RUSD Family & Community eNews
March 2023
High Schools Participated in Civics Day
Citrus Valley, Orangewood, Redlands, and Redlands East Valley High School student leaders spent their morning shadowing the RUSD Board of Education members and Cabinet team learning about the District. Once Superintendent Mauricio Arellano had each of the students introduce themselves, he shared the role the District plays and goals and objectives of the RUSD 2025 vision.
Pete Aguilar Visit
33rd Congressional District of California Representative Pete Aguilar had the opportunity to speak to our Moore Middle School 8th graders about government. He shared his experience in his position, and discussed the three branches of government and the steps of making a bill into law. At the conclusion of his presentation, students asked Congressman Aguilar questions, including topics of his experience as former Mayor of Redlands, the process of passing laws, and campaigning for each of his terms.
RCSS Attends National School Counselor Leadership Conference
The Redlands Coordinated Supports and Services (RCSS) team presented at the National School Counseling Leadership Conference. The conference focuses on addressing "a critical gap in professional learning for administrators who oversee school counseling programs at the school, district, county, and state levels," according to Hatching Results, the department's partner and host of the conference.
Presenters -- Director of Behavior and Mental Health Director Rachel Malatesta, Program Specialist John Juniper, and Program Specialist Michelle DePuy -- shared the implementation journey of comprehensive school counseling in Redlands. It was a great opportunity to review the transformative work done by the school counselors, counseling leadership team, and district program specialists.
"Our session focussed on how our district used the school closures of 2020-21 as an opportunity to connect site-level efforts including counseling, PBIS, SEL, Mental Health and Student Leadership into a coordinated, district-supported system meeting the needs of all students," shared Juniper.
The three high school counseling department leads and APs over counseling joined the District team to represent RUSD at this national gathering of school counseling leaders.
Ten Orangewood High School students, under the supervision of their advisors Matt Stewart and Devora Severo, joined together to create a machine to perform a task in an indirect and complicated way.
The team placed 2nd Place Overall and received the Creative Spark Award.
Smiley Elementary School Teacher Ruth Thompson led the Doc and McFlys student team to this year's event. The six-member team consisted of storytellers, project manager, and builders.
The team placed 4th Place overall and received the Mission Impossible. Award.
Kingsbury Elementary School STEAM Team's (made up of six students and Ms. Crystal Colbert and Ms. Melissa Anderson) theme was Underwater, where students dressed in their costume to match their theme.
The team placed 2nd Place Overall and received the Best Teamwork Award.
District Receives Three CalSPRA Awards
The District Communications Department received three California School Public Relations Association awards at this year’s #CalSPRA2023 Conference, highlighting the team's efforts in Multimedia/Visual, Newsletter, and Marketing Campaign. These awards recognize and celebrate students' voices, district’s achievements, and top-notch staff and programs to our families, community, and advocates.
Follow the District on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, and LinkedIn! See the different ways you can connect with the District and your child(ren)'s school by scrolling down to School Communications.
Certificated Staff Spotlight: Ms. Karen Burk
Meet Victoria Elementary School Innovation Teacher Ms. Karen Burk! Ms. Burk has been teaching in district since 2018, but her impact in her school, specifically teaching the Garner Holt Animakerspace Lab, is impactful for all TK-5th grade students!
She works with teachers to bring STEAM activities to enrich their students learning, including teaching them how to use robotic kits, create electrical unities, and graphic design.
"The opportunities the students are getting in the Garner Holt Animakerspace are very valuable," she shared. "They are learning career pathways at an early age that expands their vision of what they can become in their future."
Her days are filled with introducing students to different career skills, use various machines and software, and teaching them to create a project from start to finish. One of her favorite projects is working with students to create an animatronics showing using Spark-E.
"They learn how to sculpt faces for their character, create costumes, design backgrounds and props," she shared. "Students learn how to voice act, operate the animatronic and add dramatic lighting to their shows."
Her journey teaching STEAM and innovation is rewarding work. "The school board and Superintendent's support is very important in this type of educational setting," she shared.
Classified Staff Spotlight: Safety Officer II Victor Marquez
Students and staff see him moving about throughout the campus ensuring that student safety is his number one priority. But he always make sure that students know that he's available to help them in any capacity.
"As a Safety Officer, there is never a typical day," he shared. "Every single day presents new challenges, and I am constantly learning new things, such as the ever-evolving slang words and social media trends."
One of his favorite moments in his role was when Citrus Valley High School joined the Citrus Belt League (CBL), where their football team won the game at the very last minute.
"To be part of our players excitement and hear the roar of the crowd was priceless," he shared.
Nominations are Open!
We are seeking nominations for next month's Certificated and Classified Spotlight!
Students, parents, community members and staff can recognize a RUSD staff member by clicking this link.
Join Our Team!
We post new positions regularly! Join our school community by applying here or share this link with someone who may wish to apply.
Current openings:
- Campus Monitors
- Child Nutrition Services Workers
- Paraprofessionals
- School Bus Drivers
- Substitute Teachers
Call Human Resources at (909) 307-5300.
Website: www.redlandsusd.net
Location: 20 West Lugonia Avenue Redlands, CA 92374
Phone: (909) 307-5300
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