demands

March 2011

Volume 4, Issue 9

What’s “News” in Alvord? A Newsletter for the parents and employees of the Alvord Unified School District

Board of Education:

Carolyn Wilson

President

José Luis Pérez

Vice President

Art Kaspereen

Clerk

Greg Kraft

Member

Ben Johnson II

Member

Superintendent of Schools:

Wendel W. Tucker Ph.D.

In this Issue:

Loma Vista Students

Contribute to the

California Peace Crane

Project

Alvord Art Teacher Wins!

Important Announcements

New Shot Required!

UCR Orchestra

Family Presentation

Whooping Cough Shot

Required for 7th-12th

Grade Students

Employees of the Year

Red Ribbon Week Contest

Winners 2011

School Board Honorees

Mikhaela Lewis

Laurie Farrow

Jeanette Munns

Sean Taft

Prepared by the Super in tendent ’ s Of f ice

Loma Vista Students Contribute to the

California Peace Crane Project

Loma Vista Students in Ms. Schaafsma-Smith’s Art Classes created 1,036

origami cranes to donate to the California Peace Crane Project. The Peace Crane

Project’s goal is to make 92,785 cranes – one for each person from California

who was sent to Japanese American Wartime Civil Control Administration camps

during World War II. Ms. Schaafsma-Smith’s classes read Sadako the story of a

girl who got leukemia from the fallout of the bomb dropped on Hiroshima. She

tries to make 1,000 cranes so that her wish to be well will come true. Sadako

died before she was able to finish her cranes, but her classmates finished where

she left off as a monument to peace.

Ms. Teresa Woodard, from

the Riverside Municipal

Museum, came to Loma

Vista to give a demonstration

on origami crane folding.

The students who watched

the demonstration taught

other students how to make

cranes. Loma Vista’s cranes

will be donated to the

California Peace Crane

Project. The cranes are on

display at the Stokoe

Museum as part of the

Footsteps of Courage Exhibit

until June 2011.

Alvord Art Teacher

Wins First Place in ACE 2011

Loma Vista Middle School Art Teacher, Froukje

Schafafsma-Smith, won first place in the Annual

Juried Artist Council Exhibition (ACE) at the Palm

Springs Art Museum. Her winning monoprint

entitled “House Dress” had made its debut showing

at the Art Faculty Group Show in the Fall of 2010

at the Stokoe Museum. “House Dress” was chosen

by Juror Grace Kook-Anderson who presented Ms

Schaafsma-Smith first prize and a check for

$250.00 at the March 4th

opening reception in Palm

Springs. The Artist Council Exhibit 2011 runs

through April 10th

in the Palm Springs Art Museum

and online (psmuseum.org).

District Newsletter

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENTS

Page 2 of 7

Notice! All 7

th through

12th

graders will

be required to

have a whooping

cough shot

BEFORE

starting the 2011-

2012 school year!

Join the UCR Orchestra, conductor

Ruth Charloff and storyteller

Karen Wilson for a special one-

hour family concert, Sunday April

17 at 3:00. Admission is free.

The orchestra will present music

that tells stories, featuring

Copland's "John Henry" (complete

with exciting sounds of an

accelerating train), Ravel's

wonderful fairy tales from the

"Mother Goose Suite",

Humperdinck's "Hansel and

Gretel", Jose Elizondo's Mexican

folktales of the Pájaro Sagrado,

and more.

The location is the ARTS Building

on the campus of the University of

California, Riverside. Parking is

available in Lot 1.

For more information, please call

(951) 827-3245.

District Newsletter

Page 3 of 7

Alvord Pride

Board Recognizes “Of-the-Year” Employees!

The Alvord Unified School District Board of Education recognized and congratulated the following individuals for

being chosen as their site/department Classified Employees of the Year for 2011!

Jose Luna, Head Custodian III Arlanza Elementary School

Sheri Martine, School Secretary I Collett Elementary School

Edith Couper, Bilingual Assistant Foothill Elementary School

Julie Bostrom, School Secretary I La Granada Elementary School

Zenaida Orozco, Spec. Ed. Assistant I Lake Hills Elementary School

Sonia Vidana, Spec. Ed. Assistant I McAuliffe Elementary School

Cindy Rungo, School Library Assistant I Myra Linn Elementary School

Jose Garcia, Head Custodian I Orrenmaa Elementary School

Yvette D’Arezzo, Campus Supervisor I Promenade Elementary School

Lance Hollis, Campus Supervisor I Rosemary Kennedy Elementary School

Linda Sykora, School Secretary I Stokoe Elementary School

Adriana Penaloza, Bilingual Assistant Terrace Elementary School

Amber Barnthouse, School Library Assistant I Twinhill Elementary School

Janice Harvey, Preschool Spec Ed Assistant Valley View Elementary School

Lisa Hoover, Campus Supervisor I Arizona Middle School

Shellee King, Food Service Worker III Loma Vista Middle School

Jeffrey Kammers, Custodian Villegas Middle School

Ronald Hill, Campus Supervisor I Wells Middle School

Adam Salazar, Campus Supervisor III Alvord High School

Judith Calderon, School Secretary II La Sierra High School

Maria Herreria, Bilingual Secretary I Norte Vista High School

Ken Dyches, Grounds Equipment Operator Maintenance and Operations

Joane Medlin, Food Production Worker, II Child Nutrition Services

Lupe Trejo, Senior Account Clerk II District Office

Rosa Arballo, Bilingual Interpreter/Translator Instructional Support Services Center

Marcela Martinez, ASP Site Facilitator After School Programs

Board Recognizes “Of-the-Year” Employees!

The Alvord Unified School District Board of Education recognized and congratulated the following individuals for

being chosen as their site/department Site Support Employees of the Year for 2011!

Ethel Hardy, Speech/Language Specialist Arlanza Elementary School

Jean Causey, Resource Specialist Collett Elementary School

Marla Oravets, Project Specialist/ Instructional Coach Foothill Elementary School

Jennifer Westphal, Project Specialist/Instructional Coach La Granada Elementary School

Lindsey Garza-Johanson, Psychologist Lake Hills Elementary School

Linda Gutierrez, Psychologist McAuliffe Elementary School

Shirley Torrice, Project Specialist/Instructional Coach Myra Linn Elementary School

Michelle Trubio, Speech/Language Specialist Orrenmaa Elementary School

Barbara Spaulding, School Nurse Promenade Elementary School

Kimberly Brown, Resource Specialist Rosemary Kennedy Elementary School

Heather Goodwin, Project Specialist/Instructional Coach Stokoe Elementary School

Delia Christian, Speech/Language Specialist Terrace Elementary School

Nancy Hoey, Speech/Language Specialist Twinhill Elementary School

Marlene Polk, Speech/Language Specialist Valley View Elementary School

Georgina Ramirez, Counselor Arizona Middle School

Tracy Lech, Librarian Loma Vista Middle School

Nannette Whiting, Support Provider Villegas Middle School

Kimberly Fasching, Librarian Wells Middle School

Lisa Pynn, Counselor Alvord High School

Holly Barnes, Project Specialist/Instructional Coach La Sierra High School

Nhung Nguyen, Project Specialist/Instructional Coach Norte Vista High School

Kim Strebel, School Nurse Instructional Support Services Center

District Newsletter

Alvord Pride (Continued)

Page 4 of 7

Board Recognizes “Of-the-Year” Employees!

The Alvord Unified School District Board of Education recognized and congratulated the following individuals for

being chosen as Alvord’s Employees of the Year for 2011!

Cindy Rungo, Classified Employee of the Year

Cecile Johnson, Confidential Employee of the Year

Michelle Trubio, Site Support Employee of the Year

Angie Lopez, Administrator (Classified Management) of the Year

Carolyn Williams, Administrator (Certificated Management) of the Year

Julie Koehler-Mount, Principal of the Year

All of these Of-the-Year winners

advanced to Riverside County Of-the-

Year competition. We’re proud to report

that Alvord has two winners at County

level.

Cindy Rungo has been selected as

the 2011 Riverside County Classified

Employee of the Year. Cindy is now

entered in the California State

competition!

Cecile Johnson has been selected as

the 2011 Riverside County

Confidential Employee of the Year

Red Ribbon Week Contest Winners 2011

District Newsletter

Alvord Pride (Continued)

Page 5 of 7

Classroom Competition

Arianna Hovde’s Class

Rosemary Kennedy Elementary School

Kindergarten – 1st Grade Category

Celeste Robles, Elaina Torres, Kimberly Norato

2nd

– 3rd

Grade Category

Schemuel Martinez, Alyssa Estus, Libny Urias

4the – 5th

Grade Category

Alessandra Bertoli, Denise Gonzalez, Zayra Valle

6th

– 8th

Grade Category

William Ber, Julia Bourassa, Anahi Carrasco

Page 2 of 4

Page 2 of 4

School Board Honorees

District Newsletter Page 6 of 7

Student of the Month:

Stokoe Elementary School is delighted to honor Mikhaela Lewis as the Alvord Unified School District Student

of the Month for March 2011.

Mikhaela is an exemplary 5th

grade student who

has attended Stokoe Elementary School since

3rd

grade. She is an outstanding student,

excelling in all subjects. Her favorite subjects

are Language Arts and Music. Mikhaela uses

her own time before school to participate in the

GATE program, showing her intense

commitment to learning. Her love of music has

led her to become a key member of the Stokoe

Choir. She was recently asked to perform a solo

at the upcoming Norte Vista Music Festival.

Mikhaela is an excellent role model for the

entire student body. Her positive attitude and

her stellar citizenship is unequalled.

It is a great pleasure to honor Mikhaela Lewis as the Alvord Unified School District Student of the Month for

March 2011.

Certificated Employee of the Month:

Stokoe Elementary School is proud to recognize Laurie Farrow as the Alvord Unified School District

Certificated Employee of the Month for March 2011.

Ms. Farrow has been a teacher in Alvord for 12

years. She has a real passion for teaching and

uses innovative teaching strategies such as

Reader’s Theater. She also plays music to

heighten student passion for learning as well as

encouraging parent involvement. Ms. Farrow can

always be counted on to jump in and assist

wherever she is needed.

It is a great pleasure to honor Laurie Farrow

as the Alvord Unified School District

Certificated Employee of the Month for February

2011.

School Board Honorees

District Newsletter

School Board Honorees

Page 7 of 7

School Board Honorees (continued)

Classified Employee of the Month:

Stokoe Elementary School is proud to recognize Jeanette Munns as the Alvord Unified School District

Classified Employee of the Month for March 2011.

Jeanette is the Library Assistant at Stokoe

Elementary School. Stokoe’s Library is run

with extreme efficiency and organization,

carrying a wealth of information for students,

staff and parents. Jeanette’s caring, gentle

manner expresses her compassion for the

needs of all students. Jeanette supports all

school programs, and helps teachers in all

curricular areas by connecting music, language

arts, social studies and science. Jeanette has

also taken on the responsibility of the Stokoe

Choir by willingly volunteering hours of her

time in an effort to share her love of music

with the students.

It is a great pleasure to honor Jeanette

Munns as the Alvord Unified School District

Classified Employee of the Month for March

2011.

Volunteer of the Month:

Stokoe Elementary School is proud to recognize Sean Taft as the Alvord Unified School District Volunteer of

the Month for March 2011.

Mr. Taft is a vital part of Stokoe’s Watch

D.O.G.S. (Dad’s of Great Students) program

and a member of the PTA, assisting with

many school activities and events. Currently,

Mr. Taft volunteers his time and talents in

the classroom as well as at other school

events. He helped make the Kindergarten

Pancake Breakfast and Stokoe Blood Drive

successes. Mr. Taft also works with students

in both large and small group settings and is

a great role model for young men to follow.

His kind heart and gentle nature make him

popular with the students he helps to support.

It is a great pleasure to honor Sean Taft as

the Alvord Unified School District Volunteer

of the Month for March 2011.