Covering the El Rancho Unified School District

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1 FREE Education + Communication = A Better Nation Covering the El Rancho Unified School District covering the community of Pico Rivera VOLUME 1, ISSUE 2 MARCH / APRIL 2012 Ruben Salazar A Model High School Ruben Salazar Modelo Escuela Preparatoria By Reynaldo Reyes, Ruben Salazar High School On January 12, 2012, Ruben Salazar High School was designated as a Model Continuation High School by the California Department of Education. The Model Continuation High School Recognition Program is a partnership of the Department of Education (CDE) and the California Continuation Education Association (CCEA). The goal of the partnership is to identify and recognize outstanding schools and their programs and create a resource list of quality programs other schools can visit and emulate. To be eligible for the award program, applicants must be accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (Salazar received a 6-year accreditation) and demonstrate exemplary program effectiveness in school management, curriculum, SEE RUBEN SALAZAR PAGE 7 Great Things Are Happening As the El Rancho Unified School District (ERUSD) continues to wrestle with the serious challenges presented by this year s Sacramento budget crisis, it is more important than ever to celebrate the great things that are happening in our district. I d like to begin by congratulating the staff and students of Ruben Salazar Continuation High School for receiving the state recognition as a Model Continuation High School. I have worked in five school districts during my extensive career in education, and the opportunities available for Salazar students far surpass those I have seen elsewhere. Not only do the staff members go above and beyond for their students, their principal, Mr. Reyes, is constantly providing additional opportunities for students and adults to excel. This school is an exciting place to visit, and SEE SUPERINTENDENT PAGE 8 Dr. Myrna Rivera Cote Ruben Salazar High School ASB Officers for the School Year SUPERINTENDENT Noticias Escolares Mientras que el Distrito Escolar Unificado El Rancho sigue luchando con los retos serios de la crisis del presupuesto presentados este año por Sacramento, es más importante que nunca celebrar los grandes eventos que están ocurriendo en nuestro Distrito. Quiero comenzar felicitando al personal y los estudiantes de la Escuela Preparatoria de Segunda Oportunidad Salazar por haber recibido el reconocimiento estatal como Escuela Preparatoria Modelo de Segunda Oportunidad. He trabajado en cinco distritos escolares durante mi extensa carrera en educación, y las oportunidades disponibles para los estudiantes de Salazar superan mucho más que otros que he visto. No solamente el personal hace mucho más allá de lo normal para sus estudiantes, el director, Sr. Reyes, esta constantemente proporcionando oportunidades adicionales para que los SEE SUPERINTENDENTE PAGE 8 By Reynaldo Reyes, Director Escuela Preparatoria Ruben Salazar El 12 de enero de 2012, la Escuela Preparatoria Ruben Salazar fue designada por la Secretaria de Educación de California como una Escuela Preparatoria Modelo de Segunda Oportunidad. El Programa de Reconocimiento Modelo de Escuelas de Segunda Oportunidad es una alianza con la Secretaria de Educación (CDE por sus siglas en inglés) y la Asociación de Educación de Segunda Oportunidad de California (CCEA por sus siglas en inglés). La meta de esta alianza es de identificar y reconocer escuelas sobresalientes y sus programas y generar una lista de recursos de programas de calidad que otras escuelas puedan utilizar e imitar. Para reunir los requisitos a este programa de reconocimiento, los solicitantes deben ser acreditados por la Asociación de Escuelas y Universidades (Salazar recibió una SEE Ruben Salazar PAGE 7 BOARD OF EDUCATION Dr. Joseph Rivera President Rita Jo Ramirez Clerk Rachel Canchola Member Delia Alvidrez Vice-President Alfred Renteria Jr. Member Inside: Human Resources, Educational Services & Student Services page 2 Schools pages 3 6 Contest page 6

2 Human Resources 9333 Loch Lomond Dr., Pico Rivera, CA / John Lopez Assistant Superintendent Supporting Our Teachers The El Rancho Unified School District is committed to excellence in education. Our district acknowledges that the success of our students is the result of the contributions of the entire school community. The Human Resources Department is dedicated to meeting individual needs and supporting the professional growth of all employees. An important part of human resources is the Teacher Support Program, which includes: the Beginning Teacher Assessment and Support (BTSA) Induction Program and the Peer Assistance and Review (PAR) Program. The Teacher Support Programs help prepare teachers to meet the academic learning needs of all K 12 students and enable the district to retain high-quality teachers. Programs include individualized support and assistance for each participating teacher, collaborative experiences with colleagues and resource personnel, and a formative assessment system built upon the California Standards for the Teaching Profession. Both programs collaborate with K 12 organizations to integrate program activities with the professional development efforts of the district and partner organizations. These include: human resource professionals and site administrators to determine participant identification and eligibility, to provide information regarding requirements for participation, and to determine program completion; educational services personnel to provide curricular and instructional priorities; and site administrators to provide site support for the participating teachers and programs. The programs are responsive to individual teachers needs and are consistent with education code. They are relevant to the contemporary conditions of teaching and learning and provide for coordination of the administrative components of the programs, such as admission, advisement, support, self-assessment, and program evaluation. Educational Services 9333 Loch Lomond Dr., Pico Rivera, CA / The Teaching American History (TAH) Grant was awarded to the El Rancho Unified School District in The highly competitive grant has been instrumental in providing professional development for elementary and secondary teachers. The trainings have focused on teaching strategies and provide invaluable American history resources. Thirty-two teachers from the El Rancho Unified School District attend scholarly seminars led by nationally renowned scholars in American history. Topics have included: Crisis in the Civil War, Rise Susanna of Progressivism and The Great Depression. As a result, teachers have Contreras-Smith implemented the use of primary historical sources, as well as integrating Assistant music and arts into their classroom instruction. Teachers are given the Superintendent opportunity to collaborate and share history lessons with one another. Our TAH leadership team is comprised of: Susanna Contreras-Smith, Assistant Superintendent, Linda Ramirez, Coordinator, Lilia Carreon, District History Coach, Dr. Bill Deverell, Professor and Lead Historian, Michele Zack, Local Historian, Jack Barielles and Helen Chan-Hill, Advisors. Working in partnership with the Huntington Library, we continue to create rewarding and enriching experiences for our students and our teachers. Participating elementary teachers include Rachel, Aguirre, Elisa Alderete, Leonard D. Atencio, Elizabeth Barrera, Charlotte Cochran, Tracy Davila, Ivette Lopez-Roman, Veronica Najar-Robles, Olivia Oliver, Debbie Robledo, Paula Salcido, Lorena Somarriba, Annette Veach, April Vela, and April Yanez. Participating secondary teachers include Charlene Brown, Jen Castagna, Jazmin Chavez, Laura Jurado, Marcella Lamar, Arianne Martinez, Christina Mata, Kathy Mextaxas, Christina Padilla, Desiree Palacios, Parvin Qureshi, Alejandra Rosales, Tracie Sedano, Karen Quintero-Cadena, and Tina Walker. For further information, please contact Assistant Superintendent Susanna Contreras-Smith. Kay Coop Founder / Publisher Home Room Neta Madison 562/ Netragrednik Thank you for including School News among your reading choices. El Rancho Unified School District has so much good news to share. We have moved into the Social Media and can now be followed on Twitter and Facebook. Also, you may launch our web APP from your Smart Phone to stay connected to the school news. Our next issue for this district is May 15. Be sure to enter our Contest on page 6. Congratulations to Darlene Ruiz, the winner our January contest. Have a fun Spring Break! Education + Communication = A Better Nation Covering the EL RANCHO UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT FOUNDER/PUBLISHER: Kay Coop 562/ kay@schoolnewsrollcall.com CONTENT COORDINATOR: Barbra Longiny COPY EDITORS: Lisa Brock, Kate Karp & Anna Zappia CONTRIBUTING CARTOONIST: Neta Madison GRAPHIC DESIGNER: Laura Brune Student Services 9333 Loch Lomond Dr., Pico Rivera, CA / Chris M. Gutierrez- Lohrman, Ed.D. SchoolNewsRollCall SCHOOL NEWS ROLL CALL P.O. Box 728, Seal Beach, CA / Copyright 2006, School News Roll Call LLC Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is strictly prohibited unless otherwise stated. Opinions expressed by contributing writers and guest columnists are their views and not necessarily those of School News Roll Call. This publication is privately owned and the right is reserved to select and edit content. The school district do not endorse the advertisers in this publication. Activities in Special Education High-performing school districts are immersed in a culture of continuous improvement, and they utilize multiple strategies to make decisions, based on evidence and community input. El Rancho Unified School District s goal, through the leadership of the Board of Trustees and the superintendent, is to be viewed as one of those high-performing districts. This includes the academic performance and the post-secondary outcomes for our students with disabilities. The Special Education Department has been working hard to achieve this goal and has initiated a program evaluation to investigate how to best serve students with disabilities at the elementary school levels. This process has been multi-faceted, involving administrators, teachers, and, most importantly, parents. Initial recommendations from the community have included: allowing students to age up at one campus all the way from kindergarten through fifth grade; reducing the grade-level spans of self-contained classrooms from three to two grade levels; adopting standardized curriculum across all campuses and settings; providing additional in-service and training for staff and parents; and providing additional opportunities for support and integration into general education settings. We are currently in the final phases of the evaluation and will be providing final recommendations regarding a master plan for students with disabilities to the Board of Trustees in April. If you have not been able to participate in a stakeholder meeting and would like to provide a comment or additional feedback, please don t hesitate to send me an through the district Web site. 2

3 Birney Elementary 8501 Orange Ave., Pico Rivera, CA / Gisela Castañon Physical Fitness Helps Us Stay Healthy! Spring is almost here, and we re beginning to think more about the outdoor activities. Let s take advantage of it so that our students can build a strong foundation for a healthy lifestyle! Physical fitness begins in kindergarten, where children play games such as hopscotch, jump rope and Hula-Hoop. Do you remember the last time you were able to keep a Hula-Hoop spinning or played with a jump rope? Doing these activities on a video game system doesn t count! You may want to spend a Saturday playing with your youngster outside and showing him or her how we played those games when we were in school. Our first-through-third-grade students begin their PE activities with traditional stretches and aerobic warm-up exercises such as jumping jacks. Our upper-grade students play soccer and basketball and take a quick jog around the field. Our fifth-graders are busy getting ready for the physical fitness test in May. They work on their upper-body strength, flexibility and endurance. At the end of the year, our fifth-grade students challenge teachers and staff to a good old-fashioned game of softball in our annual end-of-the-year tradition. By staying active, we are teaching our children to make healthy choices, live a healthy life and engage in teamwork. Try to join your child the next time he or she is playing, and try not to hurt your back as you give that Hula-Hoop a spin! Durfee Elementary 4220 S. Durfee Ave., Pico Rivera, CA / Gloria Lopez Magic Moments In a passage written by the author Paulo Coelho, he unfolds these simple words: No one day is like another. Each tomorrow has its special miracle, its magic moment in which old universes are destroyed and new stars created. Taking this concept, the Durfee School staff has worked to destroy what was a culture of program improvement to create magical moments of learning. Teachers focus daily on the most essential pieces of learning by underlining the Language Objective with Learning (LOL). Using this powerful strategy, teachers frame critical standards and articulate the LOL throughout their lessons. More importantly, teachers define how students will demonstrate what they have learned. Research by Robert Marzano explained, When teachers post clear, measurable objectives, students learn more effectively because they know what they re supposed to be learning. Teachers find that students begin to understand why this learning is important to them. LOLs are everywhere! They are visible and illuminated by the teacher and the students in every lesson. As learning progresses, you find teachers asking students to express, demonstrate, and confirm the LOLs. Teachers have also connected another school-wide strategy called Tickets Out to the LOL. Each day before students leave, they share one LOL they learned that particular day. Nothing is incidental for students or teachers. Students are more engaged and have more opportunities to state and restate what they are learning. It is the hope of the entire Durfee learning community that the use of LOL will be that special miracle which brings great success! Have a fun Spring Break! COVERING THE EL RANCHO UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT Our next issue is May 15 Burke Middle School 8101 Orange Ave., Pico Rivera, CA / Mark Matthews English Learner Redesignation At Burke Middle School, we have high expectations for all of our students. One of our goals is to recognize students when they meet or exceed our expectations. For our English learners, one of the most important expectations is that they meet the criteria necessary for redesignation. In February, a ceremony was held in the library to recognize the 18 English learners at Burke Middle School who met all the criteria necessary for redesignation. These students received certificates from Mrs. Baskett, coordinator of categorical programs; Ms. Pantoja, English learner resource teacher; and Susanna Smith, assistant superintendent of educational services. All English learners were invited to attend the event, and those who have not yet met the criteria were reminded of the importance of working hard to achieve redesignated Eighth grade student Diana Salas, Mrs. Baskett and Ms. Pantoja status. El Rancho High School 6501 S. Passons Blvd., Pico Rivera, CA / Sam Genis Traditional Conquest The tradition continues for the Academic Decathlon team! The 11 members found out in February that they had placed seventh in the Los Angeles County Academic Decathlon competition and once again earned an invitation to the state competition in Sacramento, which makes it four years in a row that ERHS has made it to that level. Ms. Oase and Ms. Lam, the team s head coaches, credited their success to early morning practices, nonexistent weekends and late night study sessions. The banquet took place at a banquet facility in Montebello. The competition took place over two successive Saturdays, the first on our very own ERHS campus in January and the second at USC in February. The decathlon is a local county/state/national honors program designed to promote self-assurance, academic enrichment and teamwork among students from diverse academic backgrounds. This year s study theme for all decathlons nationwide was European Imperialism and the Age of Empires. Here are the individual results: John Barrios (Team Captain): Interview Gold, Speech Gold, Art Bronze, Overall Top Team Scorer Hazel Flores: Speech Gold, Interview Bronze Bryan Marquez: Speech Gold, Interview Bronze Gustavo Marquez: Interview Silver Monserrat Marquez: Speech Silver Nina Marquez: Speech Gold, Interview Gold Tammy Nguyen: Interview Gold Isaac Rodriguez: Art Gold, Language and Lit Bronze, Music Bronze, Division I, Overall Scorer Stacey Yakimowich: Interview Gold, Essay Silver,Speech Bronze MARCH / APRIL

4 Magee Elementary 8200 Serapis Ave., Pico Rivera, CA / Rudy Ramirez Young Authors Mr. Dennis Yang, author of The Tenth Floor, visited Magee Elementary School to share his wonderful books and stories of his world travels. Along with being a distinguished children s book author, Mr. Yang is an avid runner and literacy advocate. He spoke to students about the importance of staying committed to learning and creativity. Mr. Yang recently ran across the United States to promote children s literacy. He even joined some Magee students as they participated in our annual Sweetheart Relay. Magee celebrated Dr. Seuss birthday on March 2 by hosting a Read Across America event, where distinguished members of the community shared their favorite stories with our students. Magee also hosted a Family Literacy Night on March 2 for the entire community to enjoy. On March 28, some of Magee s talents will be put on display as students in fourth and fifth grades will host a talent show for all to enjoy. Mr. Yang, distinguished children s book author, with Magee students. North Ranchito Elementary 8837 E. Olympic Blvd., Pico Rivera, CA / Cynthia Alvarez Meeting All the Challenges As a result of our focus on student engagement, North Ranchito held the second annual Science Fair. Fifth-grade students participated in developing hypotheses and illustrating the outcome of their experiments through the use of the scientific method. Students presented projects in class and displayed them schoolwide for students and parents to view. It was encouraging to see students accessing science standards and working at the Challenge level of learning. To improve our reading comprehension schoolwide, we have initiated an Accelerated Reader (AR) Challenge. Students have been challenged to meet monthly reading targets, which will make a significant impact on reading achievement. This challenge has resulted in a 23 percent increase in reading comprehension points earned through the AR program and an increase in student independent reading levels. The month of February has spotlighted the team spirit at North Ranchito with students, staff and parents working collaboratively to promote student engagement. North Ranchito Science Fair entries. How Gases and Temperature Expand by Miguel Olea. How to Make a Translucent Egg by Natalie Trueba. North Park Middle School 4450 S. Durfee Ave., Pico Rivera, CA / Kendall Goyenaga Building Family Strengths Early in the fall, our school held its first-ever Lunch with Your Lancer event. Parents were invited to come and bring lunch to share with their children. The idea behind the lunch activity was to present our families with an opportunity for some quality time. We recognize the importance and benefits families gain from time and activities together. After hosting our third event of the year this past Valentine s Day, we continued to average almost 100 parents and family members per event. During our Valentine s Day lunch event, parents also had the opportunity of participating in some of the activities led by ASB, such as sack races, three-legged races and Hula-Hoop contests. Because of their success, Lunch with Your Lancer events have become one of the highlights of the current school year. We hope parents continue to support them, and we look forward to a few more special lunches before the end of the school year. Rio Vista Elementary 8809 Coffman-Pico Rd., Pico Rivera, CA / Dean Cochran Lunch with Lancers Science Stars Congratulations to the Rio Vista Elementary School Science Olympiad Team. The Rio Vista Science Club is a third-, fourth-, and fifth-grade after-school program led by fourth-grade teacher Melina Kust. Students meet weekly to study science processes, concepts, and thinking skills and to plan and create projects that demonstrate the application of science and technology. The ultimate goal of the club is to compete in the Los Angeles County Science Olympiad against other elementary schools within the county. This year the Science Olympiad events were held at Occidental College on February 25. Elementary level teams consisting of 15 students earned a bronze medal as they competed in events ranging from egg drop to anatomy to catapulting tennis balls. This year s team members include fifth-graders Emily Lopez, Samantha Avila, Martin Aguilar, Jose Martinez, Justin Becerra, Victoria Rodriguez, Christian Borjon, Maarqui Calvo, and Joshua Mitchell and fourthgraders Monica Aguirre, Marie Buitrago, Alessandro Cuellar, Diego Gonzalez, Christopher Zometa, and Jazmin Reyes. We would like to remind our families of Open House on March 22. Classrooms will showcase student work from this school year between 5 and 6:30 p.m. All are welcome to attend. On March 30, Rio Vista will host Lunch with Someone Special. Students will have an opportunity to share part of the day with grown-ups who have made a difference in their lives. Students will bring home registration forms the week prior to the event. 4

5 Rivera Elementary 7250 Citronell St., Pico Rivera, CA / Barbara Keenoy Readers Soar Like Eagles Eight Rivera Elementary School students have read more than a million words this school year, as recorded by Accelerated Reader (AR), an internationally recognized reading incentive program. The eight stupendous readers are Andres Arzate, Carlo Lopez, Alma Flores, Marta Acosta, George Castillo, Deanna Roldan, Destiny Rivera and Alessandra Ramirez. In fact fourth-grade student, Andres Arzate, has read more two and a half million words this year alone. As of February 21, Rivera students passed over 23,000 AR quizzes. The average fifth-grader at promotion time will have read approximately 250 books, equaling about a million words, since starting AR in second grade. Many will have read two or three million words. The annual culminating activity for our AR program is a limousine ride for the top readers in third, fourth, and fifth grades. South Ranchito Elementary 5241 Passons Blvd., Pico Rivera, CA / Margaret Norman South Ranchito parent leading small group instruction. Parent Partners We are very proud of the level of parent involvement at South Ranchito Elementary School. Our parents primary focus is to support student achievement. Parent volunteers work daily in the classrooms, providing small-group, language arts reinforcement under the direction of classroom teachers. Parent Club was started last year when parents discovered our fifth-graders were unable to attend their annual university trip. In less than two months, they raised the necessary funds. This year they re using the Box Tops for Education Program to purchase incentives to support reading. Student achievement is also important to our PTA, as they continue to provide educational field trips and purchase library books on a yearly basis. Parents also extend their volunteer services for after-school activities. Parent volunteers supervise drill team, girls volleyball, visual arts, the talent show, and the mother/son and father/daughter dances. We are truly grateful for the importance parents place on education. Valencia Elementary 9241 E. Cosgrove St., Pico Rivera, CA / Rivera Middle School 7200 Citronell St., Pico Rivera, CA / Andrew Alvidrez Eight students read more than a million words. Giving Our All As we complete the second half of the school year, the next four months will be especially busy for our students. Seventhgrade students took the California Standards Test Writing Test on March 1. This assessment is important because it gives us a snapshot of how our seventh-graders are attaining the California standards in the area of English Language Arts (ELA) Writing Application Standards. We know our students did their best! Our teachers give their all as well. Our staff members are dedicated to working together on a common curriculum so there is continuity between classrooms. They use this collaboration to plan lessons, dialogue, monitor student performance on assessments, modify curriculum, and communicate progress to parents. We believe in trying to prevent problems rather than trying to fix them. Teachers consistently analyze the most recent assessment data to ensure students are learning. They confer with colleagues regarding student progress and communicate this data with parents and administration. Teachers are required to meet bi-monthly for planning purposes to compare results, offer assistance to one another, and plan future lessons. Data is used to determine student needs and guide instruction. This allows us to provide students with the appropriate time and support necessary for them to learn. COVERING THE EL RANCHO UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT Roxane Fuentes Supporting Student Success The Valencia Elementary School PTA has been working hard this school year to support student achievement. Students are recognized each month and each trimester for academic achievement, improvement, and growth in character. Our PTA members are strong supporters of literacy. Frequently, they provide students with wonderful children s books. PTA hosts several literacy activities to encourage reading during Read Across America Week. Green eggs and ham will be delivered by Dr. Seuss, chocolate chip cookies and chocolate drinks will be provided at Pajama Story Night, and books and prizes will be given to all students during the Read Rally. Students will be challenged to exceed their Accelerated Reader goals to initiate the principal s annual crazy stunt. Valencia s PTA also supports student field trip costs and assemblies, provides additional school supplies, and donates funds for campus beautification projects. They contribute in so many ways to making Valencia a great place to learn! Valencia s Family Board Game Night sponsored by the PTA. MARCH / APRIL

6 Early Learning Program Adult School - Room 5, 9515 Haney St., Pico Rivera, CA / Roberta Gonzalez Preschoolers Prepare for Kindergarten! Teaching preschool children the alphabet is a huge component of getting them ready to succeed in kindergarten. In ERUSD preschool classrooms, children master the alphabet with the Alphafriends program, a developmentally appropriate system for teaching letter names and their corresponding sounds. Each week, preschool teachers introduce their students to a new letter of the alphabet. Each letter is associated with a fun, colorful character and related activities for children to enjoy. Over the course of each week, children sing, dance, read, paint and write about their new Alphafriend. And by Friday, children are experts on the letter of the week! As Alphafriends is also used in kindergarten classrooms, it offers an ideal foundation for transitioning to elementary school. By the end of the school year, preschoolers learn all 26 letters of the alphabet and are prepared to enter kindergarten ready to read and achieve! Children master the alphabet with the Alphafriends program El Rancho Adult School 9515 Haney St., Pico Rivera, CA / Chuck Collings Employment Opportunities We had a very successful Mini Job Fair on February 16, hosted by the Southeast Area Social Services Funding Authority (SASSFA). The job fair brought over 200 Pico Rivera and surrounding area residents to the El Rancho Education Center/Adult School facility, where many of them were hired on the spot. There were a variety of positions offered by 15 individual employers, including government agencies and private industries. We are excited that the El Rancho Education Center will be continuing to host many more job fairs. Partnerships with organizations under the Department of Labor, such as SASSFA, are vital to the growth and prosperity of Pico Rivera. Anthem Check out our Web Cantata site for future events. Fantasia Aria Capriccio Folk Ballad Carol Fugue Barcarole Chamber Gigue Berceuse Chant Gospel Blues Chorale Intermezzo Bolero Concerto Lullaby One word in the list Cadenza is NOT in the word Country search. Madrigal When you have completed the word search, Calypso one word will be left and that is the word you to: Kay@schoolnewsrollcall.com ( Please put ERUSD Etude in the subject March line Canon Fandango Mazurka Music Word Search Contest NEW Rules!!! Entries must be received by April 15, 2012 From the correct entries one name will be drawn to win a $20 gift certificate redeemable at Barnes & Noble. Anthem Aria Ballad Barcarole Berceuse Blues Bolero Cadenza Calypso Canon Cantata Capriccio Carol Chamber Chant Chorale Concerto Country Etude Fandango Fantasia Folk Fugue Gigue Gospel Intermezzo Lullaby Congratulations to Darlene Ruiz Winner of the January Contest! Madrigal March Mazurka Minuet Motet Nocturne Opera Operetta Oratorio Overture Rap Job Fair Minuet Motet Nocturne Opera Operetta Oratorio Overture I X B E R L E L U L L A B Y E E N K O E E A N T H E M L G U T H T C L N B G R O O C U O G U N V E O E E M I U O Z E S I D J A N R N R C A R T E S P G E O A H A M C O O H D C F E C O C G I C I E E M U C A O L A A V Z N R L U Z R A N I M N L R T E P A A S C Z T R T B Y Y E F A R B D E F A O O C R A P P C O T T D N S T D G R H Y S O H J K N U I A T T E R E P O C C W M L A R Q F M I N U E T T E T O M O C E U G U F Z Z Z D A L L A B F M A Z U R K A M 6

7 RUBEN SALAZAR FROM PAGE 1 instructional strategies, educational climate, guidance, and counseling. As part of the application process, parents, students, and community members are required to submit written statements in support of their school based on review team evaluations. Twenty five (25) new schools were selected for Model Continuation School status. There are currently 504 continuation schools in California and only 64 Model Continuation High Schools. Exemplary program highlights from the selection committee were: State of the Art instructional technology, particularly ITeach resources, teacher use of Eno and Elmo interactive white boards and overheads Directed instruction aligned with State standards Variable schedules Graduation rate increase with CAHSEE intervention instruction Apex online learning Data driven support (Eadms) system Credit recovery programs (Prep grant) College course work offered through Rio Hondo College Olweus Bullying Prevention Program College and career fairs (2 per year) Scholarship awards program (26 scholarships awarded ) Interact Rotary Club student partnership Character Counts Second-Year Senior Program (dropout prevention) Graduation Plus Serves students over 18 years of age who are: Credit deficient Have not passed the CAHSEE Employed In need of a high school diploma The programs listed above were just a few of the programs designed and implemented by the outstanding staff at Ruben Salazar High School. Instructors were recruited to work with struggling students who lack sufficient school credits and are at risk of not graduating. Many of the students have jobs outside of school due to family problems, foster youths, illness, or other circumstances beyond their control. Most students are not behavior transfers as is public opinion. As stated by Tom Torlakson, Superintendent of Public Educations accommodation letter, Your staff is to be commended for establishing a school climate in which students feel safe, challenged, and supported in their effort to graduate from high school, transition to higher education, and enter the work force. Congratulations on being designated a Model Continuation High School. You will be recognized at the CCEA Conference at the Beverly Garland in Hollywood on April This is a great accomplishment and honor for our students, the El Rancho Unified School District, our community, and above all, our classified and certificated staff. Their continued support and commitment is greatly appreciated. Ruben Salazar Continuation HighSchool Certificated and Classified staff Ruben Salazar FROM PAGE 1 acreditación de seis años) y demostrar la efectividad de un programa ejemplar en administración escolar, currículo, estrategias de enseñanza, ambiente educativo, guía, y de consejos. Como parte del proceso de la solicitud, se le requiere que los padres de familia, estudiantes, y miembros de la comunidad declararen por escrito el apoyo de su escuela basado en las evaluaciones del equipo de estudio. Veinte cinco (25) nuevas escuelas fueron seleccionadas por el estado como Modelo de Escuelas de Segunda Oportunidad. Actualmente hay 504 escuelas de segunda oportunidad en California y solo 64 Modelo de Escuelas Preparatorias de Segunda Oportunidad. Aspectos sobresalientes de un programa ejemplar de parte del comité que hizo la selección: Estado actual en tecnología de enseñanza, particularmente los recursos ITeach, el uso de parte de los maestros la interacción de proyectores y pizarrones blancos Eno y Elmo Instrucción directa alineada con las normas estatales Horarios variables Aumento del índice de graduación con la instrucción de intervención CAHSEE Aprendizaje por Internet Apex Sistema de apoyo basado en datos (Eadms) Programas para recuperar créditos (Prep grant) Tarea universitario según el estudio que ofrece Rio Hondo College Programa de Prevenir Intimidación Olweus Ferias de profesiones y universitarias (2 veces al año) Programas de becas (26 becas se otorgaron ) Club Interact Rotary alianza estudiantil Character Counts (programa para fomentar el buen carácter) Programa de un segundo año para los estudiantes en el 12vo grado (para prevenir el abandono de estudios) Graduación Plus Presta servicio a los estudiantes de más de 18 años quien: Falta créditos o deficiencia de créditos No han aprobado el CAHSEE Trabajan Con necesidad de diploma de la escuela preparatoria Los programas mencionados fueron unos de los programas designados e implementados por el personal sobresaliente de la Escuela Preparatoria Ruben Salazar. Maestros fueron reclutados para trabajar con estudiantes luchando con insuficientes créditos y en riesgo de no graduar. Muchos de ellos tienen que trabajar fuera de la escuela debido a problemas familiares, jóvenes en casas de padres provisionales, enfermedades, u otras circunstancias más allá de su control. La mayoría de los estudiantes no asisten a Salazar debido a la conducta según la opinión de la gente. Como dijo Tom Torlakson, Superintendente de Escuelas Públicas en la carta de fecilitación, El personal debe ser elogiado por establecer un ambiente escolar en cual los estudiantes se sienten seguros, puestos a prueba, y apoyados en sus esfuerzos para graduar de la preparatoria, asistir a la universidad, y entrar a trabajar. Felicidades en haber sido designado una Escuela Preparatoria Modelo de Segunda Oportunidad y será reconocida en la Conferencia CCEA en el Beverly Garland en Hollywood del 26 al 29 de abril. Este es un gran logro y honor para nuestros estudiantes, el Distrito Escolar Unificado El Rancho, nuestra comunidad, y más que todo, nuestro personal clasificado y titulado. El apoyo y compromiso continuo de ellos es sumamente agradecido. COVERING THE EL RANCHO UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT MARCH / APRIL

8 SUPERINTENDENT FROM PAGE 1 SUPERINTENDENTE FROM PAGE 1 I urge all of you to take a few minutes to do so. I must also congratulate the traditionally outstanding El Rancho High School Academic Decathalon team for their continuing success. The 11 members of this year s team have once again received an invitation to the state Academic Decathalon competition in Sacramento. This is the fourth year in a row that El Rancho students have earned this opportunity by excelling in the local competition. Ms. Oase, the Academic Decathalon Team s head coach, credited their success to early morning practices, non-existent weekends, and late night study sessions. This year s competitive theme was The Age of the Empire. Congratulations to students John Barrios, Hazel Flores, Bryan Marquez, Gustavo Marquez, Monserrat Marquez, Nina Marquez, Tammy Nguyen, Isaac Rodriguez, and Stacey Yakimowich for their outstanding accomplishment this year! Also impressive was El Rancho High School s First Annual Open House, which was held on February 16. This event was an opportunity for current and prospective students (and their parents) to learn about El Rancho High School s academic and extracurricular opportunities. The parent response to this evening was very positive, and the turnout was outstanding! The Dons are excelling this year! Each year the administrators of the El Rancho Unified School District honor one community member as our Service Award recipient. This year, we are pleased to recognize Mr. Raymond Chavez. Mr. Chavez is currently the management analyst for the city of Pico Rivera. He has been a constant and supportive presence in our school district for many years. Some of his accomplishments include the Career Preparation and Opportunity Program and the I m Going to College Scholarship Program for middle school students. He also actively volunteers in our career fairs and sits on the CORE Management Team for our Safe Schools/Healthy Families Grant. No matter what the project may be, Mr. Ray Chavez is always willing to lend a helping hand to create and sustain partnerships between the city and our schools. Congratulations, Ray! At ERUSD, we are doing an amazing job of preparing our students for life after high school. Our students education begins in classrooms like those I visited recently at Birney and South Ranchito Elementary Schools, where our young students are inspired to learn. It continues on into the classrooms I visited a few weeks ago at our 2010 Distinguished School, Rivera Middle School, where students are guided into higher thinking activities, including Astro Camp. And it continues at El Rancho and Salazar High Schools. We, in the El Rancho Unified School District, continue to do the best job possible with our ever-shrinking piece of the funding pie. Of course, the bad news is that our district, like scores of other school districts throughout the state, is once again facing major budget cuts. In January, Governor Brown s budget proposals continued the fiscal emergency we have been dealing with for many years. Unfortunately, the Governor s State Budget Proposal, coupled with ERUSD s declining enrollment, results in a reduction of unrestricted general fund revenues of at least $8.8 million for the school year. It is virtually impossible to increase district revenue to offset this monumental loss of state funding. Therefore, ERUSD, like all school districts, must make equivalent cuts in program and personnel expenditures in order to remain fiscally solvent. We must all work together to address this unprecedented fiscal challenge to the education of today s youth. At ERUSD, we continue to be open to new ideas and suggestions because we recognize this is not the time for business as usual. If you have any budget suggestions, please feel free to the district directly at We are making every attempt to keep the cuts as far away from the classroom as we can, and all of the suggestions we receive will be carefully reviewed and considered. We have a great deal to be proud of in our district. Working together, I know that we will weather the severe budget crisis facing us in California. Dr. Myrna Rivera Cote Superintendent estudiantes y adultos sobresalgan. Esta escuela es un lugar que excita visitar y les ruego a todos que tomen unos minutos de hacerlo. Debo también felicitar al equipo tradicionalmente sobresaliente el Decatlón Académico de la Escuela Preparatoria El Rancho por su éxito continuo. El equipo de once miembros de este año ha recibido otra vez una invitación a la Competencia de Decatlón Académica estatal en Sacramento. Este es el cuarto año seguido que los estudiantes de El Rancho han ganado esta oportunidad por haber superado en la competencia local. La Srta. Oase, maestra principal del equipo Decatlón Académico, acredita el éxito de los estudiantes practicas muy tempranas en la mañana, sin existir fin de semanas, y sesiones de estudios muy noche. El tema de competencia este año fue, La Era del Emperio. Felicidades a los estudiantes John Barrios, Hazel Flores, Bryan Marquez, Gustavo Marquez, Monserrat Marquez, Nina Marquez, Tammy Nguyen, Isaac Rodriguez, y Stacey Yakimowich por todos sus logro sobresalientes de este año! Asimismo impresionante fue la Primera Noche de Bienvenida Anual de la Escuela Preparatoria El Rancho, cual se llevo a cabo el 16 de febrero de Este evento les dio una oportunidad para los estudiantes de hoy y futuros (y sus padres) para aprender acerca de las oportunidades extracurriculares y académicas en la Escuela Preparatoria El Rancho. La respuesta de los padres de familia fue verdaderamente positiva y la asistencia fue excelente, los Dons están sumamente superando este año! Cada año los administradores del Distrito Escolar Unificado El Rancho honran a un miembro de comunidad beneficiado con el Galardón de Servicio. Este año, tenemos el placer de reconocer al Sr. Raymond Chavez. El Sr. Chavez actualmente es el Analista de de Administración para la Ciudad de Pico Rivera. Ha sido una presencia constante y que ha apoyado a nuestro distrito escolar por muchos años. Algunos de sus logros incluye el Programa de Preparación para Profesiones y Oportunidades, y el programa de Beca Voy rumbo a la universidad para los estudiantes de las escuelas intermedias. También es voluntario en nuestras Ferias de Profesiones y participa en el Equipo Administrativo CORE para nuestro Subsidio de Escuelas Seguras y Familias Saludables. No importa cual sea el proyecto, el Sr. Ray Chavez siempre esta dispuesto a dar una mano para crear y sostener la alianza entre la Ciudad y nuestras escuelas. Felicidades Ray! En ERUSD, estamos haciendo un trabajo increíble al preparar por vida a nuestros estudiantes después de la preparatoria. La educación de nuestros estudiantes empieza en los salones de clases como los que he visitado recientemente en las escuelas primarias Birney y South Ranchito, donde nuestros jóvenes estudiantes están inspirados en aprender. Esto continua en los salones de clases donde visite hace unas semanas en nuestra Escuela Distinguida del 2010, Escuela Intermedia Rivera, donde guían a los estudiantes a actividades superiores de capacidad analítica que incluye Astro Camp. Y sigue con nuestras dos escuelas preparatorias, El Rancho y Salazar. Nosotros, en el Distrito Escolar Unificado El Rancho, continuamos de hacer el mejor trabajo posible con nuestro pedazo de pastel de fondos que cada vez se achica más. Por supuesto, las malas noticias es que nuestro Distrito, y muchos de otros distritos escolares a través del estado, otra ves más se encuentran con los mayores recortes debido al presupuesto. En enero, la propuesta presupuestaria del Gobernador Brown siguió con la emergencia fiscal que hemos tratado por muchos años. Lamentablemente, la Propuesta Presupuestaria Estatal del Gobernador, junto con la declinación de matricula de ERUSD, resulta en una reducción de ingresos no restrictos del fondo general de por los menos $8.8 millones para el años escolar Prácticamente es imposible aumentar los ingresos del distrito para compensar esta perdida tan grande de fondos del estado. Entonces, ERUSD, igual que todos los distritos escolares, debe de hacer recortes equivalentes en los gastos de programas y el personal para poder mantenerse solvente fiscalmente. Todos tenemos que trabajar juntos para tratar este reto fiscal sin precedentes en la educación de nuestros jóvenes hoy en día. En ERUSD, continuamos abiertos para nuevas ideas y sugestiones porque reconocemos que este no es el momento para negocios como de costumbre. Si ustedes tienen algunas sugerencias sobre el presupuesto, favor mándelos con confianza por correo electrónico del distrito directamente a wwww.erusd.org. Estamos intentando todo lo posible para mantener los recortes lo más lejos del salón de clases que podamos, y toda sugestiones que recibamos serán consideradas y estudiadas cuidadosamente. Tenemos mucho de que estar orgullosos en nuestro Distrito, y trabajando juntos, yo se que pasaremos por este tiempo severo de la crisis del presupuesto que nos encarece en California. 8