The Horizon
March 2026
Dear Jurupa Unified School District families:
I hope you had an enjoyable and restful Spring Break. We are now headed into the final weeks of the school year. While we have endured challenges this year, our Jurupa Unified community remains strong, united, and determined to help our students succeed and thrive. Every member of our JUSD team is here to support our students – whether helping with academics, offering guidance on college and career plans, or just lending a listening ear. Please know that we are here.
The past few weeks have been busy. You can read about some of the activities that took place in this month’s newsletter.
We began the month with our annual Read Across America event. Literacy is a key focus area for our district, and it’s always fun to visit sites and see our students engaged in reading. I had the opportunity to visit Troth Street Elementary School, where I read to students and talked to them about what they like most about reading. I was also happy to announce our Million Minute Challenge. Our incredible JUSD students have read almost 700,000 minutes so far. I know we can do it! As a reminder, elementary students can participate in the JUSD Family Reading Challenge until April 17. To participate, be sure to log your minutes at: bit.ly/JUSDReadingChallenge.
This month, we also celebrated Ina Arbuckle’s 70th anniversary. It was wonderful to connect with current and former staff and students as we remembered this treasured neighborhood school’s history in our community.
We were also happy to host our first We heART the ARTs event, held recently at our JUSD Education Center. This special event provided an opportunity for our elementary, middle, and high school students to showcase their talent while families enjoyed fun, hands-on arts activities. I’m proud that we are able to include the arts as part of our students’ well-rounded education.
We have many activities to look forward to as well, including our first-ever JUSD Week of Service, which takes place April 20-24 during National Volunteer Week. Schools are planning fun ways for our students and families to give back to their schools and community. What a wonderful way to prepare our students to become servant leaders. Look for more information coming from your child’s school soon.
Thank you for all of your support as we work to provide exceptional learning opportunities for our students. We are one Jurupa, and we are stronger together!
Sincerely,
Trenton Hansen, PhD
Superintendent
Literacy on Parade
Have you ever listened to the sounds of an otamatone or strolled with a velociraptor while becoming saturated in the rain? The whole thing is enough to make one baffled, but all were seen at Rustic Lane Elementary School this month.
The dictionary came to life as Rustic Lane held its second annual Vocabulary Parade on March 6. Students dressed in creative costumes as they personified a wide variety of words for the schoolwide celebration of literacy. Some classes allowed students to select their own words, while others focused on a theme.
Parents and community members watched and craned to read words and definitions as students clad in creative, sometimes ornate, costumes wound their way across the Rustic Lane campus.
“We think it’s really important to make reading fun for kids,” said Community Schools Teacher on Special Assignment Melissa Martinez-Lantz.
Encouraging literacy is essential because “it’s the foundation of learning,” added Rustic Lane Principal Latressa McCullough. “You need literacy…in every academic area. In anything you do, you have to be able to read.”
Miguel and Jaqueline Garcia showed up to root for their children. Mia, a fourth-grader, dressed as a flower pot for her word, “flower.” First-grader Julian chose the word “torito,” Spanish for bull.
“We always like to be part of…whatever they want to do. We’re trying to create a happy environment at school,” Mrs. Garcia said.
The couple also reinforces literacy at home. When their children bring books home, they mirror their excitement.
“We say, ‘Whoa. You have a new book!’ We’re trying to create that energy,” Mr. Garcia said.
The family also makes time to read together.
“Parents should make time to read to their kids,” Mrs. Garcia said. "It’s just a time well spent.”
“Even just 5-10 minutes that you can do at bedtime, getting that routine going, and reading whatever you can possibly find in the room, in that bookshelf at the house, it’s what’s going to bring us closer together as a family,” she said.
Engaging families in students’ academic journey is also important, Martinez-Lantz said.
Showing Up
In an Ina Arbuckle Elementary School classroom, notebooks open, parents practiced reading strategies their children use every day at school. For many, it wasn’t simply about understanding homework; it was about showing up.
These parents are participating in the Raising a Reader workshops, designed to help parents support their children at home.
“Just the fact that we’re present, it’s the most important thing,” said James Rodriguez, who has a transitional kindergarten student at Ina. “We’ve got to take our time to instill that backup, that foundation.”
“The goal is to empower our parents and share strategies so that at home, they know exactly what to do with their kids,” said Maritza C. Fuentes, Teacher on Special Assignment - Literacy Coach for Ina Arbuckle Elementary.
Ms. Fuentes teaches the Raising a Reader workshop for several weeks every year on Wednesdays and changes the curriculum each year. This allows parents to have the opportunity to learn more strategies and participate multiple times.
“We see gains in the academic abilities of our students, but also the confidence that it brings.” Ms. Fuentes said. “Now they’re skilled readers, and they build this confidence.
After more than three decades away, Doris Slaten, a former Ina Arbuckle Elementary teacher, walked back onto campus, unsure of what she would see. The buildings have been modernized, yet the feeling was familiar.
“I haven't been back in about 31 years, (it’s) quite surprising to see all the buildings and all the changes that have taken place,” Ms. Slaten said. “(I’m) grateful to have been a part of it when it was small, and now you see what it's become.”
Ina Arbuckle Elementary recently celebrated its 70th anniversary. Special guests included Superintendent Dr. Trenton Hansen, former Superintendent Elliott N. Duchon, a representative for California Assemblymember Leticia Castillo, alumni, and former and current teachers and staff, who walked through campus, enjoyed student performances, browsed old yearbooks and photographs, and reminisced about how different yet familiar the campus was.
“They just cannot get over the change and the environment, and that it still feels the same,” said Tina Herrera, the current Principal at Ina Arbuckle Elementary. “They wanted more celebration to acknowledge everybody and all the work that’s been done here.”
For former Principal Luz Mendez, stepping foot on Ina Arbuckle Elementary’s campus after many decades brought a wave of emotion.
“I lived here for ten years of my life, to see it now, to come back, it brings back memories,” Ms. Mendez said.
She hopes the impact of Ina goes beyond the classroom for future generations.
“I know that a lot of these teachers are educating these children to the max,” Ms. Mendez said. “I would hope that some… would come back and be teachers, and administrators, and media clerks, and campus supervisors. That would be my dream.”
JUSD's first annual We heART the ARTs event
Jurupa Middle School’s bold drumline welcomed community members to the We heART the ARTs event in late February. The sound of their bass drums, cymbals, and xylophones captured the attention of visitors as they found their way to the Jurupa Unified Education Center.
Jurupa Unified School District hosted the first We heART the ARTs event to showcase Visual and Performing Arts (VAPA) programs and student creativity.
“Students, parents, and teachers were invited not only to attend, but to engage in the art activities and performances,” said Dr. Mary Boules, Coordinator of Expanded Learning Opportunities and Visual Arts. “The arts, in a unique way, (gives) the opportunity to bring out the best and the creative nature of our students.”
Families enjoyed exciting performances, including Granite Hill Elementary’s international folk dance, Mira Loma Middle School’s choir, and Rubidoux High School’s color guard. Attendees expressed their creativity by contributing to a heart mural, decorating masks, creating pins, and dancing and singing with VAPA teachers and students.
All of the hands-on activities families participated in were part of JUSD’s exciting VAPA program. Jurupa Unified offers VAPA instruction from Transitional Kindergarten to 12th grade. Seven VAPA teachers support the arts at all elementary schools.
Hannah Moreno, Mission Bell Elementary sixth grader, grew confident and became an involved student after she joined band.
“Even though it seems challenging, I stay focused on doing what I love thanks to being in band,” Hannah said.
Congratulations, Rubidoux High School Senior Jaelyne Romero!
Jaelyne received the news in class earlier this month that she earned the National Career Technical Education (CTE) Student of the Year Scholarship for the 2025-26 school year. She was chosen from a group of nearly 300 students from more than 20 focus areas.
To learn more about Jaelyne’s honor and the scholarship, please visit https://bit.ly/JaelynCTEaward.
Spring JUSD Family Reading Challenge
The JUSD Family Reading Challenge is back in time for Read Across America Week!
The race to a MILLION MINUTES is on! Our students have read an incredible 641,683 minutes since we started the Family Reading Challenge in 2023. 🦈📖
Preschool and elementary families can participate by reading with your students and logging minutes read using the same link from last year: bit.ly/JUSDReadingChallenge
Families can start logging their reading minutes beginning this Friday, February 27th, up until 3 p.m. on April 17th.
Students who participate will have opportunities to win fun reading-themed prizes throughout the challenge.
Thank you to our families for supporting Literacy Without Limits.
Congratulations, JUSD!
Our district is among only 13 in the state to receive the Model School Attendance Review Board (SARB) distinction. The recognition is a result of our concerted efforts to reduce chronic absenteeism. Through focused and strategic efforts, JUSD has realized a 13.5% decrease in chronic absenteeism since 2022.
These efforts show the care and dedication the JUSD team has for our students. We know that in order for students to learn, grow, and thrive, they need to be at school every day, and JUSD staff have been working hard to remove obstacles that may prevent students from regular attendance.
You can read more about Model SARBs at: https://www.cde.ca.gov/nr/ne/yr26/yr26rel10.asp
Congratulations, Patriot High Dramatis Personae!
Congratulations to Patriot High School theatre students and theatre educator, Juana Rodriguez, who earned honors at the California Educational Theatre Association's theatre festival. 👏
The Dramatis Personae were awarded the Artistic Merit Award for Area 2 – Inland Empire for the production of "The Bugs," in addition to the following awards:
🎭Karlee Aguiar received the Adjudicator Award, the highest honor
🎭Braeden Hernandez and Adeley Ramirez received the Director's Award
🎭Samantha Banuelos received the $500 Vivian Bish Scholarship