Fontana Unified School District

  • O’Day Short Family Documentary to Air on PBS

    The story of the O’Day Short family, whose legacy continues to shape how Fontana remembers its history, will reach new audiences with the PBS debut of “O’Day Short: An Act of Justice” at 6:30 p.m. PDT, Friday, Oct. 23, on PBS KCVR. The documentary highlights the family’s history and the community’s efforts to honor their lives and preserve their legacy for future generations. Produced by award-winning filmmakers E’Ian West and George Sharperson, the film will be distributed through a five-year public media partnership with PBS, NPR, and FNX. Fontana Unified School District Executive Director of Marketing and Communications Clarissa Trejo contributed research to the documentary.

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  • Fontana Unified Connects Students with CalKIDS Scholarships for Future Success

    Fontana Unified School District brought CalKIDS Scholarship claiming support directly to students on Oct. 8, as Fontana High School (FOHI) hosted California State Treasurer Fiona Ma, San Bernardino County Superintendent of Schools Ted Alejandre, and education partners for an event focused on helping students access financial resources for their future education and career goals. The event brought together nearly 1,200 students, educators, community members, and elected officials and featured a hands-on claiming activity to help students take the next step toward accessing their CalKIDS accounts. Fontana Unified also welcomed students from Date Elementary School and Fontana Middle School, who were paired with FOHI seniors to help support the scholarship claiming process.

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  • Fontana Unified Names Dr. Ramiro Rubalcaba as Finalist to Lead District as Superintendent

    The Fontana Unified School District (FUSD) Board of Education has selected Dr. Ramiro Rubalcaba, a seasoned educator with 30 years of experience, as a finalist to serve as the District’s next Superintendent. His appointment is contingent upon the completion of successful contract negotiations, followed by formal Board approval of his employment and employment contract, during the regularly scheduled Board meeting on Oct. 21. Dr. Rubalcaba began his public education journey in the Los Angeles Unified School District, where he spent 17 years in progressively responsible positions. He is currently the Superintendent in the Los Nietos School District in Whittier, and previously served as the Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources in the Victor Valley Union High School District in San Bernardino County and in Azusa Unified School District as a high school principal and assistant superintendent.

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Fontana Unified Superintendent Randal Bassett to Retire After 25 Years of Dedication to District

Fontana Unified School District Superintendent Randal S. Bassett will retire effective Aug. 1, 2022, bringing to a close an illustrious career in which he dedicated more than 25 years to fostering innovation and high levels of achievement in the District. Bassett, who has nearly 30 years of management experience in education, was appointed to the District’s top position in December 2016. During his time in Fontana Unified, Bassett also served as interim superintendent, associate superintendent of business services and chief technology officer.

Fontana Unified Television Production Students Gain Professional Insight from New York Film Director

Fontana Unified’s television production students eagerly took notes, snapped photos and asked questions as New York film director Michael Marantz transformed their school campuses into hazy, dramatically lit sets, gaining industry insight as a team of professionals produced a video celebrating the empowerment of Fontana Unified students. The video, which will debut at the July 6 Board of Education meeting and be shown throughout the Fontana community during the 2022-23 school year, was filmed over four days in late May. The filming days served as a learning opportunity for the District’s television production students, who were invited to step behind the scenes and learn from Marantz and a professional film crew as they brought their creative vision to life.

Fontana Unified Media Students Gain Insight from Film Director

Fontana Unified’s television production students eagerly took notes, snapped photos and asked questions as film director Michael Marantz transformed their campuses into hazy, dramatically lit sets, gaining industry insight as a team of professionals produced a video celebrating the empowerment of Fontana Unified students. The film shoots, which took place over four days in late May, served as a learning opportunity for the District’s media students to step behind the scenes and watch as the filmmakers brought their creative vision to life. The video will debut at the July 6 Board of Education meeting and be shown throughout the Fontana community during the 2022-23 school year.

Fontana Unified Offers Robust Early Learning Program for 2022-23

Families looking to jumpstart their children’s education can enroll in Fontana Unified School District’s Early Learning program – which includes preschool, pre-kindergarten and transitional kindergarten classes – for the 2022-23 school year, which begins Wednesday, Aug. 3. The classes, designed for children ages three to five who are not currently enrolled in the District, introduce students to the concept of daily schooling and prepare them socially, emotionally and academically for kindergarten. To learn how to enroll an incoming student into one of FUSD’s Early Learning programs, visit www.fusd.net/enrollment. For more information regarding the Early Learning programs, visit www.fusd.net/preschool.

Fontana Unified Offers Robust Early Learning Program, Eases Transition to Kindergarten

Families looking to jumpstart their children’s education can enroll in Fontana Unified School District’s Early Learning program – which includes preschool, pre-kindergarten and transitional kindergarten classes – for the 2022-23 school year, which begins Wednesday, Aug. 3. The classes, designed for children ages three to five who are not currently enrolled in the District, introduce students to the concept of daily schooling and prepare them socially, emotionally and academically for kindergarten.

Fontana Unified Class of 2022 Graduate Recognized as NHSDA Dance Arts Scholar

.B. Miller High School Class of 2022 graduate Kassandra Hernandez has been dancing for as long as she can remember. Growing up, Hernandez swayed to the rhythm of the cumbia and bachata music she heard at home. At A.B. Miller High, Hernandez’s talents were nurtured to their full potential, culminating in her being selected for the school’s exclusive Conservatory of Dance as a junior. Having mastered a number of dance styles – including jazz, hip-hop, modern and ballet – Hernandez’s long hours of practice were rewarded when she was selected as a National Honor Society for the Dance Arts (NHSDA) 2022 Dance Scholar, one of approximately 160 high school seniors from across the country honored by the NHSDA this year.

5 Fontana Unified High Schools Recognized in 2022 ‘Best High Schools’ Rankings by U.S. News & World Report

Fontana Unified’s five comprehensive high schools have been recognized among the top-performing public high schools in the state and country for their academic success and college readiness efforts, earning inclusion in the 2022 Best High Schools rankings by U.S. News & World Report. A.B. Miller, Fontana, Henry J. Kaiser, Jurupa Hills and Summit high schools earned high rankings among approximately 1,603 high schools in California – placing among the top 30 percent of schools. Each high school celebrated a graduation rate of 94 percent or higher.

Fontana Unified Graduate’s Artwork Selected as 2022 Congressional Art Competition Winner

A.B. Miller High School Class of 2022 graduate Carolina Gonzalez Ceja is no longer a Fontana Unified student, but she will continue to represent her alma mater in the halls of Congress after her artwork was voted as the California 35th Congressional District’s winning entry in the 2022 Congressional Art Competition. Gonzalez Ceja’s oil painting, “The Mirror That Stings,” will be included in an exhibit housed at the U.S. Capitol building, along with artwork from every congressional district in the United States, for the next year.

Fontana Unified’s Certified Nursing Assistant Program Students Achieve Near-Perfect Pass Rate for State Exam

Fontana High School’s Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) program achieved a 97 percent pass rate for the state board exam during the 2021-22 school year, an accomplishment that qualifies students to join the workforce as they pursue higher education and advanced career opportunities in the medical field. Offered through the Patient Care career technical education pathway at FOHI, the program provides hands-on training at nursing facilities, offers the opportunity to earn credit at Chaffey College, and prepares students to earn state certification. Many Class of 2022 graduates will further their education by attending college in the fall, building on the skills they learned in the CNA program as they pursue a variety of careers in medicine.