched its dual­immersion program with kindergarteners at the Intensive Learning
Center in 2013­14. The program added first grade in 2014­15, second grade in 2015­16 and will add
third grade in 2016­17. A preschool class is being launched this fall.
The Pathway to Biliteracy Awards will be expanded as the program grows. Starting next year, awards will
go to students who demonstrate grade­appropriate skills at the end of preschool, kindergarten, first
grade and third grade. When the program grows through middle school, awards will be added at the
end of sixth and eighth grade, too.
89 Bellflower Unified Students Receive
Free Glasses after Mobile Clinic Visit
Baxter Elementary School students celebrate the delivery of new eyeglasses on June 14, 2016. Eighty­
nine students received free glasses thanks to the Rotary Club of Bellflower, Vision To Learn and Caring
Connections.
Eighty­nine students from Albert Baxter Elementary School received free eyeglasses June 14 from
nonprofit Vision To Learn, the third vision assistance program at a Bellflower Unified campus funded by
the Rotary Club of Bellflower in just over a year.
The program began with a visit from a
mobile clinic in which optometrists from
Vision To Learn, which provides vision
services to children in low­income
communities, identified prescription needs.
Then, on June 14, Vision To Learn and the
Rotary Club returned to Ramona with glasses
for the students.
The Rotary Club of Bellflower began
sponsoring the visits in 2015, with 102
students at Washington Elementary receiving
glasses in May. In February, the Rotary Club
funded a mobile clinic visit to Ramona
Elementary School, where 68 students
received glasses.
"We are truly thankful for the generosity of
Bellflower's Rotarians as they continue to
step up to help the students of our
community," Bellflower Unified Superintendent Dr. Brian Jacobs said. “This is a gift that will resonate
throughout these students' lives and which emphasizes the powerful of community partnerships."
The events have been facilitated by Caring Connections, a nonprofit dedicated to helping meet the
needs of children and families in the Bellflower Unified School District.
One in four adolescents in the U.S. suffers from common vision ailments that can be corrected with
glasses. Studies show students with proper eyeglasses participate more in school, demonstrate better
behavior and dramatically improve their self­confidence.
18­Year Bellflower Unified Secretary
Chosen as Classified Employee of the Year
Eileen Jones, who serves as a secretary to
the Director, Elementary Education at
Bellflower Unified, has been named the
2016­17 Classified Employee of the Year for
her expert hand at connecting with
community members, juggling a multitude of
tasks and assisting new employees.
Jones is at the ground level when it comes
to getting things done, according to
Elementary Education Director Dr. Alysia
Odipo and Secondary Education Director
Colleen McKinley, who nominated Jones.
She coordinates buses for elementary music,
activities for the GATE program, materials for
elementary training programs and handles
elementary parent concerns. She is a go­to
person for classified staff across the district,
helping them navigate such complex tasks as
budgets and work orders.
“Eileen is not only a tremendous member of
our team, she is also a delight to work with
day in and day out,” Superintendent Dr.
Brian Jacobs said. “She brings vast
knowledge, a sunny demeanor and a high
level of proficiency to ensure the work of the district is done efficiently and effectively.”
Jones has worked for Bellflower Unified since 1997, starting as an instructional aide. She has worked as
a school secretary, served as PTA Council president six times and as a member of the Citizens Task Force
for 18 years – currently as its chairperson. She is also active on the Superintendent’s District Advisory
Group.
Jones is also known for dressing up for holidays and special events in costumes as simple as bunny ears
and as detailed as a picnic table. She brings homemade cakes on birthdays and treats for holidays, and
coordinates a holiday cookie exchange.
“She is a gem,” Odipo said. “She expertly juggles many tasks, volunteers to lead events like Relay for
Life, helps her colleagues at the drop of a hat and is always there when we need her, no matter what.
And her sense of humor never fails to raise everyone’s spirits.”
Bellflower Unified School District provides a pathway for all students to attain the expertise and
develop skills of academic excellence that will empower them to become lifelong active learners,
demonstrate respect for themselves and others in a dynamic, diverse and global society, become
responsible, informed, productive, independent and contributing citizens, and perform successfully in
their chosen field and in society.
Copyright © 2016 Bellflower Unified School District, All rights reserved.
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