Shadow Hills Elementary third-grade teacher Theresa Pearce was named a San Bernardino County 2018 Teacher of the Year. Pearce, who was named the district’s Teacher of the Year, has taught in Fontana Unified for 18 years. Pearce will be recognized by the San Bernardino County Superintendent of Schools along with fellow honorees in October.
Southridge Middle School has been selected as a 2018 Microsoft Showcase School for its commitment to providing student access to digital platforms and bridging the technology gap. Southridge will partner with Microsoft to introduce new education programs into the classroom, connect with Microsoft Innovation Educators to share best practices and become a destination campus for schools looking to elevate their digital capabilities.
Fontana Unified will continue its efforts to boost family engagement with its 2018-19 Parent University classes, which encourage parents and guardians to become academic coaches for their students. The first free session, “Get Active & Involved in FUSD,” will be held from 9 to 11 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 25 at Fontana Adult School, 10755 Oleander Ave.; and from 6 to 8 p.m. at the John D. Piazza Center, 9680 Citrus Ave. Translation services will be available.
Fontana Unified School District’s graduation rate reached 90.6 percent in 2016-17, thanks to strong student support and peer mentorship programs aimed at boosting academic achievement and promoting lifelong learning. This overall graduation rate encompasses alternative education, which is traditionally lower than rates at comprehensive high schools. District grad rates also topped the 2016-17 numbers for San Bernardino County and the state, according to data released by the state Department of Education.
Fontana Unified kicked off the 2018-19 school year on Aug. 6 with new campus leaders, expanded early educational programs and instructional opportunities. At South Tamarind and Shadow Hills elementary schools, students received a surprise visit from Golden State Foods representatives, who donated backpacks full of school supplies. Photos are available.
Fontana Unified students returned to school for the 2018-19 year on Aug. 6, greeted by new administrators, expanded early education programs and learning opportunities designed to strengthen instruction and inspire academic excellence. The District extended its full-day kindergarten to three additional schools this year, including Almond Elementary. There, parents were invited to escort their children into their new classrooms, meet their new teachers and help ease the transition into school life.
Canyon Crest Elementary School will provide new activities and resources to help students explore science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) subjects in 2018-19. The school, which offers a Maker Space dedicated to hand-on creativity and mobile computer and tablet labs for coding and computer programming, will add an “Innovation Space” that features Lego robotics and Merge augmented/virtual reality cubes.
Fontana Unified School District has appointed four new elementary school principals, who will welcome students, faculty and staff for the 2018-19 year on Monday, Aug. 6. Sandra Loudermilk will lead Date Elementary, Amanda Colon will lead Locust Elementary, Lauri Martin will helm Palmetto Elementary and Dr. Amanda Beasley will oversee Randall Pepper Elementary.
Nearly 200 Fontana Unified administrators brainstorm creative solutions to educational challenges, celebrated innovation among their peers and strengthened their management skills during the District’s inaugural Leadership Institute on July 16 and 17. The two-day, team-building seminar kicked off with a keynote address from Dr. Adam Steltzner, the chief engineer on NASA’s Mars 2020 project. Steltzner discussed his unconventional path to becoming a NASA engineer and discussed the importance of embracing curiosity-based decision making.
Chaparral Elementary will hold a parent information meeting from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 23 to highlight its Code to the Future computer science immersion curriculum. Parents will learn about the goals and benefits of the program and watch student-led coding demonstrations. Chaparral, one of the first Code to the Future schools in the Inland Empire, is at 14000 Shadow Drive, Fontana.