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PERMIT NO. 220
Clovis Unified School District
1450 Herndon Ave.
Clovis, CA 93611
August 2021

Clovis Unified School District — WHERE CHARACTER COUNTS!

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Volume 24, No. 1

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W
W E L C O M E B A C K Grateful for a new year!

ELCOME TO CUSD TODAY’SBACK-TO-SCHOOL EDITION!

We can’t wait for Aug. 16, when all of our students return to school campuses and traditional schedules resume at our schools.
These are words we have longed to say since March 2020! While we must and will remain diligent to the health and safe-
ty requirements and guidelines set before us by state and county health agencies, we are grateful for the opportunity to see stu-dents back in classrooms full-time.
Within this context of ongoing safety, we are eager to give our full attention to the business of educating students to be the best they can be in mind, body and spirit.
In the days just prior to your receipt of this issue of CUSD To-day, we shared through emails and our website details of how current California health and safety requirements, and multi-layered COVID mitigation practices like deep cleaning and contact tracing, will be implemented for the coming school year. These details continue to be available on our website at cusd.com, and we will update them as the year progresses.
In the pages of this Back-to-School issue, you will find useful insights about prepar-ing students to come back to campus, getting ready for school and how parents can best stay informed about district and school news.
Please know that our full Clovis Unified educational team of 6,000-plus employees is here to support you, and we encourage you to reach out with any needs.
These past 18 months since the shutdown began, I have been so proud of students, families and staff as together we navigated what seemed impossible.And that incredi-ble effort gave us our launching point and theme for this year – “Mission: Possible!”
Clovis Unified family, we’ve got this. Mission: Possible!

Eimear O’Farrell, Ed.D. Superintendent

Photo special to CUSD Today. Preschoolers enjoy the playground during Clovis Unified’s Summer Fun held this year at Century Elementary.Watch for emails and check out your school’s website for important information about the upcoming school year, including health guidelines for recess, meals and more.

Summer Learning

Quick facts for 2021-22 school year

Photos special to CUSD Today. Thousands of Clovis Unified students participated in classes this summer to fortify their learning experience or complete recovery work. New among the summer programs was the Career Technical Education Summer Academy that had nine different sessions including agriculture education (pictured, top) and automotive instruction (pictured, bottom). Students experienced hands-on, real-world learning in the CTE labs that were a sampling of what is offered in CUSD high schools during the school year.

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Clovis Unified School District begins the new school year Monday, Aug. 16. Schools are back to their traditional, pre-COVID timetable with full-day, five days a week schedule.

Clovis Unified students and staff are required to adhere to current health and safety guidelines as determined by California and Fresno County health agencies. Updates are available on your school’s website.

Individual schools’ start and end times can be found on each school’s website under Bell Schedule on the “About” tab.

Cafeteria breakfast and lunch meals will be free this year for all students, thanks to an extension during the pandemic by the U.S. Department of Agriculture of a program to ensure all children have access to meals. Daily school breakfast and lunch menus and nutritional information are available through Nutrislice at www.cusd.nutrislice.com or on the district’s mobile app.

School websites are an important resource about club signups, co-curricular activities, teachers, class supply lists and more. Check often for new information.

A listing of bus schedules is available at www.cusd.com/ViewSchoolBusSched-ules.aspx.

Six CUSD schools have new leadership. New principals and their schools for the 2021-22 school year are Demetra Vincent-Walker, Boris Elementary; Laurel Graves, Freedom Elementary; Kelli Hinojos, Temperance-Kutner Elementary; Cecelia Dansby,Woods Elementary; Omar Hemaidan, Buchanan High; and Eric
Swain, Clovis West High.

Back-to-School Night will be held in the first few weeks of school at each campus. Parents should plan on participating to learn from their child’s teacher about coursework, expectations, grading poli-cies and preferred communication methods. Dates and times can be found on individual school websites.

Parents are encouraged to login to Parent Connection weekly. This
resource provides information about your student’s academic standings on as-signments, homework and attendance. A link can be found on cusd.com or the CUSD app.

CUSD’s free mobile app keeps you in touch with your school and up-coming events. Be sure to download the app from the Apple and An-droid stores if you haven’t already. It’s going to be a great year!

INSIDE:

‰ ANNOUNCEMENTS

Electric school buses hit the road.

SeePage 4

‰ GET TO KNOW US

’
Were here to support our students.

SeePage 3

‰ SUPERINTENDENT’S MESSAGE Our ‘Mission: Possible’ theme.
SeePage 5

Page 2	CUSD Today	August 2021

In order to maintain a smaller, inter-
Bear Nation, Cougar Country, The
to connect with them – some prefer
Working together, we will make a
Kevin Kerney, 327-9370
Elementary: Cedarwood, Clovis,
Jennifer Thomas, 327-9365
Freedom, Miramonte, Oraze, Reagan,
Darin Tockey, 327-9355
High School: Clovis North
CLOVIS WEST AREA
Area Superintendent:
Steve France, 327-9380
Adult Education; Clovis
kn
August 2021	Get to CUSD Today	 us!	Page 3

Here for you

Clovis Unified’s primary purpose is to provide an outstanding educational experience during the school day for our
kindergartners through high school seniors.We also want to support
our students and their families in areas outside of the K-12 classrooms that will put students on pathways to success.
A multitude of resources and opportunities are available at each school, ranging from emotional wellness support, academic counseling, special education, technology, co-curricular activities, teams and clubs, categorical programs and sup-plemental services. Check out your school’s and Clovis Unified’s websites to find out more.

Child Development
Clovis Unified’s Child Development team offers academic enrichment and childcare for those who are in need of specialized services. They serve the unique needs of the diverse populations within CUSD, as well as provide a bridge between home and school. Activities are designed to be a balance of educational, social and recreational opportunities for the children attending.
The programs are:
■ CAMPUS CLUB: A fee-based before and after school enrichment and childcare program for grades K-6, available at most CUSD elementary school sites. Before-school care starts at 7 a.m. and after-school care concludes at 6 p.m. Care is also available during fall, winter, spring and sum-mer breaks. Details: 327-9160, www.cusd.com/cam-pusclub.aspx.
■ PRESCHOOL: Clovis Unified offers two types of preschool programs: state funded and private pay at 29 elementary sites. Preschool pro-vides a high-quality, developmentally appropriate kindergarten-readiness program for children turning 4 years old by Dec. 1, 2021. The state-funded programs are Monday to Friday for 3 hours per day and available at no-cost to qualifying families. Private-pay program hours vary. Details: 327-9180, www.cusd.com/Preschool.aspx.
■ ASES: The After School Education and Safety Program provides a safe and educationally enriching alternative for K-6 children during non-school hours through partnerships with local community resources. Priority registration for this free program is given to homeless and foster youth, and it is offered at 12 CUSD sites. Details:	327-0673,	www.cusd.com/ASES program.aspx.
■ YOUTH PARENT PROGRAM:This program serves pregnant or parenting teens and their chil-dren, and its goal is to assist students earning their high school diploma while providing helpful resources and services. Details: 327-9186, www.cusd.com/YouthParentProgram.aspx.

BUCHANAN AREA
School area system creates	Area Superintendent:
High School: Buchanan
Intermediate: Alta Sierra
smaller, interactive communities Elementary: Century, Cole, Dry Creek, Garfield, Tarpey, Woods

schools.
CLOVIS AREA
High School: Clovis
CUSD Today	cludes our online, alternative and specialty	Area Superintendent: For families new to Clovis Unified,                                Clovis Unified will always be united            Scott Dille, Ed.D., 327-9360
it is helpful to understand the structure	in its core values and aims to provide	Intermediate: Clark
of the district and how to interact	the best education we can to all of	Gettysburg, Jefferson, Mickey Cox, with us. We highly value people-to-	our students, and our area structure             Red Bank, Sierra Vista, Weldon people connection and want to hear	supports those goals by creating easier               CLOVIS EAST AREA from you.	access and customized leadership.               Area Superintendent:
Elementary: Boris, Fancher Creek,
CUSD is the 14th largest public	Smaller areas help keep our growing	High School: Clovis East education district in California with	size in check and allows for people to                Intermediate: Reyburn around 43,000 students. It operates	interact with one another.
Keep in touch
52 schools that include five traditional	Temperance-Kutner and Young high schools, five intermediate schools                                                                                                   CLOVIS NORTH AREA and 34 elementary schools.                                               Parents and the community are               Area Superintendent:
The district also has four alternative	invited to share comments, questions
Fugman, Mountain View, Riverview
education schools, an online school,	or concerns by contacting a child’s	Intermediate: Granite Ridge an outdoor school, CART and an	classroom teacher, school adminis-         Elementary: Bud Rank, Copper Hills, adult education school.	trator or area superintendent.
Clovis Unified’s 200-square-mile	School websites have staff and ad-
Intermediate: Kastner
boundary includes most of the City	ministrator contact information. Dur-	Marc Hammack, Ed.D., 327-9375 of Clovis, 20 percent of the City of	ing back-to-school night, teachers will               High School: Clovis West Fresno and parts of Fresno County.	review with parents the best method        Elementary: FortWashington, Liberty,
Lincoln, Nelson, Maple Creek, Pinedale, active approach, the district is divided	emails, others like phone calls or texts.	Valley Oak
Area Superintendent:
into five school areas and an educa-	Teachers generally should be a par-	EDUCATIONAL SERVICES tional service area that each has an                           ent’s first stop, but parents are always
overseeing area superintendent.	welcome to contact school staff, in-	Specialty Schools: Center for Advanced Each school area includes a high	cluding the principal or a school’s      Research and Technology (CART); Clovis
school and its feeder schools.We have                           area superintendent as needed.                   Community Day Elementary; Clovis Community Day Secondary; Clovis
Sierra Outdoor School
Stampede, Eagle Country and The	powerful team for our students and	Online; Enterprise High; Gateway High; Wolf Pack! Educational Services in-	create a path for them to succeed.

Several ways to keep connected

Campus Catering
Campus Catering creates healthy, delicious meals for students across the district. This year, thanks to an extension during the pandemic of the USDA’s no-cost program, meals will be free for all students for the entire school year.
Campus Catering employees serve more than 4.5 million meals annually and are ready to wel-come back students with a smile and a tasty meal to fuel them for learning.
By introducing a variety of choices like fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains and lean pro-teins, the Campus Catering team is teaching stu-dents to develop healthy eating habits.
The food service team hosts taste tests and focus groups with students throughout the school year to make sure our menus are full of customer favorites like breaded chicken drumsticks, crispy Cobb salad, freshly baked whole-grain rolls and more.
Parents and students can view breakfast and lunch menus on the CUSD app by clicking on “Meal Menus” on your school’s resource list, or by visiting www.cusd.com/nutrislice.

If you are reading this edition of CUSD Today, thank you. This is one of many tools Clovis Unified uses to keep in touch. Com-munication is critical in our 43,000-plus student district – the 14th largest public school district in the state – and it will remain a top priority as this year we transition toward a post-pandemic future.
There are multiple ways Clovis Unified will share information this school year, and we encourage our stakeholders of students, parents, staff and community to watch for these important messages.
Our most frequently updated platform is our website, cusd.com. It should be the first stop when looking for COVID-related updates, district resources, school board agendas or program information.An asso-ciated app is available in the Apple and An-droid store. App push notifications keep parents updated on breaking news. Time-sensitive news will also be sent out through emails as needed; parents and guardians should make sure their contact information on file is accurate.

Superintendent Eimear O’Farrell, Ed.D., will send video messages as warranted when we encounter bigger news items, and watch for online community forums that will strive to provide clarity on more complex issues as well as serve as a way to collect questions and comments from viewers.
On a monthly basis, Clovis Unified mails families and employees CUSD Today, from August through June. Our district newspaper – paid for by advertisements by community partners – showcases some of the bigger events and general news of the district while also highlighting many great things going on in our 52 schools.
The district also uses Two Minutes Today, a short video blog emailed monthly to par-ents, to provide information about current news. (Watch for this month’s segment that will discuss ways to get ready for the school year and emotional wellness support.)
The CUSD Parent Bulletin is produced when it becomes important to delve deeper into a trending topic in society to provide parents with information to consider for

their child, such as emotional wellness, nav-igating social media or the dangers of vaping. These newsletter-style reports are directly emailed to parents and contain tips on how to talk with your child about these chal-lenging issues.
Clovis Unified’s social media platforms are filled with some of the daily happenings of our students, schools and staff.
Followers on Facebook (Clovis Unified School District) and Instagram (ClovisUSD) will learn about CUSD good news, upcoming workshops, awards and events.
Additionally, each of our schools has its own newsletter, website and social media channels with useful information specific to that campus. They also offer links to Clovis Unified’s Parent Connection, Nu-triSlice and Peachjar that let parents and students easily find out about grades, school-work, lunch menus and more.
Many of these resources are available on Clovis Unified’s mobile app, and those who do not yet have it are encouraged to download it today!

Page 4	CUSD Today	August 2021

‰ Announcements

Photo Special to CUSD Today. CUSD bus driver Guy Foell charges one of the district’s new electric buses that joined the fleet this summer. Charging stations were installed in the bus yard in June.

Electric school buses hit the road

Clovis Unified’s big yellow school buses	can be distinguished by the green-painted are going green, and they quietly rolled	bird flying over the entrance door. They through the streets taking students to	are expected to begin saving the district and from summer school.	in fuel and maintenance costs.
Six electric buses – five delivered in	The nine electric buses cost in total June and the last to arrive any day now –       $3.17 million, Boe said. The VW Mitiga-have joined the district’s three other EV       tion Fund awarded the district $2.4 mil-buses that were purchased last year. It’s       lion, San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution part of CUSD’s ongoing effort to use       Control District $540,000, and PG&E clean-powered vehicles and reduce emis-       provided $4,000 rebates for each bus. sions to the environment.	The district also received $383,000
About 90 percent of the costs for the	from SJVAPCD and $68,000 from PG&E new buses were funded by grants from	to fund the electrical infrastructure and San Joaquin ValleyAir Pollution Control	charging stations along with PG&E de-District,VW Mitigation Trust Fund and	signing and constructing infrastructure PG&E, said Transportation Director Sheryl	needed to support the district’s new elec-Boe.	trical equipment.
“We’re excited and grateful to partner	“It’s really been a team effort, and with these organizations as they support       we’re all committed to doing our part to our continuous efforts of reducing green-       reduce emissions,” Boe said. “We look house-gas emissions throughout our dis-       forward to providing cleaner air for our trict,” Boe said.                                               students, staff and community.”
With charging stations and required	Clovis Unified has an overall fleet of electric support installed also in June,      166 buses, some of which operate using the buses were immediately put into serv-       alternative fuels and diesel fuel for longer ice. The electric-powered vehicles seat       range trips. Boe said there are plans to up to 78 students and can travel around       purchase additional electric buses in the 90 miles when fully charged. The buses       next five years.

$19M in scholarships awarded The total is in: Graduating seniors in 2021

received $18,853,129 in college scholarships! “These students worked extremely hard to achieve numerous accomplishments during a pandemic, changing schedules and little per-sonal contact with their counselors and teach-ers,” said Carol Shanahan, former guidance counselor director.“The Clovis Unified coun-
selors are very proud of these students.” Each Clovis Unified high school reported
scholarship amounts received by their graduates, which are: Buchanan, $2,962,795; Clovis, $2,024,562; Clovis East, $4.3 million; Clovis North, $3,901,972; Clovis Online, $34,000; Clovis West, $5.6 million; Enterprise, $25,000; and Gateway, $4,800.
Shanahan offered other highlights of the recent CUSD seniors:
■ All seniors participated in CUSD’s College and Career Exploration Program called Xello, which assisted them with the development of post-secondary plans.
■ 70 percent of seniors completed the FAF-SA/Dream Act, paving the way for many op-portunities for financial aid, scholarships, and Cal Grants.
■ Many seniors earned college credit while attending high school through Unitrack with Fresno State, Clovis Community College Ad-vantage Program (CCCAP), CTE Dual En-rollment Courses, English 1A partnership, and College Enrichment Courses.
■ Many CUSD seniors completed a Career Technical Education Pathway, providing edu-cation and experience in careers they may be interested in pursuing.
■ Graduating seniors reported acceptance to a multitude of universities that include all State University and University of California campuses, Stanford, Columbia, USC, Penn State, MIT, Air Force Academy, West Point, Naval Academy, Smittcamp Honors College, Lyles College of Engineering,Vanderbilt, Syra-cuse, Baylor, University ofWisconsin and Uni-versity of Chicago.

CUSD sees results of paperless service

Paperless school newsletters, teacher mes-sages and flyers resulted in saving the equivalent of 12,717 trees, according to Peachjar, the district’s electronic routing system. Each Clovis Unified school uses Peachjar to distribute messages about upcoming events and activities, and the service emails directly the electronic

flyers to parents and guardians. There is also a Peachjar link on school websites that makes available recent materials.

Mark your calendars!
Clovis Unified’s 2021-22 student calendar is available online and indicates holidays, grad-ing periods and end of quarters/semesters for the upcoming, new school year.
Here are a few key dates: ■ Aug. 16, School starts
■ Nov. 22 to 26, Thanksgiving Holiday ■ Dec. 20 to Jan. 3,Winter Break
■ April 11 to 18, Spring Break ■ June 3, School ends
Full calendars are available on cusd.com/cal-endars.aspx.

Win a home, support CUSD! The Foundation for Clovis Schools is one

of 11 community nonprofits that will benefit from Granville Homes “Hope of Hope” fundraiser. Granville and its trade partners are donat-
ing a brand-new house valued	at more than $500,000 in Copper Riv-er Ranch (in the Clovis
North area) and selling a limited number of tickets to be entered into a drawing for it.
Tickets are $100 each.Also being offered is a two-ticket bundle for $200 that includes two tickets for the house and automatically enters those tickets in an additional drawing for a 2-year lease on a Lexus SUV. There are other additional prizes.
Tickets purchased directly from the Foun-dation for Clovis Schools benefits Clovis Unified through student scholarships and teacher grants. To purchase a ticket call the Foundation at 327-9095 or fill out an interest form at foundationforclovis schools.com /granvillehomeofhope.aspx.
The drawing for the Lexus will be Sept. 29 and for the home and additional prizes will be Oct. 13.
The Foundation for Clovis Schools is a nonprofit fundraising organization made up of volunteers that supports the district with such programs as Students of Promise, Su-perintendent’s Breakfast and Classroom Grants.
Details:FoundationForClovisSchools.com.

through so many
VISION

August 2021	CUSD Today	Page 5

Putting ‘possible’ in our ‘Mission: Possible’ theme

By Eimear O’Farrell, Ed.D. Superintendent

THE START of another school year is upon us, and we are so thrilled to

open our schools with full-time, in-person	in-s t r u c t i o n a l schedules! Dur-ing the pandem-ic, we pushed

Ed.D.
challenges and	Eimear O’Farrell, learned that our
students, our staff, and our com-munity is far stronger, far more resilient, and far more tenacious than we ever thought possible.
It’s ironic that our theme this past year for our ‘diamond an-niversary’ celebrating 60 years as a unified school district, centered us so much on the notion that di-amonds shine brightest when un-der the most extreme pressure.As a district that has always put the needs of our students front and center, we were reminded of the importance of the amazing edu-cators whose dedication and love for our kids is always centrally pivotal to their success. And, yes, we found lots of ways to shine brightly, by providing a safe work-ing and learning environment for our educators to take care of our kids. As I visited all 52 of our schools, I witnessed teachers, coun-selors, nurses, psychologists, sup-port staff, bus drivers, campus catering folks, custodial staff, and so many more, all pouring love and confidence into our kids on a daily basis. They used the most innovative and creative, and some-times totally goofy ways to reach our kids, to make them smile, to engage them, and to ensure that they were ready for the upcoming 2021-22 academic school year. It was exhausting just watching them,

whether it was in-person, or	Day in, day out, this past year,	We will always remember how you through distance learning. Our ed-      our team of amazing educators	lovingly shone brightly for our ucators found so many amazing      demonstrated to our kids, at a	kids and made the seemingly im-ways to push through a plethora      time when they needed us most,	possible possible!
of challenges, and in doing so, they	that we were there for them, and	What a great foundation for modeled to our kids that even in	that we weren’t giving up on them     our Clovis Unified theme this year! the face of immense adversity, our	or for them. I want to acknowledge     Mission: Possible. It leans into the attitude, and our perseverance is	our CUSD educators publicly for     fact that we have built the confi-key to our success and our ability	all they did for the kids of our     dence in our students to know that to shine!	community during this past year.     with a dash of determination, and

LESSONS

Inspirations by, for and from our CUSD students

Photo special to CUSD Today. Children in Clovis Unified’s Summer Fun “Ocean Explorers” class studied the wonders of sea life using hands-on science, reading and art activities. Students were said to have had a “fintastic” time!

“Always be on the lookout for the presence of wonder ”

E.B. WHITE, AMERICAN AUTHOR

a spoon of perseverance, along with a hefty dose of laughter, all stirred up with a positive can-do attitude, we can indeed make any-thing possible.
Our mission has always been clear in Clovis Unified: to develop our students in mind, body, and spirit. However, our “annual theme” always leans into the spe-cific time and moment of our school year, and this year, we fully acknowledge that our mission is also to ensure that every student comes out of this pandemic with a sense of their own potential, and the fact that with the right attitude, and the support of our amazing team of educators, anything is pos-sible.
Recently I spoke with a young girl who will be entering first grade and spent her kindergarten year doing school from home. She was attending the district’s Summer Fun program, taking classes in Sparkle Fun and Ocean Explo-ration. Her eyes danced as she told me about the glitter projects and sea discoveries, and how excited she was to be on campus this fall. It’s time to start getting ready for “Back to School,” get backpacks organized, and sharpen those pen-cils! Awaiting our students is an exciting school year of engaging learning, co-curricular activities, socialization and support.
So much is possible when great people link arms together and work toward a common goal! We know that firsthand now, as we all did exactly that … and we are eager to share that same positive attitude with your children again this year. Doc always reminded us that “It’s people, not programs that make the positive difference.” Mission: Possible? Yes, we readily choose to accept this mission, and look forward to sharing all those possibilities with our entire com-munity in this upcoming 2021-22 school year!

Begin planning now for your child’s success

CUSD Today

Closse to 43,000 students will return to Clovis Unified’s campuses Aug. 16, but helping students have a successful 2021-22 school year begins now.
For some students, this will be the first time since the start of the pandemic that they will be back on campus. Parents are encouraged to begin preparing now for the start of the school year by establishing routines, increasing structure within their child’s day, and talking with their child about any concerns re-garding the return to school. Review current health and safety practices together so kids will know what to expect and can be assured measures are in place to keep them safe. (CUSD and school websites are updated regularly with the most current state and county guidelines that the district follows.)
Some students may be a little rusty with ways of engaging in a classroom. Parents can encourage their children that this is not uncommon given last year and that these skills will quickly develop. Discuss ways they can become an active par-ticipant in class. Reassure them it’s OK to ask the teacher questions if they need help, to join in a class discussion and to offer ideas. Remind them of good habits, like listening to others and taking turns. For younger children, consider role playing and take turns being the student, teacher or friend.
The following are recommendations offered by Clovis Unified teachers, staff and administrators that can help kids have a great start to the new school year.

Before school starts
■ Visit school to help your student become familiar with where things are. Be sure to find your child’s classroom, or classrooms for those in intermediate or high school. Note where the restroom, library, cafeteria and nurse’s office are lo-cated.
■ Identify your child’s drop-off and pick-up meeting place on the school site. If a child is participating in Campus Club or taking a bus home from school, be sure he or she knows

where to go.
■ If your child will be walking to school, practice the route. If possible, make arrangements for your child to walk to school with a friend or child in the neighborhood.
■ Visit the school website.It contains valuable information including school start and end times, Back-to-School Night dates, lunch menus, and details about getting involved in co-curricular activities. There is also a full listing of teachers and administrative staff, including contact information.
■ If your child is interested in sports or co-curricular activities, find out through the website how to get involved and when signups are. Help your child prepare and begin to train or practice.
■ Ease students back into a regular school schedule. The week before school starts, have students go to bed and wake up earlier a little more each day, moving them closer to what the school bedtime/wake-up routine will be.
■ Grab a good book. If students have not been reading this summer, there is still time to warm up those reading skills. Have bedtime reading with younger students.
■ Set up a homework station in the home. Find the best place for students to get their work done. Have kids help as you equip it with necessary supplies. Make sure it has a good work surface and lighting.
■ Go back-to-school shopping. Take inventory of what your child has and fill in the gaps with what he or she needs. Keep in mind Clovis Unified’s dress code if purchasing clothes. On many teachers’ websites (found through the school website), class supply lists are available. Other items to consider are a backpack, water bottle or athletic shoes.
■ Talk about what that first day may be like and ask your child how he or she feels about it. Offer reassurance, enthusiasm and support. Let them know it’s OK to be nervous and let them know that lots of other students feel the very same way. ■ Have your child plan out what he or she will wear for the
first day of school.
■ Encourage your student to enter the new school year

with a mindset of meeting new people and having new expe-riences. Talk about getting involved at school and joining at least one activity such as a club, academic or sports team, or the performing arts.
■ Fuel the body well. Take a shopping trip and talk with your child now to help choose foods that are nutritious.
■ Pre-make a few dinners that can be frozen. Having meals ready the first week of school can help the whole family avoid added tension and keep things running smoothly.

After school starts
■ Make sure your child eats breakfast before school. Have students bring a water bottle to keep hydrated throughout the day. Pack a good lunch. Send a few healthy snacks.
■ Be sure your child gets enough sleep. Doctors recommend children up to the fifth grade get as much as 10 to 11 hours of sleep each night.
■ Establish regular weekday routinesfor school, homework, mealtime and bedtime.
■ Have your child go to bed organized with backpack, P.E., or co-curricular clothes and equipment ready for the next day.
■ Make lunches the night before.
■ Drive safe. Stop when the school bus red lights are flashing, indicating students are boarding or exiting, and pay attention to crossing guards and school speed limits.
■ Keep informed. Review all materials the school sends home. Browse the website often to check for important infor-mation and dates.
■ If the first couple of days are a little difficult: remain positive and calm. Let your child know you care and are there to support him or her.
■ Check in with your child after school. Review homework. Follow your student’s progress on Parent Connect. If a child begins to struggle in a given subject and you are unable to help, talk it over with his or her teacher.

➤ Please see Planning, Page 9

— 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 newspaper highlights the achievements of Clovis Unified students and staff; profiles new and updated Governing Board policies; and shares general news and information happening within the district.
Circulation: 34,000.
Funding: All costs associated with producing, printing and mailing CUSD Todayare 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 pub-lication date.We do our best to include as many sub-missions in each issue as our editorial space will al-low.

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 Communications Officer
327-9092 Patti J. Lippert Managing Editor
327-9094 Sara Almaraz
Advertising Specialist 327-9095 Verna Garcia
Graphic Designer

CUSD Governing Board Members

Steven G. Fogg, M.D.	Susan Hatmaker	Tiffany Stoker Madsen President                                      Vice President                                         Clerk

269-7000	288-2743	392-1014

o
Hugh H.Awtrey                David DeFrank               Y landa Moore                Betsy Sandoval 437-6580                            327-9000                            327-9000                             291-7564

CUSD Administration

Eimear O’Farrell, Ed.D.	Norm Anderson Superintendent                                                    Deputy Superintendent
327-9100	327-9107

Robyn Castillo, Ed.D. Corrine Folmer, Ed.D.	Barry Jager	Michael Johnston Associate Superintendent	Associate Superintendent Associate Superintendent Associate Superintendent
Instructional Services	School Leadership	Human Resources and	Administrative Services 327-9373                            327-9350                   Employee Relations                  327-9110
327-9308

Page 6	CUSD Today	August 2021

AROUND THE DISTRICT

August 2021

Editor’s Note:Around the District highlights positive activities and accomplishments of students and schools throughout the district. Here, find items about the end of the 2021 school year as well as some good news from over the summer.
Kiwanis scholarships
The Clovis Kiwanis Club awarded schol-arships to graduating Clovis Unified School District students, through its scholarship program that has been in place since 1992. “As a committee, we feel this group of students will represent CUSD and Clovis Kiwanis as the best of their class,” said Eddie De Leon, chairperson of the Kiwanis Schol-
arship Committee.
The 2021 recipients are Haley Mozier, Buchanan High; Tyrell Lopez, Clovis High; Julie Vang, Clovis East High;Paige Freeburg and Haley Wirth, Clovis North High; Deynoona Zaghmouri, Clovis West High; and Ryan Wilder, Gateway High.

CUSD Today

Librarians share stories Clovis Unified librarians found an in- challenging to literally take a book apart

teractive way this past spring to encourage in order to create the boards. “I’ve been reading while also getting kids outdoors taught that ‘Books are knowledge’ and through Story Walks.	never hurt them. Of Red Bank, Tarpey, Get-	course I got over it tysburg elementary	when I saw kids com-schools and others put	ing on their own time out story boards that	with parents that first represented pages in a	Wednesday	after-book, with each panel	noon,” she said. having a scannable QR                                                                          Teachers took their code that would then	class through the sto-provide the recorded	ries, and at Red Bank, version of the page.	the books were even
“Story Walks were	made available for perfect this year in that	families to experience, students could be out	organized by librarian of the classroom, stay	April Lencioni, that socially distanced and	included hybrid and enjoy a story. It was	online students.
also fun for the kids	“This felt like a since they could not                                                                     scavenger hunt. I come into the library                                                                     wouldn’t know what for a story time this                                                                     was next until I got year,” said Gettysburg                                                                     to the next story Elementary’s Starlene Finley.                         board,” said Gettysburg fourth-grader Nolan
Tarpey librarian Georgi Leonardo said Calvillo.
the boards were such a hit at her school,	Said second-grader Abby Higginbotham, that they are thinking of continuing the “I loved all of the Book Walks. They are program next year.At first, she said, it was really fun.”

Page 7

CTE Career Skills Challenge Several Clovis Unified students placed

in Fresno County’s Career Skills Challenge held at the end of the school year. Congrat-ulations to the following winners in their respective categories:
■ Auto/Diesel (Instructors Michael Miller/Ricky Jones): 1st Place,Collin Camini, Clovis North; 2nd Place,Ryan Pyzer, Clovis North; and 3rd Place, Tyler Collins, Clovis North
■ Construction Building Information Modeling (Instructor John Eichmann): 1st Place, Aidan Puga, Clovis East; 2nd Place, Benjamin Garcia, Clovis High
■ Culinary Arts Dessert Preparation (In-structor George Bonanno): 1st Place,Alyse Flores, Clovis High
■ Fire Fighting (Instructor Randy Fin-frock): 1st Place,Jace Baker,Buchanan, and Nicholas Hanson, Clovis East; 2nd Place, Timothy Chavez, Clovis North, and Brendon Mathieu, Clovis East; 3rd Place, Hayden Dolan, Clovis North,Tanner Henson,Clovis High and Chase Mathieu, Clovis East
■ Today’s Class Auto (Instructor Jason Mullikin): 1st Place, Collin Camini, Clovis West; 2nd Place, Zachary Dellamaggiore, Clovis High; 3rd Place, Benjamin Tout, Clovis High.
■ Today’s Class Diesel (Instructors Michael Miller/ Ricky Jones): 1st Place, Ryan Pyzer, Clovis West

Roses in 2022!

Morning academy a hit at Miramonte

Third- and fourth-grade students at Mi-ramonte Elementary had the chance to come to school an hour early during the final weeks of school to participate in the Miramonte Enrichment Academy – and around 70 kids came each day! The students rotated through different stations that pro-vided extension activities such as cooking, gardening, STEM and art.
The academy was an idea developed by Miramonte teachers as a way to help students have more socialization while also providing activities that were new and fun to do. They also had an academic component. For ex-ample, when doing gardening activities, there was written work and lessons about the life cycle of plants.

CN State History Day winner Clovis North student Shailey Shah won

the co-championship award for State History Day and advanced to the national competi-tion. The state competition held virtually in May involved nearly 1,200 students, 726 projects and 23 counties represented. This is the second year Shailey won state co-champion. The National History Day took place in June and included around 3,000 students from the U.S., China, Korea and South Asia.

BHS robotics makes Worlds The Buchanan High robotics team, the

Bird Brains, won the Chairman’sAward for the Greater Central Valley, which qualified them for the World Championships (virtual) for the third year in a row.
Additionally, student Ethan West was

selected as a Dean’s List Finalist and will be competing at the World Championship level as well.
The Bird Brains put in hundreds of hours at home throughout the pandemic and pushed this team to great heights.A few ac-complishments include:
■ Wrote grants to increase access to STEM and robotics at local Title I schools and for student scholarships, for which they were awarded $12,000
■ Created their very own robotics game and led a group of our new members to gain the skills that they would have learned during a regular build season.
The Bird Brains team members are Alyssa Copeland, Annika Garza, Antonio Avila, Austin Owen,Austin Rodriguez, Ben Alcala, Ben Waddill, Braydon Cook, Camden Kirk, Caroline Keppler, Chase Griffith, Colby Kirk, Colby Olsen, Curtis Gendron, Daphne Person, Emme Gorden, Erica Kokor, Ethan West, Genie Lee, Grayson Pressutti, Hailey Ferris, Haley Geers, Hunter Liggett, Jacob Menz, Jasmine Le, Jiopearl Cesa, Juddiah Urbano, Katelynn Compton, Kavan Singh, Kylie Alexander, Kylie Copeland, Levi Miller, Liana Vangyi, Livian Ngo, Lucas McGary, Lyndon Phillips, Makayla Wyckoff, Matt Zetz, Mazin Abi-Rached, Michael Simpson, Noah Menz, Parker Wyatt, Pratham Hombal, Raymond Williams, Sabrina Olmedo, San-meet Deol, Skyler Wilson, Taylor Hirata, Taylor Taniguchi, Thomas Coleman, Tyler Petersen and Zane Abi-Rached.

Ten Clovis Unified students will march in the annual Rose Parade Jan. 1, 2022, in Pasadena! Accepted into the prestigious 300-member 2022 Bands ofAmerica Honor Band are:
■ From Clovis East High –Avery Ramirez, clarinet.
■ From Clovis North High – Cassandra Baber, color guard,Sarah Elsberry, clarinet; Sarah Lesser, color guard; Olivia Pavao, color guard; and Savannah Wightman, pic-colo.
■ From Clovis West High – Tailia Hov-sepian, piccolo; Matthew Kerber, alto sax; Samuel Lozano, trumpet; and Adam Garabe-dian, tromobone
Additionally, Clovis North band teacher David Lesser has been selected to be a mem-ber of the faculty for the honor band.
Lesser, who is teaching the saxophone section, and band students began receiving material earlier this year to start rehearsing. “Through the course of the next months, students will have regular music assignments, meetings and assessments to ensure that once we arrive in Long Beach Dec. 27, stu-dents are well prepared to be able to put everything together in a short amount of time,” said Lesser of the preparation.
The Bands of America marches in the parade every four years, but it was unable to do so in 2021 when the parade was can-celled due to COVID restrictions.
At this time, the 2022 Rose Parade is scheduled to occur.

Page 8	CUSD Today	August 2021

ments to open principal po-
Belknap was appointed to
on the State of California to
by California’s Department
■
Received written staff
reports on the After School
Program, and received the
school Report.
cial Education Programs.
salary comparison study
agreement with Fuel Edu-
GrowthPoint Technologies
legislative consulting and
Program from 285 to 214.
personnel, and the depart-
meeting, the Governing
Board honored 131 retiring
lution No. 3817 expressing
appoint the following indi-
principal of Buchanan High.
tro (Clovis West High),
Whitney Swillis (Clovis
pecial Education).
2021-22 District Budget and
District and the Clovis Online
School, copies of which are
ment of members to the Cit-
terms.
August 2021	CUSD Today	Page 9

New principals appointed at Woods, Freedom, T-K and BHS

➤
BOARD BRIEFS
By Kelly Avants                             The two principal ap-                                                       Comprehensive Youth Serv-          ■ Kelli Hinojos, former Chief Communications Officer        pointments were needed to                                                       ices for student support serv-     learning director at Reyburn fill openings created by the                                                       ices.                                          Intermediate School, to prin-
July 21
appointment of current
Elementary.
Governing Board’s June 23	heard an update on the most	■ Approved reduced	cipal of Temperance-Kutner At their July 21 meeting,	principals Kristen Belknap,	recent information released      hours in the Nurse Assistant          ■ To the position of learn-
of Public Health.
In other action, the board:
the Clovis Unified Governing	Ed.D. and Darrin Holter-	■ Adopted resolutions No.	ing director at the noted Board continued the process	mann to new roles. Holter-                                                       3818, No. 3820 and No. 3821	schools: Michelle Dodson of staffing schools for the	mann was appointed to the                                                       related to the annual workers	(Buchanan High),Ann Cas-
upcoming school year, and	position of Director of In-	compensation coverage and
made the following appoint-	duction and MTSS, and Dr.	Education and Safety (ASES)	general liability for volunteer	North Educational Center
ns:
■
cipal at the Reagan Educa-
Child Development Pre-
munity care licensing de-
Approved the annual
sitioCecelia Dansby, current	the position of Deputy Prin-	Program Self-Evaluation for	ment of social services com-	– SIn other action, the board: learning	director	at	tional Center. Both appoint-                                                       signee.                                           ■
of Woods Elementary
The board also discussed
entation of the annual up-
Buchanan High to principal      ments were effective July 1.           ■ Received a video pres-      June 9                         the 2021-24 Local Control ■ Laurel Graves, current      a resolution related to calling      date on Clovis Unified’s Spe-           Before the start of the     Accountability Plan for the
deputy principal at the Clovis
to principal of Freedom El-
more control. As part of
■
Approved an adden-
their annual Retiree Cele-
site at www.cusd.com.
North Educational Center,      give local governing bodies      dum to the Superintendent’s      employees of the district at     available on the District’s web-ementary.                                  their conversation, the board      Contract related to a recent      bration and adopted Reso-          ■ Approved the appoint-

to the agenda material).
Approved a triennial
butions of these employees
izens’ Oversight Committee
(available as an attachment      appreciation for the contri-     for the Clovis Unified School ■                                                       to the students and com-     Bond funds for two-year
products and services; with
The board took action t
q
cation for online educational      munity of Clovis Unified.o          The next regularly scheduled meetings of the Governing Board
for Career Technical Edu-
cation services; with School
Services of California for
viduals to new roles:
■
Omar Hemaidan, for-
mer deputy principal at Rea-
gan Educational Center, to
are Aug. 11 and 25, with the public portion beginning at 6:30 p.m., at 1680 David E. Cook Way, Clovis. Complete agendas, minutes and video from meetings are available
advocacy services; and with	online at www.cusd.com.

Planning:

FROM PAGE 5
■ Help your child learn how to keep organized by creating check lists or using a daily planner.
■ Plan some down time for your child. Kids do better having had some time to relax.
■Attend Back-to-School Night and meet your child’s teacher.
■Students, make a habit of packing your homework in your backpack right after completion to assist with being organized in the morning.
■ Students, put your phones away and spend part of your free-time un-plugged. Talk with friends, get outside or join in a fam-ily activity.
■ Secondary students, always communicate with your teacher about upcom-ing co-curricular events that will take you out of class.
■ Secondary students, remember your learning di-rector and counselor are here to help you succeed.

Page 10	CUSD Today	August 2021