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data updated

NON-PROFIT ORG.
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FRESNO, CA
PERMIT NO. 398
January 2018

Clovis Unified School District — WHERE CHARACTER COUNTS!	Volume 20, No. 6

follow us on	TM               and at CUSD.COM

Clovis Unified celebrates season of giving

Photo special to CUSD Today. Students at Reagan Elementary collected jackets of all kinds during their Coats for Kids drive in December

n Many schools collect donations of food, toys

By Patti J. Lippert CUSD Today

Dried beans, blankets, toys and songs provided lessons in giving and kindness throughout Clovis Unfied School District in recent months.
From donating spare change for a local shelter to writing cards and drawing pictures for service men and women, students at all schools have had opportunities to participate in a variety of giving-related efforts.
At Clark Intermediate, students brought cans of peas, soup and pasta sauce as part of a Canned Food Drive that benefited local families. But the food drive did more than

just supply food.
“It allowed our students to understand the importance of giving and helping out those who are in need of an extra hand,” said teacher Kendal Kubo. “This small act, helps them realize that any act of kindness can create a movement for a better and more selfless community.”
Said Clovis East FFA student Macie Kulikov of helping put gift boxes together for children containing school supplies, toiletries and toys,“Everyone deserves something that makes them happy.”
Clovis High Activities Director Stacy Lazarri said she saw classes, clubs and sports teams make their own giving goals to support the many activities at school. Some committed to collecting coats and others to buying toys.
“[We] have the opportunity and responsibility to care

➤ Please see Giving, Page 10

Online look
A World of Dance

Students from throughout Clovis Unified participated in “Our World Through Dance,” a celebration of cultural dances presented by the district’sVisual and Per-forming Arts Department at the Paul Shaghoian Concert Hall in December. Clockwise, from above:“Greetings from the Lion,” by the Buchanan High Chinese Club. “Veracruz-La Bruja,” by the Clovis East Folklorico.”Zoo Nkauj,” by the Clovis East Wolfpack Dance Repertory.“Hologoblin,” by the Buchanan High Korean Club.

Photos special to CUSD Today by Ron Webb.

27 to receive Clovis Unified’s Crystals

at district’sce

■ State releases new Dashboard; CUSD showing gains

CUSD Today

California’s updated School Dashboard is now available online, delivering a wide variety of school assessment and performance data to the public in one place. Launched this spring, the Dash-board provides a variety of data on California schools.
From graduation rates to math-ematics results, data is available at the district and school level deliv-ered in a color-coded, report-card style format.
According to State Superintend-ent Tom Torlakson, the Dashboard is designed to be helpful to parents, teachers and communities because it helps identify areas that are going well, and areas needing attention, and to focus resources where they are most needed.
“It also highlights the perform-ance of student groups, making disparities or achievement gaps impossible to ignore,” Torlakson said in his public announcement of the Dashboard’s release.
A series of colored pie charts in five state performance areas in-dicate how schools are doing in their efforts to continually improve in areas including math and Eng-lish/language arts, English Learner progress, suspension rates and graduation rates.
Measurements for chronic ab-senteeism and college readiness are still being developed by the state and will be reported in future versions of the dashboard.

➤ Please see Dashboard, Page 7

By Patti J. Lippert CUSD Today

Learning sign language, starting a year-round wrestling club or creating a reading lounge are just a sampling of what Clovis Unified’s 2017 Crystal Award recipients are doing in order to make a difference in the lives of students.
Twenty-seven employees were selected by a panel of judges to receive the district’s highest award

that celebrates those who are going far beyond their job descriptions in their innovation, commitment and passion for education.
Among the recipients are teach-ers, custodians, support staff, med-ical aides and bus drivers.
“Every employee who works for Clovis Unified is part of the educational team that collectively strives to provide the best for all of our 43,000-plus students,” said Superintendent Eimear O’Farrell,

Ed.D. “These 27 amazing men and women stand out as absolutely exemplary in the many ways they extend themselves and pursue ex-cellence for our students. Quite simply, they are inspiring yet often humble individuals who tend to respond by saying they are just doing their job. However, they are doing so, so much more.”
The recipients were nominated by their peers and found by a panel of judges comprised of

CUSD employees to be the best among the best in terms of mod-eling Clovis Unified’s core values and aims.
Throughout December the win-ners were surprised at their work site with the celebratory news as co-workers and family offered cheers, flowers, balloons and hugs. Each winner will receive a $500 grant that can be used for some-

➤ Please see Crystals, Page 6

Photo special to CUSD Today by P.J. Lippert. Clovis Online Teacher Toni Shelby learns she has been selected as a Crystal Award winner.

INSIDE:

ANNOUNCEMENTS
Parent Academy workshop Jan. 24 CUSD’s Parent Academy offers free, monthly
workshops in the evening to help parents become more engaged in their child’s education. Page 3

AROUND THE DISTRICT
Students join in tree planting
Dry Creek Elementary students learn how to plant and care for new maple trees they helped plant on school grounds. Page 7

VISION
Cultural proficiency offers hope, understanding I have hope that we can make a positive change,
and what better vehicle to start that change than the transformational power of education. Page 5

Page 2	CUSD Today	January 2018

January 2018	CUSD Today	Page 3

➤ ANNOUNCEMENTS

Join the Clovis Unified team! nCertificated Job Fair in January

Clovis Unified School District will hold a Teacher/Certificated Job Fair on Jan. 24 at the CUSD Professional Devel-
opment Building, 1680 David E. Cook Way, Clovis. Pre-registration is required in order to secure a personal interview time.
For more information about the job fair or to pre-register, visit www.cusd.com.

Parent Academy workshop Jan. 24
Clovis Unified’s Parent Academy offers free, monthly workshops in the evening on topics that are designed to help parents become more engaged in their child’s education. On Jan. 24, the Parent Academy will offer a workshop
on “College and Career Readiness.”
Seating is limited. Those interested in attending may RSVP with Kreig Cirrincione in the Supplemental Services Department at 327-9566 or kreigcirrincione@cusd.com. For assistance in Spanish, contact Ana Macias at 327-9564; in Hmong, contact Anna Vang, 327-9561.
Upcoming Parent Academy Modules are “CUSD Wellness Project: Safe Talk – Suicide Alertness Training,” Feb. 6;

“Homework without Tears:Assisting Your Child with Math and Language Arts for Grades K-12,” March 20; “CUSD Wellness Project: Behavioral Supports & Behavior 101,” April 12; and “Drug, Alcohol & Gang Awareness,” May 16. All workshops will be held in the CUSD Professional Learning Center, 362 N. Clovis Ave. in Clovis on the corner of Clovis and Herndon avenues.

Martin Luther King Jr. Day
Clovis Unified schools and district office will be closed for Martin Luther King Jr. Day Jan. 15.

‘Bye Bye Birdie’ performed by CHS Clovis High will perform “Bye

Bye Birdie” in January at the Mer-cedes Edwards Theatre.
The lively musical will transport the audience to 1958 where the teens of Sweet Apple, Ohio, are in a frenzy during a wild visit from celebrity heartthrob Conrad Birdie, a rebellious rock star who’s been drafted into the army and is here to bestow one last kiss on an ador-ing fan, Kim MacAfee.
Performances are at 7:30 p.m.
Jan. 19, 20, 25, 26 and 27. Tickets are $10 for students and
$12 for adults.

‘Anne of Green Gables’ by Clovis East Clovis East High will perform “Anne of Green Gables”

later this month and next at the Dan Pessano Theater. Performances are at 7:30 p.m. Jan. 25 to 27 and Feb. 1 to
3. Tickets are $8 for students and $10 for adults.

SPECIAL EDUCATION
The following upcoming workshops will be offered by the Special Education Department’s Family Resource Center. For more information or to inquire about an interpreter, please call 327-8455.
“Autism Spectrum Disorders from A to Z (Assessment to Zany Conversation),” 6:30 to 9 p.m. Jan. 16, Professional Development Building, Room 1, 1680 David E. Cook Way, Clovis. Issues and interventions will be discussed, as well as some of the current trends in both science and advocacy regarding this unique disorder.Presented by the Diagnostic Center of Central California. Free. RSVP with Eventbrite at http://tinyurl.com/ASD1-16 or call the Family Resource Center at 327-8455.
“Social and Emotional Development in Early Interven-tion,” 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Jan. 20, Clovis Veterans Memorial Building, 808 Fourth St., Clovis, with presentation by author Mona Delahooke, Ph.D. Staff, administrators of preschools, day care providers, teachers, parents and com-munity members are invited.Free. RSVP with Eventbrite at http://tinyurl.com/EarlyInterventionCon1-18 or call 327-8455.

thought a kid from Avenal
SPORTS

Page 4	CUSD Today	January 2018

Boxing champ visits Kastner

Photo special to CUSD Today. Tarpey Elementary's quarterback Logan Sanchez, second from left, is a big fan of Buchanan running back Kendall Milton, left.After many games this fall, he would ask Kendall if he could have his gloves as a keepsake. At the end of the season, Kendall surprised Logan and after a game went to the stands and gave them to him (pictured below).Administrators heard about the kind gesture and decided to make it even more special by putting them in a shadowbox and presenting them to Logan at Tarpey with his family present (pictured above.)

Bears’ RB shares his gloves

The hard work of one persistent fan of Buchanan Bears’ running back Kendall Milton paid off. After Tarpey Elementary sixth-grader Lo-gan Sanchez made numerous requests for Kendall’s football gloves after games this fall, Logan’s wish came true.
Kendall – who is coming off a successful season and as a sophomore is already being contacted by several college teams interested in him playing for their schools – went to the stadium bleach-ers after a game and gave a pair of his gloves to Logan. Buchanan Area calls itself Bear Nation; all six elemen-tary schools, its intermediate school and its high school see themselves as one team, one nation. Turns out that Logan is part of Bear Nation and plays quarterback for Tarpey Elementary, which
Kendall did not know.
When school officials
learned of the kind deed     put the mementos in a shad-     so persistent. “I knew he Kendall had done, they de-     ow box for Logan.	would give them to me and cided to take it a step further.	Kendall presented the     I wanted them before it’s too To help preserve the special     shadow box to Logan during     late,” Logan said. Logan’s par-keepsake for Logan, they got     lunch at Tarpey Elementary. ents and sister were also in the gloves back, had Kendall     During the presentation Lo-     attendance and were grateful sign them and a photo, and     gan was asked why he was     of the kind gesture.

Boxing Champion Jose Ramirez shared an inspiring message with students in the Latino Club at Kastner In-termediate on Dec. 11. Stu-dents packed the school li-brary to listen to the 25-year-old boxing lightweight superstar from Avenal who, as an amateur was the U.S. National Lightweight Cham-pion and competed for Team USA in the Olympics. Pro-fessionally, Ramirez is un-defeated and just learned he will be fighting for the vacant Junior Welterweight World Title March 17 at Madison Square Garden in NY, which will be aired on ESPN.
He spoke to club mem-
selves and following their
dreams. Who would have
bers about believing in them-		Photo special to CUSD Today. Clovis Unified Officer Jesse Ceron, who is the Kastner Inter-mediate Latino Club advisor, brought welterweight boxing
could win a national title or champion Jose Ramirez to share his story with students.
be an Olympian, he asked.     them to pursue their educa-     Latino Clubs in all of Clovis But he said, he was focused     tion and their dreams.              Unified and the club advisor on being the best he could          “Sacrificing, respecting     CUSD Police Officer Jesse be in the sport of boxing     time and remaining opti-     Ceron says the club continues because he knew that was     mistic are keys to success,”     to gain in membership. His his passion.                               he said.                                      goal is to continue to place "You have to believe in          Afterwards,      Ramirez     individuals in front of stu-yourself and have faith that     signed autographs and posed     dents that can share real life you will do something great,"     for pictures with students.     examples of hope and in-
he told students, encouraging	Kastner has one of the largest	spiration.

Two BHS runners best in state

Buchanan High School Girls Cross Country Team placed sec-ond in the California Inter-scholastic Federation State Cross Country Championships, with sophomore Corie Smith and junior Meagen Lowe finishing first- and second-place individ-ually. Smith ran a time of 17:16.7 and Lowe a 17:19.8.
The team qualified for na-tionals and competed at the Nike Cross Nationals in De-cember, earning 12th place in the nation. Smith and Lowe were named All-Americans and the fastest sophomore and junior girls cross country racer west of the Mississippi.

Four ways to go LEAN in 2018

By Cassie Kandarian, Dietetic Intern and Nancy Whalen, Registered Dietitian CUSD Campus Catering

Every year many people set goals for a New Year’s resolution but only 8 percent of these resolutions are achieved.Accom-plishing these goals requires small and intentional actions. If goals are realistic, one can work hard to achieve one small change at a time.
Here are some goals that may help those wanting to go LEAN in 2018:
■ Limit high fat, sugar and sodium. Choose more natural, whole foods and less highly processed items.
■ Exercise – recommendations for children is 60 minutes/day and for adults is 150 minutes per week. The amount of

minutes is cumulative throughout the day and can be broken into segments.
Examples include going for a short walk, using the stairs whenever possible, trying a “walk and talk” meeting instead of sitting, walking the dog, and walking/bik-ing to work.
■ Aim to make half of your plate fruits and vegetables.
■ Nourish your body with lean protein, whole grains and low fat dairy.
Intentionality is key when making lifestyle changes. Make a list of goals and review them daily. Habits can take two to three months to create. Realistic changes will yield beneficial results with time and a conscious effort.
For more nutrition and exercise related information, see www.choosemyplate.gov.

cy?” some might	big     for     one
VISION

January 2018	CUSD Today	Page 5

Cultural proficiency work offers hope, understanding

By Eimear O’Farrell, Ed.D. Superintendent

THE world is not perfect. Just turn on your TV,

look	at	your phone or tablet, and you will see a litany of news stories focused on what isn’t work-ing      so      well
around	our	Eimear O’Farrell, world, nation,             Ed.D. state and even lo-

cal community. It’s not perfect, but each of us has a responsibility to work toward making our little cor-ner of the world a better place, and what I appreciate about the month of January is that it is filled with the emotion that is necessary to do just that … hope.
Hope is inspirational. Hope is motivational. Hope is what turns discouragement into action.Why? Because, without hope for what could be, it is often our human nature to let what is remain our expectation and reality. Certainly, hope exists throughout the year, but I have found that January is often the month that is most filled with this valuable sentiment. It’s a new year, and with a new year comes the opportunity to consider new possibilities and a different status quo.
It’s also the emotion that I find abundant in our schools. I have said before that education is trans-formational, and through it we can affect change in ways that few other pursuits can match. It will likely be no surprise to you, therefore, that this month I am hopeful, and that much of that hope is driven by what I see happening in our Clovis Unified community.
I am particularly speaking of the extensive, recent work around our school district and with a large cross section of the community to thoroughly examine and evaluate issues of cultural proficiency. Clovis Unified has had in place for more than two decades an Intercultural and Diversity Advisory Committee (IDAC) process that includes district and site-based meetings. This recent in-depth review of our IDAC format has involved multiple conversations at every one of our schools and among our district-level support departments. It has allowed us to hear many different viewpoints and opinions about what is working

oficiency.	incidents that
“I have hope that we can make a
positive change, and what better
well (and what	we are “react-isn’t) in Clovis	ing,” or as I’ve Unified schools	had some say to regarding the is-	me, “over react-sues of cultural	ing” to isolated pr “What is cul-      vehicle to start that change than the         reflect a national tural proficien-      transformational power of education.” issue much too

ask. When you	Eimear O’Farrell, Ed.D. school district hear someone in                                                                                           Superintendent to overcome. Clovis Unified                                                                                                                               Based on the referring to cul-                                                                                                                          two sentiments tural proficiency, we are referencing and                                                      I expressed at the start, I disagree. I our work to build an educational         ■ Promotes a campus climate have hope that we can make a pos-system that is:                                    that, through education, contributes itive change, and what better vehicle
■ Effective at meeting the needs to every student feeling welcome to start that change than the trans-of ALL students;	and supported by our employees formational power of education?
■ Respects the value and con- and by other students.	Over time, IDAC and our work tributions of the many different	Some people may point to recent to build a culturally proficient sys-cultures and races that make up race related incidents in our schools tem has been evaluated and revised our community and school district; and community, and assume that periodically. Events over the past

Photo special to CUSD Today by Ron Webb.

“Alone we can do so little. Together we can do so much.”

HELEN KELLER AMERICAN AUTHOR

12 months in our district have em-phasized the importance of this work and have driven our own self-reflec tion. Much in our world has changed over the past two-and-a-half decades.
For instance, while we have long taught our students about being good citizens, treating each other with mutual respect and showing good character, our current IDAC system did not have a well-devel-oped component around digital citizenship or how to translate these skills into online behavior and in-teractions. Twenty-five years ago, “digital citizenship” wasn’t even part of our consciousness.
Our students, parents, employees and the greater community repre-senting a cross section of cultures and races, are valuable in guiding this work, and I would like to thank the hundreds of people who have sat down with us to this point to have courageous conversations. This month, we’ll be sharing with our Governing Board the results of our IDAC review, which examined the following areas:
■ Curriculum ■ Hiring
■ Parents/Community Involve-ment
■ School Environment ■ Staff Training
In each of these areas, like in the case of digital citizenship, we have identified intentional steps that we can take to improve upon the systems and efforts already in place.
As we have conducted this re-view, I have been encouraged by the large number of people in every corner of our district who have contributed. It is clear that this is a topic in which our community has great interest, and I’m hopeful and excited about what our future holds as we work together to ensure that our schools maximize the power of education to build a stronger, more unified community.
We are committed to this work, and we are committed to keeping our community informed through-out. We welcome input from our community, and I encourage you to be an active participant through involvement in your local school community. Just as a single strand is easily broken, but a cord of many strands remains strong, so too, we are better and stronger together. Thank you for being our partner and may your New Year also be filled with hope and purpose.

A pediatrician’s guide to a healthy media diet

By Clarisse G. Casilang, M.D.

Graduate, UCSF Fresno Pediatrics Residency Program and Global Health Fellow, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia

TV. Movies.Videos. In-ternet. Snapchat. Insta-gram. Facebook. Music. Video games. Phone apps. It can be a daunting task deciding which types of digital media are ap-propriate for your child’s age, health and develop-ment. The same goes for screen time. How much is too much? Parents play a huge role in helping their children and teens navigate
the media environment, just as they help them learn how to behave in other environments such as at home or at school.
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), which is the nation’s largest group of pediatricians, has developed recommendations and resources to help families maintain a healthy media diet. Although there is little in the way of specific time limits for media use in school-aged children, the idea is to access more quality and educational pro-gramming and to balance media use with other healthy behaviors such as sports, reading and spending time with

friends and family.
Discussions with kids and teens about what they see and hear on TV, online and via other media sources are teach-able moments and important oppor-tunities to share family values, help them make sense of what they are exposed to and how to distinguish real life from fiction.
Here are a few of the AAP’s evi-dence-based tips:
■ Stay consi stent: For children ages 6 and older, place consistent limits on the time spent using media and the types of media they access. It is important to make sure media does
not take the place of or interfere with adequate sleep, physical activity and other healthy behaviors such as spending quality time with family. To develop your family's media plan, visit http://www.HealthyChildren.org/Medi-aUsePlan
■ Designate sc reen-free times and zones:As part of the daily routine, make devices like TVs, phones, computers, games or other electronics off limits at specific times. Din-nertime and before bedtime are important ones. Having areas of your home remain media-free such as bedrooms is also important.
■ Choose media that is worth your time: More than 80,000 apps are advertised as educational, but generally,

their quality is untested. For help, look to re-views about age-appropriate apps, games and programs from trusted sources like Common Sense Media to guide you in making the best choices for your chil-
dren.
■ Stay safe: Ensure your children access media safely. Review privacy settings on all sites with your children. Teach them to keep personal infor-mation private. Instruct them to never give out personal information and remind them to never share per-sonal photos online. Importantly, model healthy behaviors for your kids and teens to follow by not using a
phone or texting while crossing the street or driving.Advise them not to befriend, chat with or virtually game with someone without a parent's permission.
Perhaps, the best advice is to make time for you and your kids to be offline. Media and digital devices are a big part of our world today. If used in moderation and appro-priately, the benefits of these devices can be incredible. However, research has shown that face-to-face time with family, friends, teachers and real-life interaction plays an even more important role in promoting children’s learning and healthy development. Make face-to-face time with your children a priority and don't let it get lost behind a screen.

— ABOUT US —

CUSD Today,Clovis Unified’s good news publi-cation, is sent directly to the homes of all CUSD parents and staff, as well as district supporters. In an effort to unify the CUSD community, the news-paper highlights the achievements of Clovis Unified students and staff; profiles new and updated Gov-erning Board policies; and shares general news and information happening within the district.
Circulation: 32,500.
Funding: All costs associated with producing, printing and mailing CUSD Today are entirely funded by our advertisers. To show your appreciation of their support, we ask you to consider patronizing these businesses and services as the need arises.
Story submissions: Please submit all ideas to the Site Coordinator at your school. Please contact your school to find out who your Site Coordinator is. Editorial deadlines are two weeks before the publication date. We do our best to include as many submissions in each issue as our editorial space will allow.

CUSD Today Staff

Publishing & Editorial Clovis Unified School District 1450 Herndon Avenue Clovis, CA 93611 Telephone (559) 327-9094 Fax (559) 327-2957 cusdtoday@cusd.com Kelly Avants, APR
Chief Communication Officer
327-9092 Patti J. Lippert Managing Editor
327-9094 Charity Susnick Advertising 327-9095 Verna Garcia

Graphic Designer 224-9711

CUSD Governing Board

Jim Van Volkinburg,D.D.S.	Elizabeth J. Sandoval	Ginny L. Hovsepian President                              Vice-President                                 Clerk

299-8994	291-7564	434-8272

.
Sandra A. Budd	Christopher Casado Steven G. Fogg, M.D	Brian Heryford 448-6801                       908-9953	269-7000                           299-4586

CUSD Administration

Eimear O’Farrell, Ed.D.	Don Ulrich, Ed.D. Superintendent                                       Deputy Superintendent
327-9100	327-9107

Norm Anderson                        Barry Jager                         Michael Johnston Associate Superintendent,          Associate Superintendent,            Associate Superintendent,
School Leadership	Human Resources and	Administrative Services 327-9350                             Employee Relations                              327-9110
327-9308

readies for opening
Health Plan.
education contest
Two Clovis Unified teachers were winners
League of Schools State
Other finalists for the
For elementary schools,
mentary; Andrea Gregory,
tary; and Maria Puopolo,
For middle schools, Sharon Ferguson,
one	in
in your free time?
Cheer on the Florida
aisles of Target.
In three words, how
Mother, teacher and
your favorite teacher and
What do you think is the
maintaining a safe and nur-
EMPLOYEE CONNECTION

Page 6	CUSD Today	January 2018

CUSD educator takes part in life-long learning

Editor’s note: Six Clovis	What would you like to Unified schools started the                                                      accomplish this year at your 2017-18 school year with                                                      new school?
are: Joe Aiello Buchanan
In the past editions of
ce.
vorite children’s book ?
elementary education.
Years worked for Clovis
What was your very first
job?
I answered the phones
for Papa John’s Pizza
What led you to a career
in education?
I worked as a summer
and grow.
Growing up, who was
new leadership. Buchanan,	Miramonte is a great Clovis and Clovis West high                                                      school with a long history schools and Freedom, Mi-                                                      of excellence. My number ramonte and Riverview ele-                                                      one goal is to integrate myself mentary schools all have new                                                      into the culture and continue principals. The principals                                                      the traditions already in High; Stephanie,Hanks, Clo-     Unified School District: 12     plaWhat book are you read-vis High; Richard Sarkisian,                                                      ing right now?I haven’t read Clovis West High; Kristen                                                      much recently but I really Belknap, Freedom Elemen-                                                      love podcasts. Lately, I’ve tary; Laura Hart, Miramonte                                                      been listening to“This Amer-Elementary; and Marci                                                      ican Life,”“Revisionist His-Panoo, Riverview Elemen-                                                      tory” and “Ted Talks Daily.” tary.                                           camp counselor and loved	What is your all-time fa-CUSD Today, we have gotten     getting to watch kids learn	My boys and I love read-to know these dynamic Clo-                                                      ing all of the Elephant and vis Unified leaders.In this                                                      Piggie books.
with Laura Hart.
Principal, Miramonte
Elementary School
saying?
Angelou
What do you like to do
why?
Mrs. Sobel, was the best
edition, we finish our Ques-                                                           What is a favorite quote tion-and-Answer segment          My fourth-grade teacher,     or “When you learn, teach. Laura Hart, 35                  teacher I ever had. In her     When you get, give.” – Maya class, we grew a garden and had kindergarten buddies.
Family:	She made every student feel
Two pretty	valued and important.	Gators, Nerf gun battles with
cool	sons,	role of a school principal?	my boys, and wander the
What is your favorite
thing for dinner?
Sushi.
kindergarten                                  The role of a principal is and one in                             to guide and support staff second grade.                             and students to reach their E d u c a -                             highest potentials in mind,
tion: Fresno State, master’s	body and spirit, all while     would you describe yourself?
degree; University of South
Florida, bachelor’s degree in	turing environment.	learner.

➤ EMPLOYEE BRIEFS

District health center
would be from 6:30 to 8 a.m. Monday, Wednesday and Friday.Visit www.cusd.com for more information.

in February
Two CUSD employees Hours of operation and a new website	finalists in state
have been announced for the Clovis Unified Health Center that is scheduled to open in
dependents who participate in CUSD’s
February for employees, retirees and their      of the California League of School’s Region 7 “Educator of the Year” award and they
Advantages of using the center for basic	will now be finalists in the league’s state services include limited or no wait times,	contest for California Educator of the Year. limited paperwork and no co-pays. The                                      They are, for elementary
center will be managed by miCare and will                                 school, Nicole Lack, a have dedicated physicians on staff. Routine                                 fourth/fifth grade teacher medical care, such as treatment of sore                                 at Nelson Elementary; and throats, ear aches, cold symptoms, sinus                                 for intermediate school, problems, immunizations and physicals,                                 Gabrielle Worden, an RSP will be available.                                                                           teacher at Kastner Interme-The center is in the district’s Professional                                 diate. Region7 stretches
Freeway 168.
Nicole Lack
Learning Center on the southwest corner	from Bakersfield to Merced. of Clovis and Herndon avenues, just east                                       The winners will be an-of A website with information about services                                  nounced at the California

Conference in Sacramento
in March.
and usage was recently launched, and the center is scheduled to open in February for patients. Users will make their appointments
to prevent long waits.
online, and spots will be limited each day	CLS Region 7 from Clovis According to Steve Ward, who oversees	Unified were:
Jeremy Amon, Tarpey Ele-
Clovis Unified’s health plan, the center is not meant to replace an existing primary
Valley Oak Elementary; Jill
Martin, Freedom Elemen-
care physician. It is meant to enhance the	Gabrielle overall wellness of covered employees and            Worden their dependents, many, who according to

Copper Hills Elementary.
survey results, do not have a primary physi-cian and use urgent care or emergency
which can be costly and nvolve long wait
rooms for treatment of i routine illnesses      Alta Sierra Intermediate; Sara Silva, Granite times.                                                                Ridge Intermediate; and Sara Higgins, Rey-
Preliminary operating hours are expected	burn Intermediate.
to be 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday,Wednesday	For high schools, Andrea Castro, Clovis
and Friday; 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday; 9	North High; Denise DenHartog, Clovis West a.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday; and 9 a.m. to 1	High; Michael Khus, Clovis East High; and p.m. Saturday. Extended early lab services	Jennifer O’Meara, Buchanan High.

Photo special to CUSD Today. Clovis Area Superintendent Sylvia Borges gives a hug to Clovis High Guidance and Learning Specialist Stephanie Frazier who is among this year’s Crystal Award winners.

Crystals:

FROM PAGE ONE	■ Kristy Brinkley,Nurse,     High School
thing of their choosing at	Nursing Services, Garfield	■ Andrea “DeeDee” Jett, there school or work site.     and Century Elementary     Third Grade Teacher, Tarpey They will also have their	Schools                                     Elementary School
name added on a brick in	■ Thomas Brocklebank,	■ Karen L. Johnson, Guid-the Employee Walk of Fame     Learning Director, Clovis     ance Learning Specialist, Clo-located in the courtyard by     West High School                     vis North Educational Cen-the Governing Boardroom.	■ Patti Carpenter, Activ-     ter
“It’s a wonderful way to	ities Secretary, Clovis High	■ Donna Kawana, Health recognize the tremendous	School                                       Services Assistant I, Nursing work being done throughout          ■ Laura Collins, Teacher     Services, FortWashington El-the district,” O’Farrell said.	Librarian, Clovis North Ed-     ementary School
The Crystal Award Gala	ucational Center	■ Judy Kobayashi, Third will be held Feb. 28 at the          ■ Tiffany Cooper, Office     Grade Teacher, Cedarwood Performing Arts Center and	Supervisor, Cedarwood El-     Elementary School
is open to the public. A re-	ementary School	■ Laurette Lee, Student ception begins at 6:30 p.m.          ■ Larry Crayne, Bus Driv-     Activities	Specialist	I, with the program starting	er, Transportation Depart-     Riverview Elementary School in the Shaghoian Concert	ment	■ Sharon Magill, Speech-Hall at 7:30 p.m.                            ■ Cindy Dailey, Sixth     Language Specialist, Valley
Congratulations to the	Grade Teacher, Century El-	Oak Elementary School following Crystal Award re-	ementary School                           ■ Denise Sandifer, Guid-cipients!                                         ■ Denise DenHartog,     ance Learning Specialist,
■ Debby Bagdasarian,Of-	Math Teacher, Clovis West	Gateway High School, Clovis fice Supervisor, Fancher	High School	Community Day School Creek Elementary School              ■ Ray Espinoza, Instruc-          ■     Monica Schneider,
■	Frances	Bishop,     tional Assistant II, Mountain	Campus Club Program Su-Fifth/Sixth Grade Teacher,     View Elementary School	pervisor, Child Development Dry Creek Elementary	■     Stephanie Frazier,          ■ Toni Shelby, Teacher, School                                       Guidance and Learning Spe-	Clovis Online School
■ Ray A. Blanco, Plant	cialist, Clovis High School	■ Janis Tatum, School Sec-Supervisor I, Boris Elemen-          ■ Kendia Herrington,     retary II, Clovis North Edu-tary School	CTE Chemistry Teacher,     cational Center
■ Chris Blaufuss, Third	Buchanan High School	■ Kent Younglund, Sixth Grade Teacher, Cedarwood          ■ Jeff Hodges, Guidance     Grade Teacher, Fugman Ele-Elementary School	Learning Director, Buchanan     mentary School

,
r
AROUND

January 2018

THE DISTRICT

CUSD Today	Page 7

Students join honor society
Several Clovis Unified School District students were in-ducted into the Sikh Honor and Service Society in December. The national program promotes and honors service, leadership and academic excellence among high school
students.
CUSD inductees are, from Buchanan,Ajay Singh, Bhavit Singh, Guneet Kaur, Priya Kaur, Rajan Singh, Shagan Singh, Udham Singh and Vinay Singh; from Clovis East, Abhayjit Singh,Anmol Kaur,Anuvir Kaur,Avi Gupta, Bis-manbir Singh, Harleen Kaur and Navneet Kaur; and from Clovis North, Jasreet Kaur, Karen Kaur, Nikkie Kaur and Sukhreet Kaur.

Clovis West’s new club Eagle’s Perch offers technology opportunities

A new club at Clovis West – the Eagle’s Perch Maker Space – is giving students a place to de-sign, create, build and explore the world of technology. It was co-founded by technology coaches Steven Roch-eford and Jason Berg
with three purposes. It provides students a place to go when they do not have class or are waiting to leave for CART or ROP classes. Second, it involves ROP Education students in helping create STEM/STEAM Trunks. These are boxes that can be sent out to elementary school sites where the younger students can be exposed and enriched by trying to solve or create solutions to challenges that align to state or national standards. Finally, they hope to

Photo special to CUSD Today. Dry Creek Student Council members help plant new trees on their campus. Students learned about the care of trees from Clovis Unified’s grounds team.

Students join in tree planting

Dry Creek Elementary students had a lesson outdoors as they helped plant trees along the school’s parent-pick up fence and playing field. The 16 October Glory Maple trees are part of the district’s solar-project tree replacement in which 200 new trees will be planted at campuses in the upcoming months.
At Dry Creek, Robert Falls, with the district’s Grounds and Landscaping Services, explained to students how to plant and care for the new trees. Members of the Student Council then took turns with shovels and helped with getting the trees into the ground. The trees may reach heights of between 40 and 50 feet tall with a 25 to 35-foot canopy spread.

open the Eagles Perch one night a week for the community to come in, and as a family, design, create and unlock their inner explorer.
The club meets weekly but is open to students at any time to use the computers. Other equipment available includes 3D printers, 3Doodler pens, sewing machines, leather working tools, electronics gear to build and disas-semble, robotics kits, and the opportunity to learn how to

code. There is also a computer repair center being formed where students will be able to take apart and repair broken computers. Some of the materials available to students are different fabrics, leather spools for the 3D printe , recyclable materials, etc.
”
Said club member Ajay Davis, “I have personally been able to use the 3D printers and learn more than I ever could have by just researching online. The school received a $5,000 grant from the Foundation for Clovis Schools to start the club. – Submitted by Eagles Perch member Bradley Kennedy

Holiday help at Clovis East
a
At Clovis East High, elves from the Intensive Autism Special Day Class helped do the holiday shopping for staff. The program allowed students to practice vocational skills while providing a service to teachers. Those who participated gave an order of items to be purchased at T rget along with the funds. Students from the Special Day Class then had the practical experiences of looking for the items, asking employees as needed for help, and making the purchase. The students even wrapped gift items and presented the packages to the teachers.

Valley Oak in the Dog House

Photo special to CUSD Today by Ron Webb. Valley Oak Elementary students had courtside seats at a recent Fresno State basketball game. The students attending not only represented the school, but also the basketball team and SPEC-TRUM (Students and Principal Embrace Cultures Together, Reaching for Understanding and Meaning). SPECTRUM was created on the Valley Oak campus to educate students on the rich diversity that exists on the campus and in the community.

Dashboard: New way to look at online results

FROM PAGE ONE
In Clovis Unified, the dis-trict rated in the top two performance band (blue and green) in English Learner Progress, Graduation Rate, English Language Arts, and Mathematics.
Suspension Rate data fell

in the “orange” category. Ed-ucators are closely studying the data in this area to de-termine steps that can be tak-en to reduce suspensions while continuing to balance the district’s standards for student behavior and the need to create a secure learn-

ing environment on campus for students and staff.
Subgroup data in each of these areas is also available, and enables educators in Clo-vis Unified to pinpoint areas for needed improvement. “We use the California School Dashboard to ensure ALL

students are performing at high levels,” said Adminis-trator of Assessment Allison Hernandez. “Clovis Unified teachers and administrators work hard to meet the needs of all students. The dashboard is one way to look at the re-sults of their efforts.”

The Dashboard replaces the state’s former accounta-bility system, the Academic Performance Index (API), which relied exclusively on standardized test results and gave schools a single score. It uses numerous data points to measure status (how each

school or district fared last year), and change (how much they improved or declined over time) to measure per-formance.
More information about Dashboard is available online at https://www.caschooldash-board.org/#/Home.

Page 8	CUSD Today	January 2018

CUSD’s Clovis Hybrid Autism Program makes a difference

By Ryan Elison Program Specialist/Special Education

Autism has not only be-come a world-wide concern but also a personal fight for many touched by autism as neighbors, friends, and through our own children and grandchildren have been affected. The Strategies for Teaching based on Autism Research (STAR) curriculum says, “A significant part of the child’s day should be spent learning language and play within a functional con-text.”
Impairments in social skills are a large part of what makes autism so devastating. Expressing emotion, reading non-verbal cues, weak eye contact, lack of imaginary play, lack of initiating pretend play, social reciprocity, strug-gle with peer interactions, unaware of social codes of conduct, little sense of per-sonal boundaries, inappro-priate social responses and unable to share enjoyment, interests, or achievements with others are just some of the challenges.
Clovis Unified School Dis-trict recognized this need and did something about it. Nearly 15 years ago the Clovis Hybrid Autism Pro-gram (CHAPS) was created to provide behavioral services for our young CUSD stu-dents who demonstrate autis-tic-like behaviors. Toddlers 18 months of age and school-aged students up to age 7 may receive Applied Behavior

Photo special to CUSD Today. Students with the Clovis Hybrid Autism Program (CHAPS) enjoy learning about reptiles at the Discovery Center.

Analysis (ABA) services in	ices. This is our goal. To their homes. Parents are part-	actually see a portion of our ners in the behavioral therapy	students no longer require process and learn how to	intensive and restrictive en-implement their children’s	vironments to learn and de-programs.	velop.
All of the CHAPS kids	In addition to in-home will one day enter into Clovis     services provided by CHAPS, Unified School District, filling     our clients greatly benefit various programs both at     from going out into the com-the preschool and kinder-     munity and attending social garten level. These children     events that the whole family with autism come to school     can enjoy. This need for com-with or without early inter-     munity outings has resulted vention. It has been our ex-     in CHAPS forming relation-perience, supported by re-     ships with various organi-search, that with the ABA     zations and businesses in the approach and extensive op-     area.
portunities for speech, facil-          These partnerships have itated and independent play,     resulted in allowing our fam-these children can progress     ilies to go on field trips, par-down a life-changing path     ticipate in activities, and re-in the opposite direction of     ceive donations in support our Intensive Autism Serv-     of Autism Awareness Month and our various social events.

The local support and gen-erosity that CHAPS has ben-efitted from is overwhelming. It is so powerful for our par-ents and staff to see groups in the community accept those with autism and to

welcome them on both their good days and bad days.
Most recently the Fresno Discovery Center, opened its doors to our CHAPS families by generously giving them the entire facility all to them-selves to explore. Our staff, students and parents enjoyed seeing and playing with the giant dinosaurs, fire truck, play structures, hands-on ac-tivities, space shuttle, grizzly bear, fish, snakes, lizards, tur-tles and the many science experiments to name a few. The range of activities goes on and on.
The children were enter-tained as they learned and parents were pleased with the set-up of the Discovery Center as it was a child-fo-cused, safe and an inviting environment for learning and “discovery.”
Lastly, we extend an invi-tation for all those looking to enter the field of autism to apply and join the CHAPS team. There is a great need for individuals to work in this labor of love. This job comes with great challenges, but also incredible moments of triumph and celebration. One will learn and develop a unique set of skills that will serve in many ways as one enters this career of teaching and serving children with special needs.
If you are looking for work and want to make a difference in the life of a child, please consider apply-ing for a position as an In-structional Assistant for Clo-vis Unified School District https://www.edjoin.org/Hom e/JobPosting/921195).
For additional informa-tion about working as an In-structional Assistant for the Clovis Hybrid Autism Pro-gram please email ryaneli-son@cusd.com.

Photo special to CUSD Today. Celebrating Clovis FFA’s meats evaluation team’s Reserve Na-tional Champions in Indianapolis are, from left, Clovis East Principal Kevin Kerney, Clovis East Area Superintendent Cor-rine Folmer, Clovis East Ag Teacher/FFA Coach Ken Dias, team members Samantha Gambril, Eleanor Cummings, Mary Merritt and Evan Pence, and Clovis East Agriculture Learning Director Tony Sanchez.

Clovis FFA meats team are Reserve National Champions

By Anthony Cortez                  and making it apparent they Clovis FFA member                      had a good chance of win-ning the Cal Poly state finals
The Clovis FFA meats	and representing California evaluation team is one of	at the national level in Indi-the organization’s most reg-	anapolis.
ularly successful activities for          As foreseen this team won students. This career-devel-     state finals and began prepa-opment event (CDE) allows     ration for national compe-members to gain usable     tition, which included more knowledge about the meats     frequent practices during the industry.                                   rest of the school year and Coached by Reagan Ed-     practices three to four days
ucational Center teacher Ken	a week during summer. Dias, students learn beef car-          When October brought cass evaluation, identification	an approximated 64,000 FFA of meats cuts, knowledge for	members to Indianapolis, In-a general test, and much	diana, four among them were more in preparation for com-	from Clovis FFA’s well pre-petitions that take place all	pared meats evaluation team. over California during the	The group was eager to spring.	demonstrate their years of
Members of the CDE	dedication.
team spend several hours a          When the time came to week in Dias’ classroom or     compete Mary Merritt placed in a local meat locker honing     fourth, Evan Pence placed their skills for competition.     fifth, and Eleanor Cummings In 2017 the highly com-     placed 11th out of close to petitive A-team consisted of     126 students and together Mary Merritt, Evan Pence,     the team was Reserve Na-Eleanor Cummings and     tional Champions out of 42
Samantha Gambril. Through	teams.
the judging season this meat	Clovis FFA is unbelievably evaluation team was a force     proud of these individuals to be reckoned with, winning     and all the hard work they multiple state-level field days     have devoted.

Editor’s note: Clovis Unified School District believes that education doesn’t end at the classroom door. It’s why our founding Superintendent Dr. Floyd B. Buchanan em-phasized helping students “to be the best they can be in mind, body and spirit.”We look into the “body” component of Doc’s charge in this month’s “2 Minutes Today,” the video blog complement to CUSD Today that is emailed directly to parents.

Mind, Body and Spirit
When we talk about “Body,” we include athletics, nu-trition and other co-curricular activities like band, folkloric dance and photography. Essentially, these are the activities that help students become engaged in the world around them. Developing the body might include a student working on building a robot to compete at the world robotics championships, while at the same time it might for another student mean practicing their jump shot.
Great things happen when kids get out from behind their desks. Kendal Kubo, a volleyball coach and AB teacher at Clark Intermediate School, believes students learn valuable life lessons that sometimes you can’t be taught in a class. “They learn how to connect with people, how to work together with people, how to col-laborate with one another. It ultimately helps them succeed and helps them carry that over into the classroom.” Trying activities is essential for growth. Kelli Brown from Fugman Elementary says,“kids don’t realize their
abilities unless they are given the opportunity to try.” Buchanan High Principal, Joe Aiello also sees the
benefit of engaging the body.“Our students are able to get out there, they are able to be part of a team because that’s something that they are going to be able to use later in life,” he said.
For the complete video, see http://www.cusd.com/ communications-homepage/2-minutes-today/.

A Bounty

of Bicycles

Third-graders at Miramonte Elementary were stunned during an assembly when they learned all 91 of them would receive a new bicycle and helmet thanks to the generosity of Celebration Church, Clovis Police Department and Fire Department. Cheers, hugs, tears and high-fives filled the room.“We are very blessed to have a community that supports us,” said Principal Laura Hart. She said she hopes students will remember this day forever and not only be-cause of getting a bike, but also remembering how a community can pull together in acts of kindness, love and generosity.

Photos special to CUSD Today by Ron Webb.

January 2018	CUSD Today	Page 9

Board names new president, other officers

By Kelly Avants

Chief Communication Officer

Dec. 6
The Clovis Unified Gov-erning Board elected member Jim Van Volkinburg, D.D.S., to the position of board pres-ident at the start of the Dec. 6 Organizational Meeting. Van Volkinburg will serve in this capacity until December 2018. In addition to the pres-ident position, Betsy San-doval was elected vice-pres-ident, and Ginny Hovsepian was appointed clerk.
Board members also dis-cussed representation on standing topical subcommit-tees for Budget, Curriculum and Instruction, and Facili-ties, deciding to maintain current membership on these monthly subcommittees. Sandoval will continue to serve as the board’s repre-sentative on the Center for Advanced Research and

Technology (CART) Board, along with newly appointed public sector representative Todd Cook.
Sandoval will also con-tinue to serve on the Cali-fornia School Board Associ-ation’s Delegate Assembly, representing the Central Val-ley region along with Board Member Brian Heryford. Heryford and Sandoval also continue service on the joint Clovis City Council and Clo-vis Unified Board Joint Sub-committee, and as a voting member (Sandoval) and al-ternate (Heryford) to the Fresno County Committee on School District Organi-zation.
After completing its an-nual organization, the board heard singers from the Clovis North Women’s Chorale per-form a set of music the choir will present at the invita-tion-only Western Division Choral Directors Association

➤ BOARD BRIEFS

this spring. The group, under     events.
the direction of Heather Bish-         In other action, the board: op, is one of only a handful         ■ Approved a Provisional of high school choirs from     Internship Permit and a Vari-the entire Western U.S. to     able Term Waiver request to receive an invitation to the     provide additional time for prestigious event.                     two teachers to complete spe-The board also heard the     cialized credentialing and
mid-year report from mem-     certification.
bers of the Inter School	■ Accepted the annual Council (ISC), student rep-     third party audit report, in resentatives from all five com-     which the district once again prehensive high schools who     received zero findings. This work to build a strong sense     is the fourth consecutive year of community across the dis-     that the district received no trict’s student population. audit findings in any of its Members of the ISC shared     budgets.
with the Governing Board a	■ Accepted the annual first summary of their annual     quarter financial report and Leadership Conference held     J-251 first interim report cer-last August at the Sierra Out- tifying that the district will door School, and issued an     be able to meet its financial invitation to the Governing     obligations for the remainder Board members to attend     of the 2017-18 school year. any of the group’s upcoming	■ Approved an annual

agreement with School Serv-ices of California to provide legislative advocacy services for the district.
■ Approved the placement of three Special Education students in non-public schools to receive specialized services identified in their Individualized Education Plans.
■ Authorized the Associate Superintendent of Admin-istrative Services, Assistant Superintendent of Business Services, and the Director of Budget and Finance to sign check and payroll registers, and accept financial mail on behalf of the district.
■ Approved participation of students from the five comprehensive high schools in the Concurrent Public Higher Education Program for the 2017-18 school year.
■ Accepted the 2016-17 Developer Fee Findings and Public Information Report

that provides an accounting report of income and expen-ditures of the Developer Fee Fund.
■ Authorized the district to participate in the Triennial Fresno County Plan for Pro-viding Educational Services to Expelled Youth. The plan was developed by a multi-agency committee and is cur-rently being reviewed by the State Department of Educa-tion. Once completed, the plan will be in effect from July 1, 2018 through June 30, 2021.

➤ Complete minutes and agen-das of all meetings of the Gov-erning Board are available on-line at www.cusd.com. The next regularly scheduled meet-ing of the Governing Board is scheduled for Jan. 17 at the CUSD Professional Develop-ment Building, 1680 David E. Cook Way in Clovis. The public portion of the meeting will be-gin at 6:30 p.m.

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Page 10	CUSD Today	January 2018

Giving: Caring, generosity evident among CUSD students

FROM PAGE ONE:
for each other and those in our community,” she said.“It is absolutely amazing to see the generosity of our students, staff, and community.”
The following are some of the happenings that occurred or are still occurring:
Alta Sierra Intermediate: The Alta Sierra Bruins took part in a season of “Caring and Sharing,” which kicked off with the annual Turkey Trot spearheaded by the P.E. De-partment. Students were rewarded for their run times with a turkey. The Math Department gathered donations from students for the annual Coats for Kids drive. The coats and sweatshirts were washed and prepared for distribution by the Teen Living Class. Students in Leadership and Peer Counseling classes collected items to create food baskets for ASI families. Students and staff donated gifts of toys and clothing to children in need in the Buchanan Area. A school-wide Canned Food Drive also led by the P.E. de-partment collected items for distribution to families in conjunction with the Clovis Rotary Club and Clovis Police Department.
Boris Elementary: The giving spirit at Boris Elementary meant a Student Body Canned Food Drive, with the Student Council collecting donations of canned goods from each classroom. The goal was to collect 1,000 cans to donate to the Community Food Bank.“I think that it is going to help a lot of people that don’t have food for the winter,” said Spirit Commissioner Brooklyn Washington, a fifth-grader. Buchanan High: Students and staff at Buchanan had many ways to show kindness.A Canned Food Drive collected more than 2,000 items that were donated to the Pinedale Good Neighbor Center. Staff partnered with Woods Ele-mentary with a Giving Tree drive that collected presents
for students at Tarpey Elementary.
Candy canes and notes were given out during lunch from members of the Random Acts of Kindness club. Founder and president of the Random Acts of Kindness club, senior Shaye Dubberke said, “We wanted to give a little note of encouragement to the student body because we know finals can be stressful. One student told me it was the highlight of her day. And I got the opportunity to talk with other students that I don’t normally interact with.”
The RAK club made Christmas cards and gave them to residents at the Sunrise of Fresno. The students also visited with the men and women living in the senior resident community and sang Christmas carols to them.
Buchanan’s Chamber Singers also shared their voices. They visited and performed at Clovis Community Medical Center,Valley Children’s Hospital and at the Holiday Spec-tacular.
The 10th Annual Books from Bears book drive was set to collect 10,000 books, bringing the 10-year total to more than 100,000 books. Century and Garfield Elementary Schools joined in the effort that is run through Buchanan’s Bear Necessities Student Store. The new and gently used books benefited CUSD schools, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Catholic Charities and Reading Heart.
Students also helped raise nearly $4,000 for a Buchanan senior and Make-A-Wish recipient whose wish is to visit Universal Studios in Orlando. Money was collected by Leadership Students on campus and at a football game.
Bud Rank Elementary:Students at Bud Rank Elementary will continue the spirit of giving into the new year. They

are planning to hold a sock and blanket drive in February to benefit the local homeless and those in need. The event will be organized by the Student Council and Student Am-bassadors.
Cedarwood Elementary:Cedarwood Elementary students joined in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots col-lection drive, donating a variety of gifts. They also contributed to the school’s Canned Food Drive.
Century Elementary: Century teamed up with Copper Hills Elementary to provide toys and clothing for students at Birney Elementary and Century.“It’s a great way to start our holiday season,” said Principal Brion Warren, “as we give back to others in need.” Students also participated in the annual Coats for Kids Drive. More than 300 coats were collected and distributed with the help of the Clovis Kiwanis Club. Five students at Century were recipients of new bicycles thanks to the Clovis Police Department.
Clark Intermediate:Clark Intermediate held “Team Car-ing” in which canned food and non-perishable items were collected in a large bin in the cafeteria which grew fuller each day. Working with the Clovis Kiwanis Club, the food was distributed to more than 500 families in the Clovis Area.“The students realize that a simple act of bringing in a can, can change the life of one person,” said teacher Kendal Kubo.
Clovis Community Day School: At Clovis Community Day School, canned soups, chili beans, peas and corn were among items donated in the Canned Food Drive. Some students donated an unwrapped gift at the Toys for Tots Dinner, at which there were students who volunteered to help serve. Students also helped with making and handing out food baskets at P&R Farms.
Clovis Elementary: Student generosity will stretch into February as the school holds Pennies for Patients. The fund-raising drive that collects spare change has raised more than $6,900 over the past three years.
Clovis High:The student body at Clovis High generously supported three events put on by the Interact Club, which included:
Thanksgiving Meals – Complete Thanksgiving meals were provided to 85+ families in the CHS area.
Canned Food Drive – Creamed corn, green beans and tomato sauce were among the thousands of cans donated in collection bins outside the school’s Counseling Center. With the goal of gathering 8,000 cans, the Interact Club, along with Clovis Rotary, Clovis Police Officers Association, Salvation Army and other organizations, were to identify and help families in need during the holiday season.
Holiday Gift Drive – More than 120 gifts were donated and given to children attending one of the eight Clovis Area feeder elementary schools. Clovis High students could participate by getting a “star” that had the age and gender of the receiving child and bringing a gift for that child.
The Leo Club participated in a Shoe Collection, raising money for the Red Cross disaster relief efforts and providing gifts for families.
The Veteran Support Club held a fund drive, Pennies for Patriots, raising more than $500 given to the Blue Star Mom’s to use for packaging 400 boxes of food items sent to sons and daughters all over the world who are serving in the military. In addition, 800 handmade cards were provided from Clovis High and its feeder schools to send as well.
A NICU Baby Blanket Drive started in November and

continues till Jan. 22 with the goal of donating 1,000 blankets to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at Valley Children’s Hospital and Saint Agnes Medical Center. Either newly made or purchased blankets are donated. Said Trevor Stinecipher, a Peer Counseling member who is helping lead the drive,“Having a baby in the NICU in and around the holidays is that much more difficult. It’s a time when most families are at home together but you’re visiting a little one in the hospital. As peer counselors, we wanted to make it a little brighter for those parents.”
Clovis North Educational Center: The Broncos held a canned food drive that benefitted not only families within the Clovis North Area, but also made donations to Clovis Rotary and Interact Club that created food baskets given to those in need in the community. More than 2,000 cans were collected.
The French class had Coats for Kids in their classroom and the AASU collected items for needy families. A blood drive was held Dec. 12.
The school leadership also made sure to spread holiday cheer on the campus, with Holiday Grams – containing a handwritten encouraging note and candy cane – given to each student and staff member at the intermediate school and high school. Leadership students from both Granite Ridge and Clovis North wrote the approximately 4,000 notes.
Clovis West High:Clovis West hosted a two week canned food drive prior to Thanksgiving Break, collecting 4,395 units of food for the Pinedale Good Neighbor Center.A toy drive was held during December, hosted by the Interact Club. Students donated everything from games and balls to puzzles and dolls.
Cole Elementary: The Parent Teacher Club at Cole Ele-mentary is partnered with Faith Community Church to provide meals to families in need.
Copper Hills Elementary: The Copper Hills families filled two large food bins with items that were then distributed by Clovis Rotary to families in need. Canned food donations were collected at the school and at Dry Creek’s annual Snow Day, a pastries and parents special event. The Miners also took part in a Giving Tree, providing gifts for more than 200 students at a local elementary school.
Dry Creek Elementary: The Student Council at Dry Creek Elementary organized a Pajama Drive to benefit Kyndness 4 Kids. The organization provides pajamas to children ages 0 to 18 in Fresno County who are in foster care, homeless shelters or children who had to leave their homes due to a tragic event. The Panthers collected 199 pairs of new pajamas.
Fancher Creek Elementary: Families in need at Fancher Creek Elementary were the beneficiaries of kind donations from the community. The school community also helps out and for the second year had a Holiday Giving Tree. Generic desciptions of Fancher Creek students in need were placed as ornaments on a Giving Tree. Staff and families came to the office, selected ornaments, and brought the packages in time for an evening package pick-up before Winter Break. The school sponsored 55 students the first year and 90 students this year. “We hope to make this a Fancher Creek tradition,” said Principal Erin Parker.

➤ Please see Generosity, Page 11

January 2018	CUSD Today	Page 11

Generosity: Cards, coats, soup and toys among donations

FROM PAGE 10
Fort Washington Elementary:The student body at Fort Washington donated 1,275 cans of food for the Clovis West Canned Food Drive. The Parent Teacher Club hosted a Toys for Tots Movie Night. Participating students donated more than 100 new toys for local children.
Freedom Elementary: The giving spirit will continue into January when Freedom Elementary students will par-ticipate in a Canned Food Drive. The items will be donated to the Fresno Rescue Mission.
Fugman Elementary: Students at Fugman Elementary brought books, puzzles, dolls, games and more as they par-ticipated in Toys for Tots, which is run by the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve. The toys were distributed to children whose families could not afford to purchase gifts for the holidays. Garfield Elementary: For the 19th year, Garfield Ele-mentary held a Giving Tree, which provided clothes and toys to students at Sierra Vista Elementary. This year 122 students received gifts thanks to the generosity of the
Garfield families and Parent Teacher Club.
Gateway High School: Each year the Odd Fellows provides scholarships to four Gateway seniors.As a way to celebrate the organization, Gateway students help with the Clovis Odd Fellows Toys for Tots Dinner. Students help prepare and serve the dinner and sing Christmas carols.
Gettysburg Elementary: The Gettysburg Patriots filled an 8-by-12-foot trailer with 2,700 food items in its annual Food Drive. The items were donated to the Poverello House. “I love how much the Gettysburg community shows love and empathy to others. We are blessed to have so many generous families here,” said Elizabeth Gueringer, advisor for the Student Council that sponsors the event.
Jefferson Elementary: Jefferson Elementary’s Student Voice worked with Habitat for Humanity with decorating household items for qualifying families. Students and staff also made a donation to the Make a Wish Foundation, benefitting Clovis High students and the Bluejays gave gifts to Toys for Tots.
Kastner Intermediate: The Kastner Leadership Team held a Canned Food Drive, collecting 800 cans that were donated to the Pinedale Good Neighbor Center. The school’s Random Acts of Kindness club collected donations and filled 22 shoe boxes for Operation Christmas Child, which sends gift boxes all over the world to children in need. Thanks to the generosity of Harvest Bible Church, 40 coats were donated to kids in need, and the Clovis Police De-partment donated four bicycles to help students who do not have transportation.
Liberty Elementary: Students at Liberty Elementary had two giving campaigns. They brought in canned food the first part of December to support Clovis West’s Canned Food Drive Campaign. They also participated in a Stuffed Animal Drive in which students could donate gently used stuffed animals in collection bins.
Lincoln Elementary: Lincoln Elementary students, teachers and the Parent Teacher Club donated items and distributed 20 holiday food baskets.
Maple Creek Elementary: Maple Creek again held its Red Bucket Campaign, in which collected food items are given to families who might otherwise not enjoy a holiday dinner. Each class was challenged to bring one specific item, such as canned green beans or boxed mashed potatoes. Teachers used the opportunity to discuss the importance of a community helping one another, civic responsibility and social awareness. Students were also asked to donate $1 for grocery store gift cards. The event was coordinated by the Parent Teacher Club, which supplements the cost of the gift cards.
Mickey Cox Elementary: Staff, students and families donated items to help provide food baskets to families in need.

Miramonte Elementary: Students joined in donating items for the annual Toys for Tots Drive at Miramonte Ele-mentary. The PALS class also worked with Together We Rise to raise money for duffle bags for children in foster care. The bag gives foster kids something to carry their possessions in when moving, rather than having to use a large trash bag. More than $650 was collected to use toward the duffle bags that students then decorated. PALS teacher Leanne Felix spearheaded the effort.
Mountain View Elementary: The Mountain View com-munity got into the holiday spirit with the 3rd Annual Breakfast with Santa, sponsored by the school’s Parent Teacher Club. Parents and students enjoyed pancakes, shopped and had their pictures taken with Santa. “It’s a great community event to spend with family and friends to celebrate the holiday season,” said Principal Monica Everson.The school also participated in donating coats, pa-jamas and toys for children in need. They supported the Clovis North Transitions Team with donations of food for food baskets, clothes and toys.
Nelson Elementary:The Student Council coordinated a food basket drive for neighborhood families in need. Twen-ty-five families received turkeys and two boxes of canned foods. The Parent Teacher Club held a Giving Tree that provided gifts for 67 students in need. Fourth-graders in Taryn Kalman’s class sent holiday cheer to Make-A-Wish by making cards and writing letters.Additionally, a former Nelson family continued their tradition of taking two current Nelson families on a shopping spree.“It’s a family tradition to give back,” said Principal Kendra Matson.
Oraze Elementary:Oraze students collected 1,570 items of canned fruit, vegetables, soups, pasta sauce and dried goods. The school partnered with Clovis Rotary to supply more than 500 families with food. The school also joined Clovis East’s football team and collected 50 coats for the teams Coats for Kids Drive.
Pinedale Elementary:Pinedale Elementary’s Destination Imagination team held a Canned Food Drive and donated the items to the Pinedale Community Fellowship Church, which serves many families in need in the Pinedale area.
Reagan Educational Center – Clovis East High and Reyburn Intermediate:At the REC, Clovis East and Reyburn joined forces to support several events. The Annual REC Canned Food Drive was attempting to meet or exceed last year’s 39,000 units of food, with several clubs setting individual collection goals. The food was donated to families in the Clovis East Area and also the Community Food Bank. Students also created cards and letters that were sent to veterans at the Fresno VA Hospital. Other items were collected and sent as well such as blankets, board games, toiletries and snacks. Clovis East Peer Counselors hosted Letters to Active Troops; students from the REC sent more than 1,000 letters.
Clovis East FFA held Operation Christmas Child and from donations created 60 shoe boxes of gifts. The boxes included hygiene items, school supplies and toys. Similar items were also donated to the Marjaree Mason Center.
Clovis East also held Operation Make a Difference, in which donations were made for Toys for Tots and Coats for Kids, with more than 200 coats collected. The Clovis East Catholic Club collected toys for students in the Clovis East Area. The Interact Club helped make and distribute food boxes.
The CE Foreign Exchange/New Student Club drew Disney holiday pictures for patients at Valley Children’s Hospital to brighten up the children’s holidays.
Through partnerships with Loma Vista Community Church, Clovis Elks Lodge and the I-MPACT Transition Team, 25 Clovis East Area families were provided holiday gifts and food baskets. The Clovis Police Department also provided nine bicycles to students.

At Thanksgiving, the I-MPACT Transition Team provided 48 families in the Clovis East Area with food baskets in partnership with Loma Vista Community Church. Six families received dinner by Ruth’s Chris Steak House. A generous donation by the Clovis Elks Lodge allowed for 30 additional baskets for families.
Reagan Elementary:Students aimed to collect 100 coats to donate to Coats for Kids. Jackets were dropped off throughout December and the Student Council held a special day at the drop off/pickup area where coats could be donated at the curb.
Red Bank Elementary: At Red Bank Elementary, first graders wrote letters and Christmas cards to be given to service men and women in the Army and Navy. They also made ornaments for the troops. Students, through “Operation Spreading Kindness,” discussed in class that it is better to give than receive. They decided to collect items for the Marjaree Mason Center, a shelter for women and children. Riverview Elementary: The Riverview Rams were on their way to surpassing their goal to collect 250 toys for the annual Toy Drive sponsored by the Student Council. Said Kelli Muirhead, Student Council advisor,“It’s been great to watch the Riverview community support the community.” Students also participated in the annual Clovis Rotary/Clovis
Police Department Food Drive.
Sierra Vista Elementary: Children at Sierra Vista will carry the giving into the new year, holding a Food Drive the first part of 2018 that will benefit the Salvation Army. The goal will be to collect more than 400 non-perishable items.
Tarpey Elementary: The spirit of giving was taught during Tarpey’sAnnual Holiday Boutique. Generous vendors made available items at reduced prices allowing students to select gifts for their families. Vendors, volunteers and staff donated money to help some of the Spartans pay for their holiday shopping.
Temperance-Kutner Elementary:Teachers and staff had the opportunity to participate in the Star Giving Tree, adopting a “star” representing a selected student in need, and providing a gift for that child’s parents to give to that child.Around 40 students were sponsored.
Valley Oak Elementary: Kindergartners in Cindy Mortensen’s class at Valley Oak Elementary spent time during their Winter Party to make scarves. The heartfelt creations were donated to veterans. Students were also making Blessing Bags; items donated included toiletries, candy, socks, scarves, pens, paper, clothes and bottled wa-ter.
Weldon Elementary: As part of an ongoing Kindness Project, students were challenged to do an act of kindness over winter break. Some of those will then be shared during morning announcements. Students also continued their Kindness Rock Project Garden, which promotes kindness on campus. Students take a rock from the garden with a saying on it to enjoy or gives it to someone who might need a kind word. Also, instead of making cards this year, classes wrote thank you notes to staff members.
Woods Elementary: Woods students participated in a Giving Tree that provided gifts and clothes to children in need within the district. A Canned Food Drive was also held and, along with Buchanan High, the items were dis-tributed to 82 families.
Sixth-graders at Woods Elementary wrote letters to veterans expressing their gratitude for their years of service and dedication to the country. More than 100 letters were sent to veterans known in the Woods community and also to the VA Hospital.
Said one veteran who received a note, “It was with surprise and great delight that I opened my mail and found enclosed letters thanking me for my military service. It is quite humbling to receive such an honor.”

Page 12	CUSD Today	January 2018