Board of EducationChristine Walters, President | Nayiri Nahabedian, Vice President | Mary Boger, Clerk | Gregory Krikorian, Member | Joylene Wagner, Member

“PREPARING OUR STUDENTS FOR THEIR FUTURE”

August 2013 13-14 Issue No. 1

Message from Dr. SheehanGreetings,

What a great beginning of school! I would like to thank our certificated staff for joining me on August 8, 2013 at the Glendale High auditorium. The energy in the room was readily apparent. It was fun to sit back and watch everyone mingling in the quad before we started. Although it is rarely pos-sible to please everyone, I hope there was at least one item that you could draw from in Dr. Bill Daggett’s presentation. I would like to thank GTA President Phyllis Miller for joining me in welcoming the staff and to those who took the time to complete the survey. The results were very positive, with less than 5% not wanting to get everyone together next year.

As a follow up to my theme on opening day, I would like to share with you the following letter written by President Abraham Lincoln to his son’s teacher:

“Respected Teacher,

He will have to learn, I know, that all men are not just, all men are not true.

But teach him also that for every scoundrel there is a hero.That for every selfish politician, there is a dedicated leader.Teach him that for every enemy there is a friend.Steer him away from envy, if you can.Teach him the secret of quiet laughter.

Let him learn early that the bullies are the easiest to lick.Teach him, if you can, the wonder of books.But also give him quiet time to ponder the eternal mystery of birds in the sky, bees in the sun, and the flowers on a green hillside.

Beginning school year 2013-14, the Board of Education meetings will start at 5 p.m. unless other-wise noted. The following dates are this year’s scheduled board meetings:

July 16, 2013August 13, 2013September 3, 2013September 17, 2013October 1, 2013October 15, 2013November 5, 2013November 19, 2013December 17, 2013

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Administrative Changes

Board of Education Meetings 2013-14

Continued on page 6, Meetings

This summer break once again brought exciting changes to key positions in the District. Congratulations to the follow-ing administrators on their new positions:

Beatriz Bautista, Director, Special Education and Response to InterventionDr. Michele Doll, Sr. Director, Human ResourcesHagop Eulmessekian, Associate Principal, Hoover High SchoolDr. Elena Heimerl, Principal, Columbus Elementary SchoolDr. Susan Hoge, Asst. Director, EEELPDr. Linda Junge, Principal, CV High SchoolDr. Narek Kassabian, Principal, R.D. White Elementary SchoolDr. Kelly King, Asst.

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Changes

Off to a good start of the school year

Hoover High School capped off their first week of the school year with a Back-to-School Assembly on Friday, August 16.The pep talk was given by no other than Hoover’s big kahuna herself, Dr. Jennifer Earl (left).The Hoover seniors’ slogan this year is, ‘We’re doin’ it big in 2014!’For pictures from the first day of school, go to pages 2 and 3.

Continued on page 6, Dr. Sheehan

August 20132013-14 Issue No.1

Page 2“PREPARING OUR STUDENTS FOR THEIR FUTURE”

The Glendale community always looks...Cerritos ElementaryColumbus Elementary

Fremont ElementaryGlenoaks Elementary

La Crescenta Elementary

This summer, the Human Resource department hired 30 brand new teachers for all of our GUSD schools. Please extend a warm GUSD welcome to the following new teachers:

New teachers to the District

Sunhee Ahn, Keppel/TollSofia Akesbi, Mann ElementaryKierstin Cabalka, CV HighLaura Cux, Columbus/MannJennifer Diaz, SPEDMario Garcia, Muir ElementaryKathleen Gayer, CV HighMelanie Gingerich, College View

SchoolChristina Gomez, Franklin

ElementaryMarian Gotanian, Glendale HighAileen Grigorian, Columbus

ElementaryChristina Haydt, Mountain Avenue

ElementaryGlenn Hopf, Franklin ElementaryNozomi Inukai, Verdugo

Woodlands ElementaryHye Na Kim, Monte Vista

Elementary

Darlene Krantz, Dunsmore Elementary

Thomas Larson, Hoover HighLilit Manucharyan, Glendale HighMonica Martinez, Glendale HighCristina Mazza, Franklin

ElementaryCaitlin McDaniel, Hoover HighLance Merrill, Hoover HighSae Oh, Keppel ElementaryJacqueline Olson, Franklin

ElementaryBailey Porter, Roosevelt MiddleDavid Slatus, Roosevelt MiddleJessica Stewart, R.D. White

ElementaryMiriam Varela, Edison ElementaryNicole Vargas, Glendale HighTimothy Wolkiewicz, Clark

Magnet High

R.D. White students take the walking school bus to school

August 16 was R.D. White Elementary’s first walking school bus run this school year. Students have the option of meeting at four dif-ferent corners and walking to school together.R.D. White prin-cipal Dr. Narek Kassabian was at the corner of Glenoaks and Geneva where 88 students showed up -- a record high! Glendale police officers assisted the walkers.

August 20132013-14 Issue No.1

Page 3“PREPARING OUR STUDENTS FOR THEIR FUTURE”

...forward to the fi rst day of school!

Clark Magnet High School staff and students are back on the job

CV High School opened the school year with a new principalRosemont Middle School staff started their year off with a jolt

August 20132013-14 Issue No.1

Page 4“PREPARING OUR STUDENTS FOR THEIR FUTURE”

The new school year got off to a terrific start with all GUSD teachers, district and site admin-istrators together, approximately 1400 educators, in the Glendale High School auditorium on the morning of August 8, 2013. Dr. Sheehan kicked off the morning with a motivational welcome back message focused on working together to implement the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) as we continue to “Prepare our students for their future.” GUSD Board President, Nayiri Nahabedian, welcomed the teachers back and thanked them all for their on-going dedication to our students’ success. Phyllis Miller, GTA President, also addressed the audience with a welcome back message. A presentation, “Making Good Schools Great,” by Dr. Bill Daggett of ICLE (International Center for Leadership in Education) followed with an overview of the importance and impact the new CCSS will have as our students become 21st Century citizens. The new CCS Standards will guide instruction towards more rigorous and relevant skills and knowledge for all students in the 45 states that have adopted the CCSS. An electronic survey was sent to attendees to gather district-wide feedback. Approximately 380 GUSD educators completed the survey, representing a 27% response rate. To view the feedback from the survey, click on this link to a summary of all responses:www.gusd.net/daggettsurveyresults.

“Preparing our students for THEIR future”Glendale’s Common Core Kickoff with Dr. Bill Daggett

Dr. Richard Sheehan (left) and Dr. Bill Daggett (right).

Glendale’s CCSS Professional Development Plan for the 2013-14 school year focuses on building internal capacity at every school site through the newly formed professional development team made up of Learning Leaders. CCSS Learning Leaders, across all grade levels from Transitional Kindergarten to 12th grade, will spearhead the district’s transition and implementation of the new Common Core State Standards. Approximately 50 Learning Leaders attended a four-day training in July to learn more about the CCSS. In addition they learned about key instructional shifts in curriculum and instruction to align with the common core and leadership skills including effective professional development strategies. The Learning Leaders are responsible for developing grade level and/or subject area modules of learning aligned to the new CCSS. CCSS site representatives, designated teachers from all school sites, will be trained by the Learning Leaders on these modules. The CCSS site representatives will then, in turn, conduct trainings and provide support to individual teachers at their school sites. The first of the CCSS Learning Leader facilitated trainings begin the week of August 26 for the elementary site representatives, and the week of September 3 for our secondary site representatives.

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Page 5“PREPARING OUR STUDENTS FOR THEIR FUTURE”

The Holy Land Democracy Project of the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles have selected eight Glendale school teachers to participate in their trip to Israel on June 13-22, 2013. Alis Kmbikyan from Daily High; Mike Bertram (now principal at Burbank High), Reiner Kolodinski, Olivia Macaulay, and Cheryce Kurtz from Glendale High; Alicia Harris and Amber McLeod from Crescenta Valley High, and Christian Hong from Hoover High were chosen after completing an extensive application and interview process. They also participated in an intense educational weekend to prepare for their trip.

According to Kolodinski, “The best evidence of daily, amaz-ing experiences was when we began with a hike up to the Masada in the early morning, ‘mudding up’ and floating in the Dead Sea, observing the Judean desert as we drove north along the Jordan River Valley, and capping the day off with an evening swim in the Sea of Galilee.”

The chosen ones

First row: Olivia Macaulay. Second row: Reiner Kolodinski, Mike Bertram, Amber McLeod, Alicia Harris and Cheryce Kurtz.

From left to right: Yvonne Quinonez, Tracy Taylor, Alice Beshlian, ‘Mr. Thomas Jefferson,’ Diane Lapistol, and Andrea Abrishimi.

Andrea Abrishimi, Diane Lapistol, and Yvonne Quinonez all from La Crescenta Elementary along with Tracy Taylor, Muir Elementary and Alice Beshlian, Horace Mann, spent six intense days in Williamsburg, Virginia immersed in 18th Century American history. The GUSD teachers had the opportunity to exchange ideas with noted historians, meet character interpreters, and take part in re-enact-ments of 18th Century events. They engaged in interactive teaching techniques with a mentor teacher and with each other. They brought home lesson plans, primary sources,

Experiencing American History

facsimile objects and documents, books, and will be adapting these items for their own classroom use.

On May 22, 2013, GUSD administrators and California School Employees Association (CSEA) mem-bers participated in the annual CSEA Shadow Day. Only 10 districts throughout

CSEA Shadow Day at Glendale

California are selected each year by CSEA to participate.

On this date, District administrators shadowed CSEA mem-bers for a minimum of two hours in order to allow adminis-trators to learn what CSEA members do on a daily basis. Administrators painted walls, checked the acidity of District pools, helped change broken windows, and “assisted” in other activities throughout our District. Thank you, CSEA, for the great opportunity to view first hand how your daily contributions to our schools make student achievement possible. GUSD truly is a family comprised of teachers, classified employees, and administrators.

Continued on page 6, Israel

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January 14, 2014February 4, 2014February 18, 2014March 11, 2014April 1, 2014 (Re-organization Meeting)April 15, 2014May 6, 2014May 13, 2014 (Recognitions only)May 20, 2014June 17, 2014

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August26 Student Advisory

Council Meeting, 3:45 p.m., Admin Bldg. Room 103

27 Franklin ES Back-to-School Night, 6 p.m.

28 Edison ES Back-to-School Night, 5 p.m.

28 Muir ES Back-to-School Night, 6 p.m.

29 Balboa ES Back-to-School Night, 6 p.m.

29 Glendale HS Back-to-School Night, 6 p.m.

29 Jefferson ES Back-to-School Night, 6 p.m.

29 Mountain Avenue ES Back-to-School Night, 6 p.m.

29 La Crescenta ES Back-to-School Night, 6:30 p.m.

29 Lincoln ES Back-to-School Night, 6:30 p.m.

29 Fremont ES Back-to-School Night, 6:30 p.m.

29 Clark Magnet HS Back-to-School Night, 7 p.m.

September2 Labor Day Holiday3 Board of Education

Meeting, 5 p.m., Admin. Bldg. Board Room

4 Hoover HS Back-to-School Night, 6 p.m.

5 College View Back-to-School Night, 5:30 p.m.

5 Cerritos ES Back-to-School Night, 6 p.m.

10 Cloud Pre-School Back-to-School Night, 6:15 p.m.

12 Daily Continuation HS/Re-ConnectEd Back-to-School Night, 5:30 p.m.

12 Wilson MS Back-to-School Night, 5:15 p.m.

17 Board of Education Meeting, 5 p.m., Admin Bldg. Board Room

27 LACOE Teacher of the Year Luncheon, 11 a.m., Hilton Universal City

Meetings, continued frompage 1

Board of Education

Superintendent, Ed. ServicesLynn Marso, Asst. Superintendent, Ed. ServicesDr. Deb Rinder, Sr. Director, Categorical ProgramsSuzanne Risse, Principal, Monte Vista Elementary SchoolJuanita Shahijanian, Principal, Muir Elementary School

Welcome to R. Craig Lewis, Associate Principal at Glendale High School. He is new to the district coming from Napa Valley USD having served as principal at Vintage High School.

A big welcome also is in order to our new District secretaries:

Zarazen Dialogo, Lincoln Elementary SchoolHourik Hayrapetian, Valley View ElementarySosi Kakosian, Student Support ServicesJizel Kazangian, Keppel Elementary SchoolNancy Shannon, Facilities and Support Operations

Welcome back to the district Suzan Dunbar as Staff Assistant at SELPA and Olga Peerali, sec-retary at Verdugo Woodlands.

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Congratulations and welcome

Admin Changes, from page 1

In the school teach him it is far honorable to fail than to cheat.Teach him to have faith in his own ideas even if everyone tells him they are wrong.Teach him to be gentle with gentle people and tough with the tough.

Try to give my son the strength not to follow the crowd when everyone is getting on the band wagon.Teach him to listen to all men.But teach him also to filter all he hears on a screen of truth and take only the good that comes through.

Teach him if you can, how to laugh when he is sad.Teach him there is no shame in tears.Teach him to scoff at cynics and to beware of too much sweetness.Teach him to sell his brawn and brain to the highest bidders but never to put a price-tag on his heart and soul.

Teach him to close his ears to a howling mob and to stand and fight if he thinks he’s right.Treat him gently, but do not cuddle him because only the test of fire makes fine steel.

Let him have the courage to be impatient.Let him have the patience to be brave.Teach him always to have sublime faith in himself because then he will have sublime faith in mankind.

This is a big order, but see what you can do.He is such a fine fellow, my son !”

Once again, thank you for making a difference.

~Richard M. Sheehan, Ed.D.Superintendent of Schools

Dr. Sheehan, continued from page 1

Harris goes on to say, “The trip was amaz-ingly rich in history, politics, spirituality, and scenery. It was truly the experience of a lifetime.”

Kurtz reports, “The trip to Israel was life-changing. The Jewish Federation took such amazing care of us, not just taking us to historical and tourist sites, but also lining up guest speakers that we learned so much from. Guide Mark Deckelbaum and staff members, Rabbi Hal Greenwald and Dan Gold, were outstanding leaders and hon-estly answered our questions. The people in Israel were welcoming, open, and had a passion for life that was contagious. This trip changed how I teach about Israel.”

Israel, continued from page 5