The Horizon
January 2024
We are now well into 2024 and just completed 100 days of school. I am so proud of the hard work demonstrated by our students and staff and encourage you to keep going strong.
One of the best ways to ensure your child’s academic and social success is to make sure they come to school on time, every day. Try to schedule medical and dental appointments for after school hours and if you must take your child out of school, be sure to return them for the remainder of the day. We have some long holiday weekends in February. Please try not to extend those weekends. Critical learning happens throughout the school day and we don’t want your child to miss out. We understand that sometimes barriers can keep students from attending school. We want you to know there are resources available. In this issue of The Horizon, you can read more about how our attendance teams connect our students with the resources they need to stay on track.
We also have so much to celebrate in the new year, including our outstanding science and engineering programs. In December we held our Innovation Fair and top award winners head to the Riverside County Science and Engineering Fair in March. We also recently held our district esports tournament, which is open to students at all middle and high schools. This event is a wonderful way to connect students with their school community.
Finally, we are excited to announce that JUSD has been named a Top Workplace for the second consecutive year. This honor, given by the Inland News Group, was awarded based on a survey of JUSD employees. We are so grateful for our incredible team members who give their best every day to make JUSD such a wonderful place to learn and work.
Thank you, as always, for your engagement and support as we continue to provide Learning Without Limit for all of our students.
The annual Innovation Fair pushes secondary students to reach their full potential
How can we keep our waterways clean, find more sustainable energy sources, or help those with disabilities have more independence?
The 50 students who participated in the JUSD Innovation Fair took on those challenges and more with creative science and engineering projects.
The district’s 39th fair (formerly known as the Science and Engineering Fair) took place in December and showcased students’ creativity, ingenuity, critical thinking, and teamwork skills. Top winners will compete at the Riverside County Science and Engineering Fair, scheduled for March 1-2.
The fair was renamed the Innovation Fair this year to capture the spirit of innovation and creativity at the heart of the event. This year’s fair doubled in size from last year and included middle and high school students. Organizers plan to continue to grow the fair in the future.
JUSD attendance teams work to decrease chronic absenteeism.
For some, it’s the embarrassment of not having clean clothes to wear to school. For others, it’s a lack of transportation when the only family car is used to get to work. Still others may face family, health, or financial issues.
Myriad barriers can lead to a student becoming chronically absent, or missing 10 percent or more of school days. The impact of those missed days can have substantially detrimental effects on student learning and success. Every missed day of school can take up to three days to make up. Over time, that could even keep a student from graduating.
“That’s why attendance teams are so important because they’re able to identify those issues and intervene earlier,” said Olga Alferez, Director of Student Welfare and Supports. “It’s a team that comes together…to be able to put those resources and those interventions in place to help the families be more successful.”
Elementary Media Center Clerk fosters students' love for reading
Little notes are often found slipped into the pages of books in the Mission Bell Elementary School Library.
“Occasionally, I’ll find a note in the book saying, ‘This book is really good,’ said Elementary Media Center Clerk Natalie Hernandez. “It …makes my heart cry a little because these kids really do love these books.”
Hernandez has served as the Mission Bell librarian for the past three years. The job includes storytelling, creativity, and most importantly, sharing a love of reading with students. Ms. Hernandez always gives her all because she knows the impact and importance of her role.
Top Workplaces
JUSD is proud to be recognized as a Top Workplace for the second year in a row! Our district was selected for this honor based on a survey of district employees. As Jurupa Valley’s largest employer, we are honored to be able to serve our community. Thank you to our incredible staff for helping us to provide Learning Without Limits for our nearly 18,000 students!
“Our district is honored to be recognized as a Top Workplace for two consecutive years,” stated Superintendent Dr. Trenton Hansen. “I am so proud of our district and the talented and dedicated team members who do so much for our students and families, ensuring that they have the very best educational experience possible – the Jurupa Experience. Our classified and certificated employees, along with our Board of Education, truly care about our community and are committed to fulfilling our promise to ensure our students have the tools they need to succeed in school, in career, and in life.”
You can read more about the Top Workplaces at: Inland Empire Top Workplaces 2023
Esports
Congrats to our incredible JUSD Esports competitors. On Friday, January 19, teams from all middle and high schools played in our first tournament of the year. You can see media coverage of event here:
Jurupa students battle in Super Smash Bros. tournament – Press-Enterprise
Trophy Winners were:
Middle School – Mission Middle School
High School – Rubidoux High School
Richards Cup Trophy for Most Spirit – Del Sol Academy
Congratulations to all!