Fontana Unified School Attendance Program Recognized as Model by State
Fontana Unified School District’s school attendance program is one of 27 across the state recognized for its innovative and effective approach to reducing suspensions, expulsions and chronic absenteeism. Recognized as a Model School Attendance Review Board (SARB), Fontana Unified has dropped its chronic absentee rate ¬– defined as missing 10 percent or more of the total days enrolled for any reason – from 10.5 percent in 2015-16 to 9.2 percent in 2016-17. As a Model SARB, Fontana Unified and its SARB chairperson, Craig Baker, who serves as the District’s director of Child Welfare and Attendance, can act as mentors for other SARBs in the state. The Model SARB awards will be presented at the California Association of Supervisors of Child Welfare and Attendance State Conference on April 19 in Tahoe City.
Fontana Unified to Kick Off Sobriety Campaign ahead of Prom Season
Follow-up Story: Fontana Unified high school students recently brought home the dangers of intoxicated driving through public service announcements (PSA) created for the District’s “Be Smart Party Safe and Sober” campaign to promote prom-season safety. Fontana Unified leaders, along with Fontana city and district police departments, kicked off the month-long campaign at a March 28 press conference at which Fontana Mayor Acquanetta Warren, Fontana Police Chief Robert Ramsey and Fontana Unified School Police Chief Martin Sissac described to students the impacts drunk driving can have on their futures. The top four student PSA videos were also presented, with A.B. Miller students Omar Cachu, Victor Gutierrez and Lizeth Puente winning first place for their 30-second PSA, “Was It Worth It?” During April, deemed Alcohol Awareness Month, FUSD students will collect “Safe and Sober” prom pledges and host activities that promote safe and sober celebrations. Fontana businesses will display posters promoting the slogan.
Follow-up Story: Seventeen groups of Jurupa Hills High School sophomores on March 14 pitched innovative products – from a Bluetooth-equipped backpack to jewelry that can detect if a drink has been spiked – during the school’s inaugural Sparta Tank competition, a classroom project modeled after the popular television program “Shark Tank.” Facing a panel of Jurupa Hills English teachers posing as venture capitalists, students made formal presentations and answered questions, incorporating weeks of research and design that simulated the process real-life inventors go through when they are marketing a new product. The winning project, chosen March 15, was KC’s Closets, an app that helps arrange outfits for the day using the clothes already in a person’s closet. The fashion assistant app was created by students Cheyenne Vargas and Kaitlyn Douglas.
Fontana High School has been re-designated as an AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) National Demonstration School, retaining the status it has held since 2006 as a high-achieving academic organization and exemplary learning center. Fontana High is one of about 5,600 AVID schools in 44 states, the District of Columbia and 16 countries and U.S. territories to achieve the elite status, demonstrating its proven ability to employ AVID tools school-wide to boost the number of students who enroll in four-year colleges and universities.
The Fontana Unified School District will gather input and comments from a wide range of sources and stakeholders within the school district community to help inform the Board of Education’s decision in selecting a new executive leader. Members of the school community and District personnel are invited to participate in meetings in October and November, with dates posted at fusd.net. Online surveys will be available in English and Spanish to community members who cannot attend the meetings. The Board is expected to hear a presentation and review a report on the feedback in December. It will review applications and interview candidates in January, and choose a new superintendent as early as February.
Sequoia Middle School teacher Tammy DeVries is one of 10 educators across the nation selected as a finalist for the Escalante-Gradillas Prize for Best in Education, an award that shines a spotlight on educational leaders who exemplify the values, high expectations and characteristics of renowned Garfield High School teacher Jaime Escalante and its former principal, Henry Gradillas. The award is bestowed by TheBestSchools.org and comes with a $20,000 prize for the winning teacher and school. The winner and runners-up will be announced Wednesday, Oct. 26. DeVries has taught science at the school – where she and her parents attended – for her entire 18-year career.
Fontana Unified’s Summit High School has been awarded a 2016 Golden Bell Award for a program that successfully supports freshmen as they shift from middle school to high school – a transition made easier with the mentorship and guidance of junior and senior students, called Link Crew leaders. Of the almost 300 entries that were submitted for the award, now in its 37th year, Summit’s Freshman Success Intervention Program (FSIP) was selected to win the most prestigious honor awarded to California school districts by the California School Boards Association (CSBA). The school and District will receive the award at a Dec. 3 recognition ceremony at CSBA’s annual Educational Conference in San Francisco.
Follow-up Story: Fontana Unified School District officials dedicated the new Dolores Huerta International Academy during an Oct. 11 community celebration that featured musical performances from students and inspiring remarks from the nationally renowned labor leader, who inspired students to forge ahead with their educational endeavors and pursue their dreams. The state-of-the-art dual-language magnet school opened its doors to 350 students in kindergarten through third grade in August 2016, launching opportunities for Fontana’s young learners to explore innovative English-Spanish dual-language and pre-International Baccalaureate (IB) magnet programs.
Fontana Unified’s Dolores Huerta International Academy has been named a candidate school for the International Baccalaureate (IB) Primary Years Programme, laying a foundation that will enable young learners to pursue a rigorous course of study preparing them for college-level coursework. The Dolores Huerta International Academy, a K-3 magnet school named for Civil Rights activist and labor leader Dolores Huerta, provides an English-Spanish dual-language immersion program to 350 students. As a candidate for the IB Primary Years Programme, the academy, which opened in August, will be able to pursue authorization as an IB World School and offer a challenging curriculum.
3 Fontana Unified Schools Recognized for Fostering Supportive Campuses
Three Fontana Unified schools have been recognized by the state for their successful efforts in boosting student excellence, shrinking behavioral issues and fostering positive and supportive campus environments. Earning accolades from the California PBIS (Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports) Coalition are Truman Middle School, which earned a silver certification, and Date Elementary and Jurupa Hills High schools, both of which earned bronze certifications. They are among 506 schools across to the state to be touted for working to effectively implement the PBIS program, which incorporates strategies for defining, teaching and supporting appropriate student behaviors to create a positive school setting. The schools will be acknowledged at the California PBIS Coalition Conference on Thursday, Sept. 22 in Sacramento.
