The Horizon
January 2025
Resilience. Strength. Dedication. Kindness.
Throughout this school year, I have seen these attributes displayed by our students, staff, and families. This month’s devastating wildfires, unprecedented Santa Ana winds, power outages, and other difficulties tested us. Our Jurupa Unified community faced these challenges with grace and determination, proving that when we stand together in support of our students and their future, nothing can stop us.
We have so many examples of excellence in our district. In this month’s newsletter, you can read about just a few.
During the holiday season, I was moved to see our whole community – staff, students, families, and educational partners – coming together to help those in need. Students received shoes, toys, books, food, clothing and other essentials at a wide variety of holiday events.
We also celebrated academic excellence as 230 students participated in the 40th annual Innovation Fair (formerly the Science and Engineering Fair). Our elementary school students also worked hard at literacy, logging an incredible 197,714 minutes read this fall. We are excited to launch the spring Family Reading Challenge in February. Be sure to look for information about when that challenge will begin and follow me on my social media channels (Instagram: @JUSD_Supt and Facebook: @JUSD Superintendent).
The arts continue to enrich our students’ educational experience while also preparing them for future success. We have a performing arts pathway as one of our Career Technical Education offerings. You can learn more in this month’s Horizon.
As always, I’m also happy to recognize and celebrate our outstanding JUSD team members. This month we are featuring our district administrators, counselor, site support person, and confidential and classified team members of the year. Our teachers of the year will be announced later this winter and we will celebrate all of our district’s incredible staff at the annual Celebrating JUSD Educators event in March.
Thank you for your encouragement, engagement, and support in ensuring we continue to provide the very best opportunities for all of our students.
January is School Board Recognition Month and we'd like to take this opportunity to thank our JUSD trustees.
Our trustees are:
-Melissa Ragole, President of the Board
-Pamela Blynn, Clerk of the Board
-Karen Bradford, MA, Trustee
-Jenny Felix, Trustee
-Raquel Ortiz Cornejo, Trustee
Please join us in celebrating and thanking our JUSD Board of Education members for all they do to support Learning Without Limits for every student.
Jurupa Valley community coming together for students
Every December, the magic of kindness comes to Jurupa Unified.
Thanks to the efforts of hundreds of generous individuals, students experience hope and joy wrapped in selflessness and sincerity.
Community partners and volunteers support Jurupa Unified School District year-long, but their generosity is especially felt during the holiday season. Non-profit organizations and community volunteers provided fun events such as Christmas in the Classroom, the Jurupa Children’s Christmas Party, Shoes for the Holidays, and the Holiday Food, Toy, and Clothing Drive to make the season more joyful and bright for JUSD students and families. These events are just an example of the beneficence shown by the Jurupa Unified community.
Filling a Need
More than two-thirds of JUSD students are in need. Partner organizations help to fill that need through generous donations. Students at Mission Bell Elementary School, for example, received brand-new shoes, socks, and toys and enjoyed a visit from Santa Claus at the annual Shoes for the Holidays event.
This marks the second year that Mission Bell has partnered with donors from the Jurupa Valley community, organized by Ana Flores, Branch Manager at Chino Commercial Bank. Ms. Flores partners with Jurupa Valley businesses and other donors to provide a fun holiday event where 125 students received a brand-new pair of shoes as well as a brand-new toy and a visit from Santa. Ms. Flores partners with the non-profit Shoes That Fit organization to procure the shoes at a discount so that more students can be helped.
Rubidoux High School's Performing Arts Pathway improves various skills
Although Valerie Garcia, a 12th-grader at Rubidoux High School, plans to pursue a career in the medical field, the invaluable confidence she has gained in Mr. Lin’s choir class has set her up for a successful future.
“Choir helps you boost up your confidence… (it) helps you connect with different people,” Valerie said.
The Performing Arts Career Technical Education (CTE) Pathway is a two-year program in which students hone their singing and musical abilities while fostering positive, professional relationships with their peers and the community. Students often travel and perform for various audiences.
Kevin Corridan, principal at Rubidoux High, has noted the significant impact choir and band have on students.
“We have a few students that oftentimes, on campus, are not quite as vocal but you put them on stage and they just come out.” Mr. Corridan said.
Rubidoux High Student Selected for Grammy Showcase
Rubidoux High School Senior Jonathan Flores, an accomplished musician and songwriter, had the incredible opportunity to perform during Grammy Week as part of the Grammy Student Showcase. Jonathan performed with his band, The Sneezers (including past and present Rubidoux High School students), and also gave a solo performance of his original song “Confessions” at a special event held at the Clive Davis Theater in Los Angeles on Saturday, January 25.
The event was attended by music industry executives, family, friends, and RHS Instrumental Music Director Sarah Choi. Members of The Sneezers who performed with Jonathan include: Sherleen Hernandez, Ryan Frutis, and Randy Rodriguez.
“Being able to perform at the Grammy Student Showcase was a super fun experience and I'm grateful that I was able to be a part of it,” Jonathan said. “I got to watch a lot of amazing student artists and learn about what it's like to be on the inside of the music industry. We learned about all types of equipment for sound, lights, and even what it's like to manage musicians, and on top of this there was a panel of artists that gave us some great feedback about our performances. I was happy to see that everyone working there had a ton of respect and devotion for what they did. The students were all deeply passionate about the music they made and being able to share it with other people, and the staff were more than delighted to answer any question or even help me find a 9V battery when I needed it for my guitar. I think that most importantly everyone had a ton of fun and I was just happy to be able to play some music with my friends for people to enjoy.”
JUSD honors outstanding team members
Congratulations to our 2024-25 JUSD Employees of the Year. Thank you to our incredible employees for their dedication to our JUSD students and community.
Our Employees of the Year are:
Classified Employee of the Year – Sandra Franco Valencia, Activity Supervisor, Peralta Elementary School
Counselor of the Year – Princess Etuale Caldera, Counselor, Patriot High School
Site Support Employee of the Year – Donia Briones, Teacher on Special Assignment, Education Services
Co-Administrator of the Year – Lindsay Connell, Assistant Principal - Curriculum & Instruction, Patriot High School
Confidential Employee of the Year – Susan Worley, Senior Executive Assistant, Superintendent’s Office
Certificated Administrator of the Year – Olga Alferez, Director of Educational Equity, Pupil Services
Classified Administrator of the Year – Jacqueline Paul, Director of Strategic Communications, Education Services
Principal of the Year – Debra Sigala, Principal, Jurupa Middle School
Employees of the Year will be recognized at the Celebrating JUSD Educators celebration in March. Teachers of the Year will be announced soon.
Next Level Saturdays
JUSD students in grades 7-11 are invited to participate in Next Level Saturdays on January 25th, February 22nd, and March 15th, 2025, from 8 AM to 12 PM. This free academic seminar is designed to equip students with essential skills for college and career readiness while addressing test anxiety. Each session includes a nutritious breakfast and a catered lunch. Students attending all three events can win exciting giveaways. This is a wonderful opportunity for your child to gain confidence and develop lifelong academic skills. Don’t miss out—enroll today through JUSD Parent Connect!
Winter Break JUSD Family Reading Challenge Winners
Congratulations to our Winter Break Family Reading Challenge winners! JUSD elementary families read 20,063 minutes over winter break, bringing our grand total to 197,714 minutes for the school year!
Our top readers over winter break:
📖 TK/K: Mariana Muñoz, Stone Avenue Elementary
📖 1st/2nd grade: Lindsey Kerber, Sky Country Elementary
📖 3rd/4th grade: Roger Jaurequi, Sky Country Elementary
📖 5th/6th grade: Sophia Mendez, Indian Hills Elementary
Joseph Lujan, a second grader from Pacific Avenue Academy of Music, was awarded a mystery prize for being the only Pacific Avenue reader during the Winter Break Challenge.
Fredis Palencia, third grader, and Anna Palencia, TK student, were awarded mystery prizes for being the only Glen Avon Elementary readers during the Winter Break Challenge.
Don’t stop reading, JUSD! There will be another spring reading challenge in the coming weeks.
JUSD Music Programs Earn Honors
Jurupa Unified School District music programs have earned multiple awards from the non-profit Music For All organization.
JUSD’s middle and high school instrumental music programs won an Advocacy in Action: Recruitment, Engagement, and Retention award for the 2024 District Wind Band Festival. The award honors JUSD middle and high school music programs for providing an adjudicated music festival in which middle school students could participate.
To read more about these awards, please click this link.
Patriot High School Theatre Awards Announced
Congratulations to the outstanding Patriot High School Dramatis Personae theatre students who recently earned honors at the California Educational Theatre Association’s Theatre Festival.
Honorees include:
🎭 Sophia Bedoy – Vivian “Bish” Edwards Scholarship
🎭Maleny Ruiz – Stand Up 4 Arts Education Scholarship
🎭Adjudicator Awards – Samantha Thien and Olivia Jeffers
🎭Second Stage Scene Competition - Outstanding Lead performance – Samantha Thien
🎭Second Stage Scene Competition - Directors Award Medallion – Maleny Ruiz and Sarah Lindquist
Several Patriot students also received Awards of Merit.
Congratulations to these outstanding thespians!
Pedley Elementary Teacher Earns Grant
Congratulations to Pedley Elementary School teacher Dinah Palagi on her recently awarded $1,000 Lois B. Krieger grant from Western Municipal Water District. Ms. Palagi plans to use the grant funds to expand the garden at Pedley Elementary School. 🌱🍉🌽
Thank you, Ms. Palagi, for all you do to enrich the lives of our students! And, thank you Western Municipal Water District for supporting Learning Without Limits.
You can learn more about the Lois B. Krieger grants at: https://westernwaterca.gov/455/Lois-B-Krieger-Grant-for-Educators