Monthly Matador
"Reaching For The Stars"
May 2022 Edition
Dear CJ Morris Families,
Thank you for so graciously welcoming me into the CJ Morris Community. Our school theme this year was “Adventure Awaits”. And it has been a great adventure, indeed. COVID threw us many curve balls, but we were resilient and our community was incredibly patient and understanding as we weathered each new policy and mandate that came our way. Our kids thrived and learned, regardless of our world’s affairs. CJ Morris continued to soar throughout every adventure because our school is supported by a strong team of staff and parents. I look forward to the upcoming school year and walking alongside the team to take CJ Morris to new heights. I hope that your summer is an adventure filled with joy, relaxation, and memories to last a lifetime. See you in August!
Adventure is Out There,
Ms. Morris
Paris Beirne-1st Grade Teacher
Dana Veit-SAI Teacher
Cindy Peck-ASD Class-Instructional Aide
Dave Boots-3rd Grade Teacher
A Message From Mr. Boots
May 27th is but a few weeks away, which will begin the next part of my life’s journey. 35 years ago I was looking forward to my new position as a 6th grade teacher at Maple Hill, and excited to be a part of Walnut Valley School District. Well, 4 schools, 5 grade levels, 11 different principals, and numerous team partners later, I think back on many great times.
Some distinct memories include being the track and drama coach at Maple Hill, doing rolling chair races in the quad at Walnut El, playing PE teacher at South Pointe, and organizing the decathlon events at CJ Morris. Through it all, I have especially enjoyed read-alouds at the end of each day and many, many laughs with all the students I have taught.
Being hired by Walnut Valley all those years ago brought me into a very special district, and it has only continued to be a wonderful place to spend most of my adult life.
There are some things I won’t miss; report cards, correcting papers and living by the bells, but the good memories will stay with me forever.
August 1986- May 2022, Gone But Not Forgotten!
-Mr. Boots-
(Mr. Boots is pictured above with his children and wife)
Ice-Cream Social Extravaganza!
You are NOT going to want to miss this event!!! Bring the whole family and let's celebrate coming together as a community for the first time, in a LONG time.
Check Out the Ice Cream Social Movie Trailer!
Rainbow Kits for Ukrainian Refugee Children
Another heart-felt thank you goes out to our CJ Morris Community. Many of you donated bags and bags of items for the Rainbow Kits and there were families that donated money to help us cover the cost of shipping, too. Our goal was to create 100 Rainbow Kits for 100 children, but we far surpassed our wildest dreams and created 600 kits!
This campaign would not have been possible without the planning and direction of Mrs. Mortensen (ASD Teacher) and Mrs. Howard (IB Coordinator).
Boy Scouts Helping CJ Morris
These Boy Scouts are in Germany delivering our Rainbow Kits to refugee children. This picture is taken where the Berlin Wall once stood.
Refugee Children Opening Rainbow Kits
These Ukrainian children are living in Slovakia after their apartment in Kiev was bombed. They are opening up their CJ Morris Rainbow Kits.
Messages of Hope
Every Rainbow Kit that we created contained a message of hope from a CJ Morris student.
Meet Our New Health Clerk
Alyssa Gomez joined our team on May 2nd as our new Health Clerk. She is a WVUSD alumnus and was also the coach for Walnut High School's boy's wrestling team! She has many talents and is a great addition to our team.
Staff Appreciation Week-Thank you!
Wow. Wow. Wow. The entire CJ Morris Team was overwhelmed by the love from our community during Staff Appreciation Week! The whole school was abuzz. Thank you for sending daily messages and gifts, which brought such joy. Our Community Club, under the leadership of our President, Billy Fermin, spoiled us with a Grand Slam Breakfast on Monday, French Fry Bar on Tuesday, Homemade Churros on Wednesday, Mega Snack Bar on Thursday, and a Taco/Street Dog Luncheon on Friday. This was my first Staff Appreciation Week at CJ Morris and I was amazed by the support from our parent volunteers and the love from the community. CJ Morris is a special place!
Thank you to Billy Fermin for being a fantastic Community Club President and Partner in Education! You spent many hours spreading joy at CJ Morris this week.
Cornerstone Award-Mrs. Helen Chung
WVUSD is comprised of over 800 Classified Employees that support the district and school sites. Departments and school sites can nominate top performing employees for the Cornerstone Award, which is given to one Classified Employee each month. Our morning supervisor and classroom assistant, Helen Chung, was selected as April's Cornerstone Honoree. Only 12 individuals receive this honor for the year and we are so proud of her. She does whatever it takes for our kids and school and she does it all with grace and care.
New Bell Schedule for 2022-2023
Find out more information on our new Bell Schedule that will start August 2022. Click the link below to learn more about our start and end times. We will no longer have "Late Start Mondays". Instead we will have "Early Out Thursdays".
In-N-Out Lunch-May 10th
Community Club is providing every student and staff member with an In-N-Out Lunch on May 10th. Your child's teacher took your child's order. Each student will get a hamburger or grilled cheese, a bag of chips, and either Sprite, Lemonade, or Water. The cafeteria will not be serving lunch on this day. If you think your child will not eat their In-N-Out lunch, please pack them a lunch from home.
WVEF (Walnut Valley Educator Foundation) Summer School
The Walnut Valley Educational Foundation is offering dynamic, engaging instruction to students entering first through fifth grade. Under the direction of Walnut Valley Unified principal, Dr. Sandra Lee, students will access live instruction from highly qualified, credentialed teachers using online platforms. Students will continue to flourish in reading, writing, and math while making connections with teachers and peers. We are thrilled to partner with the families across our district to extend the excellent learning experiences provided to students all summer long!
Registration link below.
Program Offerings:
- Instruction provided by highly qualified credentialed teachers
- Class sizes for 20 students
- Teachers will be providing in-person instruction at Quail Summit Elementary
- For students entering 1st-5th Grade
- June 6th-July 14th
- Monday-Thursday 8:00 AM-11:30 AM
- $650 per child for six weeks of learning! ($610 for each registered sibling)
- Registration will end on May 21, 2021
If you have any questions, please reach out to Dr. Sandra Lee:
May School Calendar
Every Friday, TK and Kindergarten are dismissed at 11:35 a.m.
May 9th
- Late Start Monday. School starts at 9:05 am
May 10th
- 3rd Grade Cultural Dance Residency
- 5th Graders visit Suzanne Middle School 9-11
- In-N-Out Lunch for the whole school
May 12th
- ELAC Meeting with Mrs. Evangelista on Zoom at 8:30 am
- 1st Grade Cultural Dance Residency
May 13th
- Ice-Cream Social at CJ Morris 4:00-8:00 pm
May 16th
- Late Start Monday. School starts at 9:05 am
- 4th and 5th Spring Concert-Will be recorded and shared with families
May 17th
- 1st Grade Cultural Dance Residency
- Exhibition Night for 5th Grade
May 18th
- Community Club Meeting at 8:30 at the lunch tables
- 5th Graders go to Knott's Berry Farm
- After School Student Leadership 2:35-3:45 pm
May 25th
- 5th Grade Ceremony-More details to come
May 26th
- Last Day of School
- Minimum Day
- TK/K dismisses at 11:35 am
- 1st-5th dismisses at 12:00 pm
May Lunch Menu
Home of the Matadors
Website: www.cjmorris.wvusd.k12.ca.us
Location: 19875 East Calle Baja Drive, Walnut, CA, USA
Phone: 909-594-0053
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CJMCommClub/
Twitter: @CJM_Matadors