October 23 Community Update
October 2023
A Message from Superintendent Tom Reusser
Dear students, staff and families,
This past month, the Sutter County Superintendent of Schools office crossed a major milestone. We have officially received accreditation for our cosmetology program which will now be housed under the Sutter County Career Training Center. As we welcome a new group of students into the program, we are also gearing up for our first group of cosmetology graduates this month happening Wednesday, October 4, 2023 at Hope Point Church. We are excited for our students as they will go on to take the California State Licensing Exam, earning their license and creating jobs here in Sutter County. In the meantime, the program’s salon is open to the public. Please continue to show support to all of our current and incoming students by booking an appointment at 939 Live Oak Blvd in Yuba City.
We also had the pleasure of celebrating Adult Education and Family Literacy week. This week is an important time to recognize the hard work and dedication of our programs at Sutter County Adult Education. These courses provide valuable resources to our students and families, and ensure that everyone in our community has the opportunity to succeed. We are so excited to offer these incredible opportunities to our students and staff. We know they will make a tremendous impact on our community.
We at Sutter County Superintendent of Schools would like to thank you for your ongoing support and commitment to our community. We look forward to continuing to provide the best education and opportunities possible to our students.
Sincerely,
Superintendent Tom Reusser
Week of the School Administrator: October 8-14, 2023
Jessica Castellanos, Special Education Director
A principal, they say is not strong
A principal, they say cannot do it all
BUT I beg to differ and here is my proof
A principal is SUPER and that is the TRUTH!
Their hearts are as big as the infinite skies
They put on smiles straight after they cry
There is simply no end to how much they can give
Their care is unending a gift from above
So cheers to our principals for being the GLUE that makes it work for YOU!
Colleen Davenport, SPED Principal
Colleen Davenport is our SCSOS Special Education Principal that serves Riverbend Elementary, Andros Karperos Elementary, Lincrest Elementary, Lincoln Elementary and the Apricot Center.
Colleen enjoys her position as principal; there is always something new to attend to each day. “Only 10% of my day is planned,” she said. “I have to be prepared to think on my feet and take care of the other 90% as it comes up.”
Colleen states that being a principal is the perfect balance between serving both students and teachers. “I have the opportunity to be in classrooms and even substitute teach,” she said, “I can support teachers by bringing out the greatness in them to further impact our students.”
When asked what she wants people to know about her position, Colleen said, “We really are in it for the kids. We are always advocating for better for our students. However, sometimes it is out of our control.”
Tejinder Khera, SPED Principal
Tejinder Khera is our Special Education Principal for our programs at Barry School, Gray Avenue, Sutter High School, Yuba City High School, DHH- Itinerant, as well as our Adult Transition Program.
Tejinder said that her favorite part about her position as principal is the positive impact she has the opportunity to make with students and teachers. “I love sharing my passion and dedication for life-long learning with students and educators,” she said. “I enjoy problem solving through exploring new ideas, perspectives, and opportunities and then coming up with solutions collaboratively.”
When asked what she wants people to know about her position, she stated, “Choosing administration isn’t an easy choice. It takes a toll on us physically, emotionally and mentally. A little grace goes a long way.”
Tejinder also stated that principals are not out of touch just because they are out of the classroom. They see the bigger picture. They constantly advocate for their students even though there are restraints to what they can do.
Lizeth Ramirez, SPED Principal
Lizeth Ramirez is the newest member to our administrative team; this is her second year as Special Education Principal at Butte Vista, Tierra Buena, River Valley High School and supporting the small districts in the county.
Lizeth says that she enjoys going into the classrooms and seeing how happy the students are in school and learning. She also enjoys working with dedicated staff members and parents. Being able to communicate with Spanish speaking parents has been huge as it has created relationships and fostered trust.
Being a principal is a great profession; Lizeth states that she enjoys working with the many school professionals, community members, parents and students with whom she interacts every day. She enjoys working with partnerships such as all districts in the county, Alta Regional, Family Soup and E Center.
When asked what she wants people to know about her position, she said, “Being a principal is such a challenging and very rewarding job. Being a principal is best described like Forest Gump said, “Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you are going to get” because every day there is something unexpected.
AeroStem Academy
Feather River Academy
Congratulations to Feather River Academy staff for being recognized by the CA PBIS for the implementation of Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) with fidelity to the national framework. FRA earned Silver recognition.
"Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) is an evidence based tiered framework for supporting students’ behavioral, academic, social, emotional and mental health. When implemented with fidelity, PBIS improves social emotional competence, academic success, and school climate. It also improves teacher health and wellbeing. It is a way to create positive, predictable, equitable and safe learning environments where everyone thrives.
California Positive Behavior Intervention and Supports (CA PBIS) initiated its first statewide effort in 2015 to implement a recognition system to acknowledge school for implementing PBIS with fidelity to the national framework. FRA applied to be recognized as a PBIS school and was recognized by California PBIS, for a successful PBIS implementation. Affiliated schools are who are recipients within CA PBIS’ Recognition System, reflect the excellence in the implementation of the core features of PBIS. This great honor would have not have been possible without the leadership of Denae Rollins, staff, students and families from Feather River Academy."
- Chris Reyna, FRA/PCA Principal
Shady Creek Outdoor School and Event Center
“Just one look at you, and I know it’s going to be a lovely day.” – Bill Withers
Hello World, it’s Shady Creek -- We have officially kicked off our 2023–2024 school year and it’s going fantastic!
Our maintenance team is in full ‘Boss Mode,’ operating in complete stride. The grounds of Shady Creek have never looked so magnificent. The kitchen staff is coming off of their biggest year ever and they are ready for more. It seems like every year they find a way to keep stepping it up. Lastly, our naturalist staff is the largest in our programs history! The culture of our outdoor school can be directly linked to the naturalist staff. They are the ones who make the magic come to life! Our entire team works at 110% because every single one of them truly cares about each and every student that steps foot on campus.
Nestled within the naturalist staff is the heart of our program, the Student Naturalists. For those who may not know, we here at Shady Creek are proud to offer a year-long internship geared towards high school graduates. These young people give an entire school year of service and it’s their energy that makes us one of a kind. This program started at Woodleaf in 2000 and now 23 years later it lives on. I could go on for days about the Student Naturalist program, but that is for a later time. Right now, I want to talk about this year‘s Student Naturalist. Usually we are lucky to hire six to eight Student Naturalist every school year, but this recruiting season we were flooded with so many incredible applicants that we ultimately had to hire 12! The cream of the crop, the best of the best, they are – Cheeseburger, Salamander, Raven, Panda, Nighthawk, Petrichor, Doe, Forest, Flame, Star, Aurora and, last but not least, Rosebud. These are the future stars of education and we are so blessed to have them start their origin story at Shady Creek. The school year is going to be a wild ride, but I know that with the ENTIRE Shady Creek staff by my side, we can move mountains and accomplish anything!
This past month we opened our doors to Willows Intermediate, Allison Elementary, Park Avenue, Bridge Street, Golden Hills, Foothill Intermediate, Yuba Feather and Dobbins Elementary. During week two with Park Avenue and Bridge Street Elementary Schools, there was a moment where I turned to my staff and shouted, “This is the best job in the whole world!” I know that may strike you as a ‘No-Brainer,’ but in all honesty the job can be quite taxing and that’s before I start talking about being the social monster that is ‘YETI.’ (That’s a whole different beast). But I truly love my job with all my heart and I love those moments where we are reminded of that very truth.
This month’s photos (provided in the link below) come with a bonus video! When the day comes and I ride off into the sunset and reflect on all my days at camp, I know without a shadow of a doubt that I will always remember Evil Bunny. This student had so much joy and enthusiasm for our program, especially all of the music. Evil Bunny is the student with the red shirt. I feel it’s impossible to watch this video and not crack a huge smile. Enjoy! There’s also staff photos, twins, me with a banana slug mask and LETTERS!!
Love to EVERYONE!"
- Christopher Little (Yeti), Shady Creek Director
Student Support and Outreach
Sutter County Adult Education
Paul Cannelora, Adult Education Instructor Testimony
"After working 20 years in retail, I decided to finish my education. With newly acquired degrees and credentials in hand, I started my new career as a high school counselor in the Elk Grove Unified School District. It was the most amazing experience, better than I could have imagined!
I took an early retirement 15 years later, but felt like I had more to give. I had picked up a special education credential along the way and never had a chance to use it. So, I signed on with Sutter County Superintendent of Schools as a substitute teacher specifically to work in Special Education.
The next four years were some of the most amazing in my career yet. I worked with students with special needs from ages three to 23 and it changed my life forever.
In 2018, I was accidentally / inadvertently assigned to an adult education classroom as a substitute teacher and I never looked back!
The most rewarding thing for me about this job is watching people, our students, overcoming obstacles in their lives. Whether it was an 18 year old student who got caught up in the school closures of the pandemic, or a middle-aged retiree who always dreamed of completing their high school diploma and everything in between, our program is here to meet their needs.
What I would like people to know about our program is we are here to meet you "where you are" in your academic and personal life. We are constantly reassessing and fine-tuning our program to meet the needs of our community. In the few years I've been associated with this amazing program, I have seen us adapt and change into, what I believe, is the best adult education program with the best staff in Northern California. I can't think of a situation yet where we haven't been able to help someone along on their academic journey.
I hope people will give us a chance to show them what THEY can do and what WE can do to help them."
Emely Ramirez, Adult Education Student Testimony
"To me, adult education means the chance to be able to better myself in life. Adult Ed has given me the opportunity to prove to myself that I can become the person I always wanted to be. Thanks to Sutter County Adult Ed, I am able to continue to work on receiving my high school diploma to be able to continue in achieving my goals. After completing my high school diploma, my next goal is to make my way to becoming a medical assistant."
Sutter County Career Training Center
Sutter County One Stop
Join us for Graduation! 🎓
News from our Districts
Local Events
Registration is OPEN for the 2023 Pink October Walk*Run! Let's make this our best year yet! Register now!
Join the Alec Flores Youth Sports Scholarships Corporation in the Second Annual Ten Fun Run. The organization will be raising money for young athletes with a 10-lap fun walk and run.
Where: Yuba City High School Track
When: Sunday, October 8, 2023. Gates open at 9:30am, Ten Fun Run begins at 10am
Cost: Registration is a $10 donation per person for pre-registration, $15 at the door.
Golf Tournament will be on Friday, October 20th at Peach Tree Country Club! Registration forms will go out to past participants or you can sign up online here https://www.pink-october.org/scramble-fore-a-cure We hope you can join us to support local women!