Welcome Back
Back-to-School Edition
Welcome to the 2018-2019 School Year!
I hope each of you enjoyed your summer vacation and were able to relax and refresh. The beginning of the school year is always filled with so much excitement and energy – it is great to have everyone back!
Many of our Chico Unified staff have been working over the summer to prepare for the 2018-19 school year. As you can tell from a drive around town, the Maintenance & Operations staff and the Facilities staff had a busy summer! Please thank them when you have an opportunity.
In addition, we are thrilled to welcome five administrators that are either new to Chico Unified or taking on new leadership positions.
Please welcome:
· Principal, Chico High: Doug Williams
· Assistant Principal, Marsh Junior High: Amy DeLuna
· Assistant Principal, Fair View High: John Gunderson
· Elementary Assistant Principal, Shasta/Emma Wilson: Courtny Connelly
· Coordinator Grants, CUSD: Liz Metzger
Left to right: Amy DeLuna, John Gunderson, Liz Metzger and Doug Williams
Also congratulations to Brandon Kessler who moved from Assistant Principal at Fair View High School to Assistant Principal at Chico High School, his Alma Mater.
In this e-letter, you will find important back-to-school dates, information on the Back-to-School All Staff BBQ, names and school sites of staff new to CUSD, and a sneak peek at some of the work that took place over the summer. Welcome back for an incredible 2018-19 school year!
- Kelly Staley
Chico Unified Superintendent
________________________________________
Mark Your Calendars
We are about to hit the busy “Back-To-School” season and want to take this opportunity to review important dates that are quickly approaching.
THURSDAY, AUGUST 9 - New Special Education Teacher Training
8:30am - 12:30pm: New Special Education Teacher Training (Marsh Conference Room)
This is designed for all new Special Education Teachers.
________________________________________
MONDAY, AUGUST 13 - New Teacher Training
8:00am - Noon: NEW TEACHER TRAINING (Marsh Conference Room)
1:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m.: New Teacher Site Level Meetings (Individual School Sites). New teachers meet with their school site administrators and District Leadership Council (DLC) representative.
________________________________________
TUESDAY, AUGUST 14 - Staff Development Day
8:00am – Noon: Back to School Staff Development Day for All Certificated Staff (Chico High School)
This is the first day of the school year for all CUSD Certificated staff. Our Back-to-School Professional Development Day will begin at 8:00am in the new Chico High School Stadium. Our Key Note Speak will feature Dr. Jason Richardson who will discuss teamwork and mindset.
Following our Key Note Speaker, snacks and beverages will be provided as staff move to breakout sessions. Breakout sessions will be held from 9:30 to Noon on the Chico High campus.
"Dr. Jason Richardson is a World Champion and Pan Am Games Gold Medalist.
While competing as a professional athlete, dr. j earned his MBA and Doctorate in Psychology. Jason offers his #ChampionshipLife ethos - working with teams, groups, and individuals to reach their potential in Business, Sport, and life by evolving their mindset (thoughts and behaviors). He is a sought-after speaker and consultant, who works closely with high performance teams, executives, and athletes.
Jason employs neuroscience, behavioral science, positive psychology, sport psychology, and good ol' fashion wisdom as he helps people reach and redefine their goals."
Click the link below to view the entire schedule.
________________________________________
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 15 - School Site Meeting
8:00am to 3:00pm: School Site Level Meetings
This is the second day of school for all certificated staff. This day is reserved for school site meetings and classroom work.
________________________________________
THURSDAY, AUGUST 16, 2018: FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL FOR STUDENTS!
We are excited to welcome our students back to school! Please be visible and give a warm welcome to our students and families. The first day of school sets the tone for the entire school year, and we want it to be a great one!
________________________________________
FRIDAY, AUGUST 17 - CUSD Welcome Back Staff BBQ
________________________________________
Reach Out to Staff Members New to The Chico Unified Family
Most sites have new employees on either the Certificated or Classified side, if not both. Please introduce yourself and welcome our new employees. Most new certificated employees have already attended at least one New Teacher Training. Classified staff members also take part in a District Orientation. However, the most important orientation is the introduction to their work site and the colleagues they will be working with during the school year.
New CUSD Certificated Employees
- Michaeli Abbadessa (SDC ED) CITRUS
- Caroline Roady (SDC Teacher) NEAL DOW
- Gabby Homesley (Counselor) HOOKER OAK/PVHS
- Tamara Willard (Title 1) PARKVIEW
- Erin Lipski (Speech) LOMA VISTA
- Emily Kostuk (Kdg) EMMA WILSON
- Thomas Melton (Soc Sci) MARSH JUNIOR
- Audri Bakke (English) MARSH JUNIOR
- Kenneth Berry (PE) CHICO JUNIOR
- Christine Bomann (3rd Grade) NEAL DOW
- Kathryn Brown (Math) CHICO HIGH
- Rebecca Carriere (4th Grade) CITRUS
- Monica Carroll (Psychologist) DISTRICT
- Elva Castillo (Anderson) (Agriculture) CHICO HIGH
- Autumn Chesebro (1st Grade) HOOKER OAK
- Amanda Coorough (SDC) BIDWELL JUNIOR
- Anna Crane (Title 1) CHAPMAN/EMMA WILSON
- Phillip Graber (English) CHICO HIGH
- Jessica Lansden (5th Grade) CHAPMAN
- Jon Macalutas (Math) PVHS
- Esther Martin (ASP/Title 1) NEAL DOW/PARK VIEW
- Miko Wilson (Counselor) SHASTA/MARIGOLD
- Joseph Ahmadi (Psychologist) CHICO HIGH
- Bree Akins (ASP / Title 1) CITRUS
- M. Dolores Alaniz (ELD) BIDWELL JUNIOR
- Michael Bhojak (Soc Sci) FAIR VIEW
- Jennifer Carlson (Math) BIDWELL JUNIOR
- Stephanie Catrett (Title 1) CITRUS
- Casey Crowson (RSP) CHICO JUNIOR
- Jennifer Denzel (1st Grade) SHASTA
- Paul Gadbois (English) PVHS
- Kelsey Gullick (2nd Grade) CITRUS
- John Gunderson (Asst Principal) FAIR VIEW
- Andrew Gutierrez (3rd Grade) CITRUS
- Douglas Hesse (English) PVHS
- Shelby Hill (3rd Grade) CHAPMAN
- Nora Hunter (Elem Music) ELEMENTARY SITES
- Adriana Jimenez (4th Grade) ROSEDALE
- Austin King (Music) VARIOUS SITES
- Lindsay Meyer (ASP/Title 1) MCMANUS
- Krista Moore (Opportunity) CHAPMAN
- Jens Nielsen (3rd Grade) CHAPMAN
- Katie Rose (5th Grade) PARKVIEW
- Julie Scalet (Nurse) DISTRICT
- Kevin Sherald (RSP) FAIR VIEW
- Kaitlyn Sigler (1st Grade) MARIGOLD
- Dolores Soto (Counselor) EMMA WILSON/ROSEDALE
- Gary Story (Athletic Director) CHICO HIGH
- Ruth Testman (SDC-SH) PVHS
- Marinda Thomas (Math) CHICO JUNIOR
- Michael Thompson (SDC) SIERRA VIEW
- Paige Thurlow (Speech) LOMA VISTA
- Mary Triantafyllou (SDC) CHICO HIGH
- Victor Valdez (Counselor) PVHS
- Tamara Willard (Title 1) PARKVIEW
- Douglas Williams (Principal) CHICO HIGH
- David Wilson (ASP) ROSEDALE
- Rebecca Wion (Speech) LOMA VISTA
________________________________________
New CUSD Classified Employees
- Eileen Cusick (Office Asst. Elementary Attendance) HOOKER OAK
- Anthony Dos Santos (Computer Tech) VARIOUS
- Mineth Garcia (Instructional Paraprofessional) PVHS
- Shoko Horikawa (Parent Classroom Aide) HOOKER OAK
- Joan Ferm (Instructional Paraprofessional) LOMA VISTA
- Lindsey Lipski (Library Media Assistant) MARIGOLD
- Jennifer Maciel (IA-Bilingual) PARKVIEW
- Leah Pauley (Parent Classroom Aide) HOOKER OAK
- Andrea Petersen (Instructional Paraprofessional) SIERRA VIEW
- Alexandra Peterson (Parent Classroom Aide) HOOKER OAK
- Jeovonna Urrutia (Cafeteria Assistant) CHICO HIGH
- Monica Vega (Instructional Paraprofessional) PVHS
- Daniel Wright (Instructional Paraprofessional) MCMANUS
- Sylvie Allione (School Office Manager) EMMA WILSON
- Michaela Duarte (Instructional Paraprofessional) BIDWELL JUNIOR
- A.J. Madeiros (Instructional Paraprofessional) LOMA VISTA
________________________________________
2018-2019 CUSD Board Adopted Goals & Staff Expectations
At the July 18, 2018 Board Meeting, the CUSD Board adopted the following District-wide goals. These are the goals developed during the Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP) process so many of you are already familiar with them. We are each accountable for progress towards the District-wide goals. School site administrators will be working directly with staff, parents and students to more specifically define the needs of our individual schools and develop goals specific to each school site.
Please take a moment to read our District-wide goals and let's all work together to create a strong and supportive school community for our students.
Click on image to expand.
________________________________________
Summer Facility and M&O Projects
Our CUSD Maintenance & Operations and Facilities Departments continue to impress! I encourage you to drive through Chico to see the multiple facility projects underway. The M&O staff barely had time to sleep this summer as they cleaned, painted and repaired sites across the district. These are our often-unsung heroes—again, when you have a chance, please say or send a thank you to our amazing M&O and Facilities staff.
Click on the image to view all of the Measure K project updates.
Transportation Office
Bidwell Junior High Gym
Hooker Oak Hallways
________________________________________
Thank You ...
Thank you for contributing your talents, time and energy to help make Chico Unified School District a strong learning community for our students. We are striving to increase our media presence, including more promotion on social media, to showcase the multitude of wonderful things happening across Chico Unified. I encourage you to get involved and send us your stories, pictures and positive shout-outs throughout the school year. There are so many great things happening every day, and we would love an opportunity to share those stories with our Chico Unified community. Please forward information to Erica Smith at Erica.Smith@chicousd.org.
Thank you for all you do, and welcome back for another exciting school year!
________________________________________
Connect With Us
Email: erica.smith@chicousd.org
Website: http://www.chicousd.org
Location: 1163 East 7th Street, Chico, CA, USA
Phone: 530.891.3000
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ChicoUnifiedSchoolDistrict/
Twitter: @ChicoUSD