PJUSD Newsletter
September 2024
Contact:
Susan White
Senior Executive Assistant / Cabinet Member
You Spoke, We Listened: Enhancing Crisis Communications with Smart Alerts
Thank you to everyone who participated in our District Communications Preferences Survey at the end of the school year last year. Your feedback has been invaluable in helping us understand how we can better serve you. A significant portion of our school community expressed the need for quicker and more direct notifications during situations needing crisis-type of response (emergency services called, weather conditions affecting school, police activity nearby, lockdowns, etc.). In response, we have started implementing Smart Alerts through our ParentSquare system.
Smart Alerts allow us to send urgent notifications directly to your phone via text, ensuring you receive critical information as quickly as possible. This upgrade is part of our ongoing commitment to keeping our district staff and families well-informed, aligning with our PJUSD Promise to effectively communicate with our community in a timely manner.
We appreciate your continued support and input. Please stay tuned for more opportunities to share your feedback in the future.
Vote for Your Favorite Elementary School Name!
Our School Naming Committee recently held its second meeting, where members reviewed over 70 name submissions from our community. After thoughtful discussion, the committee has narrowed the list down to five finalists:
- Almond Blossom Elementary (ABE)
- Orchard Blossom Elementary (OBE)
- Ward Elementary (WE)
- Canyon View Elementary (CVE)
- Golden Hills Elementary (GHE)
Now, we need your help to choose the final name! Please participate in our survey, available on the district's School Construction page, and cast your vote by 4:30 PM on Friday, September 13th. Your input is essential as we prepare to make a final recommendation to the School Board of Trustees on October 7th.
Thank You for Celebrating with Us!
Thank you to everyone who joined us for the monumental Grand Opening of the new Swimming Pool and Frontage Beautification Project at Patterson High School!
On Saturday, August 23rd, our district conducted a ceremonial ribbon cutting to mark the official completion of these two exciting projects at Patterson High School. Dignitaries, community members, alumni, and staff joined our district leaders, trustees, and construction partners to celebrate these wonderful new, state-of-the-art facilities for our students and staff to enjoy and thrive upon!
September is Attendance Awareness Month!
Our district attendance goal is 95% daily attendance. Let’s work together to meet this goal!
Showing up on time every day is important to your child’s success and learning from preschool through high school.
Missing just 2 days a month means a child misses 10% of the school year.
Missing 10% of school (1 or 2 days every few weeks) can make it harder to:
Learn and develop reading and math skills.
Build relationships.
Develop good attendance habits.
Missing 10%, or 2 days a month, over the course of the school year, can affect a student’s academic success.
Did you know?
Being late to school may lead to poor attendance
Students should miss no more than 9 days of school each year to stay engaged, successful and on track to graduation.
Frequent absences can be a sign that a student is losing interest in school, struggling with school work, dealing with a bully or facing some other difficulty.
By 6th grade, absenteeism is one of three signs that a student may drop out of high school.
By 9th grade, attendance is a better predictor of graduation rates than 8th grade test scores.
Remember, there are only a few reasons why your child should stay home (below):
Please Communicate with the school
• Know the school’s attendance policy – incentives and penalties.
• Check on your child's attendance on Aeries to be sure absences are not adding up.
• Seek help from school staff, other parents, or community agencies if you need support.
For the month of September, we are recognizing students that are at school daily, on time, and stay the entire day. Students will receive prizes throughout the month of September!
Data-Driven Academics
The Educational Services team has been hard at work this summer to ensure your child has a successful school year. Our team has met with the principals and assistant principals to analyze student achievement data and create plans for this school year to ensure academic success and high levels of learning for our PJUSD students. Furthermore, principals and their teams will present their data and plans to improve student achievement during our September, October, and November Governing Board meetings.
New Hire Academy
This year we welcomed our new PJUSD teachers during an initial, two-day New Hire Academy which prepares our teachers for the first few months of school. Our New Hire Academy will continue throughout the 2024/25 school year as our new teachers receive ongoing professional development and coaching to support the academic success of our students. Our new teachers are excited, energetic, and ready to ensure our PJUSD students have a successful year!
Transitional Kindergarten Program & Preschool Programs
Finally, do you have a child whose 5th birthday will occur between September 2, 2024 and June 2, 2025? If so, your child qualifies to attend our exceptional transitional kindergarten program housed at PJUSD’s West Valley Learning Center. Also, children who are three or four years old may also enroll and attend one of our excellent preschool programs. To inquire about PJUSD’s transitional kindergarten program or our preschool programs, including how to enroll, please contact the West Valley Learning Center staff at (209) 892-4550.
Connect With Us!
Website: https://www.patterson.k12.ca.us
Location: 510 Keystone Boulevard, Patterson, CA, USA
Phone: 209-895-7700
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PJUSD95363