BUSD Community Connections

April 2023

Our monthly newsletter is a great way to learn about the latest news at Berryessa Union School District. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter for daily updates and visit our website for calendar and meeting information.

Message from the Superintendent

Dear Berryessa Community, 


We are celebrating the power of literacy and the efforts that our students, staff and families make every day to promote reading and writing skills. Literacy is crucial to every child’s development and success in school. Reading at home with parents and guardians provides a memorable experience that nurtures every student’s interest in books and fosters the very desirable habit of reading. 


Please join me in recognizing our District Librarian and Library Media Technicians, who are constantly working to inspire the love of reading in our students. They do so much! From selecting awesome books to organizing story times and wonderful educational activities, their dedication is key to advancing literacy in our schools. 


Lastly, thank you for your participation in many recent events! Ruskin Family Literacy Night was a fantastic experience, and students enjoyed the free books they received! Our Middle School Career Days at Sierramont and Piedmont showcased many exciting career pathways, while our raffle to benefit the Berryessa Education Foundation resulted in $30,000 to support our teachers and students!


We are grateful for all our district’s partner organizations, volunteers and Berryessa community! Thank you for your commitment to BUSD. 


With BUSD Pride, 

Dr. Roxane Fuentes 

Superintendent   

Watch a special message from Dr. Fuentes: 

Tell us About your Favorite Book! 

We are launching a campaign to promote literacy and want to know about your favorite book! All BUSD families are invited to participate by having your student/s tell us about their favorite book and why. We kindly ask parents to include a visual with their submission, as follows: 


  • Have your student draw a picture of their favorite book
  • Take a photo of your student/s with their favorite book
  • Submit a written entry·        
  • Film a video horizontally on a cellphone 

 

Please email the content to kgomez@busd.net and include student name, school and grade level. Some of the photos, videos and written messages will be shared on BUSD social media! 

Lots of Gratitude to our Librarians!  

April is Library Month, and it’s important to recognize the fantastic dedication of our District Librarian and all our Library Media Technicians who work every day to make our libraries a center of knowledge and motivation for learning!


They not only refer students to amazing books, but also organize fun and educational activities to promote curiosity and exploration, and expand their knowledge of the world. Thank you for all you do!

Please see below a special video honoring our

school librarians at BUSD! 

An Amazing Ruskin Family Literacy Night 

Ruskin Family Literacy Night was such a wonderful celebration of reading! Using a National PTA grant, Ruskin was able to offer 16 literacy activities and provided a free book to every student who attended. The San Jose Public Library generously supported the event by giving away free prizes, including many books, and providing a fun magnetic activity.


There was even a surprise appearance by the Ruskin Roadrunner! Teachers are hearing that students enjoyed the event, and are also already noticing a positive impact, such as students choosing to read new book genres because they enjoyed reading their free book. Many thanks to all the Ruskin PTA, teachers, support staff, parent and student volunteers who helped! 

Middle School Career Days at Piedmont and Sierramont

It was truly exciting to bring back Middle School Career Days for the first time since the pandemic! Thank you to all our community business partners, parents, and volunteers for sharing your work and life experiences with our students and helping them imagine their future possibilities.


We are so grateful to have had such high participation from our community! Students learned about a variety of careers, such as positions with the Sheriff’s department, FBI, being a nurse, a doctor, a dentist, a florist, a chef, careers in the tech industries, and so much more. Exploring careers was a fun, eye-opening and inspiring experience for our students!  

Watch these amazing videos about our 2023 Career Day events

at Piedmont and Sierramont! 

Big Success with the Raffle to Support Students and Classrooms! 

We are proud to announce that the Berryessa Make a Difference Raffle raised over $30,000! Thank you so much to all the participants for their support for the Berryessa Education Foundation. Proceeds will make possible teacher and school grants, enhancing school offerings to our students. Congratulations to all the winners!  

 

The raffle prizes included $1,000 in cash, a $500 Disney gift card, a $200 Southwest Airlines gift card, four general admission vouchers to The Tech Museum, a $100 value 2023 San Jose Earthquake Package, up to $160 Value Two Tickets to any American Conservatory Theater (A.C.T.) Preview Performance, $160 Value Two (2) One Day Pass to Intro to Bouldering Lessons at Movement/Climbing/Yoga/Fitness, and many more great prizes! 

 

The Berryessa Education Foundation is a non-profit organization supporting programs for BUSD students. The mission of the Berryessa Education Foundation is to increase student learning by making grants available to district teachers. These grants are focused on expanding the opportunities for student learning through improved academic strategies based on creative use of technology and other instructional materials. 

Learn More about the Berryessa Education Foundation

Multicultural Day at Majestic Way, Celebrating Traditions

We had a fabulous Multicultural Day at Majestic Way, sharing many diverse cultures, dances, and music. It is always amazing to see the great talent of our school community with dynamic performances and a variety of delicious meals representing our diverse cultures.


Thank you to everyone who helped make this celebration such a special event. It is a reminder that our BUSD community is proud of its diversity of languages, cultures and traditions, and that our shared commitment to inclusivity is what makes us a special place!  

Ready for Spring Break! 

Students are off on Friday, April 7, 2023. Spring Break is from April 10-14. Students will return back to the classrooms on Monday, April 17. Have a wonderful Spring Break! 

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Berryessa Union School District
(408) 923-1800