Superintendent's Friday Update
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Hello Alta Loma School District
Our Top Three Updates for the week:
- Recognizing ALSD Staff
- Upcoming Opportunities for Parents, Families and the Community
- Seeking Student Input
Also, see below for an update on a transition in ALSD Leadership for 2022-2023.
A COVID UPDATE IS AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS LETTER
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Recognizing ALSD Staff
At our Regular Meeting of the Board of Trustees on March 2, the Board took action to adopt resolutions designating:
- May 9-May 13, 2022 as Teacher Appreciation Week
- May 11, 2022 as California Day of the Teacher
- May 16-May 20, 2022 as Classified School Employee Week
In advance of those designated dates, we hope you are seeing these signs around our school sites and the District Support Center recognizing the powerful impact of our employees on students and colleagues alike. And as another great example of what a supportive community this is, I'd like to extend a HUGE shout out to Studio One in Rancho Cucamonga. They received our request for these banners and offered to provide them at no cost to the District!
I'm sure you'll agree that any time of the year is a great time to let our employees know that their efforts are seen and appreciated.
I encourage our staff to look for information in the near future about a series of professional gatherings I'll be facilitating starting in April. Our Leadership Institute will be a voluntary opportunities for ALSD employees to gather for fun, collaboration and shared learning on important topics. Leadership from every seat is real!!
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Upcoming Opportunities for Parents, Families and the Community |
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Open Houses
Alta Loma School District is looking forward to inviting our school communities onto our campuses for our 2021-2022 school year Open House/School Showcase events. This is a fantastic way to celebrate the hard work of our students, staff and faculty, and the learning that takes place throughout our fantastic schools in Alta Loma! Please be on the lookout for information from your child’s school pertaining to the date and time of this event. As educators, it is always a personal highlight of any day when we are able to walk around our school campuses and see engaged learners from our 3 and 4 year olds in CHAMPS or TK all the way up through our 8th grade classrooms in our Junior High Schools. We are so fortunate to have the BEST students, families, staff and faculty right here in ALSD! Open House is an opportunity to share that experience with each of you. For more glimpses of what we see in our schools, please follow us on Twitter. We are @AltaLomaSD and @ALSD_EdServices.
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Parent Project
The West End SELPA will be hosting The Parent Project® workshop. The Parent Project is a 6-week workshop for parents/guardians designed to address many of the parenting challenges they face including: a strong-willed child, poor school performance, media influence, violence, and more. The workshop runs once a week over the course of 6 weeks. There are two classes, depending on the age of the child. Classes are for adults only and will be offered virtually.
Parent Project ® Jr. Loving Solutions (Ages 5 - 14) Each class is 2 hours from 9:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.
The Parent Project's Loving Solutions utilizes the same principles found successful in Parent Project® Sr., but has been adapted to address the needs of younger children, with special application to children with ADD/ ADHD needs. West End SELPA workshops will include consideration of students with disabilities.
Parent Project®, Sr (Ages 15 - 22) Each class is 2 hours from 5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
At the heart of Parent Project®, Sr., is the Changing Destructive Adolescent Behavior curriculum that focuses on the most challenging behaviors for adolescents. West End SELPA workshops will include consideration of students with disabilities.
Dates for both series are:
April 5, 2022
April 12, 2022
April 19, 2022
April 26, 2022
May 3, 2022
May 10, 2022
Intended Audience: Parents of strong-willed children (This program is for ADULTS only.)
Fee: Free for our parents who reside in the West End SELPA service area.
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Seeking Student Input! Click Here to Complete the Survey!
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This communication went out yesterday in letter form, but I also wanted to provide it here for anyone not captured on those distribution lists.
I’m writing to let you know about an important transition that will take place at the end of this school year. After substantial reflection, I have made the difficult decision that June 30 will be my final day with ALSD.
My opportunity to serve this excellent district is one that I have truly appreciated. I arrived in Alta Loma in January of 2021 with tremendous excitement for the work ahead, and I’m proud of the progress we’ve made as a school district, especially during these unprecedented times. There really are great things happening at our schools every day.
The cumulative challenges over the past year have given me the chance to reevaluate the direction I’d like my life to take, and I’ve decided it is time for me to explore new opportunities.
I’m so very grateful to the good people of the community and school district who welcomed me in, supported me, and participated in shared thinking during a most challenging time. Together, as we reopened schools and navigated ever-changing guidance, we were able to demonstrate what could be done through respectful discourse and keeping students at the center of efforts. We focused on our commitment to student and staff safety, and to active engagement in schools, as in-person learning resumed and other educational opportunities were put into place.
There are great days ahead for ALSD! You have a certificated and classified staff here that is absolutely stellar, and the children and youth of our community are true assets who must continue to be prioritized.
Our Board of Trustees will soon embark on a process to recruit and hire your next superintendent. Meanwhile, I am committed to finishing this year with the same joy and energy I began it with, and to working towards a very smooth transition with an incoming superintendent.
I look forward to these next four months together and the wonderful things that will be happening here on behalf of the student experience.
With my gratitude and my best to you,
Karen Hendricks
Superintendent
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- Monday, March 7 - Friday, March 11: National School Breakfast Week
- Tuesday, March 8: Elementary Parent/Teacher Conferences
- Thursday, March 10 - Friday, March 11: Elementary Parent/Teacher Conferences
- Tuesday, March 15 - Thursday, March 17: Legislative Action Week 2022
- Thursday, March 17: St. Patrick's Day
- Friday, March 18: Modified Day for Elementary and Junior High Students
- Monday, March 21 - Friday, March 25: Spring Recess
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Great Things Happening At Our Schools |
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From Principal Dolly Bentley:
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Last week, ALE celebrated 2-22-22 Day by dressing up in Tiaras, Tutus, Ties or Tennis Shoes! Students and staff had a fun day showing school spirit! |
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Also, last week, we had five students participate in the STEM Fair at Jasper Elementary! We are so proud of their hard work, creativity, and the brilliant minds of these incredible students! |
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From Principal Khaleelah Lewis-Wilkins:
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Banyan Elementary and Hermosa Elementary partnered together for a Pawtastic STEM Fair! This year 18 Banyan Elementary students showcased the power of perseverance through innovation and ingenuity. Some of our students chose to work collaboratively in groups, while others chose to take on the call to problem solve the small challenges they’ve observed individually. From creating a Mars rover to a self-automated dog food system to creating compost to rejuvenate mineral-deficient soil, our bulldogs proved not only are they talented, but they are future engineers, innovators, and design thinkers! |
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A huge thank you goes to our STEM coordinators Mrs. Andazola and Mrs. Kenyon, our custodial crew Erin, Jacob, Cruz, and Briana, and to our front office staff Wendy and Alina, who helped to make sure that this event was a success for our community and families.
We were fortunate to share this event with Hermosa Elementary and their wonderful Principal Val Bires and her team. We even had two special guests! Our Board of Trustees member Rebecca Davies and our Superintendent Karen Hendricks who stopped by to see the excitement and student creativity. We are SO proud of our Bulldogs because we know they have what it takes to change the world! #GoBulldogs! #BulldogStrong! #BulldogIngenuity!
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From Interim Principal Sue Geddes:
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Carnelian Cardinals were busy during Kindness week leaving kind and thoughtful post-it notes for others to read. Teachers and students wore shirts with words of kindness or praise. Cardinals have also been busy writing in all grade levels. We have stories about zoo animals, black history month, and ocean habitat just to name a few. We honor our Writers of the Month each month. We are proud of all of our Cardinals' amazing work! |
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This week at Deer Canyon we celebrated Read Across America Week! Spearheaded by an incredibly creative team consisting of Ms. Won, Mrs. Galbraith, Mrs. McCliman, and Mrs. Clarke, along with numerous volunteers. This amazing week encouraged our Eagles to explore and find their love of literature. Here at Deer Canyon, we love finding ways to motivate our students and to inspire joy and a passion for reading! We understand that literacy matters. It was definitely a memorable week! Way to SOAR, Eagles!
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From Principal Curtis Quanstrom:
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This year, Jasper Elementary teamed up with Alta Loma Elementary for the STEM Fair. Under the direction of Mr. Bonilla, 20 students had the opportunity to share their brilliant minds. Creation, innovation, persistence, and pride are alive at Jasper. It was a joy to watch the students present their projects. |
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From Principal Val Bires:
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The Hermosa PTA Board continues to make our school shine! Our PTA Board of 10 members works above and beyond for our school, staff and students. Our PTA, with the help of all our families supports all attributes of our school. Some fabulous events this year include Trunk or Treat, Winter Wonderland, HOWL store, art and much more! Thank you to our PTA Board for leading the way, giving their time and energy. We are blessed and so grateful! |
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From Principal Guadalupe Berzunza:
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Fifth grade students at Stork Elementary have been busy learning about the many contributions and accomplishments that have shaped our country. During the month of February, the students created Body Biographies that represent the many contributions made by Black Heroes. The classes were inspired to conduct their research by what they heard as their teachers read Black Heroes by Arlisha Norwood and Young, Gifted and Black by Jamia Wilson. The students were able to read about modern day heroes. They enjoyed learning about their many contributions and accomplishments as they created their Body Biographies. Stork Super Stars continue to shine academically as well as emotionally through the rigorous yet exciting lessons that take place in their classrooms on a daily basis.
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From Principal Kristy Johnson:
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This year, Victoria Groves and Deer Canyon partnered together for the 2021-2022 Stem Showcase! This amazing event was held at Deer Canyon where the top 3 Stem Projects from each school were displayed. These students were all able to share and explain their unique stem projects with the attendees. The evening ended with an award ceremony for the top 3 Victoria Groves projects.
1st place: Max Byun and James Yang
2nd place: Erin Gott, Addison Brunjes and Mikaela Phillips
3rd place: Madison Mendez
A big shout out to our Stem Coordinators Mrs. Audrey Alvarado and Ms. Callan Gilles for the time they spent working with students on their Stem projects and for putting on an amazing event!
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This month our Grizzlies have been learning about Black History. Did you know that Sarah Boone invented the ironing board and that George Sampson invented the clothes dryer? Well, our Preppy K students have been learning about these facts and lots more in their dramatic play centers. Also, Ms. Burton’s 5th grade students spent the month learning about African American artists, athletes, authors, and inventors through their research project. These are just a few of the many activities taking place on campus as students learn about Black History month. |
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From Principal Michele Rachielles:
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On Tuesday, the 8th grade Warriors who will attend Alta Loma High School boarded buses for the first time in years and headed to the football field at the high school for a rally!
Students got a glimpse of the next 4 years of excitement and energy.
Warriors were welcomed through a spirit tunnel and were cheered in the stands. It was a beautiful day and it was easy to imagine our Warriors’ bright futures.
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From Principal Sandy Rose:
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Our Newspaper Club has created several editions of the Purple n’ Gold Times this year. These students have learned how to write articles based on the current interests from other students at school. In addition, they do a great job infusing funny anecdotes throughout their digital newspaper. A special shout out goes to Ms. Sabatelli for sponsoring this great opportunity for our students. Two club members shared their thoughts about being in the Newspaper Club below:
Rian shared, "It's a lot of fun, and I like meeting other students with the same interests."
Olivia said, "I like being in the Newspaper Club because I like to write and enjoy meeting new people.”
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Ongoing Updates from Your COVID-19 Safety and Information Team:
On February 28, the Newsom administration announced the statewide school timeline that will lift the mandatory masking mandate for both vaccinated and unvaccinated students in two weeks. That announcement included the following key points:
- The statewide school indoor mask mandate will expire for all students, regardless of vaccination status, at 11:59pm on Friday, March 11.
- Monday, March 14 will be the first school day with no state requirement.
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Over the past two years, we have learned that many families become aware of new legislation, orders, guidelines, and recommendations when school districts are asked to implement them. At that point, it is too late to be heard during the decision-making process. We believe that every voice should be heard when decisions have major impacts on your kids.
Some current examples include:
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SB 871 would require all children 0 to 17 to get the COVID-19 vaccine to attend child care or school;
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SB 866 would allow kids 12 to 17 to get the COVID-19 vaccine without parental consent;
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SB 1479 would require schools to continue testing and to create testing plans;
For anyone wishing to express their opinions regarding policies that may be established, we suggest contacting agencies and elected officials directly at:
San Bernardino County Department of Public Health:
California Department of Public Health:
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The ALSD Board of Trustees has taken actions in respect to both mask mandates and vaccine mandates. Those Resolutions can be found at:
Resolution 7-21-21 DISTRICT STATEMENT TO CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH CONCERNING MASK MANDATES:
Resolution 11-03-21 DISTRICT STATEMENT REGARDING COVID-19 VACCINE MANDATES:
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