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Fontana Unified School District

  • Fontana Unified Educator Selected as Finalist for California State Teacher of the Year Award

    Live Oak Elementary School teacher Michelle Vazquez discovered her calling for teaching and advocacy at a young age, growing up in a family that ran a foster home for adults with special needs. Vazquez credits her childhood for teaching her the importance of dignity, patience, and creating spaces where everyone feels valued. It’s a lesson the Resource Specialist Program (RSP) teacher has carried with her throughout her 16-plus years in education. That dedication helped lead to her recognition as Live Oak Elementary and Fontana Unified School District’s (FUSD) 2024-25 Teacher of the Year, as well as one of the 2026 San Bernardino Countywide Teachers of the Year. With the county recognition, Vazquez is now a finalist for the 2026 California Department of Education Teacher of the Year award.

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  • Fontana Unified to Expand Student Services by Uniting Award-Winning Continuation Schools

    Fontana Unified School District (FUSD) will strengthen and broaden academic and support services for its continuation high school students as it merges its two Model Continuation High Schools, Citrus and Eric Birch, beginning in the 2025-26 school year. Both continuation schools will consolidate under the name Eric Birch High School, relocating to the former Citrus High site at 10760 Cypress Ave., and adopting the Citrus Jaguars mascot. The FUSD Board of Education approved the merger and an estimated $150,000 cost associated with renaming the Citrus campus to Eric Birch High School during its June 18 meeting. Fontana Unified’s continuation school instruction has been recognized by the California Department of Education (CDE) for its comprehensive excellence. Both Citrus and Eric Birch earned Model Continuation School designations from the CDE for their innovative approach to alternative education, with Citrus earning the three-year status in 2023 and Eric Birch securing recognition in 2024, which extends into the 2025-26 school year.

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  • Fontana Unified to Celebrate Renaming of O’Day Short Elementary School, Honor Family’s Legacy

    Fontana Unified will host a renaming ceremony as Randall Pepper Elementary School officially transitions to O’Day Short Elementary in the 2025-26 school year, honoring the O’Day Short Family, which is remembered for breaking Fontana’s color barrier 80 years ago. District middle school student Cyrus Moss championed the renaming of O’Day Short Elementary. Moss submitted a petition with 132 signatures to rename Randall Pepper Elementary to the Fontana Unified Board of Education in March 2024. The Board unanimously voted to rename the school in September 2024 after all administrative regulations were met.

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Fontana Unified, Discovery Education Partner to Expand STEM Curriculum

Five Fontana Unified elementary schools – Canyon Crest, Randall Pepper, Shadow Hills, South Tamarind and Tokay – will partner with digital curriculum provider Discovery Education for a multiyear program that includes teacher training and digital resources to expand K-5 science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) curriculum. The schools are receiving access to digital tools, including STEM Connect, which provides course materials for K-5 students and gives teachers the option of integrating up to eight course units into their curriculum.

17 Fontana Unified Schools Recognized by California PBIS Coalition

Seventeen Fontana Unified schools have been recognized for their implementation of Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS) strategies by the California PBIS Coalition, netting two platinum, five gold, nine silver and one bronze implementation awards. PBIS aims to create a positive school setting through strategies that define, teach and support appropriate student behaviors.

Fontana Unified to Co-Host Regional College Fair for 90,000 Students

Fontana Unified School District will join forces with Chaffey Joint Union High School District and Rialto Unified School District to host the inaugural Inland Empire Regional College Fair from 4 to 7 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 25, providing nearly 90,000 students the opportunity to meet with college and university representatives from across the United States. The free event will be held at the Ontario Convention Center, 2000 E. Convention Center Way, Ontario.

Fontana Unified to Launch New District, School Websites

Fontana Unified School District will premiere sleek new websites for the District and each of its schools, providing families and community members with easier access to information through a user-friendly format. The District website is the first to switch to the student-centered, modern layout and will launch on Tuesday, Sept. 3. Websites for Fontana Unified’s 45 schools will roll out in the following months. The sites were created through a partnership with education website developer Blackboard.

Fontana Unified Students Return in Triumph from World Robotics Contest

Wayne Ruble Middle and Randall Pepper Elementary robotics students made a triumphant and award-winning return from the World Robot Olympiad (WRO) Friendship Invitational, after dazzling the global community with their expertise, teamwork and sportsmanship. The international competition, held Aug. 1-4 in Aarhus, Denmark, netted the Randall Pepper LEGO Panther squad with the International Friendship Award for their slogan, “3 Countries, 3 Teams, 1 Friendship,” created in collaboration with students from Germany and Nigeria.

Fontana Unified to Provide Parent Workshop on HBCUs

Fontana Unified School District and Rialto Unified School District, in partnership with the U-Can College Fair, will host a parent workshop from 9 to 10 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 17, providing families with information on Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). Families can speak to HBCU representatives and alumni to receive an overview of HBCUs, their admission requirements, HBCU benefits and scholarship opportunities. The event will be held at A.B. Miller High School, 6921 Oleander Ave., Fontana.

Fontana Unified Swears In 2019-20 Student Board Member

Jurupa Hills High School senior Juleny Ortiz-Contreras took the oath of office on Aug. 14 to serve as Fontana Unified’s 2019-20 Board of Education student representative. Ortiz-Contreras is an avid volunteer, accomplished student-athlete and International Baccalaureate diploma candidate who hopes to inspire others to become involved in the District.