PJUSD Newsletter

Email

Contact:

Susan White

Senior Executive Assistant / Cabinet Member

swhite@patterson.k12.ca.us

Important Cybersecurity Alert: Protecting Against Phishing Attempts

As part of our ongoing efforts to ensure the safety of our school community, we want to make you aware of the increasing threat of phishing attempts targeting school and school-related accounts. These cyber schemes are becoming more frequent and sophisticated, aiming to steal personal information or gain unauthorized access to accounts.

While our district is vigilant in protecting our systems, we encourage everyone to remain cautious. If you receive an unexpected email or message asking for personal details or account information, please take a moment to verify its legitimacy before responding.

For your safety, our district will never contact you and ask for passwords or personal financial information.

For more detailed information on how to recognize phishing emails and steps to take if you encounter one, please review the attached advisory from the California Cybersecurity Integration Center (Cal-CSIC). It contains valuable guidance to help keep our community safe and secure.

Visit our district's News & Announcements page on our website to explore our new highlight feature:

Our Promise Features: Showcases our staff for the incredible work they do throughout the district. This spotlight is particularly aimed at those whose work often goes unnoticed but provides significant value to our district, schools, students, and/or staff. It offers a small moment of appreciation for their dedicated efforts in fulfilling our PJUSD Promise.

This month's Promise Feature highlights Apricot Valley Elementary School Teacher, Kathy Molina's engagement strategy by transforming her school and classroom into real-world scenarios. Through hands-on experiences, students witness the practical application of their education, while inspiring career exploration.

United Patterson Graduate Profile

Join us in celebrating the success of former Patterson graduates with our monthly United Patterson Graduate Profile series. Our latest profile features Wendi Ramirez a proud graduate of Patterson High School, Class of 1983.

Read her story and discover more inspiring profiles on our district's website under the News & Announcements page and by clicking on the "United Patterson Profiles" filter.

Do you know a Patterson graduate who has moved on to do some incredible thing? Share their story with our community by clicking the following link: https://bit.ly/UPprofile.

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!

Download the STOPit app today to empower your child to report bullying, cyber abuse, and other concerns anonymously. Together, we can create a safer school environment. Available on iOS and Android.

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):

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.

Join Our Team!

We are always looking to fill vacancies internal and external vacancies throughout our district. These roles may vary from part-time, substitute, to fulltime roles. Please visit our district's website to find out how to Join Our Team!

https://www.patterson.k12.ca.us/district/careers

Those not interested in fulltime employment with Patterson Joint can apply to become a qualified substitute to fill in for staff absences. If you want more information on how to be added to our substitute list please use the following link: https://www.edjoin.org/Home/JobPosting/1879360

Patterson Education Foundation (PEF) Teacher Mini Grant

Visit https://www.friendsofpef.org/request-for-funds/teacher-mini-grant for information about this year's Mini Grant for Teachers.

This mini grant provides up to $500 for teachers to assist them with their classroom needs and improve the overall educational experience for our students.

SPIE Career Education Grant - Due Sept 15

The grant cycle for SPIE's Career Education Grant is now open! The intention of this award is to help equip young scholars with the necessary knowledge, skills, and resources to make informed decisions about future potential career pathways. SPIE’s goal is to support proposals that go beyond traditional classroom instruction; incorporating experiential, hands-on, and interactive learning approaches. Educators and administrators responsible for classroom instruction or career guidance are encouraged to apply. Grant applications are accepted until September 15, 2024.

SPIE's Summer Educator Internship is now Educators in Industry! While the premise of this program remains the same, we've given it a refresh. Educators may now apply throughout the school year to participate in this program, and are no longer required to spend a minimum of 40 hours at a single business! Educators in Industry is a program designed to bridge the gap between the education sector and local industry, creating a mutually beneficial partnership that fosters innovation and enhances the quality of career-focused education. This transformative initiative places K-12th grade educators directly within local businesses, offering them a unique opportunity to stay updated on the latest trends, technologies, and best practices in the professional world.

Website: https://www.patterson.k12.ca.us
Location: 510 Keystone Boulevard, Patterson, CA, USA
Phone: 209-895-7700
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PJUSD95363