RUSD Family & Community eNews

👋 As the Director of Secondary Education for Redlands Unified School District Educational Services, I am excited to be a part of the resources we provide to our vibrant community of educators, parents/guardians, and students. We support student achievement, health, safety, and well-being while ensuring quality opportunities for every learner. 🧑‍🎓

🎯 Our goal is to provide information that supports our students and families in every aspect of their educational journey, both academically and personally with multilingual education resources, mental health and counseling opportunities, safety and security initiatives, equity efforts, and health resources. 🤲

🤝 We want each of our staff members and parent/guardians to be an essential part of our shared journey toward excellence in education and well-being. Together, we will continue to inspire, empower, and support our students as they grow and thrive in a safe and nurturing environment. 🫶

I am deeply humbled and proud to be the Director of Secondary Education for the Redlands Unified School District. Our district has a rich history of traditions and a strong commitment to serving our communities, fostering unity, providing opportunities, and inspiring future generations to carry the torch forward. 🔥

Sincerely,

Mark Bline

Director of Secondary Education

This year during National Hispanic Heritage Month we featured our very own Superintendent, Juan J. Cabral, to share his journey. 🇲🇽 His dedication and commitment to the Redlands Unified School District comes from his background, which is heavily influenced by his parents. 💛

On September 27, 2024, RUSD hosted the Redlands Chamber of Commerce Leadership Redlands cohort. The Leadership Redlands program cultivates active community leaders through a 9-month interactive curriculum focused on empowering graduates to engage in servant leadership and positively shape the future of Redlands. 🫡

Leadership Redlands took a deep dive into a few aspects of RUSD 2025:

• 🗺️ Enhanced Learning through Innovation: Jamie Cortz, Director of Instructional IT and Accountability, along with his team, Carly Sapp and Jenn Vadnais, presented to Leadership Redlands the successes of Garner Holt, Lego Education, GIS, Ozobots, and more.

• 📚 Excellence in Academics: Superintendent Cabral highlighted various academic accomplishments, noting that students' average AP test scores exceed the state average.

• 🤝 Collaborative Community and Parent Partnerships: Leadership Redlands visited Clement Middle School’s Garner Holt lab, showcasing a successful and award-winning collaboration with Garner Holt Education through Imagination.

• 🍎 Equality through Equity: Our Child Nutrition Services shared their future goals and current accomplishments with Leadership Redlands, emphasizing that all RUSD students have access to free breakfast, lunch, and supper.

• 🚌 Learning in Safe and Secure Environments: Leadership Redlands traveled to the different locations via school bus, where the bus driver explained safety precautions taken for students.

The day included a delicious lunch provided by our very own Medley Station 🌯 and concluded with a focus group discussion on how RUSD can continue to partner with the community to improve programs for students. 🗣️

Last month, RUSD held its annual college fest which provided not only a wealth of knowledge for students, but they also walked away with swag and gifts! ✨ Reps were able to scan student QR codes, so that they'd be able to send them information in a report the very next day! 🤳

"We welcomed over 800 students and families from throughout the area to the annual RUSD College Fair held at the Redlands East Valley High School campus on Tuesday, Sept. 17th. With over 60 college representatives and our local military recruiters, this was a great opportunity to meet with reps and receive information that can help students put their college & career plans in motion. 📝

A special 'thank you' to Crafton Hills College Financial Aid department for providing a breakout session on 'Paying for College - A Financial Aid Overview,' which was well attended by our guests. This was a great evening and on behalf of the RUSD Career Center Team, thank you to all who supported the event!”

- Christa Padilla, RUSD Career Center Teacher 🌟

🔔 DON'T FORGET! Update your Aeries Parent Portal to ensure you receive school site and district communication. 📲

Go to https://redlands.asp.aeries.net/student/LoginParent and complete each tab. ✅

🔎 Looking for more photos from recent events? Check out our District Photo Gallery! Families can view and download photos from all events the Communications Department covers. 💾

Visit https://redlandsusd.smugmug.com/

🧑‍💻 We're excited to promote Digital Citizenship Week this month. 👩‍💻 As you know, teaching children safe and responsible online behavior is a team effort. 🤝 We've included some helpful resources that you can use at home to support these important conversations!

🔬 In addition, we want to highlight an exciting opportunity for students to participate in the California Science and Engineering Fair. 👩🏼‍🔬 Entries are due by Tuesday, January 21st (submitted to Moore Middle School), and RUSD will celebrate student entries on Thursday, January 23rd. Top entries may advance to state and national competitions for additional recognition. 🏆 If your child is interested, be sure to check out the flyer below for more details!

🌎 Finally, we are gearing up for National Geography Week (November 18-22) and 🗺️ GIS Day on Wednesday, November 20th. Stay tuned for more information on these exciting events!

Our Redlands Instructional Tech Coaches sat down with Superintendent Cabral one year after his debut on their Chips and Salsa podcast. 🎙️

Hear what he had to say about his first-year journey:

🎧 https://spotifyanchor-web.app.link/e/8kCoVrAo8Mb

The District African American Parent Advisory Council (DAAPAC) aims to create a welcoming space for families, community partners, and school leaders to work together in supporting and uplifting our African American students. 💛

Join DAAPAC's first meeting via Zoom on October 29, 2024 at 6 PM! For more information please visit the DAAPAC Information page on our district website! 🖥️

The District English Learner Advisory Committee (DELAC) is a group of parents, staff, and community members that helps our district improve programs and services for English learners. 🤝

DELAC welcomes families of multilingual learners to learn more about how they can support their students. The next meeting will be in-person on October 23, 2024 at the District Office Professional Development Center. 🏫 For more information please visit the DELAC Information page on our website!

The Redlands Unified School District invites parents of students with unique needs to join the Special Education Parent Advisory Committee (SEPAC), where they can share ideas, collaborate with other parents, and help improve special education services together! 🙌

Save the dates for future in-person and virtual meetings: October 17, 2024; February 20, 2025; and April 17, 2025. 📆

Additionally, please join the Special Services Department for their Special Education Parent Coffee Chat from 8:30 AM - 9:30 AM. Meet at the Boardroom on October 9, 2024 and January 22, 2025 and at the District Office Conference Room on April 16, 2025! ☕️

🤖 On September 26, 2024, Garner Holt Education Through Imagination (ETI) held their Fall Kickoff! 🍂 Redlands Unified School District presented its’ achievements and accomplishments including earning the prestigious CSBA Golden Bell Award in 2023 showcasing the success of the Garner Holt labs. 🦾

🏆 The evening ended with our very own, Karen Burk, innovation teacher at Victoria Elementary, being named Teacher of the Year by Garner Holt ETI. 👏 “I feel honored that they acknowledge the work that I have done to create a space that was the first of its kind. I am truly grateful they recognize my dedication to turning their vision into reality," she shared. ✨

This honor reflects her commitment to providing the best quality education to students who walk through the doors of the Garner Holt lab in Victoria. 🐯 "I often see students surprised by what they accomplish when they complete the task. I provide continuous, constructive feedback and they learn that sometimes, what they think is a mistake, can actually turn into a new way of doing something." Congratulations! 🎉

Students in grades three through eight and grade eleven took the Smarter Balanced Summative Assessments (SBAC) state test. 📝 The following select students had perfect scores on BOTH the English Language Arts (ELA) and Math portions of the SBAC. 🙌 Congratulations students, and we are proud of your hard work! 🎉 👏

🏆 The RUSD Superintendents Awards is a recognition program where two students and one staff member from each school will be recognized each month. 👨‍🎓🧑‍🎓 🧑‍🏫 School administrators will select students based on high academic performance and excellent citizenship criteria.

📢 We are currently accepting nominations for both classified and certificated employees who have consistently gone above and beyond in their roles. Whether it's a dedicated teacher 🧑‍🏫 who inspires students daily, a compassionate paraprofessional 🤲 who provides invaluable support, or a dependable bus driver 🚌 who ensures the safe transportation of our students, we want to hear about these exceptional individuals! If you know someone who deserves recognition for their outstanding contributions, please click the link and submit your nominations. 🗳️ Let’s come together to celebrate the remarkable individuals who continue to shine and make a positive impact throughout our district. 🙌

Redlands Council of PTA held their fall brunch where unit presidents attended with a site administrator to enjoy a delicious breakfast while collaborating with different PTAs at other school sites. 🏫 Superintendent Cabral and Assistant Superintendent of Compliance Dr. Wilson provided safety updates and an early insight on future initiatives that will be taking place soon! ✅

Follow these steps:

• 🌐 Go to https://jointotem.com/ca/pta/fifth-district-pta/redlands-council
• 🔍 Search and click on your student's school on the list
• ✅ Click "Join Now" and follow the steps on the next screen!

PTA supports their school sites through fantastic initiatives for families and students! 🍎

Visit our School Site Volunteer information page: https://www.redlandsusd.net/school-site-volunteer-information

A few things you can do as a School Site Volunteer:

• 📝 Help teachers in classrooms
• 🚌 Chaperone field trips
• 🎟️ Help PTA with events during the school day and so on!

Together, we pave the way for a brighter future for our children and community! ✨ 🙌 🎓

Staying informed is key to a smooth school year (for everyone!). Outlined below are ways the district as well as school sites will communicate with you.

🏢 District Communication

The District will send monthly newsletters, letters from the Superintendent, and updates through ParentSquare containing important information and various action items. ParentSquare is also an app you can download on your phone and set up your personal communication preferences. Seeing too many emails? You can adjust your notification preferences to digest mode and only receive one email from both your child(ren)'s school and the district in one readers digest format (click here to see how!). You can also enable text and push notifications (which we recommend in case of emergency). 📲

In an effort to effectively and efficiently communicate with our staff, families, and community members, the Redlands Unified School District has adopted an electronic flyer communication tool, Peachjar. If you have any questions regarding this new digital flyer service, please email peachjar@redlands.k12.ca.us 🍑

The District also uses social media to share positive stories and happenings throughout the district, in addition to important dates and reminders. You can follow us on Facebook, Instagram, X (Formerly Twitter), YouTube, and LinkedIn! 📱

🏫 School Site Communication

School site communication varies depending on site and grade level. However, all sites will send out either weekly or monthly newsletter-style communication through ParentSquare. For questions related to school site communication, please reach out to the site directly!

📲 ParentSquare Resources

Here is a link to more information and resources related to ParentSquare. See the contact information below for assistance with your ParentSquare account.

We post new positions regularly! Join our school community by applying here, or share this link with someone who may wish to apply. Call Human Resources at (909) 307-5300 with any questions.

Website: www.redlandsusd.net

Location: 20 West Lugonia Avenue Redlands, CA 92374

Phone: (909) 307-5300

Facebook: facebook.com/RedlandsUSD

Instagram: instagram.com/redlandsusd

X (Formerly Twitter): https://x.com/RedlandsUSD

YouTube: youtube.com/RedlandsUSD Media

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/redlandsusd

Photo Gallery: redlandsusd.smugmug.com

Redlands Unified School District, as a unifying agent of several unique communities rich in local history, culture, and tradition, is committed to preparing students to become productive participants in a diverse, multi-cultural, democratic society through quality education, high expectations, flexible programs and innovative partnerships. Our students will be empowered with the knowledge and commitment necessary to confront the challenges of our changing world, as they become the leaders of the 21st century.