CUSD
August 2022
	
	NON-PROFIT ORG.
U.S. POSTAGE PAID FRESNO, CA
PERMIT NO. 220
			
	School District Ave.
611
		
	Clovis Unified S 1450 Herndon Clovis, CA 936
	
Clovis Unified School District — DEVELOPING STUDENTS IN MIND, BODY & SPIRIT	Volume 25, No. 1

FOLLOW US ON	AND AT	M

WELCOME TO CLOVIS UNIFIED

It’s going

to be a great year!

WELCOME to CUSD Today’s Back-to-School edition, where we are de-lighted to share some of the exciting plans afoot for our students as they prepare to return to our 52 campuses.
Our team has been carefully preparing for the start of the 2022-23 school year,
and we can’t wait to wel-come our students back to campus on Aug. 22. There’s a lot that goes into getting classrooms and campuses ready for that first day of school, and in the pages of this issue of CUSD Today, you’ll find news and information that will help you and your
family be ready to launch into the new year with success.
From our youngest students preparing for their first-ever day of transitional kinder-garten to the Senior Class of 2023, every day matters. Our focus is on providing our students with a wide range of skills that will propel them forward into a future full of opportunity and potential. We recognize that our students ARE our future, and with

every lesson, every event, every learn-ing experience comes another chance for our students to engage in the build-ing of a bright and positive future for themselves and our world.
In the pages of this Back-to-School issue, you will find useful insights about preparing students to come back to campus like recent changes to the CUSD Dress Code and information about new bell schedules in place fol-lowing California’s implementation of its late start law. You will also find tips about getting ready for school and how parents can best stay informed about district and school news.
Please know that our full Clovis Uni-fied educational team of 6,000-plus employees is here to support you, and we encourage you to reach out with any needs.
We are building tomorrow in our classrooms today, and we are ready for a great year!

Eimear O’Brien, Ed.D.

Superintendent

CUSD file photos.

Clovis Unified School District begins the new year on Aug. 22. We have been preparing all summer for our students, and will be ready when the school bells ring. Buses are polished, class-rooms are pre-pared, and staff is excited to greet each child, from brand new kindergarteners who are the Class of 2035 to our seniors in their final year, who are the Class of 2023!

quick facts!

Get ready for the new school year

1. Clovis Unified School District begins the new school year Monday, Aug. 22.

2. School starting and ending times have changed. Check your school’s website for the new bell schedule.

Pierro, Fugman Elementary; Tom Wright, Mountain View Elementary; Sara McAvoy, Oraze Elementary; Matt Hernandez, Clark Intermediate; and TBD in mid-August, Red Bank El-ementary.

3. COVID health and safety mandates	8. Back-to-School Night will be held in as determined by California and                the first few weeks of school at each Fresno County health agencies are           campus. Parents should plan on at-followed. For the latest, please see           tending to learn from their child’s cusd.com.                                                      teacher about coursework, expecta-
tions, grading policies and preferred 4. Cafeteria breakfast and lunch meals	communication methods. Dates and
will again be free this year for all stu-	times can be found on individual dents. Daily school menus can be	school websites.
found at www.cusd.nutrislice.com or
on Clovis Unified’s mobile app.	9. Parents can help their school and students by filling out the Educa-
5. Check out Clovis Unified’s dress	tional Benefit Survey when complet-code, which was revised earlier this	ing the Annual Information Update. year, before doing any back-to-	The survey can also be accessed school shopping. Information can be	through cusd.com/EducationalBene-found at cusd.com/dresscode..	fitSurvey. Data from this survey can
lead to additional state and federal 6. Bus schedules are available at	funds for schools and programs..
cusd.com/ViewSchoolBusSched-
ules.aspx	10. CUSD’s free mobile app keeps you in touch with your school and up-
7. Seven CUSD schools will have new	coming events. Be sure to down-principals: Matt Papendorf, Copper	load the app from the Apple and Hills Elementary; Carisa Cordova,	Android stores and follow your Fancher Creek Elementary; Jeremy	school, if you haven’t already.

CUSD Today photos by Darren Grubel.	It’s going to be a great year!

Page 2	CUSD Today	August 2022

kn
August 2022	Get to CUSD Today	 us! Page 3 School area system creates smaller, vibrant communities

CUSD Today

‰Ready

Clovis Unified’s primary purpose is to provide an outstanding educational experience during the school day for our transitional kindergartners through high school seniors. We also want to support our students and their families in areas outside of the classrooms that will put all of our students on pathways to success.
A multitude of resources and opportunities are available at each school, ranging from emotional wellness support, academic coun-seling, special education, technology, co-cur-ricular activities, teams and clubs, categorical programs and supplemental 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 ed-ucational, social, and recreational opportu-nities 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 summer breaks. Details:	327-9160,	www.cusd.com/ campusclub.aspx.
■ PRESCHOOL: Clovis Unified offers two types of preschool programs: state funded and private pay at multiple elementary sites. 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 .
■ EXPANDED LEARNING OPPOR-

‰ CUSD RESOURCE LINKS:

n 2022-23 School Year. Latest updates, quick facts about 2022-23 School Year. cusd.com/BacktoSchool. n Homework: Creating healthy homework habits and tips on how parents can offer support.
https://www.cusd.com/Homework.aspx
n Nursing Services: Services, resources and health information. https://www.cusd.com/NursingServices. aspx
n Online Safety: Guidelines and tips. https:// www.cusd.com/InternetSocialMediaAwareness.aspx n Special Education: Programs, resources, supports.
https://www.cusd.com/SpecialEducation.aspx
n Supplemental Services: Categorical programs, parent involvement. https://www.cusd.com/Supp-lementalServices.aspx
n Technology: Help for students, password reset, how to videos. https://www.cusd.com/Technology-HelpforStudents.aspx
n Wellness: Multiple supports regarding wellness, mental health, mindfulness and more. Site is man-aged by Clovis Unified’s lead psychologists. https://www.cusd.com/ComprehensiveWellnessPro-ject.aspx

to help

TUNITIES PROGRAM (ELOP): New this year, ELOP funding will provide additional free before- and after-school learning programs for students in grades TK-6 at some of the ele-mentary school sites. Learn more: 327-9173.
■ ASES:The After School Education and Safety Program provides a safe and educa-tionally 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/ASESprogram.aspx.
■ YOUTH PARENT PROGRAM: This program serves pregnant or parenting teens and their children, and its goal is to assist students earn their high school diploma while providing helpful resources and services. Details: 327-9186, www.cusd.com/YouthPar-entProgram.aspx.
‰ CAMPUS CATERING Campus Catering creates healthful, deli-

cious meals for students across the district. This year, 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 welcome 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 proteins, the Campus Catering team is teaching students 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 and clicking on “Meal Menus” on your school’s resource list, or by visiting www.cusd.com/nu-trislice.
‰ TRANSPORTATION
Clovis Unified school buses provide trans-portation to and from school for students who live outside an established radius zone and for those meeting the eligibility criteria for ridership.
New this year, all student riders will be given a bus ID card that will be swiped when boarding or departing a bus. Called the Tyler Drive, the program will help with student safety, tracking, maintaining seating capacities and ensuring students are departing at the correct bus stop.
Students residing outside the walk bound-aries of their home school will receive a card. Intermediate and High School students will receive their cards when they pick up their back to school packets. Elementary students will receive their cards from their bus driver the first week of school. Students will all be routed to the bus stop closest to their home. Learn more and find bus schedules at https://www.cusd.com/Transportation.aspx.

For families new to Clovis Unified, it is helpful to understand the structure of the district and how to interact with us.We highly value people-to-people connection and want to hear from you.
The district is the 14th largest public educa-tion district in California with around 43,000 stu-dents. It operates five traditional high schools, five intermediate schools and 34 elementary schools, and it also oversees four alternative edu-cation schools, an online school, an outdoor school, an adult education school and jointly op-erates the Center for Advanced Research and Technology with Fresno Unified.
Clovis Unified’s 200-square-mile boundary in-cludes most of the City of Clovis, 20 percent of the City of Fresno and parts of Fresno County.
In order to maintain a smaller, interactive ap-proach, the district is divided into five school ar-eas and an educational service area that each has an overseeing area superintendent.
Each school area includes a high school and its feeder schools.We proudly have Bear Nation (Buchanan), Cougar Country (Clovis), The Wolf Pack (Clovis East), The Stampede (Clovis North) and Eagle Country (Clovis West)! Educational Services includes our online, alternative and spe-cialty schools.
Clovis Unified will always be united in its core values and aims to provide the best education we can to all of our students, and our area structure supports those goals by creating easier access and customized leadership. Smaller areas help keep our growing size in check and allows for people to interact with one another.

KEEP IN TOUCH!

Parents and the community are invited to share comments, questions or concerns by con-tacting a child’s classroom teacher, school admin-istrator or area superintendent. School websites have staff and administrator contact information. During back-to-school night, teachers will review with parents the best method to connect with them – some prefer emails, others like phone calls or texts.
Teachers generally should be a parent’s first stop, but parents are always welcome to contact school staff, including the principal or a school’s area superintendent as needed.
Working together, we will make a powerful team for our students and create a path for them to succeed!

BUCHANAN AREA Area Superintendent: Kevin Kerney, 327-9370 High School: Buchanan Intermediate: Alta Sierra Elementary: Century, Cole, Dry Creek, Garfield, Tarpey, Woods

CLOVIS AREA Area Superintendent:

Scott Dille, Ed.D., 327-9360 High School: Clovis Intermediate: Clark Elementary: Cedarwood, Clovis, Gettysburg, Jefferson, Mickey Cox, Red Bank, Sierra Vista, Weldon

CLOVIS EAST AREA Area Superintendent: Jennifer Thomas, 327-9365 High School: Clovis East Intermediate: Reyburn Elementary: Boris, Fancher Creek, Freedom, Miramonte, Oraze, Reagan, Temperance-Kutner and Young

CLOVIS NORTH AREA Area Superintendent: Darin Tockey, 327-9355 High School: Clovis North Intermediate: Granite Ridge

Elementary: Bud Rank, Copper Hills, Fugman, Mountain View, Riverview

CLOVIS WEST AREA Area Superintendent:

Marc Hammack, Ed.D., 327-9375 High School: Clovis West Intermediate: Kastner Elementary: FortWashington, Liberty, Lincoln, Nelson, Maple Creek, Pinedale, Valley Oak

EDUCATIONAL SERVICES Area Superintendent: Steve France, 327-9380

Specialty Schools: Center for Advanced Research and Technology (CART); Clovis Adult Education;
Clovis Community Day Elementary; Clovis Community Day Secondary; Clovis Online; Enterprise High; Gateway High; Sierra Outdoor School

updates
is ongoing.
ing a system envisioned last
cludes a new a ert sys em
system that can lock un-
able at 327-0789.
based enrollment
Registration remains
year for students who are
students whose paren or
Clovis Unified boundaries
school to 12th grade are
Clovis Unified’s Sierra
Thursdays for mmuniza-
to 18 years of age and are
free of charge to income-
who have Medi-Cal are also
have health insurance cov-
erage. Sports Physicals are
Win a home,
prizes
Free! Educational College
Page 4	CUSD Today	August 2022

‰ Announcements

District, schools provide
We’ll keep you informed!

nmultiple ways to stay in touch

If you are reading this edition of CUSD Today, thank you. This is one of many tools Clovis Unified uses to keep in touch. Communication is critical in our 43,000-plus student district – the 14th largest public school district in the state.
There are multiple ways Clovis Unified will share in-formation this school year, and we encourage our stake-holders 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. 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.
On a monthly basis, Clovis Unified mails families and employees CUSD Today, from August through June. Our district newspaper – paid for by advertisements by com-munity 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 parents, 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, a two-sheet newsletter, is produced when it becomes important to delve deeper into a trending topic to provide parents with information to consider for their child, such as emotional wellness, navigating social media or the dangers of vaping. These

reports are directly emailed to parents and contain tips on how to talk with your child about these challenging is-sues.
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 of a variety of district 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 ParentConnect, NutriSlice 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 on their phone or device are encouraged to download it today!

Income applications help schools secure funding

Families are urged to fill out the Edu-	federal and state funding for schools with cational Benefit Survey that                                                 concentrations of students is part of the Annual Infor-                                                 in need.
y
mation Update and can also	Additionally, those who be	found	online	at                                                 qualify become eligible for cusd.com/EducationalBen-                                                 many benefits including dis-efitSurve . Previously this                                                 counted home internet, test form was required for stu-                                                 fees waived for AP, SAT and dents to qualify for no-cost                                                 ACT tests, and discounted meals, but with meals free                            college application fees. Please help your now for all students, some families who      schools and our students by filling out qualify may not have thought it necessary      this form.
to fill out the Educational Benefit survey.	Find out more at: https://www.cusd. This important data can make available      om/NoCostMeals.aspx.

School safety
clovisusd.k12.ca.us/Parent-	available at cusd.com/en-Portal. A temporary Parent	rollment.aspx.
Clovis Unified has spent	Connect Help Desk is avail-	Immunizations,
New students,
employment-
physicals available
at SV Center
the last several months eval-uating its safety system and procedures. Enhanced train-ing and protocol refinement
and area law enforcement
open now
with current staff, new staff                                                       Vista Children’s Health Cen-ter is open Mondays through
The district is implement-	open for the 2022-23 school	tions, well-childi exams and
are available to children up
fall that increases the speed	new to the district. Addi-	sports physicals. The services of a campus lockdown and	tionally, employment-based
allows for quicker messaging	enrollment is available for
to parents. The l system t in-	guardian works withint the	eligible families. Patients
tra ning and requiring all
well as those who do not
fori administrators; teacher	but does not live within the	eligible for these services as classrooms with students	boundaries. Instructions and
present to be locked; and	online pre-registration forms
later installing an automated	for enrollment from pre-	$30, cash only. The center is
manned campus doors (li-	located on the Sierra Vista brary, bathrooms, cafeteria,
etc.) from a remote location. Students will receive training and safety drill practices on procedures.

Bonner awards
Ten Clovis Unified ele-mentary schools were awarded the Virtues and Character Recognition Award by the Fresno State Kremen School of Education and Human De-velopment Bonner Advisory Board, it was announced in June. The award recognizes schools’ dedication to char-acter development and civic education. Congratulations to Boris, Cedarwood, Clovis, Cole, Fancher Creek, Freedom, Pinedale, Reagan,Weldon and Young elementary schools!

Annual information update

Each year Clovis Unified School District requires par-ents or guardians to review the address, contact phone numbers, emergency and health information for their student that is contained in Parent Connect and to re-view the district’s policies and procedures.
The update process is now in process. Per Clovis Unified policy and student safety, this information must be reviewed and updated before the new school year begins Aug 22. Students will not receive their schedule or teacher assignments until the forms are completed.
Emails have been sent to all parents and guardians on file with full instructions. The updates can be accessed through Parent Connect ac-counts using https://qweb.

Elementary School campus at 510 Barstow Ave., Clovis. Appointments are required and may be scheduled by calling 327-7976.

Mark your calendars!

Clovis Unified’s 2022-23 student calendar is available online and indicates holi-days, grading periods and end of quarters/semesters for the upcoming, new school year.
Here are a few key dates: ■ Aug. 22, School starts ■ Nov. 21 to 25, Thanks-
giving Holiday
■ Dec. 26 to Jan. 9,Winter Break
■ April 3 to 10, Spring Break
■ June 9, School ends The Class of 2023 can
circle the date on the calen-dar for their graduation cel-ebration. Clovis Unified’s ceremony schedule is:
■ Clovis West High, May 30, Veterans Stadium
■ Buchanan High, May 31, Veterans Stadium
■ Clovis North High, June 1, Veterans Stadium
■ Clovis Adult Education, June 3, Mercedes Edwards Theatre
■ Clovis Online School, June 3 or 6, TBD
■ Alternative Education, June 5, Mercedes Edwards Theatre
■ Clovis East High, June 7, Lamonica Stadium

■ Clovis High, June 8,     ters those tickets in an ad-Lamonica Stadium                   ditional drawing for a 2-year lease on a Lexus SUV.
support CUSD!	There . are other additional
The Foundation for Clo-	Tickets purchased directly vis Schools is one of 12 com-      from the Foundation for munity nonprofits that will      Clovis Schools benefit Clovis benefit from Granville      Unified through student Homes “Hope of Hope”     scholarships and teacher fundraiser. Granville and its      grants. To purchase a ticket trade partners are donating      call the Foundation at 327-a brand-new house valued      9095.
at more than $500,000 in          The Foundation for Clo-Deauville East (in the      vis Schools is a nonprofit Buchanan area) and selling      fundraising organization a limited number of tickets      made up of volunteers that to be entered into a drawing      supports the district with Sept. 28.                                    such programs as Students Tickets are $100 each.     of Promise, Superintendent’s Also being offered is a two-      Breakfast and Classroom
ticket bundle for $200 that	Grants.
includes two tickets for the	Details: FoundationFor-house and automatically en-      ClovisSchools.com.

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same. I re-
who will arrive in
August represent
VISION

August 2022	CUSD Today	Page 5

Each year holds the potential for greatness

By Eimear O’Brien, Ed.D. Superintendent

AS MUCH as our stu-dents anticipate the start of school with excite-

ment	and maybe a little trepidation over the as yet u n k n ow n , there is not a t e a c h e r around who doesn’t do the

Ed.D.
member from	Eimear O’Brien, my teaching
days the eagerness with which I would anticipate the first day of the school year and the first op-portunity to meet my students. Each one had a unique per-sonality and learning style, and it was always a joy to begin the process of getting to know each student, to understand how they learned best, to discover what kinds of things engaged them in lessons and what caused them to lose interest. Who would be the quiet and introspective ones and who would be outgoing and
a bit of a chatterbox?
In the weeks leading up to the first day of school, I would

pour over their student	to keep our school build-records, carefully plan out	ings in good repair.
my lessons, ponder how	Our bus drivers have best to ignite a love of                                                                                        been thoughtfully map-learning in their hearts,                                                                                        ping out efficient trans-decorate my room to cre-                                                                                        portation routes, so bus ate a welcoming and invit-                                                                                        riders get to school safely ing environment, and pol-                                                                                        and on time.
“
The students
ish desks so that my stu-	Campus catering em-dents’ first impression was                                                                                        ployees have been devel-a great one. I recognized                                                                                        oping new recipes and that my work had an im-                                                                                        creating inviting lunch pact far beyond any single                                                                                        and breakfast menus. school year, and that as	School leaders and an educator I was building                                                                                        teams have been planning tomorrow in my class-                                                                                        out events and activities, room today.                                                                                                             building opportunities for
our classrooms in
Though my role as Su-	families to connect to their perintendent has taken	schools, and laying the me a few steps away from	groundwork for achieving those earlier days of my	a high standard in the career, I know that the	coming year.
our community’s
future.
”
same level of detail and	In Clovis Unified, we preparation is happening                                                                                        believe every single em-at every school and grade                                                                                        ployee plays a part in the level of our district in the                                                                                        educational process and weeks leading up to the                                                                                        has a role to play in the start of the 2022-23 school                                                                                        success of our students. year. I also know that as	From the school reg-much time and attention                                                                                        istrar who may be the first our classroom teachers                  greet close to 43,000 students on                 contact a new family has are putting into readying their      Aug. 22.                                             to our district, to the bus drivers instructional space, there is an           Almost before the final school     who greet students early in the even larger team of support staff      bell of the 2021-22 school year     morning and often bid them who have spent the past several      rang, teams from our mainte-     goodnight after a late game or months focused on the myriad      nance and construction depart-     activity, to the caring nurse who details needed to be ready to      ments were at work on projects     tends to hurts or illness, or our

technology team who ensures stable and secure access to the tools we use for learning and business, the list of people work-ing to ensure we deliver a great educational experience for our students is long and diverse.We want each child to be the best he or she can be in mind, body and spirit, and we’re willing to put in the effort to create op-portunities for them to achieve their full potential.
Our theme for the 2022-23 school year reflects this:Building Tomorrow Today.
This idea serves as a constant reminder that each day matters in achieving our ultimate goal, whether that is in the classroom, on the playing field, in the cafe-teria or in the office.
The students who will arrive in our classrooms in August rep-resent our community’s future, and we embrace the responsibility and obligation to do our best for them.
There are still a few weeks before school begins but be as-sured that there are 6,000+ edu-cators in Clovis Unified who are eager to welcome your child to school, and who may already be lying awake at night planning how to make sure this year is your child’s best one yet.

with where things are. Be sure to find your child’s
place on the school site. If a child is participating in
■
If your child will be walking to school, practice the
with a friend or child in the neighborhood.
■
Visit the school website. It contains valuable infor-
School Night dates, lunch menus, and details about
contact information.
■
If your child is interested in sports or co-curricular
volved 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
have been changed – be sure to check our your school’s
■
Grab a good book.If tudents have not been reading
tic shoes.
■
enthusiasm and support. Let them know it’s OK to be
■
he first day of school.
or sports team, or the performing arts.
■
Fuel the body well. Take a shopping trip with your
■
Pre-make a few dinners that can be frozen. Having
family keep things running smooth.
■
aterials the school sends home.
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 home-
his or her teacher.
should note t eir homework assignments, upcoming
■
Plan some down time for your child. Kids do better
outside, listen to music, ride a bike or play a game.
■
Consider volunteering in your child’s class, libr
try to improve daily.
■
in in a family activity.
■

	TIPS FOR A GREAT SCHOOL YEAR

Start now to prepare and support your child

CUSD Today	to 11 hours of sleep each night.
■ Establish regular weekday routines for school, home-More than 43,000 students will return to Clovis	work, mealtime and bedtime.
Unified’s campuses Aug. 22, but helping students now	■ Have your child go to bed organizedwith backpack, can give them a great start to having a successful school                                                                                                  P.E., or co-curricular clothes and equipment ready for year.                                                                                                                                                                                    the next day.
The following recommendations are offered by Clovis	■ Make lunches the night before.
Unified teachers, staff and administrators that will help                                                                                                       ■ Drive safe. Stop when the school bus red lights are children get ready!                                                                                                                                                              flashing, indicating students are boarding or exiting, and
BEFORE SCHOOL STARTS                                                                                                                               pay attention to crossing guards and school speed limits. ■ Visit school to help your student become familiar                                                                                                  all mKeep informedthrough the school’s website. Review
classroom, or classrooms for those in intermediate or	■ If the first couple of days are a little difficult: remain high school. Note where the restroom, library, cafeteria
and nurse’s office are located.
■ Identify your child’s drop-off and pick-up meeting                                                                                                  work. Follow your student’s progress on Parent Connect. Campus Club or taking a bus home, be sure he or she                                                                                                  If a child begins to struggle in a subject, talk it over with knows where to go.                                                                                                                                                                  ■ Help your child learn how to keep organized by route.If possible, arrange for your child to walk to school     through the school website), class supply lists are available. creating checkhlists or using a daily planner. Students Other items to consider are a backpack, water bottle or     deadlines, practice schedules, club meeting times, when
mation including school start and end times, Back-to-     athleTalk about what that first day may be like and ask     permission slips are due and any other important dates. getting involved in co-curricular activities. There is also     your child how he or she feels about it. Offer reassurance, having some time to play or relax. Encourage them to go a full listing of teachers and administrative staff, including     nervous and let them know that lots of other students         ■ Attend Back-to-School Night and meet your child’s feel the very same way.                                                          teacher. This informative night provides parents with an
activities, find out through on the website how to get in- for t Have your child plan out what he or she will wear	understanding about the structure and expectations.ary ■ Encourage your student to enter the new school	or parent club.
year with a mindset of meeting new people and having         ■ Students, don’t procrastinate. Plan your week ahead new experiences. Talk about getting involved at school     and don’t leave things until the last minute. Pack your
and wake up earlier a little more each day, moving them	and joining at least one activity such as a club, academic	backpack the night before.
closer to what the school bedtime/wake-up routine will	■ Students, take P.E. class seriously. Set fitness goals be. (Many Clovis Unified school starting and ending times     child now to help choose foods that are nutritious and     and Students, put your phones away and spend part of website for this year’s bell schedule.)                                       that they will enjoy bringing to school.                                 your free-time unplugged. Talk with friends, get outside
this summer, there is still stime to warm up those skills. meals ready the first week of school can help the whole     or joSecondary students, always communicate with your Have bedtime reading with younger students.                                                                                                                   teacher about upcoming co-curricular events that will ■ Set up a homework station in the home. Find the     AFTER SCHOOL STARTS                                             take you out of class. Find out how to make up the
best place for students to get their work done, and have	■ Make sure your child eats breakfast before school. missed work and instruction.
kids help as you equip it with necessary supplies.                 Have students bring a water bottle to keep hydrated         ■ Secondary students, remember your learning director ■ Go back-to-school shopping. Take inventory of     throughout the day. Pack a good lunch. Send a few     and counselor are there to help you succeed. If you have what your child has and fill in the gaps with what he or     healthy snacks.                                                                      a problem – academic, social or emotional – talk with
she needs. Keep in mind Clovis Unified’s dress code if	■ Be sure your child gets enough sleep. Doctors rec- them as there is support available to assist you. purchasing clothes. On many teachers’ websites (found     ommend children up to the fifth grade get as much as 10	■ Everyone, count on having a great school year!

CUSD Today photos by Darren Grubel.
— 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 cusdtoday@cusd.com

Kelly Avants, APR Chief Communications Officer
327-9092

Patti J. Lippert Managing Editor 327-9094

Verna Garcia Graphic Designer 224-9711

CUSD Governing Board Members

Y
Tiffany Stoker Madsen	David DeFrank	olanda Moore President                                           Vice President                                        Clerk
392-1014	327-9000	437-6580

Hugh H.Awtrey	Steven G. Fogg	Betsy Sandoval 437-6580                                                269-7000                                         291-7564

CUSD Administration

Eimear O’Brien, 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 2022

CN siblings win at international science fair Clovis North High students and siblings Pauline
Estrada and John Benedict Estrada continue to earn awards for their science fair project that looks at solutions to the impact of drought on agriculture. This summer they won the 2022 U.S. National Stockholm Junior Water Prize, and this month, they will take their research abroad and compete at the International Stockholm Junior Water Prize in August.
At the end of the school year, the duo won first place in the Plant Science category at the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair held in Atlanta, after winning at the Fresno County Science and Engineering
Fair for their project,“Early Detection of Drought Stress      hydration needs of farm plants, with John winning the through a Novel AI Drought Assessment Model in Field      grand prize at ISEF and Pauline, then in intermediate Grown Tomato Plants Using a Custom-Build ‘Specta-      school, winning at the Broadcom Masters.With both in Rover’.”                                                                                   high school for the 2021-22 year, they joined forces to The brother and sister previously had individual      collaborate their ideas and further advance their re-
science fair projects that involved using a rover to detect	search.

AROUND THE DISTRICT

August 2022	CUSD Today	Page 7

Editor’s note: “Around the District” is a regular feature of CUSD Todaythat highlights positive activities and accomplish-ments of students and schools throughout the district. In the following, we share some exciting events from the end of the 2022 school year and summer.

Hope of America winners
Five Clovis Unified eighth graders received the Hope of America Award from the Old Town Clovis Kiwanis. The award recognizes students who demonstrated academic accomplishments, leadership and good character. Receiving the honor wereLogan Wulf,Alta Sierra Intermediate;Jesus De La Cruz Jr., Clark Intermediate; Stella Seita, Granite Ridge Intermediate;Isabella Herting, Kastner Intermediate; and Connor Sandoval, Reyburn Intermediate.

Imaginations soar at State
Four Clovis Unified elementary Destination Imagination teams competed in the State Finals at the Riverside Con-vention Center, with Liberty Elementary students Felicity Hardyand Franchezca DeMezaof the team “The Crewmates” earning third place in the elementary technical challenge. Other teams were the Mighty Miners (Liberty), Marlin Builders (Fugman) and Squad Goals (Liberty).Also recog-nized at the State Finals were seniors from the Buchanan High team “Tomato Twist” who are Hailey Ferris, Amelia Gillanders and Jacob Chant.

Art to be published
Reyburn Intermediate eighth-grader Jaquelyn Aguire won the Clovis Unified Budget Book Art Contest, and her work will be made into the cover of the district’s 2022-23 Budget Book. Runners up, whose work will be section dividers within the book, are Jaisley Garduno, Fort Wash-ington Elementary, first grade; Dane Herwaldt, Woods El-ementary, fifth grade; Amara Rankin, Woods Elementary, fifth grade; and Isabella Mayorga, Clovis West High, 10th grade.

State history champions
Three Clovis Unified students won first place in their respective categories at the California State History Day. They advanced to the national competition that was held

virtually. Congratulations to, for Group Exhibit, Eliza Taylor and Keira Ngo of Kastner Intermediate, for their project “Jane Addams: Demanding Debate and Leading Diplomacy for Women’s Suffrage;” and for Historical Paper, Marco FengofAlta Sierra Intermediate, for “Bretton Woods Conference: Precedential Success after a History of Failed Economic Diplomacy.”

District art awards
Congratulations to artists across Clovis Unified’s inter-mediate and high schools who were awarded top places in the annual CUSD Secondary Art Show. A reception was held at the end of the school year, and the student artwork was displayed in the corridors outside of Clovis Unified’s Governing Boardroom.Winning Best of Show for their re-spective categories are:
Intermediate school
■ 2-Dimensional Art: Best of Show – Marlen Pacheco, “Hard to Leave”
■ 3-Dimensional Art: Best of Show – Mia Baly, “Glass Waves”
High school
■ Sculpture: Best of Show – Hleeda Yang,“Teddy Bear;” ■ Pottery: Best of Show – Nicole Bang,“Egg of the New
Era”
■ Painting and Drawing – 3D Media: Best of Show – James Badua, “Camera/iPhone Holder”
■ Classic Photography: Best of Show – Julien Daniel, “Dimensional Portal”
■ Altered Image Photography: Best of Show – Marcus Velasquez,“Serenity within Entropy”
■ Painting and Drawing: Best of Show – Jocelyn Rummel, “Dr. Lecter”

■ 2D Media: Best of Show – Jana Coetzee, “Visual Journal”
■ Drawing – Best of Show: Jane Coetzee, “Study of Blue”

CW mechanics win top prize
Clovis West High students Alejandro Garzon-Ramirez and Tyler Copple teamed up to take home a first-place award at University Technical Institute’s Top Tech Challenge. Along with the first-place finish in the Auto Top Tech Competition, both students won a $10,000 scholarship to UTI and a toolbox full of automotive tools for Clovis Unified’s Career Technical Education Systems Diagnostics Service & Repair Pathway program at Clovis West High.
During the event, Alejandro and Tyler were given tests and challenges to show their knowledge of automotive tools, systems and repair procedures. Several of the team’s classmates cheered them along at the event, including Auto Club Secretary Rashel Rivas and Vice President Haygen Kiser of Clovis West, and Angelina Molina, Alejandro Calderon, and Eric Cosdel of Buchanan High.

Page 8	CUSD Today	August 2022

Summer Academy 2022
The Center for Advanced Research and Technology, a collaborative learning lab for high school stu-dents, kept its doors open for the CART Summer Academy for younger students for one week this summer. From “Mini-Med School” and “Builders Workshop,”to “Ro-bots, Rockets & Airplanes” and “Movie Magic,” kids took part in a variety of hands-on projects.
	
		PHOTOS SPECIAL TO CUSD TODAY
BY KENNY GILMAN

	

➤ BOARD BRIEFS

By Kelly Avants

Chief Communications Officer

July 13
The Clovis Unified Govern-ing Board continued preparing for the upcoming school year by appointing new leaders to positions vacated by recent re-tirements, promotions or growth.At the July 13 meeting, the board approved:
■ Janette Garcia Zuniga, currently Director of Child Nutrition in Sanger Unified School District, to Director of Campus Catering.
■ Carrie Carter, currently Director of Special Educa-tion, to Administrator, Spe-cial Education. This position assumes additional leader-ship responsibilities in the District’s growing special ed-ucation programs.
■ Carlos Zuniga to learn-ing director at Clovis North High, Hailey Bonds to learn-ing director at Clovis West High,and Amandeep Athwal to learning director at Clovis East High.
In other action, the board: ■ Accepted requests for
annual community funded bus routes.
■ Accepted the fourth quarter Williams Report in which the district received zero complaints.
■ Awarded bids for cus-todial supplies and musical instruments for use in the district’s schools.
■ Approved an amend-ment to the Superintendent’s contract related to annual salary.
■ Approved a new job description for an Assistant Director of Nursing Services to support growing needs in the nursing services de-partment.
■ Scheduled a public hearing to sunshine a pro-posal for an initial collective bargaining agreement be-tween the district and ACE Psychologists and Mental Health Support Providers.

June 8
The Governing Board ac-cepted the recommendation of the 40-member Employee Com-pensation Committee and ap-proved a 7% salary schedule increase effective July 1 and set aside $12.8 million in the 2022-23 budget to be used to begin implementation, once complete, of the salary schedule market study that was begun in the current fiscal year. Members of the Employee Compensation Committee worked over the year to develop the recommen-dation and will continue to work on the analysis and data provided by Koff and Associates at the start of the coming year. Also approved in the recom-mendation is:
■ A continuation of the daily and long-term substi-tute teacher rates that were increased on a temporary basis this year to $165 and $175 daily
■ Elementary and sec-ondary	class	coverage stipends started on a tem-porary basis this year will remain in place into the fu-ture
■ $1 million earmarked for use to increase hours of some classified positions to now be eligible for health benefits
In other action, the board: ■ Approved a resolution
honoring retiring employees of the district. Earlier in the day, a special event was held to recognize the 134 em-ployees who retired during the past year and thank them for their combined service of more than 2,400 years.
■ Approved the district’s 2022-23 Budget, and the an-nual Education Protection Account as submitted.
■ Approved the 2022-23 Local Control and Account-
ability Plan (LCAP).
The next regularly scheduled meeting of the Governing Board is at 6:30 p.m. Aug. 17 at 1680 David E. Cook Way in Clovis. Complete minutes, agendas and videos of meetings at cusd.com.