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Superintendent's Report November 2024

Posted Date: 11/15/24 (6:47 PM)
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Fortuna Elementary School District

Superintendent’s Report

November 2024

 

Curriculum and Instruction:

The first trimester ended on November 8, 2024.  It is hard to believe that we are already one-third of the way through the school year!


All four school sites are finishing up administering our STAR assessments in reading and math.  Research-based Star Assessments are highly rated as a screening and progress monitoring tool to help educators identify and prioritize student needs, drive appropriate instruction, set realistic goals, and track progress throughout the year, ensuring all students are on the right path toward future success.


Parent-teacher conferences are scheduled for November 18th-22nd, so our school sites will be on their early dismissal schedules for the entire week.  Our after-school programs and buses will also run on early dismissal schedules all week.    


Budget:

There is nothing new regarding the budget except that the First Interim Report and the Audit Report for 2023-2024 will be on the December agenda.


Construction and Maintenance:

The following two bond projects are on this month’s agenda for the Board’s consideration:  

  • Toddy Thomas Middle School—This project involves Fencing around the perimeter of the school’s campus and remodeling the administration building. Its goal is to improve the overall safety of the campus.  

  • Fortuna Middle School—This project involves fencing around the front of the school, installing a large canopy between the cafeteria and administration building to provide a covered seating area for lunches and other activities, and installing two smaller canopies above the back doors to the kitchen and gym.  

 

Miscellaneous:

This past month, the Author Festival brought four amazing authors to our school sites.  Nancy Viau, a fiction author for children aged 2-12, spent a day at Ambrosini Elementary.  Natasha Wing, a fiction and nonfiction author of picture books, spent a day at Walker Elementary.  Heidi Schulz, a fiction author for young readers, spent the day at Toddy Thomas.  Kelly Milner, a nonfiction author for young readers, spent a day at Fortuna Middle School.  All the authors delivered assembly presentations, and some offered writing workshops to our students.  It was exciting for our students to meet published authors and have the ability to ask them questions about their work.  


The annual FMS Art & Literacy Night was held on Wednesday, November 6, 2024, at Fortuna Middle School. FMS provided art activities, crafts, music entertainment, free books, a Book Fair, food, and prizes for all ages. A Mariachi Band played for the first hour, and Samba da Alegria played in the gym during the second hour. The highlight of the night was when our very own students performed for a packed gymnasium - the choir performed a few songs, as did the band.  It was a fantastic night for people of all ages.  Thank you to the staff and community members who made the evening possible!

Important Dates:

11/18-11/22/24:     Conference Week - Early Dismissal

11/25-11/29/24:    Fall Break - No School

12/23-1/3/25        Winter Break - No School


Respectfully Submitted,

Amy Betts


Highlights from the 11-14-24 Board Meeting:

  • Congratulations to our November Superintendent Award recipients!

    • Ambrosini Elementary:  Catalina Garcia

    • Walker Elementary:  Andrew Mendez Herrera

    • Toddy Thomas:  Gerardo Garcia

    • Fortuna Middle School:  Godo Palominos



  • Thank you, Mateo Herrera-Cortes (Toddy Thomas) and Sofia Baker (Fortuna Middle School), for providing ASB updates. 

  • Susie Lewis reported on the Expanded Learning Opportunities Program (ELOP) that took place from July 8th to August 2nd.

  • The Board approved the Consent Agenda.

  • The Board approved the revised Title I Parent Involvement Policies from AES, WES, TTMS, & FMS.

  • The Board approved the Effectiveness of Title I Program reports from AES, WES, TTMS, & FMS.

  • The Board approved Resolution 24-13 for the Fortuna Middle School Fencing & Canopy Project.  

  • The Board approved Resolution 24-14 for the Toddy Thomas Middle School Fencing & Administration Building Project.  

  • The Board approved Resolution 24-15 for the E-Rate Switches & Wireless Access Points Project.  

  • The Board approved partnering with Studer Education to create a FESD Strategic Plan.  

  • The Board approved the updates/revisions to the FESD Superintendent Contract.  

  • The Board approved the following meeting dates for December: 

    • December 12, 2024 @6:30 p.m. (Regular Board Meeting)

    • December 17, 2024 @5:30 p.m. (Annual Organizational Meeting)


Next Regular Board Meeting: December 12, 2024