Cajon Valley Union School District Water Lead Testing Results
As part of the new State program in 2017, school districts could work with their local water agencies to provide free testing of drinking water at all school sites. The District worked with our three water agencies: Helix Water District, Otay Water District and Padre Dam Municipal Water District during March – May to take several samples at each school to test and provide results.
Following the strict sampling instructions set forth by the State Water Resources Control Board, testing has been completed and we are pleased to report that all of CVUSD’s school campuses passed with good results. All schools were below the minimum recordable levels.
Several months ago, we posted on this blog “a call for stories” about immigrant and refugee students. We have been blown away by all the responses! We have since taken all those stories and compiled them into a little booklet. Physical copies are also available through the print shop. Thank you to all the teachers that wrote in. I don’t believe there is another profession in America that has more daily interaction or long-term impact on immigrants than teachers. Teachers make the difference in our communities!
We’ve been distributing these booklets to lawmakers in Sacramento. On April 25th, Governing Board member Tamara Otero was invited to testify in the Education Finance Subcommittee in the California Assembly on a funding package that would distribute $5 million across the state to districts that receive large amounts of refugees. Her testimony made quite an impact on lawmakers. On May 23rd, the Subcommittee voted UNANIMOUSLY (across party lines) to approve the package, and actually increased it to $10 million! There’s still a long way to go before the funding is approved, but we’re hopeful these efforts will lead to additional funding to support our newest students.
Tamara’s Opening Testimony is Here….
To See the Full Budget Subcommittee Hearing See Below…
To
Thank you to everyone who wrote in a story, and to all of you who do your part to improve the lives of our immigrant students every day.
Eyal Bergman
Family & Community Engagement Officer
Posted:
May 30, 2017
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Yesterday June 7, 2017 as part of DELAC Awards Night that was held at Lexington Elementary school, we recognized our English Learner students for their outstanding achievement/progress, and the classified/certificated/ administrator staff as well for their contributions and outstanding support for our EL Program. Eyal Bergman, FACE Officer started the meeting and welcomed all the attendees, and introduced the Instructional Program Director, Denise Parnell and the DELAC Officers. Then students/staff were called to the stage to receive their achievement and recognition award. During the break, The Lexington Ballet Folklórico performed a dance from a Spanish culture. The event continued and more students/staff received their awards. Selected reclassified English Learners spoke and share their EL experience. It was a heartwarming event for everyone.
At the end, Dr. Denise Parnell, the Director of Instructional Services, thanked all the students, parents and the staff for their hard work and perseverance throughout the year, and encouraged the parents to get more involved in their children’s education and participate in the DELAC meetings to have a voice in their English Learners education.
Souad Naoum, Educational Services Department
Bicultural/Bilingual/Translator – Chaldean/Arabic
Posted:
May 27, 2017
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Preview of TEDxKids@ElCajon 2017… Saturday June 3rd
Dear Cajon Valley Families… It’s time to Power Up!
Channel your favorite superhero on June 3rd when Cajon Valley Union School District presents TEDxKids@ElCajon in the Greenfield Middle School Theater. This is a family and community event open to the public. TEDxKids@ElCajon will have four theater sessions starting at 10:00am showcasing TED talks and performances from Cajon Valley Students. Outside on the Greenfield track area, we will have exhibitors from our community partners and schools. We are excited to add an activity area with an enormous inflatable giant slide, inflatable obstacle course and climbing wall to the event. Additional parking with shuttles are available at Bostonia Language Academy and Kaiser Permanente off of Main Street. The parking, theater sessions, outside activities are all part of your admission to the event.
Cajon Valley students are free and by attending the TEDx event can make up one missed absence for the 2016-2017 school year. Students simply sign up for a free student ticket on tedxkidselcajon.eventbrite.com. For attendance credit we ask that students stay for 4 hours, complete a scavenger hunt activity and enjoy the event.
This is a family event celebrating the Cajon Valley community! General admission is $6.00 per person and again…Cajon Valley students are FREE! Register online @ tedxkidselcajon.eventbrite.com. See you on June 3rd at Greenfield Middle School Don’t forget your Superhero Cape!
The TEDxKids@ElCajon Team
Posted:
May 27, 2017
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Greenfield Middle School welcomed the community to it’s spring Greenfield Arts Pathway (GAP) Gala this week. Students presented a variety of GAP projects: theme-based, cross-curricular projects where students demonstrated their learning to authentic audiences in science, math, engineering, history, and English. Many of the students presented community improvement projects that provided creative, solution-based ideas in response to challenges in our community, including homeless veterans, stray animals, and bullying. Students in our performing arts classes performed, as well: dance, drama, and guitar. Students also displayed visual art and screened films from the video production class. The evening culminated with a performance of “Aladdin, Jr.” by students in the musical theater class. Thank you to all the members of the community and district colleagues who joined the event!
Just before Spring Break, the 6th grade students from Flying Hills wrapped up their performance of Shrek Jr. the Musical, performing the eight shows during a 2-week period. The entire show was student-led; everything from the performers to sets, props, lighting, sound, costumes, and crowd control.
As you can see from the photos here, the production was stunning, wowing audience after audience during its run. We are incredibly proud of our students as they worked unbelievably hard to produce a show that was truly unforgettable!
Jeremy Lyche, Principal
Flying Hills Elementary School
Posted:
Apr 19, 2017
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TEDxKids@ElCajon will showcase the passion and potential of our youth! Organized by the Cajon Valley Union School District, this annual event offers our students a unique platform to share their ideas. Our theme this year is POWER UP – we seek to invigorate the community with fresh ideas to make our future more powerful.
TEDxKids@ElCajon will include:
TED Talks on Stage
Power Park
Live Streaming Lounge
Kids Activities
Check out the TEDxKids@ElCajon promo video translated into Spanish and Arabic by our own Miguel & Souad in Ed Services
About TED:
TED is a nonprofit organization that is devoted to spreading ideas. It began in 1984 as a conference where Technology, Entertainment and Design converged, and today covers almost all topics — from science to business to global issues — in more than 100 languages. It is a global community, welcoming people from every discipline and culture who seek a deeper understanding of the world. It is built on the belief in the power of ideas to change attitudes, lives and, ultimately, the world. Meanwhile, independently run TEDx events help share ideas in communities around the world.
TEDx, x = independently organized event in the spirit of ideas worth spreading, is a program of local, self‐organized events that bring people together to share a TED‐like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group.
TEDxKids@ElCajon is a TED event that will showcase the passion and potential of our children! Organized by the Cajon Valley Union School District, this annual event offers students a unique platform to share their ideas. Connect with our future leaders, and leave inspired. We are Powering Up our community.
Posted:
Apr 16, 2017
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The Story of Home Visits is a new video of Cajon Valley teachers sharing their experiences with home visits. It’s really been quite moving to hear how students and teachers have been impacted by this program.
Plus, we are happy to announce that funding is available to allow teachers and counselors from across the district to participate in the program this year! Visit our website (cajonvalley.net/FACE) to learn more, and to sign up for upcoming training opportunities on April 4th and 5th.
For those who are new to the program, it’s helpful to know our five core principles that make FACE Office Home Visits a little different than traditional visits:
1) Visits are always voluntary for school staff and families
2) Staff is always trained and compensated
3) Visits are done in teams of two
4) Staff visit a cross-section of their student population to avoid targeting
5) Discussions with families always include hopes, dreams and expectations
Any and all Cajon Valley staff are more than welcome to reach out with questions.
Eyal Bergman, Family & Community Engagement Officer
Cajon Valley Middle School’s certificated and classified staff members have been participating in annual “Staff vs. Student” basketball, flag football, and soccer games for many years. These events provide the staff an opportunity to strengthen relationships with students in a friendly, but competitive environment, outside the classroom walls. The staff and students always look forward to these competitions and they have paid dividends serving to facilitate a positive school climate.
Recently CVMS reached out to City of El Cajon Chief of Police, Jeff Davis, to invite his officers to participate in a similar event. The premise of the event was to promote positive interactions between teens and officers, assisting to build and strengthen relationships between the officers and the community they serve. Chief Davis was enthusiastic about the idea and was confident his officers would be as well. He put the site in touch with Officer Jeannine Johns who helped to coordinate the event on behalf of ECPD.
On Tuesday, March 28th officers from the El Cajon Police Department competed against the students of Cajon Valley Middle School in the first installment of “ECPD vs. CVMS” sports. This memorable basketball game was filled with quality conversations and smiles. Students had an opportunity to interact with officers in friendly competition and positive relationships were produced. The event was equally powerful for students and officers, all of whom left feeling fulfilled by the experience. The students on campus are still talking about how much they enjoyed the competition against the police.
We thank ECPD for taking the time to visit our site and for their participation in this marvelous event. We look forward to future competition!!!
